Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1150     Reading:  112

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1249     BP:  157/64     Pulse:  58

Breakfast:  1300  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 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/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	figured her blood pressure could handle this today
metformin/250 mg	1/4 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose
Daily Senior Multivitamin	with breakfast	since everything looked good yesterday, thought I'd try cutting back, again
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

    Although I can remember the menu and meds for this day, I can't remember anything special or unusual, otherwise.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1702     Reading:  181

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1710     BP:  165/69     Pulse:  58

Lunch:  1730  & Meds What she ate:  toasted sharp cheddar cheese and pepperoni sandwich (potato bread) 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 lunch dose

    Well, needless to say, her blood glucose was high, so, she got 500 mg of metformin for lunch instead of the cutback. Hopefully the cinnamon will help, too. I had planned on using the oat bran bread, as well, but discovered we were out.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2103     Reading:  93

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2134     BP:  158/46     Pulse:  76

Dinner:  2135  & Meds What she ate:  approx 12 oz macaroni and cheese with hamburger, chopped celery, chopped Bermuda onion and chopped bell pepper 3/4 cup Baskin Robbins French Vanilla ice cream with 1/2 raspberry sauce
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs with meal/forgot to give them 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/1000 mg	1 1000 mg tab with meal	wanted ice cream with raspberry sauce, so I medicated her for it
garlic/1250 mg	1 1250 mg tab with meal	to keep her from redeveloping the urinary tract infection; just a precaution

    The only way I was able to get Mom to finish her macaroni and cheese is that she really wanted French Vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce, so I held the ice cream hostage until she finished her dinner.

Today's Stats

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1142     Reading:  107

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1253     BP:  152/66     Pulse:  59

Breakfast:  1310  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 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/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	almost didn't give it to her because pressure was low; will check blood pressure at lunch to see how she's doing
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

    Once again, I flipped a mental coin over which dose of lisinopril to give her and decided on the 2.5 mg dose, assuming that I'll probably give her the other 2.5 mg at dinner. Her blood glucose looks good but I'm still not convinced that she's back to normal, although her color looks much better, today, than it did earlier in the week.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1933     Reading:  70

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1959     BP:  133/58     Pulse:  61

Dinner:  2007  & Meds What she ate:  approx 12 oz Marie Callendar's Chicken Pot Pie Soup "beefed" up with half a chicken breast, approx 1/4 of frozen peas, 1.5 diced green onions and 1 tsp my own hoisin sauce approx 8 oz Baskin Robbins French Vanilla ice cream with approx 3/8's cup of the raspberry sauce I made on Sunday
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	standard pre-breakfast and dinner pre-med
metformin/1000 mg	1 a 1000 mg tab with meal	beefed this up because she wanted ice cream
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	decided to get her back on the schedule of this dose twice a day, morning and evening, since it looks as though her blood pressure, her systolic, anyway, can take it

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs 1 hour before meal	her lips still have that maroon lip liner effect, so I decided not to administer this
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	tossed this with the iron

    Again, she didn't have lunch, she wanted to take a nap, instead, and, since I was having a bad day, I let her. I insisted, though, before she nap, that she drink 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp cinnamon, so her blood sugar wouldn't drop too low (or climb too high, thus the cinnamon). This was about 1630. I awoke her at 1930, knowing that she needed to eat. This is when she told me she'd "dreamed about ice cream" and wanted some, but supposed that we didn't have any. Actually, we do, from Sunday, so I upped her dose of metformin. By the time dinner was over, which I had a hard time getting her to finish (I finally ordered her to finish it and stood over her, knowing that she simply hadn't had enough food, today), she announced she didn't want the ice cream. I told her she didn't have a choice, I'd given her enough metformin to drop a bull's blood sugar and she needed to eat something to counteract it, since I couldn't pull it back out of her system. She agreed. Once the ice cream with raspberry sauce was before her, she ate it with gusto.

Today's Stats:

Brunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1315     Reading:  123

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1412     BP:  147/70     Pulse:  65

Breakfast:  1435  & Meds What she ate:  2 hard over eggs, 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/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	almost didn't give it to her because pressure was low; will check blood pressure at lunch to see how she's doing
metformin/425 mg	1/2 of 850 mg tab with meal	I'm not sure, at all, how to medicate her with metformin, right now, so I flipped a mental coin and it came up "425"
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

    Two interruptions, starting at 1155, sidetracked my determination to awaken my mother at noon, as you can see; details will be reported, later, at The Mom & Me Journals dot Net. We'll probably only have two meals, today. Once again, her blood pressure looks like it's coming back into line, but, well, I'm waiting for a trend, as I am with her blood glucose.
    We'll probably only have two meals, today; what I'm now calling brunch and dinner. She's already requested deviled eggs, so we'll probably have Cobb salad and deviled eggs.
    By the way, within the next few days, maybe today, I'll be starting a new journal about my mother, food and drink, and me. It will include musings about feeding an Ancient One, recipes, tips, you know, the usual stuff, personalized to Mom & Me. I've been meaning to do this; now, I think, is the time.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1934     Reading:  78

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2014     BP:  133/56     Pulse:  56

Dinner:  2015  & Meds What she ate:  Cobb salad, made much like the last one she had, except without pastrami, with approx 1.5 oz chopped gold bell pepper one egg, boiled and deviled
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
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
garlic/1250 mg	with meal	standard breakfast supplement

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs 1 hour before meal	decided, since she hadn't been up much, today, it was too early for her to receive iron again, today
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	same as above
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	no need, tonight...her blood pressure is finally beginning to look normal

    Nothing unusual tonight except that this was the last of only two meals she'll receive today. She's already beginning to look as though she'll be heading for bed, soon. About 1730 I decided to offer her 11.5 oz V-8 juice with cinnamon. I knew she wouldn't be interested in lunch, since she finished breakfast at 1515, but I also remembered the blood glucose drop, yesterday, before lunch, and wanted to prevent that happening, tonight, before dinner. I figured the between meal V-8 juice would do the trick, and it did.
    I probably could have given her lisinopril tonight, considering her systolic pressure, but decided against it, considering her diastolic. At any rate, she had a dose at breakfast and I figured that would take care of her need for it.
    I also decided to give her garlic in the evenings, for awhile, just to keep her body on guard against recurring infection.
    Although I've been concerned that she might be a little anemic since her urinary tract bleed, she developed a maroon line around her lips today, which is a general indication of too much supplemental iron (which can happen even if someone is anemic). I knew she wouldn't be up much, today, even without taking a nap, so I decided I'd put off giving her iron. If she remains up until 2130, I'll give her the second dose before she goes to bed but, if she doesn't, we have plenty of time to make it up, if she needs it, tomorrow and over the weekend.

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.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1031     Reading:  96

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1151     BP:  145/73     Pulse:  65

Breakfast:  1215  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 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
Metoclopramide/5 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	she was coughing a fair amount, this morning, and, when she does this, she typically swallows mucus. Considering that her blood pressure continues to indicate that she's still fighting infections (god knows which ones, now), I decided to head possible nausea off at the pass, this morning; I'm hoping I won't need to use it anymore, today
Albuterol/2.0+IPRAO/.5	nebulized during meal preparation	standard breakfast, sometimes dinner med
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 tab with meal	her blood pressure continues to drop, but her reading today told me that she could tolerate this med and this dosage
metformin/250 mg	1/4 of 1000 mg tab with meal	because her blood glucose looked so good, I decided to try cutting her back on this med, again
Mucinex/500 mg	1 pill with meal	she's coughing more than usual, so I decided to boost the productiveness of her coughing with this medication
Aloe vera gel juice/80 % aloe vera gel	1 ounce sometime pre-meal	decided to try this, again, in order to see if it will help keep her blood sugar under control
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

    She's sitting here, next to me, as I enter these stats. She likes to watch me do this at the kitchen table, in the morning. It's always news to her that her life is on the web, and she likes the idea.
    I'm pleased with her blood glucose and have decided to, once again, try pulling her off the metformin. It may be too early, but lunch will tell the tale.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1542     Reading:  150

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1731     BP:  138/59     Pulse:  75

Lunch:  1615  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich w/ 4 oz tuna salad, 2 slices potato bread 3/4 cup 4% small curd cottage cheese 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
glipizide/10 mg	1 pill at least 1/2 hour pre-meal	decided to use this three times, today, in combination with a reduced dose of metformin, to see if she's ready for the cut back regiment, yet
metformin/225 mg	1/4 a 1000 mg tab with meal	standard lunch dose
acetaminophen/250 mg	1/2 a 500 mg tab with meal	knees iffy, again

    Yes, I forgot to take Mom's blood pressure until awhile after lunch. Not a problem, really. While I was fixing lunch, we became deeply involved in a conversation about our yard, the rain and what would be easier to do, now that the fried crust of the ground is softening.
    Nothing else unusual or noteworthy.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2028     Reading:  146

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2127     BP:  161/64     Pulse:  62

Dinner:  2130  & Meds What she ate:  Cobb Salad, pretty much as described in previous dinner posts, except Swiss cheese was substituted for cheddar, grated cabbage was substituted for celery and the greens had a higher content of lettuces than usual, but still contained some herbs
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/225 mg	1/4 a 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dinner med
lisinopril/5 mg	1 tab with meal	blood pressure still running abnormally high, for her
acetaminophen/250 mg	1/2 a 500 mg tab with meal	knees still iffy
aloe vera gel juice/1 oz	with pre-dinner meds	to increase cell sensitivity to insulin

    I guess I should probably not push the metformin cutback program, yet; it didn't appear to have good results, today and, once again, despite low activity, her blood pressure is performing above normal for her. I'll see what tomorrow's stats indicate, but I think I'll probably be doing what used to be her normal med program for awhile. I don't want to risk a high A1c reading and send her doctor's into a tailspin.

Today's Stats

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1047     Reading:  144

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1155     BP:  156/64     Pulse:  70

Breakfast:  1245  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 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	still on the higher dose because her blood pressure is still up from the antibiotics and her body's fight against E. Coli
metformin/500 mg	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	blood sugar still up...ice cream last night, I'm sure; we'll probably be doing this for the next few days because of the effect of the antibiotic and because she'll be having ice cream again tonight, when we feed the oxygen guy
metoclopramide/5 mg	1/2 hour before meal	had a problem with nausea, this morning, so I gave this to her before breakfast to make sure she held everything down
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

    Although I was able to awaken her at a fairly decent time, after getting her up on end (which took awhile; I didn't use the "whup-up" method, today) and bathing, a wave of nausea hit just before she was about to eat. I gave her a dose of metoclopramide, which takes a half hour to take effect. That also held eating up.
    Her systolic blood pressure is still up a bit, and I'm taking advantage of the need for metformin to let her eat some sweet treats for a couple of days. The continued nausea worries me, a bit. I hope my sureness, yesterday, that the problem isn't that she's becoming more anemic is right. Needless to say, I'm not that sure anymore, even though the only thing that's causing me to doubt myself is the nausea. Everything else seems to indicate that her hemoglobin, at the very least, isn't dropping.
    Today, I'll be reinstating her evening dose of iron. If she's suffering a lowering of her hemoglobin, that should take care of it.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1645     Reading:  123

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1652     BP:  164/68     Pulse:  61

Lunch:  1700  & Meds What she ate:  sandwich w/ 4 oz tuna salad, 2 slices oat bran bread 3/4 cup 4% small curd cottage 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 lunch dose

    After taking her blood glucose and her blood pressure and noting that both indicated that the antibiotic was still working in her system, and/or her system was still fighting the E. Coli infection in her urinary tract, I was desperate to find the metoclopramide, but I'd misplaced it. I spent two hours looking for that little pill bottle. Finally, when I'd given up and decided to begin setting up the dishwasher for this evening, there it was, in one of the pockets in the utensil holder. She seemed to be okay, though, without it. It looked, anyway, as though she would be up for three meals, so I figured I'd wait until dinner to give it to her again, as a precaution against vomiting in her sleep.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2029     Reading:  130

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2030     BP:  145/66     Pulse:  60

Dinner:  2105  & Meds What she ate:  One of the stuffed pepper halves mentioned in yesterday's dinner menu 3/4 cup of frozen peas nuked with 3/8 cup chopped Bermuda onion and 1.5 strips of lean, fried, sugar cured bacon and 1.5 Tbl Girard's Greek Feta Dressing
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 dinner med
lisinopril/2.5 mg	1/2 a 5 mg tab with meal	standard dinner med
metoclopramide/5 mg	1 tab 1/2 hour before meal	actually gave this to her a little late, about 10 minutes before she ate

    Her blood pressure seems to be coming back into line, although her blood sugar is still running a bit high, but I'm not going to increase her dosage of metformin, as I expect that within a day or two she'll be running low, if I do. It's better for her to run high than low, if she's going to be out of normal range.
    Considering that it's been a few days since she's been up enough to have two meals, she ate very well; loved the peas, in fact, although could only make it through about 2/3's of her stuffed pepper. That didn't bother me. She's eaten more, today, than she has in awhile.
    And, no, she declined the ice cream with raspberry sauce. Although some of you who know her well may be surprised, it's been a couple of years since she's been unable to resist sweets. It's true that in a grocery she can't take her eyes off them, and loves to read recipes featuring sugar, but, when push comes to shove and I offer her sweets, it is not unusual for her to decline the offer.
    I started cutting back her dose of lisinopril to 2.5 mg tonight. Her blood pressure seems to be settling down, which is a good sign. You'll also notice, she's back on her 2nd evening dose of iron, again. I think she needed it, frankly. It may be my imagination but, since I took her off it in deference to the Cipro XR, it has seemed that she's been a bit paler.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1320     Reading:  114

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1440     BP:  171/69     Pulse:  66

Breakfast:  1445  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 2 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 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	the Cipro XR is continues to play tricks with her blood pressure, so I gave her the higher dose of this, today
metformin/500 mg	1/2 of 1000 mg tab with meal	standard dose; just to control the tricks the Cipro XR has been playing with it
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

    Well, obviously, we both went to bed late last night (rather, early this morning), thus we both slept in. Mom went to bed about 0130 this morning. I can't remember what we were doing, but, apparently, it kept her occupied. I gave her almost the full 12 hours, and, I'm glad I did. At some time between 0245 this morning when I went to bed and the time I awoke her, she vomited. Although she was surprised, when I awoke her, that she'd vomited, didn't have any memory of it, at the time it happened she was certainly aware of it because she had covered what she'd vomited into the garbage can with Kleenex. At any rate, I didn't discover it until I awoke her because, when I awoke at a little after 1100 and checked in on her, her blanket was spread over the area where she had missed the garbage can and gotten some of the spew on her bed; and, of course, there were the Kleenexes in the garbage can. By the time I awoke her, she had thrown the blanket back in her sleep and I could clearly see that she had vomited.
    I'm sure this is not anemic vomiting. Whether or not her hemoglobin has reached normal levels, I can tell from her color, her blood pressure (even in its goddamned-antibiotic disguise) and the fact that her feet aren't swelling that she is, at least, around 9. I'm also sure that this vomiting is a reaction to the antibiotic, as this is one of the "less serious" side effects (unless the vomiting is repeated and prodigious) listed for this medication on one of the websites on which I researched the medicine. I'm glad last night's dose was the last dose. It's possible that it may take another day or two for the stuff to leave her system, but, at least, we're on the road back to her body's definition of normality.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1910     Reading:  104

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1955     BP:  145/72     Pulse:  59

Dinner:  2000  & Meds What she ate:  half a gold bell pepper stuffed with a mixture of pork sage sausage, barley, chopped celery, chopped onion, chopped green olives, and a robust roasted garlic pesto with half an artichoke heart and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top
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 dinner med

Conspicuously Absent Meds & Supplements
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
36 mg Iron Protein Succinylate	2 18 mg tabs 1 hour before meal	because she had only two meals, today, there would not be a significant break between morning and evening iron and, to guard against her stomach becoming upset and relieving itself of its contents tonight, I decided against administering her second dose of iron, tonight
vitamin C/500 mg	with iron supplement	did not give her this since she didn't get her second dose of iron, today

    About an hour and a half after dinner, Mom also received a 225 mg dose of metformin, because I'd made an extraordinary sauce from fresh raspberries and I served it to her over ice cream. As I told a friend, may as well take advantage of the current need for metformin and allow Mom to embrace her taste for sugar while we can.

I have, by the way...

...responded to the one and only comment I've received on any of my journals. If you're curious, click the first link contained in this post.