New Full-Time Job

Mom and Dad went to the diabetes clinic yesterday. First we saw the nurse, who gave us a tutorial in how to monitor blood glucose levels. Mom will have to test and record the values seven (!) times per day. (For some reason, the thought of getting a needle to the back, i.e., epidural, is not nearly as scary as it used to be...) She will also need to exercise after every meal. After a roughly 30 minute visit to the nurse, we saw the dietician, who reviewed Mom's food diary from the past few days and made some suggested changes. It's of course very much like a diet of someone with Type II, except there's an objective to gain weight hence the 6 meals per day.

This whole situation has prompted a couple other things to happen, besides a general improvement to both Mom and Dad's diet. Firstly, Grandma Jane will be modifying her ting-a-ling recipe this Christmas to beef up the peanut content and exlude the corn flakes in favour of bran flakes. Secondly, Mom contacted her Benefits expert at work. Not only are all the diabetes necessities (strips, needles, ketone strips) covered by work benefits, but so is a private postpartum room at the hospital.

Mom and Dad will go back to the clinic next week for a one-week review of blood glucose levels. If all goes well, Mom can cut her tests down to four times per day. As the baby and placenta grow, Mom's pancreas gets less and less efficient at producing insulin. If a diet/exercise program continues to work well, insulin injections will not be needed (there are no approved oral med treatments for GDM). So there are several big incentives to make this work.

In the nurse's words, managing blood glucose levels is a full-time job. Mom does not really know how she could have possibly done this on top of her 14-hr work day. Yet another reason to be thankful for the recent end to the Fall semester, and a light Spring. That is not to say that Xmas is going to be easy. Those nanaimo bars, chocolates, egg nog, shortbread cookies, donuts, pakoras, chips, and cupcakes at yesterday's Faculty Christmas party *looked* really good. Although the thought of extra turkey with gravy doesn't sound so bad.