Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1210     Reading:  105

Blood Pressure:     No longer taken at this     time unless necessary

Breakfast:  1315  & Meds What she ate:  1 hard over egg, heavily peppered 3 slices thick cut sugar cured lean bacon 1 slice toasted oat bran bread with 1.5 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 tab with Niferex-150	helps the body metabolize iron
100% Aloe Vera gel/1 oz	just before meal	helps increase the cells' sensitivity to insulin when used with glipizide
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/2.5 mg	1/2 of 5 mg 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

    Oops! I just remembered. Yesterday we had ham. Today we had bacon.
    Yes, she had a Bowel Movement today, at about 1610. Cleaned her out, I think, for a couple of days. Easy execution, good volume, good consistency. She decided to go in for a nap afterwards, and I couldn't see any reason not to let her.
    You'll notice she did not have her cranberry juice after breakfast. Since I'm cutting back on her fluids for the day, I decided to hold that off until dinner (although, often, she'll have a glass after breakfast and a glass at dinner). I'm giving her half her normal fluid dosage, today, and all the decaf instant coffee she asks for. If she's low on sodium, this should do the trick.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1752     Reading:  125

Blood Pressure:     No longer taken at this     time unless necessary

Lunch:  1810  & Meds What she ate:  1/2 3 oz bag "lite" microwave popcorn 8 unpitted variety olives in a vinegar, olive oil, dill brine 11.5 oz V-8 juice with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
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 tab with iron supplement	helps the body metabolize iron

    Everything seems fine. Nothing to report.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2031     Reading:  135

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2033     BP:  121/61     Pulse:  60

Dinner:  2045  & Meds What she ate:  approx 10 oz generic canned "hot" chili with added chopped yellow onions and green pepper, Chipotle salsa and a sprinkling of yellow sharp cheddar over a pie cut slice of no-sugar, high corn meal green chili/SW fire cornbread
Med/Dose	Administration	Explanation
100% Aloe Vera gel/1 oz	just before meal	helps increase the cells' sensitivity to insulin when used with glipizide
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 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/2.5 mg	1/2 of 5 mg 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
1/2 cup pure cranberry juice w/12 oz water	with or after meal	standard twice a day supplement for kidney protection and enhancement of waste management

    Her blood pressure is absolutely back to normal and I think it's because she had only about 2/3's the amount of fluid she usually has during the day. It definitely looks as though I've been overhydrating her, again, although I've been very careful not to. Could be her love of decaf instant coffee that's doing her in. Maybe, too, when she's not moving around much, her fluid requirements are somewhat less than 2200 ml. I figure, on a normal day, prior to today, she's probably been getting about 2 l to 2200 ml per day, including her coffee; not, however, including any liquid in her food. Since she has an emotional need for that cup of coffee available to her right hand, I think I'll cut back on her regular fluids, day by day, until I figure out the best range for her. The water bulge on her arm hasn't disappeared but it's on it's way. Good lesson for me.