MOTHER WHO GOT IT IN PREGNANCY
Jenna Russell, 28, is a stay-athome mother and lives near Grimsby with her partner John, 35, and their son Max, nine. at 5ft 8in and 10 st 8 lb, she has a BMI of 23. Jenna says:
WHEN I was about five months pregnant, I developed gestational diabetes. Basically, your body can’t produce enough insulin to meet the extra needs of the growing baby. It was quite unexpected.
But it didn’t worry me too much as I was told it would disappear once I’d had the baby. I was told to eat healthily and keep active.
After my son was born, I was tested every year for diabetes as a precaution. My blood sugar readings were fine, though I did keep getting urinary tract infections. They could sometimes be really bad and I’d get pain in my kidneys too. At the age of 26, tests showed I had sugar in my urine and I was diagnosed with type 2.
Frankly, I was devastated. I was a young woman with a young child. It didn’t make any sense.
I was put on metformin but it made me terribly sick and I gave it up after several months. now, I inject Victoza every day, which increases insulin production.
I try to keep active by swimming and going to yoga, but I also suffer with unrelated fibromyalgia, which causes pain throughout my body, so it’s not always easy to exercise.
I think all this is especially hard for my son. When my diabetes causes an unexpected ‘ hypo’ — when blood sugar falls too low, a side- effect of the drugs used to control the condition — I slur my words and I’m wobbly on my feet, which is quite scary for Max.
EXPERT COMMENT: Gestational diabetes affects 4 to 5 per cent of pregnant women and a third of them are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five to ten years, says Dr Sharma. It can be random but high blood pressure or a family history of type 2 may increase the risk. In Jenna’s case, her urinary tract infections were a sign she was developing type 2, as increased sugar in urine enables bacteria to multiply.
Jenna’s fibromyalgia can make it difficult to stay active but she should try to get outside as much as she can as vitamin D is good for insulin resistance.
Dr Maksoud adds: ‘ Jenna eats healthily but it’s important to eat more vegetables than fruit, as dates, grapes, melon, bananas and mango can all raise blood sugar.’