Feeling Medicalized
This morning I had my fifth and sixth vials of blood drawn for this pregnancy. This time it was for the blood glucose test.
The typical way this is handled is for the pregnant woman to arrive at the lab, drink a glass of completely vile Glucola syrup, which is pure sugar, and then wait an hour in the lobby. Then two vials of blood are drawn and later tested to see how the body reacts to the sugar influx. Before the techs will give you the Glucola, they require that you fast for 12 hours.
That’s the allopathic way. Although I tried to convince her that she shouldn’t make me take the test, my midwife insisted, but gave me an alternate method: Rise early. Eat eggs. Drink 1 and 3/4 cups pure apple juice. Arrive at the lab 40 minutes after drinking the juice, 20 minutes before the blood should be drawn. Tell the lab that (1) I’ve been fasting, and (2) that I drank Glucola 40 minutes ago. If one doesn’t answer the med techs’ questions properly, they’ll refuse to draw the blood, even though this is one of the few blood tests that doesn’t require fasting; apparently exceptions to the rule will not be tolerated.
So, I went the alternative route this time. My blood has been drawn. I feel crappy because there’s pure apple juice pumping through my veins right now, but I know I’d be feeling worse if it were Glucola in combination with an empty stomach.
It’s just fairly ridiculous to me that all these tests are necessary even when I’ve opted for (just about) the least medicalized prenatal care/birth option there is (for middle-class white women) in this country.
Bah! Coffee’s a better rush.
