diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f717486
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+# Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*$py.class
+
+# C extensions
+*.so
+
+# Distribution / packaging
+.Python
+build/
+develop-eggs/
+dist/
+downloads/
+eggs/
+.eggs/
+lib/
+lib64/
+parts/
+sdist/
+var/
+wheels/
+pip-wheel-metadata/
+share/python-wheels/
+*.egg-info/
+.installed.cfg
+*.egg
+MANIFEST
+
+# PyInstaller
+#  Usually these files are written by a python script from a template
+#  before PyInstaller builds the exe, so as to inject date/other infos into it.
+*.manifest
+*.spec
+
+# Installer logs
+pip-log.txt
+pip-delete-this-directory.txt
+
+# Unit test / coverage reports
+htmlcov/
+.tox/
+.nox/
+.coverage
+.coverage.*
+.cache
+nosetests.xml
+coverage.xml
+*.cover
+*.py,cover
+.hypothesis/
+.pytest_cache/
+
+# Translations
+*.mo
+*.pot
+
+# Django stuff:
+*.log
+local_settings.py
+db.sqlite3
+db.sqlite3-journal
+
+# Flask stuff:
+instance/
+.webassets-cache
+
+# Scrapy stuff:
+.scrapy
+
+# Sphinx documentation
+docs/_build/
+
+# PyBuilder
+target/
+
+# Jupyter Notebook
+.ipynb_checkpoints
+
+# IPython
+profile_default/
+ipython_config.py
+
+# pyenv
+.python-version
+
+# pipenv
+#   According to pypa/pipenv#598, it is recommended to include Pipfile.lock in version control.
+#   However, in case of collaboration, if having platform-specific dependencies or dependencies
+#   having no cross-platform support, pipenv may install dependencies that don't work, or not
+#   install all needed dependencies.
+#Pipfile.lock
+
+# celery beat schedule file
+celerybeat-schedule
+
+# SageMath parsed files
+*.sage.py
+
+# Environments
+.env
+.venv
+env/
+venv/
+ENV/
+env.bak/
+venv.bak/
+
+# Spyder project settings
+.spyderproject
+.spyproject
+
+# Rope project settings
+.ropeproject
+
+# mkdocs documentation
+/site
+
+# mypy
+.mypy_cache/
+.dmypy.json
+dmypy.json
+
+# Pyre type checker
+.pyre/
diff --git a/prestodb/client.py b/prestodb/client.py
index 7939f7b..7899270 100644
--- a/prestodb/client.py
+++ b/prestodb/client.py
@@ -423,43 +423,15 @@ def process(self, http_response):
         )
 
 
-class PrestoResult(object):
+class PrestoQuery(object):
     """
-    Represent the result of a Presto query as an iterator on rows.
+    Represent the execution of a SQL statement by Presto.
 
-    This class implements the iterator protocol as a generator type
+    Results of the query can be extracted by iterating over this class, since it
+    implements the iterator protocol as a generator type
     https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#generator-types
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, query, rows=None):
-        self._query = query
-        self._rows = rows or []
-        self._rownumber = 0
-
-    @property
-    def rownumber(self):
-        # type: () -> int
-        return self._rownumber
-
-    def __iter__(self):
-        # Initial fetch from the first POST request
-        for row in self._rows:
-            self._rownumber += 1
-            yield row
-        self._rows = None
-
-        # Subsequent fetches from GET requests until next_uri is empty.
-        while not self._query.is_finished():
-            rows = self._query.fetch()
-            for row in rows:
-                self._rownumber += 1
-                logger.debug("row {}".format(row))
-                yield row
-
-
-class PrestoQuery(object):
-    """Represent the execution of a SQL statement by Presto."""
-
     def __init__(
         self,
         request,  # type: PrestoRequest
@@ -476,7 +448,9 @@ def __init__(
         self._cancelled = False
         self._request = request
         self._sql = sql
-        self._result = PrestoResult(self)
+
+        self._rows = []
+        self._rownumber = 0
 
     @property
     def columns(self):
@@ -490,10 +464,6 @@ def stats(self):
     def warnings(self):
         return self._warnings
 
-    @property
-    def result(self):
-        return self._result
-
     def execute(self):
         # type: () -> PrestoResult
         """Initiate a Presto query by sending the SQL statement
@@ -514,10 +484,10 @@ def execute(self):
         self._warnings = getattr(status, "warnings", [])
         if status.next_uri is None:
             self._finished = True
-        self._result = PrestoResult(self, status.rows)
-        return self._result
+        self._rows = status.rows
+        return self
 
-    def fetch(self):
+    def _fetch(self):
         # type: () -> List[List[Any]]
         """Continue fetching data for the current query_id"""
         response = self._request.get(self._request.next_uri)
@@ -530,6 +500,14 @@ def fetch(self):
             self._finished = True
         return status.rows
 
+    def poll(self):
+        # type: () -> Dict
+        """Retrieve the current status of a presto query, caching any results."""
+        if not self.query_id or self._finished:
+            return self.stats
+        self._rows.extend(self._fetch())
+        return self.stats
+
     def cancel(self):
         # type: () -> None
         """Cancel the current query"""
@@ -549,3 +527,12 @@ def cancel(self):
     def is_finished(self):
         # type: () -> bool
         return self._finished
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        while self._rows or not self.is_finished():
+            for row in self._rows:
+                self._rownumber += 1
+                logger.debug('row {}'.format(row))
+                yield row
+            self._rows = []
+            self.poll()
diff --git a/prestodb/dbapi.py b/prestodb/dbapi.py
index 119c1b5..613fbda 100644
--- a/prestodb/dbapi.py
+++ b/prestodb/dbapi.py
@@ -225,6 +225,9 @@ def warnings(self):
             return self._query.warnings
         return None
 
+    def poll(self):
+        return self._query.poll()
+
     def setinputsizes(self, sizes):
         raise prestodb.exceptions.NotSupportedError
 
@@ -232,10 +235,8 @@ def setoutputsize(self, size, column):
         raise prestodb.exceptions.NotSupportedError
 
     def execute(self, operation, params=None):
-        self._query = prestodb.client.PrestoQuery(self._request, sql=operation)
-        result = self._query.execute()
-        self._iterator = iter(result)
-        return result
+        self._query = prestodb.client.PrestoQuery(self._request, sql=operation).execute()
+        return self._query
 
     def executemany(self, operation, seq_of_params):
         raise prestodb.exceptions.NotSupportedError
@@ -250,13 +251,10 @@ def fetchone(self):
         An Error (or subclass) exception is raised if the previous call to
         .execute*() did not produce any result set or no call was issued yet.
         """
-
-        try:
-            return next(self._iterator)
-        except StopIteration:
+        result = self.fetchmany(1)
+        if len(result) != 1:
             return None
-        except prestodb.exceptions.HttpError as err:
-            raise prestodb.exceptions.OperationalError(str(err))
+        return result[0]
 
     def fetchmany(self, size=None):
         # type: (Optional[int]) -> List[List[Any]]
@@ -284,16 +282,20 @@ def fetchmany(self, size=None):
             size = self.arraysize
 
         result = []
+        iterator = iter(self._query)
+
         for _ in range(size):
-            row = self.fetchone()
-            if row is None:
+            try:
+                result.append(next(iterator))
+            except StopIteration:
                 break
-            result.append(row)
+            except prestodb.exceptions.HttpError as err:
+                raise prestodb.exceptions.OperationalError(str(err))
 
         return result
 
     def genall(self):
-        return self._query.result
+        return self._query
 
     def fetchall(self):
         # type: () -> List[List[Any]]