Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1005     Reading:  100

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1108     BP:  155/69     Pulse:  55

Breakfast:  11:10  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 4 oz sugar cured ham steak 1 slice toasted oat bran 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
lisinopril/5 mg	1 tab with meal	decided on the higher dose, this morning, for obvious reasons (see BP)
metformin/425 mg	1/2 of 850 mg tab with meal	since I have to concede that it is not yet an optimum time to continue reducing her diabetic medication, I decided to give her 1/2 of the lower dose pill and see how she does on this
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
folic acid/400 mcg	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
vitamin E/400 IU	with meal	standard breakfast supplement
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	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

    Did you notice that we're getting around earlier, this morning? I'm thrilled. It was a bit of a struggle, but not as much as I expected. I think it was the promise of ham steak that did it.
    It's funny, because, yesterday, I started taking an antibiotic (a different one than my mother's, specifically to prevent blood poisoning, to which I tend to be suseptible; at least, this time, I didn't wait until I noticed the red lines), a pretty powerful one at a pretty powerful dose, and I'm noticing, today, my energy level is dipping a little, even though I actually got a good 7 hours of sleep and even though I wasn't thinking the antibiotic would affect me. The infection is responding beautifully, already, but I can tell my body is preoccupied and not as willing to expend energy in exactly the way I'd like. I'll be on my course for a week, so, it'll be an interesting "tables are turned" lesson for me.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1642     Reading:  57

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1651     BP:  151/57     Pulse:  60

Lunch:  1652  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich one slice peppered turkey, once slice pastrami, one slice swiss cheese, 2 Tbl stone ground mustard, 2 slices potato bread 3/4 cup small curd 4% cottage cheese 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/212.5 mg	1/4 a 850 mg tab with meal	standard lunch dose
acetaminophen/250 mg	1/2 a 500 mg tab with meal	iffy knees after some walkering, today

    Well, her blood glucose was certainly a surprise. I considered not giving her any medication, but, with the 2 slices of potato bread and the fact that her blood glucose is obviously coming back into line but is still zig-zagging, some, I didn't want it to creep up, again, like it did yesterday.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2025     Reading:  165

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2113     BP:  165/69     Pulse:  76

Dinner:  2115  & Meds What she ate:  14 oz Chicken Fricassee stew from the frozen leftovers with bowtie pasta 1 slice sourdough garlic bread with freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs 1 hour before meal	to pull her out of what I hope is her temporarily severely anemic state; forgot to give this to her until dinner, tonight, but I'm not too concerned; this particular iron is actually made to work well with or without food
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
lisinopril/5 mg	1 pill with meal	still trying to keep her blood pressure under some semblance of control
metformin/425 mg	1/2 an 850 mg tab with meal	fairly standard dinner med
acetaminophen/500 mg	1 tab with meal	she's still complaining of stiffness and moving with fractured confidence, so I gave her this to boost the possibility that I can get her walking a little tomorrow

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron; I simply forgot to give this to her with her iron, tonight

    You think you know something...and then it turns around and bites you. That's a hell of a mixed metaphor, isn't it. Obviously, her blood sugar isn't settling down. I was astounded by the low reading at lunch and even more astounded by the high reading, tonight. Her lunch was certainly less heavy in sugar and carbs than her breakfast, and yet, her blood sugar bottomed out before lunch. I certainly didn't want a repeat at dinner, which is why I cut back on her metformin at lunch, and as fast as you can say, "Oh yeah? Watch this!" her blood sugar takes off running, again. It looks as though it's going to be a while longer before I can get it under decent control.
    Of the approx 14 oz of dinner I served her, she probably ate about 7, although she wolfed the sourdough garlic cheese bread. I just wanted to make a note, in case her blood sugar has yet another surprise in store for me in the morning.