Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  0820     Reading:  124

Blood Pressure:     Time:  0903     BP:  162/73     Pulse:  63

Breakfast:  0917  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 1 4 oz slice honey cured ham steak 1 slice toasted oat bran bread with 1 tbl Fleischmann's margarine 1/4 tsp cinnamon on bread 6 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	1/2 1000 mg tab with Niferex-150	helps the body metabolize iron
Protonix/40 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast med
glipizide ER/10 mg	1 pill with meal	standard breakfast and dinner med to increase cells' sensitivity to insulin
aspirin/81 mg	1 tab with breakfast	standard breakfast med - given for anti-coagulant properties
lisinopril/1.25 mg	1/4 tab with meal	given for kidney protection when her blood pressure can handle it
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
folic acid/400 mcg	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	standard breakfast supplement; a natural antibiotic and anti-coagulant
vitamin E/400 IU	with meal	given for anti-coagulant properties; among other reasons; appears to be of benefit to type 2 diabetics, as well, in its role as a smooth muscled organ protectant, particularly the pancreas, which produces insulin

    Well, her blood glucose looked good, especially considering her high last night. Her blood pressure, well, at least I was able to give her lisinopril, although you'll notice I only gave her 1.25 mg. I hope that works as a kidney protector. I can tell you why her blood pressure was so high. Yesterday was a day in decline all around, ending with a particularly bad evening, all of which I'll write later this evening, over at The Mom & Me Journals dot Net. The link will, in some hours, take you directly to the specific post. Anyway, I went off on Mom and, although, as usual, she appeared to take it well, by the time I took her blood pressure it was obvious that she was both boiling internally and disappointed in me, as well. Not a good reason for administering lisinopril, though.
    One good thing to come out of all the confusing internet research on supplements for type 2 diabetics last night is that I decided to split the aloe vera gel into two 1 oz doses, one at breakfast and one at dinner, and administer it when she takes her glipizide ER, as what little research there is seems to indicate that it works best when taken with sulfa-derivative diabetic medication. So, once again, the med schedule changes.
    You'll notice her early rising. That wasn't my doing. I awoke maybe 15 minutes prior, sat outside in our backyard and sobbed for a few minutes, and when I headed down the hall toward the kitchen I peeked in on her. She was on her elbows, bright eyed.
    "You ready to get up or do you want to sleep another hour or so?" I asked, hoping, and assuming, that she's decide to stay in bed. I wasn't ready for her.
    "May as well get up," she said.
    My spirits, which were already crawling on the carpet, dropped through the floor. "We're not going to Mesa, today," I said. "I'll explain later."
    "Okay." She started assembling herself toward the edge of the bed.
    "Okay. Let me get your iron. Everything else is ready."
    And, that's how the day began.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1343     Reading:  106

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1351     BP:  105/59     Pulse:  70

Lunch:  1400  & Meds What she ate:  open faced sandwich w/3 oz of yesterday's fabulous tuna salad on one slice of oat bran bread with two sliced olives and a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan cheese on the top, broiled for a few minutes Approx 8 oz Marie Callendar's Chicken Pot Pie soup with added frozen peas and 1.5 chopped green onions 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
18 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	1 18 mg tab with meal	to pull her out of what I hope is her temporarily severely anemic state
vitamin C/500 mg	1/2 1000 mg tab with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron

    Wow, the lisinopril sure kicked in fast, and well! I'm sure some of it's success is because, as the day has debuted I sat Mom in front of The Ten Commandments and worked off my troubled spirits around the house, then, during the intermission, worked out a little more frustration leading Mom through her therapy exercises.
    You'll notice that I was a very quick study from yesterday's glucose boosting cuisine. I'm hoping I'm getting it right, today, although this evening will be steak night with homemade french fries and a salad, so we'll see what that does by tomorrow morning. I've vowed to not do any more peeking at her before bed blood glucose so I don't scare the willies out of myself.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1935     Reading:  95

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1942     BP:  125/62     Pulse:  69

Dinner:  1950  & Meds What she ate:  Approx 8 oz rib eye steak trimmed of the outside fat and marinated in Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cracked black pepper 1/2 of a medium baking potato sliced and french fried in corn oil, skin on, slightly kosher salted Approx 1/4 cup A-1 Steak Sauce (original variety) as condiment on steak and fries.
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
100% Aloe Vera gel/1 oz	just before meal	helps increase the cells' sensitivity to insulin
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs with meal	to pull her out of what I hope is her temporarily severely anemic state
vitamin C/500 mg	1/2 1000 mg tab with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
glipizide ER/10 mg	1 pill with meal	standard breakfast and dinner med to increase cells' sensitivity to insulin
lisinopril/1.25 mg	1/4 tab with meal	given for kidney protection when her blood pressure can handle it
vitamin E/400 IU	with meal	given for anti-coagulant properties
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	given for anti-coagulant properties
calcium-vitamin D/500-200 mg	with meal	believed to be an osteoporosis preventative

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
1/4 cup pure cranberry juice w/12 oz water	after breakfast	she's been doing well drinking liquid, today, and I didn't want to accidentally cross the line into over-hydration and copious incontinence at night

    A salivatorious meat and potatoes meal, wouldn't you say? All stats look good, too, and she ate exceptionally heartily and healthily.
    Regarding the administration of lisinopril...often, at this blood pressure, I'd leave it out, but I know it probably won't hurt her and I want to see how 1.25 mg at this blood pressure shakes out in the morning. I take lisinopril's ability to protect my mother's kidney's seriously, since I know exactly what it does in this respect, and I have no desire to cut it completely from her scheduled meds, but, now that her blood pressure is extremely healthy for her and will probably remain so as long as we are able to continue the changes in lifestyle that are working so remarkably well on her behalf, it is important for me to figure out how little she can take and continue reaping the benefits.