Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1134     Reading:  95

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1247     BP:  122/57     Pulse:  70

BREAKFAST:

Breakfast:  1305  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 1 slice toasted potato bread with 1 tbl Fleischmann's margarine 1/4 tsp cinnamon on bread 8 oz orange juice diluted w/8 oz water
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
Niferex-150 [150 mg elemental iron]	1 hour before breakfast	to pull her out of what I hope is her temporarily severely anemic state
vitamin C/500 mg	with Niferex-150	helps the body metabolize iron
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and pre-dinner med
Protonix/40 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast med
Albuterol/2.0+IPRAO/.5	nebulized during meal preparation	standard breakfast, sometimes dinner med
metformin/500 mg	3/4 of 850 mg tab with meal	standard dose; dropped it back from the typical 637.5 dose because I wanted to see how the Niferex-150 affects her blood sugar
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
vitamin C/500 mg	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
folic acid/400 mcg	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
1/4 cup pure cranberry juice w/12 oz water	after breakfast	standard after breakfast supplement

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
aspirin/81 mg	1 tab with breakfast	Has not been receiving this, per doctor's orders, since 6/18/04; he feels that, if she is bleeding internally intermittently, the aspirin, being a blood thinner, will increase the blood flow, and this is a higher risk to take, right now, than protecting her against strokes, including mini-strokes
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decide to wait until later in the day, just to see how well her blood pressure holds its own
vitamin E/400 IU	with meal	standard breakfast supplement; temporarily deleted to due physician request regarding concern about it interacting with the iron and some of her other meds
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	can function as an anticoagulant, thus I've nixed this medication, for the time being

    Not really much to mention about breakfast this morning, except that this is the first day I cut out her garlic. This was not done per doctor's orders; I just happened to run across some research that listed garlic as an anticoagulant, and I know the doctor wants her off anticoagulant substances, right now, as much as possible.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1702     Reading:  132

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1751     BP:  136/55     Pulse:  71

Lunch:  1710  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich w/ 4 oz tuna salad, 2 slices potato bread approx. 3 oz MCS's bread and butter pickles 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/500 mg	1/2 a 1000 mg tab with meal	decided to continue my observation of her blood sugar by leaving her on the standard dose

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided to continue to wait, out of curiosity; I'll probably give it to her this evening

    I know, I took her blood pressure well after she finished eating. I forgot to take it. I was distracted by the shitting accident she had, caused, no doubt, by the Niferex-150 she started, today. Diarrhea is one of the possible side effects. It is expected to stop as her system becomes used to the high amount of iron.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2121     Reading:  59

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2158     BP:  126/59     Pulse:  74

Dinner:  2200  & Meds What she ate:  yet another tuna melt, this time with a healthy slice of cheese, on potato bread, as usual, and about a tablespoon of Fleischmann's margarine for grilling about 6 oz of MCS's superior bread and butter pickles, also containing pieces of pickled onion and bell peppers
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
metformin/500 mg	1/2 a 1000 mg tab with meal	standard lunch med
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 a 5 mg tab with meal	actually, it was more like 2 mg; that's how much I actually wanted to give her and it is the advantage of having a poorly constructed pill slicer that allows me to do this

    Yes, that was her blood sugar reading, 59. I immediately took it again just to make sure, and got 57. I can think of a few reasons why this is happening, most having to do with the strong iron complex tablet she's taking, some having to do with the fact that she's getting more exercise and her body might be working better. However, she didn't get any exercise today. She was too busy having diarrhea and feeling drained, literally, I guess. She took a 2 hour nap, though, from 1900 - 2100, and is feeling considerably better. The diarrhea is why I gave her the cheese; it's a classic binder. I've decided, for the next few days, at least, until her system gets used to the mega dose of iron she's taking right now (and, she won't be taking it forever, only until her hemoglobin comes up and is stabilized in normal range; then, we should be able to cut back on her iron), that I'll be adding a slice of cheese to her egg in the morning. I considered this out loud in front of her while she ate dinner and she was thrilled.