Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1050     Reading:  122

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1219     BP:  112/56     Pulse:  61

Breakfast:  1245  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 4 oz sugar cured ham steak 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/425 mg	1/2 of 850 mg tab with meal	standard dose
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
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided to wait until later in the day

    That's right, it took 20 minutes for me to get her to put her hand out for her blood glucose test, and another almost 2 hours to get her fed. I can tell you, this won't be happening again, and I'll be telling you why over at The Mom & Me Journals dot Net, in a little bit.
    Other than this, I was pretty satisfied. This morning's blood glucose stats suggest to me that metformin may not be needed too much longer, but that the glipizide probably will. This doesn't bother me. Glipizide, so far, is not linked to anemia. Metformin is.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1717     Reading:  55

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1723     BP:  118/52     Pulse:  61

Lunch:  1730  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich w/4 oz tuna salad, 2 slices potato bread, 1/2 oz pepper jack cheese 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
acetaminophen/250 mg	1/2 a 250 mg tab	her legs were a little shaky after walkering, today, and she complained of "stiffness", which, for her, means muscle pain

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin		based on her blood glucose reading, didn't need this, just like the day before yesterday
lisinopril 2.5 mg	1/2 a 5 mg pill	didn't like her diastolic enough to administer this

    These stats support what I suggest in "Today's Breakfast Stats", above. I think, tomorrow, I'll not give her the metformin for breakfast and see how her blood glucose performs at lunch. What I'm expecting is that it will be within normal range, neither too low, as it was today and day before yesterday, nor too high.
    This is getting very exciting!

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2133     Reading:  143

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2225     BP:  148/67     Pulse:  63

Dinner:  2210  & Meds What she ate:  approx 12 oz of a chicken enchilada mixture made from leftovers including chicken, part of a soft tortilla, generic chili, medium salsa (no sweeteners) green onions, black olives, refried beans, mild cheddar cheese, enchilada sauce, MPBIL's southwestern fire spice mix
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
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
metformin/425 mg	1/2 a 850 mg tab with meal	standard dinner med
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 a 5 mg tab with meal	decided, considering her BP, this was a good time to administer it
acetaminophen/250 mg	1/2 a 500 mg tab with meal	had a little continued stiffness in legs from walkering, today

    Although her glucose was a little high (although her PCP would not consider it so), I'm not discouraged. I'm not sure why it was. I'm still in the groove of gradually lowering her metformin.

Today's Stats:

Break-fast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1015     Reading:  111

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1403     BP:  127/61     Pulse:  64

Breakfast:  1430  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 3 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 1 slice toasted potato bread with 1 tbl Fleischmann's margarine and 1 Tbl blueberry spread sweetened with fruit juices 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	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
folic acid/400 mcg	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	added back to diet because of the appearance of rouleaux in latest blood draw
vitamin E/400 IU	with meal	added back to diet because of the appearance of rouleaux in latest blood draw
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	decided to wait until later in the day, since her energy is very low, today, and I didn't want to drop her diastolic anymore

    Yes, I know, I have a 4.5 hour gap between my mother's blood glucose reading and her actual break-fast, as it truly was, today. I'll be explaining that in The Mom & Me Journals dot Net, sometime later. I'll also explain, there, what rouleaux is, and entering some general information about her blood draw results.

2nd, and Last Meal of the Day

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1856     Reading:  86

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1903     BP:  131/51     Pulse:  60

Dinner:  1940  & Meds What she ate:  approx 12 oz of chicken fricassee "soup" made from the left over chicken fricassee, mixed with approx 4 oz penne 6 pieces (they are very small) diabetic candy
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
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
metformin/425 mg	1/2 a 850 mg tab with meal	I'm not even sure she needed this much, but, to be on the safe side, I gave it to her

    And, it continues. You'll note my mother's blood sugar, after a hearty breakfast, including jam on her bread. Hmmmm...something is definitely going on, and it's something good.
    It's true, this was her 2nd and last meal of the day. She wasn't up very much today, much to my chagrin most of the day. But, now, I think it's okay.
    Again, no lisinopril today. Although her systolic seems high enough to handle it, her diastolic did not. So, I'm holding off until tomorrow.
    Food, you know, is one of the most amazing chemical treatments of all. She was beginning to lag so bad, before we decided to eat this meal, that she had decided to take a nap. I stopped her, telling her that after all the sleep she got "last night", most of last night being most of today, that she needed to stay up, if only because she needed more nutrition before going to bed. She relented, I fed her, and she remained up for 3 more hours, going to bed just before 2200. Her liquid intake was lower than I like to see, but not so low that I'm worried. I "warned" her that I'd be awakening her early tomorrow. I'm figuring on starting to rouse her to the day at about 0900. I'm expecting it to go slow, but I don't think I'll have nearly as much trouble, tomorrow, as I've had over the last few days.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  0919     Reading:  118

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1104     BP:  118/77     Pulse:  67

Breakfast:  1130  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 6 oz ham steak 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
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	looked like her blood pressure might be able to handle it
metformin/637.5 mg	3/4 of 850 mg tab with meal	took into consideration blood glucose reading the ham (which was cured with sugar) and the orange juice
Daily Senior Multivitamin	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
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

    I was not at all displeased with her blood glucose reading, considering that she didn't receive any of her diabetic medications last night, since she didn't eat. In fact, I was elated. Her blood pressure looked good, too, good enough to give her 2.5 mg of lisinopril.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1521     Reading:  58

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1527     BP:  125/49     Pulse:  65

Lunch:  1530  & Meds What she ate:  6 oz sauerkraut w/ caraway seeds 4 oz polish sausage 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/any mg	some dose with every meal	Amazing, yes?!? No metformin for lunch! No need. We'll see how her blood glucose settles out before dinner, but I'm really pleased!

    Well, I obviously and inadvertently overdosed her on metformin at breakfast, and I am so pleased to know this! Something good is happening, I think. I hope it continues! As well, it looks as though the 2.5 mg lisinopril may have been a slight overdose, as well, since her BP was perfect at breakfast and a little shy and divided at lunch. Hurrah! Maybe things are beginning to take a turn for the better! Yes! I suppose I shouldn't get too excited, yet, but my specialty is over excitement, so, why not!?!

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1925     Reading:  90

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1932     BP:  136/69     Pulse:  63

Dinner:  2000  & Meds What she ate:  my universally reknowned nachos, consisting of about 1 oz restaurant style tortilla chips; about 5 oz generic canned chili; about 2 oz medium salsa (with no sugar); 2.5 green onions, sliced; about 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese; 2 Tbl MPBIL's super southwest fire spice mix; a 2 Tbl dollop sour cream
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
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
metformin/425 mg	1/2 a 850 mg tab with meal	standard dinner med

    Well, I accidentally deleted this one on July 9, 2004. I was able to recreate the stats part. I don't remember what I wrote, though, except that I'm sure it had something to do with how thrilled I was about her blood sugar, and that I mentioned something about why I figured this was happening, but didn't actually want to say anything, yet, because I'm not completely sure, yet. This should cover it.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1045     Reading:  95

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1145     BP:  144/58     Pulse:  60

Breakfast:  1205  & 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
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided her blood pressure could handle it, this morning, especially since she didn't get any yesterday
metformin/500 mg	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
Daily Senior Multivitamin	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
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

    I managed to get her up, bathed, dressed and breakfast in front of her, this morning, by just after noon using the temptation mentioned in The Mom & Me Journals dot Net today. There's more...we had another talk, this evening. I'll cover that later in the main journal.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1758     Reading:  69

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1805     BP:  132/55     Pulse:  57

Lunch:  1815  & Meds What she ate:  a ham and cheese sandwich with a healthy, 4 oz slice of ham and approx 1 oz of sharp cheddar cheese 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	standard dose
acetaminophen/500 mg	1 tab with meal	her knees were bothering her a lot this evening

    Nothing unusual about this meal. Her blood sugar was a touch low, so, I think I might restart cutting back to 425 mg in the morning and see how that goes, again. If it goes well and I can get her moving (which I'm still working on), maybe we can get her cut back to a total of 1275 mg of metformin per day, unless it's a special day loaded with sugar, etc.

No-Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2129     Reading:  136

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2146     BP:  140/72     Pulse:  71

    No dinner, tonight. I couldn't tempt her with anything, but, she'd had a hard day, and with her blood sugar and blood pressure up, I figured she could stand a night without food, if she wasn't hungry.
    She got her 36 mg of iron protein succinylate, her 500 mg of vitamin C, but, although she probably could have handled 2.5 mg of lisinopril, I decided against it, just to see what her blood pressure would be like in the morning. It's usually pretty low in the a.m.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1012     Reading:  95

Blood Pressure:     2nd BP, post meal     Time:  1340     BP:  121/56     Pulse:  67

Breakfast:  1240  & 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
acetaminophen/500 mg	1 tab with meal	she was complaining about her knees, so, in the hope of getting a little movement out of her today (which didn't happen), I gave her this
metformin/500 mg	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
2 Tbl Phillips' Milk of Magnesia	given 1/2 hour after meal	gave her this when I realized I wasn't going to be able to get her to move much, today; it worked a couple hours after breakfast, without accident
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
vitamin C/500 mg	1/2 a 1000 mg tab with meal	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	decided to wait until later in the day, just to see how well her blood pressure holds its own on what I hope will be a fairly active, alert day
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

    Regarding the BP, I took an earlier BP just before she ate, which was 100/46; Pulse 75, a suspiciously low BP for her. The reason I took the second BP is because, while the first was being taken, she decided to try to put her watch back on, which probably messed up the first reading.
    As you can see, getting Mom up this morning was especially difficult; so much so that I have begun to question whether this is the best place for her and whether I am the best caretaker for her, anymore. It took her 12 minutes, from the time I "awoke" her with my typically cheery, "Good Morning, Mary Sunshine," greeting to the time when she extended her arm for blood glucose testing. Then, it took another hour and a half to coax her up and get her headed into the bathroom for her bath. During that time, she asked me several times "why" she had to get up. Although I have all kinds of answers for her, including, simply, "because", during this particularly difficult morning it occurred to me that maybe, here, with just her and me, she doesn't have much of a reason to awaken. Maybe she needs to be somewhere with more people and more social people, more stimulation, like in one of my sisters' homes. It's something I'm seriously considering, now. I know I've been valuable to her for some time, but it's possible that, other than managing her medical care so that she doesn't get scoped and tested to death, I may, in fact, be a hindrance to her quality of life, now, because I don't come with a built in family and I'm not a particularly social person. It's not beyond me to imagine that I, and the way I live life, are a source of boredom for her, enough of a source of boredom so that she can't even imagine that going anyplace with me would be interesting.
    As I told her, today, when I introduced the idea that maybe it's time for a change for her (which she is, understandably, not immediately interested in considering), "Mom, if you can't see any reason to awaken here, to me, maybe you need to be somewhere else, with other people, where and to whom you'll want to awaken (yes, I really talk like this)." We're not making any decisions, yet. Her extreme lethargy, this morning, could very well be health related, so I'll wait for a few days, and see how it goes, see what her blood draw on Thursday registers, etc. The decision will probably be left to me and the sister who agrees to take her in, as, on the one hand, she considers herself "comfortable" with me, at which time she forgets that she doesn't see any reason to arise in the morning. As well, it has not been uncommon for her, when she has spent a lot of time napping (which hasn't been true, recently) for her to tell me that she sleeps because she's "bored". I can understand how a life directed by me and only me would be "boring". I can also understand that this isn't a good thing for her. It is sad for me to consider that I may not be the one who is most appropriate to see her through to her death, but it's more important for me to see her lead a life, for the rest of her life, that allows her the most opportunities to want to awaken in the morning and express an interest in what is going on around her. Besides, it would give her an opportunity to bond, as an Ancient One, with other of her daughters before she dies. This, in itself, might be what she might need to enrich and extend her life.
    We'll see.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1710     Reading:  124

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1718     BP:  111/50     Pulse:  62

Lunch:  1730  & Meds What she ate:  a hearty bowl of Marie Callendar's Beef Pot Pie soup with added celery, beek jerky, green onions and grape tomatoes 1 oz potato chips approx. 3/4 cup canned, drained mandarin orange sections
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/637.5 mg	3/4 a 850 mg tab with meal	her blood sugar was a touch high, and I knew I would be giving her the potato chips and mandarin oranges, so I boosted her dose
2 Tbl Phillips' Milk of Magnesia	with meal	she didn't eliminate 4 days' worth, so I gave her a little more to see if her body couldn't be coaxed to empty out a little more before bedtime, which will be late, tonight, I'm sure

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided to wait until later in the day, just to see how well her blood pressure holds its own on what I hope will be a fairly active, alert day

    She's been up since breakfast, moved her bowels (Yes!) a couple of hours ago, is still quite lethargic (hasn't wanted to do anything but watch TV and play Sorry; I couldn't even get her to walker a little on our driveway, which is why I administered the laxative, this morning), but is looking pretty good. I'm only half expecting that we'll get in a "dinner" tonight. I think she'll be up late enough, but she may not want to eat much. If this is true, I'll see if I can't talk her into a light, carbohydrate-rich snack before bed, just to get her meds in. In any case, she will be getting her second dose of iron around 2000, but, if she decides she doesn't want to eat, or doesn't want to eat much, I may forego her diabetic meds. We'll see.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2128     Reading:  93

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2155     BP:  128/54     Pulse:  58

Dinner:  2200  & Meds What she ate:  fruit plate similar to what she's been having for lunch, lately about 3/4 cup of mixed nuts
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs 1.5 hours before meal	to pull her out of what I hope is her temporarily severely anemic state
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
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

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided not to administer lisinopril, this evening; her blood pressure seems a bit too low; I'll wait and see how it goes tomorrow

    Not too much to report, here. I was just pleased that she stayed up late enough to have three meals, today, and wanted to make sure she ate something she likes.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1053     Reading:  74

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1212     BP:  112/53     Pulse:  72

BREAKFAST:

Breakfast:  1230  & 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	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
acetaminophen/500 mg	1 tab with meal	when necessary; this morning, her knee was rickety and giving her trouble
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	decided to wait until later in the day, to see if her BP goes up a bit
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

    She seems to be feeling a bit more vital, today, and looks a bit more pink than yesterday, which is good. I think I may have overdone it on the cheese over the last few days. She's bound up good. So, today, no cheese, lots of fiber, lots of liquids, and if that doesn't move her bowels I'll give her a laxative tomorrow morning.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1616     Reading:  110

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1623     BP:  119/55     Pulse:  64

Lunch:  1630  & Meds What she ate:  2 oz microwave popcorn (not light popcorn) 2 strawberries; 2 chunks cassava; 2 chunks cantaloupe; 2 chunks pineapple; 8 grapes 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/637.5 mg	3/4 a 850 mg tab with meal	considered the fruit and popcorn

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided to wait until later in the day; BP isn't quite as high as I'd like it to be when I administer this

    First of all, those chunks of fruit that I've been labeling 1", well, I wasn't paying attention. They are somewhat larger than that; maybe 2" square, although they are not quite square.
    Secondly, this is her fiber lunch, in order to bomb her bowels, which is exactly how I put it to her. If this doesn't work before she goes to bed tonight (and, I guarantee, she won't be going to bed before 2200; with lunch this late, I'll be keeping her up for her iron at 1900, then dinner at least 4 hours after she finished lunch), I'll be giving her a laxative about an hour after breakfast tomorrow morning (in order to give everything she's had and will be having today a chance to work; we'll be having sauerkraut and polish sausages tonight, so, that might help, too) and we'll sit out the results. Typically, laxatives work on Mom by surprise.
    She's been pretty sedentary, today. Her knee has been bothering her, so I'm not pushing her. No, it's not from an injury, it's from the way she sleeps, which is one of the reasons why I am, by increments, trying to work her back to 8-10 hours of sleep. Today, she's showing, when she walks, that her knee is especially rickety, which is why I gave her the acetaminophen this morning, ooops, which I forgot to enter into the "Breakfast Meds" section. Better do that now before I forget it.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2103     Reading:  55

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2112     BP:  142/62     Pulse:  59

Dinner:  2135  & Meds What she ate:  6 oz sauerkraut w/caraway seeds & 4 oz polish sausage 1.5 oz microwave popcorn (not light popcorn)
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
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
metformin/425 mg	1/2 a 850 mg tab with meal	standard lunch med
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided her BP could take it at this meal

    Her blood sugar reading tonight shocked me, both good and bad shocking. I was surprised that she ate the amount of fruit and popcorn she did and, with only 500 mg metformin and 1/4 tsp cinnamon her blood sugar dropped so low. I was pleased to know that her body is working so well, but chagrined that it didn't occur to me that such a low calorie, high fiber, high fructose meal was not going to provide enough glucose for her body. I'm still thinking about this. We'll see how things go over the next few days.
    She still hasn't eliminated, and, according to her, doesn't have that full feeling below her waist as though she's building up waste. The sauerkraut and the rest of noon's popcorn should do something. It's going to be interesting, tomorrow. I won't administer a laxative immediately in the morning. I'll wait until after breakfast, maybe walker her on the driveway to get her body pumping, and give it an hour or so before administering a laxative, and then it will be a mild laxative, Phillips Milk of Magnesia. She doesn't like having accidents any more than I like cleaning them up, so maybe we can avoid one. Whether she eliminates naturally or with a boost, tomorrow, she'll probably spend most of the day cleaning herself out, so I don't think we'll plan a lot of activity.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1212     Reading:  98

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1315     BP:  118/56     Pulse:  66

Breakfast:  1335  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered w/ 1/2 oz sharp cheddar cheese 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	1/2 1000 mg tab	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	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	standard breakfast supplement
vitamin C/500 mg	1/2 1000 mg tab 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	decided to wait until later in the day, to wait for her BP to rise a bit
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

    Again, another late day, my fault. I stayed up until 0445 this morning and didn't reawaken until 1130. She seems both lively and laid back...intent on watching, at the moment, To Kill a Mockingbird, a delight for me, too. I don't think I've ever seen the entire movie, and, frankly, I probably won't see it all the way through this time, either, since I'm in the middle of performing "liquid torture" on Mom and I must make the raspberries and blueberries into muffins, today, or we'll have missed our chance.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1723     Reading:  114

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1730     BP:  108/52     Pulse:  67

Lunch:  1731  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich w/ 4 oz tuna salad, 2 slices potato bread 2 1" chunks pineapple, 2 1" chunks cassava, 2 1" chunks cantaloupe, 2 strawberries, 8 grapes
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
metformin/500 mg	1/2 a 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose, for awhile

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	still holding off, today, hoping her BP comes up a bit later

    After seeming fairly alert this morning, she's taking it easy, now, and it reflects in her BP, although she's still up, watching Yankee Doodle Dandy. I mentioned to her that she seems a bit weak, and she agrees; although it could be that she's agreeing just to get me off her back.

Firebug Incident
    I'll explain later in The Mom & Me Journals dot Net, when I have a moment, but this is an extra set of sugar and pressure stats that I felt I needed to take:

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1941     Reading:  133

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1943     BP:  110/44     Pulse:  77

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2102     Reading:  128

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2108     BP:  132/58     Pulse:  59

Dinner:  2140  & Meds What she ate:  approx 10 oz chicken fricassee "soup", which was left over chicken fricassee with the chicken cut up 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp cinnamon
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
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron
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 tab with meal	decided this was the best time to administer her lisinopril

    She didn't eat well, tonight, even though she loved the "surprise", she called it, of the chicken fricassee soup (I added a little Old Bay Seasoning to it). She's been low on energy and has seemed weak all day, and then there was the Firebug Incident, which I'll explain later. I hope it's just one of her "bad" days, although she felt, when I asked her, that it was a "good" day. She didn't take a nap. That, at least, was a plus, I guess.