37W 0D 妊娠糖尿病検査　Glucose tolerance test

妊娠糖尿病検査のため、「出産前胎児チェックユニット」(Antenatal fetal assessment Unit)へ。事前に渡された検査の説明書によると、前日の真夜中以降、水以外は摂取してはいけないとあった。だから昨日は夜の11時55分に食いだめして寝た。（お腹がすいて夜中に起きることが最近多いんだもの・・・。）

まず、この空腹状態で血液サンプルを採り、その場でコップ2杯の
Lucozade
を飲まされる。Lucozadeはその辺で売っているスポーツ飲料だ。2 時間後に逆の腕から再び血液を摂取。前後の血液を調べて血糖値の変化をチェックするようだ。この2時間の間、水以外の摂取、動き回ることは許されなかったので、私は待合室のソファで熟睡した。

他にこの検査を受けていた女性が待合室に6,7人いたが、みんなベンガル系の人で、自国語でおしゃべりしていた。私が目を覚ますと、隣に座っていた人懐っこい女性が話しかけてきた。羊水過多の原因を調べるために来たのよと言うと、「あら、少なくて問題があることもあるけど、多くても問題なのね」と言うので、「あなたは、羊水過少なの？」と聞くと、「私はもう産んじゃったわ。」しまった、地雷を踏んだか、と思ったが、彼女は気にする風もなく、妊娠糖尿病の産後の検査に来たと話してくれた。妊娠糖尿病は出産後に本格的な糖尿病に発展する可能性があるため、今診断を下されると、出産6週間後にフォローアップがある。

Went to the 'Antenatal fatal assessment Unit' at the Royal London Hospital for Glucose Tolerance Test. I was told that the test starts at 9.00 am and we can not eat or drink after the midnight on the previous day, except for water. I stuffed my stomach with food at 23.55 on Sunday evening. Well, recently I have often been waken up by starvation in the middle of night!

Firstly, a blood sample was taken. Then I was asked to drink up 2 cups of Lucozade. Lucozade is one of the popular sport drink you can buy at any shop. 2 hours later, I was taken another blood sample from other side of the arm. That's it! During these 2 hours, I was not allowed to eat or drink, except for water, nor move around. I decided to have a nap in the waiting room.

There were about 6 or 7 other women who were taking the same test and all of them were Bengalis. They were chatting to each other in their own language, but when I woke up, the friendly one sitting next to me started to talk to me. I told her that I came to the test because my baby water is too much. She replied, 'Oh, if the water is too little, it is a problem. But if it is too much, it's also a problem.' 'You then have too little water?' I asked. 'Oh, no, I have already delivered a baby,' she answered. Whoops. Have I stepped on a landmine?? Luckily, she did not seem to be bothered and kept talking to me that she was there to have a follow-up 6 weeks after the delivery.

If we are diagnosed as pregnancy related diabetes, we need to come back 6 weeks after the delivery to have glucose tolerance re-checked as sometimes pregnancy related diabetes will develop a proper diabetes.