Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1152     Reading:  107

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1156     BP:  124/58     Pulse:  56

    Everything looks relatively good. Her systolic is a touch high, but the lisinopril at breakfast should take care of that.
    Her Bowel Movement awoke her. She was done with it by the time I noticed it was 1130 and headed in to awaken her. She was already in the bathroom evacuating: Fair volume, excellent consistency, very easy elimination, very easy clean-up.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1624     Reading:  151

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1624     BP:  129/50     Pulse:  55

    Not sure why her blood sugar is so high. Breakfast was normal and she's been up since then. But her blood pressure looks relatively good. We'll see how it reads at dinner. We won't be doing exercises or walkering today. Maybe that has something to do with her high blood sugar, but, we're not really on a routine yet.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1951     Reading:  81

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1950     BP:  134/61     Pulse:  54

    Although everything was fairly good, I decided to retake her blood pressure later in the evening, in case she needed a third lisinopril before bed.

Before Bed

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken	Blood Pressure:     Time:  2210     BP:  174/77     Pulse:  54
Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken	Blood Pressure:     Time:  2214     BP:  172/78     Pulse:  54

    I took her BP twice because I was alarmed. This, in connection with her feet and belly swelling, caused me to give her not only a third dose of 2.5 mg lisinopril but 20 mg furosemide before bed. My consideration of the causes of this are covered in the last post for this date at The Mom & Me Journals dot Net.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1116     Reading:  95

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1131     BP:  138/62     Pulse:  59

    Normal breakfast. Systolic BP a little high. If it remains high I'll check her BP before she goes to bed and possibly administer a third lisinopril 2.5 mg.
    Feet look good. So does her belly.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1736     Reading:  111

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1735     BP:  125/61     Pulse:  56

    Napped from 1515-1715. Normal lunch. We'll be doing exercises sometime between 1900 and 2000. No extra medications, although I still plan to check her blood pressure before bed.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2039     Reading:  108

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2037     BP:  135/63     Pulse:  54

    Yes, I'll definitely be checking her blood pressure again before bedtime.

Bedtime

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1101     BP:  142/63     Pulse:  58

    Yes, I gave her a third 2.5 mg lisinopril tonight. Although I'll have to check to make sure, which I intend to do before our doctor's appointment on July 26th, I think it's working out to a third tablet every other night.
    Her feet were a bit swollen, like normal, actually, at bedtime, but nothing like her recent CHF episodes.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1121     Reading:  97

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1120     BP:  111/60     Pulse:  58

    Everything looks good. Looks like the third 2.5 mg lisinopril tablet did the trick. Normal breakfast, no extra meds.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1719     Reading:  112

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1717     BP:  102/48     Pulse:  61

    Awfully low BP; and, she was obviously dehydrated, so I pushed fluids. She awoke on her own from her allowed two hour nap; right on time. Normal lunch of V-8 juice, mini dills and olives and yoghurt.

BM Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2018     Reading:  127

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2017     BP:  123/62     Pulse:  52

    Everything looks good so I won't be testing her blood pressure before bedtime. I'm sure she won't need a third lisinopril.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 2115: less than fair volume, excellent consistency, easy elimination, very easy clean-up. She'll probably have another bowel movement tomorrow, sometime.
    Her appetite was better, tonight, than it has been over the last few nights. Good.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1139     Reading:  101

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1200     BP:  97/48     Pulse:  58

    The furosemide yesterday did it's trick; thus, this morning, she's a bit dehydrated. We're working on it. No extra meds, this morning, for any reason.

Midday Snack

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1734     Reading:  127

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1724     BP:  122/62     Pulse:  59

    She had her breakfast around 1300. We'll probably be eating dinner between 2030 and 2100. So, her lunches, especially since they come after typically inactive mornings and after a two hour (no more than two hours) nap, are more like midday snacks. Since her appetite has been like that of a dog in summer, it's best to keep it light.
    She looks really dehydrated, but her blood pressure is better than this morning. I've put her "anti-embolism" socks on which work as support hose to keep her feet from getting pudgy and I'll be pushing fluids this evening.
    Despite my desire to keep a relaxed, accepting atmosphere around here, I might badger her, again, to do therapy exercises. That might help alleviate some of the foot swelling.
    I believe these are the dog days of caregiving. Whew!

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2019     Reading:  144

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2018     BP:  144/75     Pulse:  58

    The higher-than-normal-at-dinner BG is crackers. Around 1830 I went outside to dump food scraps in our compost bin, turn it, water it and add dry grass to the top. When I returned, after maybe 15 minutes, Mom was in the kitchen wolfing down multi-grain crackers. I'm not sure how many she had. I didn't get upset with her. I mean, if she's hungry, she's hungry. I just wish I'd put the crackers away after having some. I always make sure that all the "healthy", non-refined carbohydrate stuff is in the front of the refrigerator in case she gets the urge to chow down when I'm not in the vicinity. I'm sure she ate at least 3, so, considering, 144 isn't too bad.
    I'm not sure about the high blood pressure. I guess she's hydrated, again. I noticed her feet beginning to swell earlier and put her "anti-embolism" socks on her. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Oh well. Live and learn.

Before Bed

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2227     BP:  148/65     Pulse:  57

    I took her BP again before she went to bed to see if I needed to give her a third 2.5 mg lisinopril. I did, and I did.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1221     Reading:  85

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1229     BP:  122/60     Pulse:  63

    In conjunction with my new "no more than 12 hours" night sleepiing rule, since she went to bed officially at a little after midnight (although she came out twice between midnight and 0030 to "check on things", she's so funny), I let her sleep until noon today. When she doesn't awaken of her own accord, it takes about 20 minutes to get her in an upright position, then another 10-20 minutes of cat petting, and conversation to get her in the bathroom. The above stats were taken after she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet flat on the floor. I no longer have the complaint that her blood pressure is high because she's been struggling up. I think, what's happened, is that, over the last several months I've become much less "push The Mom to good health" oriented and we've both relaxed.
    Her feet will still a little pudgy this morning (they looked piggish last night, although she said they didn't feel uncomfortable and wiggled her toes to confirm what she'd said). I gave her 20 mg furosemide this morning just before bathing her, and I'll be pumping her with fluids, as I told her, to make sure she the excess fluid comes off gently. I remember that her last episode of feet and abdominal edema occurred in late summer of 2002 up here. I think the combination of altitude and her reaction to unusual heat and fluctuating atmospheric pressure all combine to throw her body into an internal "Start storing it, laddies," mode. This time, though, I know how to negotiate this without letting it get out of hand. Although I may be wrong, I don't think there is anything else that's kicking off this episode. She didn't have one last year, at this time, I don't think, but the weather was much, much cooler last summer and the monsoons weren't contributing to quite as many jumps in atmospheric pressure. I'm not to concerned. It would be nice is we didn't have to use furosemide much on her as she ages but, if we do, well, there are worse fates.
    I noticed she was standing a little cockeyed this morning. I thought it might be that her knee was bothering her, but she said it was her back. I touched just below the small of her back and she indicated, yes, that was the place. I gave her one extra strength acetaminophen in an effort to comfort that area.

BM
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1520: Very good volume, the rest of what she needed to eliminate yesterday; excellent consistency, no more shit rocks; fairly easy elimination, she reported that she had to "strain a little" to start evacuation but afterwards "it was easy". Very easy clean-up.     So, while I'm typing this up, my mother is across the room from me in her rocker reading her tabloids. I asked her about whether she needed to strain for this movement. She gave me the above answers. I immediately typed what she told me. When I finished and looked up, she was giving me the "what the fuck are you doing?!?" eye.
    I started laughing. Couldn't help it. "I'm writing for the "Bowel Movement Gazette, Mom," I said.
    "I believe it," she replied.     I've told her before that I write about her bowel movements. Whenever I tell her this she always gives me that mock "I'm concerned about your sanity" glance. I also turn her bowel movements into a humorous episode by displaying excitement and saying things to her like

• "Oh, very nice, let's save this one for awhile," in order to get her gently past the contingency of having to let her feces stew in the toilet, which she finds disgusting;
• "Bowel away," when I leave her to her business; which she always greets with a sardonic glance;
• "Bowel me over," as lopsided encouragement when she thinks she might have trouble eliminating.
• "Okay, turn your ass to me," when I clean her, because it scandalizes her that I use the words "ass".

    I do this so that her dignity remains intact even as she finds herself in a position with me that assumes the stealing of one's dignity. Today, when she made her "with displeasure" face to me as I asked her to turn around so I could clean her I said, "Mom, when I'm older than you, you can tell me to turn my ass to you."
    "Remind me to do that," she said.
    "Well, Mom, that might be a problem because, when I'm older than you, you'll be the font of memory for us."
    "We'll be in trouble then, won't we!?!
    "That's debatable. We won't know we're in trouble, so how much trouble could that be?"
    "Right you are. Good way to look at it."

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1952     BP:  119/53     Pulse:  58

    We were deep in a conversation about getting a dog and I forgot to take her blood glucose before we began eating. I'm sure it was fine; if not normal than close to it.
    I also gave her another 20 mg dose of furosemide. Her belly looked good, and she's been peeing to beat the band today, but her feet were still a little puffy. It should all come out in her night time wash.
    Her appetite's been a little less robust than normal the last few nights, but she's been extremely inactive since the humidity set in, although not in bed more than usual. This weather's even been affecting me, lately. I've been diligent about making sure she sleeps no more than 12 hours over night and no more than 2 hours during her nap. She's not pale, though, or listless, which usually accompanies poor appetite if something's wrong.
    I wish we could have had her blood draw done last week, but I don't think anything would have changed and, anyway, we'll have one done next week when that Rx is transferred back to our new/old PCP.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1107     Reading:  104

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1112     BP:  127/62     Pulse:  61

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2026     Reading:  99

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2026     BP:  147/67     Pulse:  65

    I'll be checking her blood pressure before she retires, tonight, to see if I need to administer a third lisinopril.

Lisinopril Stat

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2254     BP:  140/65     Pulse:  66

    Administered another 2.5 mg lisinopril at this time.

BM
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 2340: fair volume; fair consistency, like a bunch of rocks glued together; a bit of a problem evacuating but no assistance or straining needed, just some waiting; very easy clean-up.

Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1105     Reading:  97

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1109     BP:  116/52     Pulse:  52

    Her bowel movement happened at 1130: Light volume, so she'll probably have another later today or tomorrow; easy elimination, excellent consistency, very easy clean-up.
    Considering her normal blood pressures in the morning, lately, it may seem as though I am giving her a third lisinopril every night and forgetting to record it. I'm not. Her blood pressure at dinner has been low enough so I haven't felt the need to measure it before bed, knowing that she is under the influence of her dinner lisinopril. I'm not sure what caused the upsurge in her blood pressure over the last few months, but, whatever it was appears to be over and done with.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1943     Reading:  92

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1942     BP:  127/59     Pulse:  59

    No issues.