My 3 hour glucose test fun fun fun

Yesterday morning I went in for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I had to fast for 12 hours prior so it sucked already...I had to conquer my almost paranoid fear of being starved and sugar-crashing by trying to absolutely NOT think about it. I brought good books with me and went to the hospital.

7:50 am I drank the stuff. Mine was like a lemon-lime concentrate, like soda syrup. It was presented cold with a straw and I tried verrrry had to pretend I was just chillin on the beach havin a Sprite. I gagged and even cried a little, but mostly out of fear of peeing/barfing. I drank it all!

Then I was told to basically take a hike and come back in an hour...tell us if you vomit, Honey...Absolutely no leaving the building

It was a long hour. I felt really hot. Like a hot flash, like the kind I get when I get very freaked out. I tried to read 2 cool birth books but it was getting hard to read. I tried to watch TV but it was too dumb, Regis and Kelly too quiet. I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water all over my hands and face. I got really really panicky about just sitting there rotting for 2 1/2 more hours. My legs were swelling up from the waiting room chairs, but walking around made me hotter and dizzier. I went to the bathroom again and resplashed my hands and face.

About 5 minutes early, 8:45 am, I returned to the lab room and the lady asked me how I was feeling. I hung my head down and told her "not too good". I fully expected her to chastise me but she said to come on in. She told me that the first hour is the hardest, which made no sense, as I only envisioned getting hotter and sicker until finally I exploded (I didn't feel like barfing, just like I needed to go lay in some snow or go swimming or something--a distinct suffocating and hot and swelling type of sensation that didn't really make sense to me--was this "high blood sugar?" I didn't know but it was yucky)

She took my blood and took me to a new waiting area, one that appeared to be for ladies in hospital gowns who had drank Barium. There she showed me to a little bench where I could lie down. That sounded SOOOO much better than sitting in the main lobby. I laid down and listened to louder TV. Still feeling incredibly hot and cagey, I made about 10 trips to the bathroom to get my hands and face wet with cold water. By now,I looked like a greasy drenched freak, but sort of avoided eye contact with the barium ladies and curled up with my face to the wall. I couldn't sleep, but did rest.

I went in for the second blood draw, 9:50 am. This time I was so sad (the only word I can think of here!) that I really didn't even talk to the lab lady. She asked if I was feeling any better and I just shook my head. She drew the blood and told me to hang in there.

I went back to my little bench-bed but couldn't deal with it anymore, so I broke the rules and went outside. Oh, was it great! It was humid and cold and I felt ALOT better. I sat out there for about 5 minutes, nobody cared, what could they do, arrest me? Cancel the whole test? I couldn't have cared less. It was very very good weather for someone having a stifling, nauseating, upsetting, overheated experience. Very windy and misty, like the seashore or something.

I went back in the regular waiting room and read Elle. So trivial that it did pass the time better than anything else. Finally, finally, it was 10:50 and I went in for my last blood draw. they offered me juice, which sounded sick after having only a sweet drink in the last 15 hours, but I did take it, a little can of cranberry juice. I staggered out of there into the surreal weather and had a really hard time finding my minivan in the parking structure. I fought harder than even the entire test period to not completely LOSE IT and cry cry cry...wandering in the fume-y parking garage, braxton-hicks almost stopping me from walking at all, sipping on my tinny cranberry juice, it took me almost 15 minutes to find my car.

I bought some lunch on the way home but was not ravenous, and only took little nips of it for about an hour. My husband had taken the morning off, but after greeting me sweetly with a hug and walking me into my bedroom, he had to go--now!!--and that was it.

I was extraordinarily "wipedout" for about 3 hours. The children were really, really good, just playing toys and totting around playing xylophones and flutes "to cheer me up" and watching shows. By late afternoon I was fine.

I was supposed to go to some diabetic class at noon to learn about how to eat, but there was no way I was doing anything besides going home after that morning. It is rescheduled for next Tuesday. The only time you can take it is 12 to 3 pm--what kind of time is that for people? My friend is going to bring her kids over and babysit, thankfully! In my old neighborhood, really all of my adult life, I had nobody. I could never ever go do anything. I was years behind on dentists and Gyno's and all of that. anyhow, very grateful to have some great friends now.

So, I guess they'll tell me how it all went. Sucky, but I lived :)