3 hour glucose test HELL

I had my 3 hour glucose test Tuesday. I am SO glad that is over. If you haven't heard, my biggest fear in life is.. the N word.. needles. I don't even like saying the word so we say 'the N word'.
I don't want to write yet another post of me just bitching and complaining, but I will write a post about Facts! And glucose tests really suck! That is a fact.

Since I didn't pass my one hour two weeks ago I have to do a 3 hour test. Which is a lot different then the one hour. For the one hour I literally chugged the orange drink as I was driving to my appointment and then when I got to the birth center they drew my blood about 30 minutes later. That day I was super paranoid to eat anything but I don't think that plays into your results. Its either you HAVE GD or you don't.

I had to fast for this 3 hour one. So after 9 o'clock Monday night I couldn't eat or drink anything except a little bit of water. My appointment was at 9 Tuesday morning. When we got to the birth center there was a sign on the door that said 'Quiet Birth in Progress'. I was soooo super excited Lol Not that I would see anything or be around it at all it was just exciting to be in the presence of a new life being brought into this world in the same exact place I will bringing our sons life in in two months!

We went in and sat in the kitchen and waited for a midwife to come out and when she did she said that the baby was born just 15 minutes ago and she just delivered the placenta! So amazing! Like I said, it was just really cool to be in the presence of that happening just on the other side of the house. So anyway, she told us to go into the other birthing room. Its just a bedroom. Chris was still there with me then.

Linda, one of the midwives came in and did my first blood draw. It was my 'fasting' draw.
Then I had to down TWO bottles of the orange drink! UGH! That was gross. My stomach started hurting and I had to do them both within 10 minutes. Gross. Just thinking about it makes me want to barf. The taste really isn't that bad but it was the fact that I had to do it really quick on a completely empty stomach...

 

After I finished those, Linda came back in and asked what time I finished. It was about 9:20. So on the :20 of every hour for the next three hours I had to get my blood drawn.

 

So 10:20 comes along and I'm like crap, she is gonna walk in any second. It was like I was in my own personal hell knowing what was about to happen and I couldn't run away. But this time in came Ruth Cobb, the main midwife. Who I just absolutely love. So nice and comforting and she was really making sure I was comfortable.

She did my second blood draw. So I had two in the same area on my left arm.

 



Then 11:20 comes and Donna comes in. She was the nurse that did my blood draw for my 1 hour test and I loved her. She was really good at it. So I was nervous of course but relieved at the same time that she was there. This woman literally has this auroa around her, there is something about her that makes me feel like she really is an angel. I don't know how else to explain it. She is just so so sweet and nice and soft spoken.

 

Well she was having a hard time finding a vein on either arm. She wasn't sticking me, she could just feel around and know that this vein was too small or this vein would roll or whatever. So she ended up finding one and I couldn't believe where she wanted to do it. But I trusted her so I just let it happen. Right on the side of my wrist. I felt like a damn pin cushion :(

 

Going into this appointment I thought I only had to do three blood draws. When Donna walked in I had this weird feeling that I had two more to do instead of one so I asked her. She said I had two more left :( I said well that sucks but OK.

 

After she took my third draw, when I thought that would be my last but it wasn't, knowing I had another one to do. I just broke down bawling. I had had enough. I couldn't believe I was literally living my nightmare and I had to go through it one more time. Never ever ever in my life would I have thought that in just 3 hours I would have a needle in my or near me four freaking times. I was emotionally drained and just let it out and cried. I waited another hour and was actually nervous for this last draw. I just couldn't believe I had to do it again.

 

I text my husband and told him to try to get there at 12:15. Which is five minutes before the last draw. He did and so he was there with me for my first one and my last one, thank goodness.

 

12:20 Donna comes in again to do my last one and she literally had no veins left. She looked for a good 5 minutes or so trying to get one to pop up by putting the tourniquet on my arm and that was starting to get painful because it was so tight. She ended up doing it on the side of my wrist again but on my left wrist this time. And for some reason that one really hurt. I wanted it over as soon as it started. That one has started to bruise and is still sore.

 

After we were done, I needed to go get something to eat. So I picked Cracker Barrell cuz I wanted some homestyle cooking. While we were sitting down and as soon as our food came out. I was starting to get dizzy and lightheaded and I started to sweat and couldnt even hold up my hands to eat. I almost legit passed out. I tried to eat what I could as fast as I could. I could barely hold my fork to eat. That was crazy but I was chugging down water and trying to feel better quickly. I did not wanna pass out in the restaurant that would have been embarrassing.

 

Then I went home and layed down for the rest of the day in bed. I was so weak and sick.

 

So this pretty much sums up what you would have to look forward to if you have to do a 3 hour glucose test. Lets hope you never have to. Because it sucks.