Insulin and lowering A1c for pregnancy

[huligoo 10]

I need to lower my A1c before my RE with allow me to proceed with my clomid cycles.

 

Any of you ladies get your A1c under tight control with the help of insulin?

Was it difficult to get your glucose under control?

Did you have any side effects from the insulin itself?

 

I guess I am feeling really nervous from switching from pills(metformin & Actos) to insulin.

 

How much more often did you check your glucose level on your glucometer?

 

Thanks.

[aiah23 11]

I need to lower my A1c before my RE with allow me to proceed with my clomid cycles.

 

Any of you ladies get your A1c under tight control with the help of insulin?

Was it difficult to get your glucose under control?

Did you have any side effects from the insulin itself?

 

I guess I am feeling really nervous from switching from pills(metformin & Actos) to insulin.

 

How much more often did you check your glucose level on your glucometer?

 

Thanks.

 

With insulin you need to check your blood sugars more frequently (you have a greater likelihood of going low when you're in a low normal range which is probably where your RE wants you to be for clomid (it can really mess with you in terms of high blood sugars from what I've heard). Recommendations concerning testing: first thing in the morning, if you've got a long gap between waking and eating breakfast, before breakfast, 2 hrs after breakfast, before lunch, 2 hrs after lunch, before dinner, 2 hrs after dinner, and before bedtime (if there's a bit of a gap between your 2 hr check and your bedtime). that's really at a minimum. If you have days where you're more suceptible to stress messing with your blood sugars, or you're trying to determine the correct insulin dosage, then obviously you'll want to check more frequently (whenever you don't 'feel' right as it can indicate either a high or a low until you're more familiar with a difference in the symptoms between the two extremes). What insulin are they putting you on? I recommend getting Using Insulin by John Walsh or Thinking Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner for help with how to properly dose b/c it's likely they'll keep you on insulin once your clomid starts and/or pregnancy continues. Best of luck to you:)

 

Fawn

[huligoo 10]

Okay thanks for your input Fawn..Im gonna look into it.

[FarmerCathy 10]

Fawn - my endo said to test 1.5hrs after breakfast, lunch and dinner when your pregnant and it needs to be under 130. Fasting should be between 70 and 90. I usually have to eat as soon as I can after I get up esp. when pregnant or my numbers go up after eating.

 

I use the Lantus pen and have good luck with that. I eat a mainly protein, veggie, fat diet and add flaxseed cakes and brownies to the mix and that keeps me low. flaxseed is really good at lowering your bg numbers. Insulin isn't as scary as you would think and I think its a fine trade off to pills to be able to have a baby. I think being pregnant is keeping me in check more than I thought, I need to keep my numbers low because I do not want to lose this one after losing the last at 14 weeks to most likely having such high bg the entire pregnancy. We thought it was gestational diabetes.

[aiah23 11]

Fawn - my endo said to test 1.5hrs after breakfast, lunch and dinner when your pregnant and it needs to be under 130. Fasting should be between 70 and 90. I usually have to eat as soon as I can after I get up esp. when pregnant or my numbers go up after eating.

 

I use the Lantus pen and have good luck with that. I eat a mainly protein, veggie, fat diet and add flaxseed cakes and brownies to the mix and that keeps me low. flaxseed is really good at lowering your bg numbers. Insulin isn't as scary as you would think and I think its a fine trade off to pills to be able to have a baby. I think being pregnant is keeping me in check more than I thought, I need to keep my numbers low because I do not want to lose this one after losing the last at 14 weeks to most likely having such high bg the entire pregnancy. We thought it was gestational diabetes.

 

Cathy I think the 1.5 hrs thing could be more of a YMMV bit. That's definitely not a hard and fast, especially given that pregnancy slows your digestion considerably. That 1.5 hr may be closer to a 1 hr post prandial pre-diabetes. If you find that your digestion is already a little slower pre-pregnancy, it probably will be during pregnancy. I found I really had to up my carbs in early pregnancy, I was having lows left and right though. While that is common it's doesn't hit everyone; still was an issue even with some severe insulin reductions.

 

Fawn

[huligoo 10]

I guess one of my main concerns is if the insulin injections and monitoring of the glucose---interferes with your job at work. I am a special Education teacher--I am busy every second(it feels like it). Im nervous about how to incorporate this into my schedule.

Some days I dont even get a 15 minute break! Oh god...please help me ease my nerves about this.

[FarmerCathy 10]

I guess one of my main concerns is if the insulin injections and monitoring of the glucose---interferes with your job at work. I am a special Education teacher--I am busy every second(it feels like it). Im nervous about how to incorporate this into my schedule.

Some days I dont even get a 15 minute break! Oh god...please help me ease my nerves about this.

 

That would be tough. Do you have bathroom breaks? If so, can you just take your meter with you and take it when you need to?