My OGTT experience

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), in my opinion, is by far the worst ever lab test that a pregnant woman should have to undergo. Imagine being in my shoes -- 8 months pregnant with a "healthy" appetite being told to fast (as in totally without food or drink) for 10hours. And if that is not difficult enough, the glucose drink prior the test gave me a sugar high followed shortly by a sugar crash that had me dozing off in the lobby of the Healthway clinic in Alabang. But wait, there's more to the fasting and "tulo-laway" episodes. Every hour, for four hours, blood and urine will be collected to check for glucose tolerance. On my second blood extraction, which was right after my sugar high, the med tech failed to pierce my vein on the first try so she moved the needle several times inside my arm looking for my vein until napa-aray ako. She tried on my other arm, same thing. Vein not pierced, needle poking around, pregnant lady says "Aray!". On the third try, again hindi pa rin natamaan vein ko. When she started poking the needle again, I swear nahilo ako then nandidilim na yung surroundings ko. I was on the verge of fainting!

Pregnant lady: Miss, hihimatayin na ata ako.
MedTech: Relax lang ma'am..
Pregnant lady: Pinag-papawisan na ako ng malamig. Nandidilim na rin paningin ko...
MedTech: Sige po ma'am, i-out ko na ulit yung needle.
Pregnant lady (thinking): Hay salamat! Ang sakit na kaya nun. Naku, mukhang matutumba na ako.. Buti na lang nakaupo ako. Wag lang ako matumba ng paharap..
MedTech: Okay lang po ba kayo ma'am? (Sabay pahid ng vicks sa noo ko. May tinawagan din sya pero di ko na masyado rinig - my hearing was like I was underwater)

Next thing I knew, someone was helping me to a wheelchair and I was brought to the Emergency Room of the clinic. I was made to lie down and in a few minutes the MedTech arrive and was successful in extracting the blood from the back of my hand. I was lying there for maybe 45minutes and got up only when I was sure I was okay. Hay naku.. Parusa talaga ang OGTT. Kahit baby ko mukhang nabigla sa fasting ko. It took two days before she was back to her usual malikot state in my tummy. Poor Maia..

Anyway, thank God its over. I'm 35 weeks today and still bloated and waddling. Maia's kicks are getting stronger and it doesn't help that Carl plays with her every evening (at 10pm!) when I'm asleep already. Hon, playtime till 7pm lang - we might be starting a pattern na madala ni Maia when she's born. Baka 10pm na at gising na gising pa sya at naghahanap ng kalaro. =)