This might be manageable ...

Had my initial diabetes consultation today, and it wasn't anywhere near as scary as I was afraid it would be. Which is nice. First off, the only other woman in the class was having triplets(!) in about four weeks, and had been confined to bedrest for the past two months. So right away my life was looking better. Second, they gave us a bag of free stuff. I mean, sure, it was a blood sugar monitor and extra strips and punchy things, but it was electronic and it came in a cool carrying case and they let us play with it, so it counts, dammit. I was *seriously* paranoid about the blood sugar monitoring. The only times I've had my finger punched to draw blood is when I donate blood and they have to check first for iron levels and stuff. And that shit HURTS! Also I have this irrational sense of ickyness about poking holes in my fingertips. I'm not scared of needles, and even punching my arm wouldn't bother me, but my fingertips ... *shudder*. I voiced my wussy anxiety to the nurse, and she acknowledged it, but said she thought I might be pleasantly surprised by how little I'd feel it - they've made a lot of improvements, and the meters they provide are touted as the gentlest. And she was right! I can feel it, but it's more like a mosquito bite than the terrible spike of death I'd been fearing. Which is a good thing, since I have to test my blood sugar FOUR TIMES A DAY. Once right after I get up (which will make me love mornings even more than I already do) and then one hour after each meal. Oy.

We also went over the dietary restrictions, and those are looking fairly manageable as well. I have to eat a lot more protein than I have been, and I have to make sure I get enough carbs as well (though I have to be careful with those). The nutritionist said I *can* eat the occasional slice of pumpkin pie or Christmas cookie, I just have to be careful when I do it and adjust the rest of my meals and snacks accordingly. This should make the holiday season a lot easier to manage. Overall it looks like it will be a slight, but not massive, pain in the ass ... though I may change my tune after doing this for a few months.

Also, can I just say that I frickin' love nurses? Some of this may possibly have to do with the fact that my stepmom is a nurse, as are lots of my parents' friends, but regardless: I think nurses are the bomb-diggity. With very few exceptions, the nurses that I've interacted with since I got knocked up have been extraordinarily kind, informative, and supportive - and the nurses today were no different. They took the time to answer all our questions, and were careful to emphasize the need to take care of our health as much as or more than the need to do it for the baby's sake. (The feminist mom in me really appreciated this.) I've heard horror stories from friends and acquaintances about some of the horrible things their healthcare practitioners have said or done, but I've had nothing but luck with mine.

Oh - and I got back the results from my quad screen (the test for genetic anomalies) and it came back normal, as did the results from my 24 hour urine test. Man, you guys know a lot about my inner workings!