Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1314     Reading:  108

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1344     BP:  135/68     Pulse:  59

    Yeah, her blood pressure's a little high but I'm not worried. The furosemide I gave her yesterday took a lot of fluid off and I forgot to take her blood pressure until about halfway through her bath. She wasn't panting, but her activity level was pretty high. She'd been washing her arms when I remembered to take her pressure so, in a way, it's actually a very good pressure.
    Yes, it's been another sleepy time day. Yesterday afternoon and evening, several times as though she'd just thought of it, she mentioned, "Wouldn't sweet rolls taste good with breakfast in the morning?" I got the hint. This morning at 0800 I was at a local grocery picking up "sweet rolls", specifically, a cinnamon bun (not a Cinnabon) and something called a "Cherry Crisp" that looked light, fruity and interesting and had the one item Mom requires on a sweet roll: icing. I thought she'd probably eat one at breakfast and one for lunch with something a bit more healthy, but she decided to eat both at breakfast, with eggs and bacon and orange juice. Wait until you see her blood sugar at this evening's reading!

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2049     Reading:  209

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2048     BP:  119/58     Pulse:  63

    Whoa! Someone's body really enjoyed its sweets, today. Mom always asks what her stats are. I've never known whether they register with her but I guess they do because when I read her blood glucose reading to her her eyebrows shot up and she said, "That's high, isn't it?"
    I joked with her. "Yeah. Well, [your doctor] wants your hemoglobin A1c higher and it looks like we're going to raise your A1c in one fell swoop, Mom."
    Although she's really been enjoying the sweet treats she's been getting lately, I think it's time we rachet it back a notch.
    Surprisingly, although it was a rainy, sleepy time day today, and it was hard to get her up (I called her at three separate times and it wasn't until 1300 that she assented to arise), she only took an hour nap and didn't take that until almost 1700 this evening. Needless to say, today was a two meal day. KFC chicken, macaroni & cheese, green beans (funny, tonight the restaurant apparently ran out of the bacon and onions usually in these beans; she noticed and complained) and cole slaw. She doesn't usually like their cole slaw, it's too sweet for her, but she asked for it tonight. She also asked me to get her a biscuit, which is amazing; she almost never eats biscuits, their's or anyone else's.
    Her blood pressure looks great, which is good because we're in for a few more rainy days. Even though today was one of the wettest, so far, because the furosemide had relieved so much of the fluid retention, she only used oxygen when she slept and found it unnecessary to mouth breathe when she was up.
    Tonight, while I was doing some hunting through boxes, I yelled out to her as she was finishing up her dinner, "How are you doing, Mom?"     "100%," she shouted back. I haven't heard her say this for several days. Looks like, despite her usual reaction to wet, rainy weather, she's fundamentally feeling fine.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1334     Reading:  102

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1358     BP:  125/63     Pulse:  63

    Her blood pressure's creeping up as the atmosphere becomes heavy with moisture. It rained a fair amount today and is supposed to rain even more tomorrow. Her feet were just this side of puffy this morning, although her belly seemed okay. I'll keep an eye on her, though, especially since, on days like this, she usually spends quite a bit of time in bed and it's already starting out to be one of those days. I awoke her at one and, well, you can see what time I was able to take her blood sugar. She was still prone in bed at that time.

BM Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1954     Reading:  147

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1953     BP:  133/60     Pulse:  59

    It was only a two meal day, today. I think her blood glucose was so high because he spent most of the day napping; in addition to her a little over 12 hour night sleep. I was okay with this. She started noticeably retaining water after breakfast. By the time she headed in for a nap at 1600 her feel were obviously swelling and the creases in her lower belly were smoothed out. I gave her 20 mg furosemide as she headed in and reminded her that I would be performing water torture in the evening when she awoke to make sure that the water comes off gently and she doesn't suffer a blood pressure crash. I could tell, when she announced her intention to retire for the evening, that although the water was coming off her blood pressure was probably inching up higher than it was at dinner, even though she receives a lisinopril as one of her dinner meds. I didn't bother to take her pressure before she retired, I just gave her a third lisinopril. So far, I've kept her from having any breathing problems due to cardio-pulmonary fluid retention today. There were even periods when she didn't want to be on oxygen and she wasn't mouth breathing so I let her ride on her lung power alone. I'll keep an eye on her tomorrow, too. I don't expect to have to give her any more furosemide but since it'll be a rainy day I expect it will be a heavy duty nap day and a three lisinopril day.
    Dinner was more of that savory roasted chicken which I reheated in the oven in it's own delicious juices and served on a small bed of the left over olive/garlic rice, into which I'd mixed the leftover bacon/onion/celery/Greek feta dressing peas. She ate fast and hearty and was very good about drinking fluids.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1845, soon after she awoke from her nap: Good volume, excellent consistency, very easy elimination, very easy clean-up.

Breakfast Stats:

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1012     Reading:  123

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1024     BP:  122/68     Pulse:  74

    These were the only stats I took today. I thought I was having a good day, today, but it slowly, almost imperceptibly, turned sour. It didn't for Mom, really, until much later. More over at the main journal.
    At any rate, for lunch she had a "cold" (vs. grilled) ham and cheese sandwich on on onion bun with mustard, yellow sharp cheddar, two slices deli sliced honey ham and a good quarter cup MCS's Bread & Butter pickles. That happened about 1530.
    For dinner, which happened around 2030, we decided on Just Desserts: we finished off the brownies I made last week, two apiece, and each had a couple scoops of English Toffee ice cream.
    Around dinner time Mom's feet looked as though I probably should've taken her blood pressure and monitored it again before she went to bed. She probably could have used a third lisinopril, but I didn't measure it. Her belly was retaining some water, too. If she looks swollen in the morning, I'll give her some furosemide.
    It rained today, and looks like we'll have some thundershowers tomorrow. As usual, this appears to be affecting both her breathing and her water retention quotient.

Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1201     Reading:  97

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1215     BP:  114/52     Pulse:  58

    Despite some "trace" dehydration showing in her diastolic, everything is right on the money.
    Her Bowel Movemenet was a cleaner-outer: Volume way over excellent; consistency, excellent although a touch on the soft side; elimination, very easy; clean-up, easy.

Non-stat Lunch
    Her blood pressure's been doing so well that I couldn't see any reason to take it at lunch, today. Although she arose late and defied me by going in for a nap at 1530 when I told her she couldn't nap until 1600, she was up at about 1620 and eating lunch at 1630: Yoghurt, about a half cup of MCS's Bread & Butter pickles, 5 green pimiento stuffed olives and 11.5 oz V-8 juice. She felt good, looked good, hasn't really needed oxygen much today...she's just been sleeping a lot lately. Oh well. What's new?

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2003     Reading:  123

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2003     BP:  118/55     Pulse:  59

    Wow! We're back in the land of spectacular stats again! Hallelujah! I have no idea how long this will last but I'm enjoying it while I can. At a local grocery, today, I purchased a really delicious looking and smelling already roasted chicken, so she had a hefty, juicy, flavorful chicken thigh and leg for dinner, Uncle Ben's Original Recipe Long Grain and Wild Rice with added sliced green olives stuffed with pimiento and fresh chopped garlic, and peas with sauteed chopped Bermuda onions, celery and bacon seasoned with Greek feta dressing. Mom dove into it as though she'd been starving. I'm totally pleased that her appetite remains so vigorous but I keep wondering if and when she's going to begin to lose it, as I hear this is typical of the declining old. Maybe she never will. Maybe she'll die savoring yet another delectable feast. Wouldn't that be loverly?!?

Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1110     Reading:  114

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1144     BP:  110/59     Pulse:  68

    Everything looks good, although she's dragging today. As you can see from the length of time between taking her blood glucose (taken as soon, after I awoke her at 1100, as I could talk her hand over the edge of the bed) and taking her blood pressure (always, now, taken in the bathroom after she's settled on the toilet for her bath), she wasn't interested in getting up. I told her she can't take a nap until she is halfway decently hydrated. She's working on this, slowly and reluctantly.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at noon: and a hefty turd it was, folks, probably the rest of yesterday's movement; excellent consistency; very easy elimination, very easy clean-up.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1853     Reading:  94

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1839     BP:  102/47     Pulse:  60

    She slept most of the afternoon so, considering how "early" we had breakfast this morning, I decided lunch was unnecessary and we'd go right to dinner. Her blood pressure shows dehydration but I'm performing water torture so that should take care of it.
    For dinner she had "the best grilled ham and cheese [she's] ever tasted": Two thick slices of honey ham, a hearty slice of yellow sharp cheddar, mustard and slices olives between two pieces of white potato bread; also about a half cup of MCS's Bread & Butter pickles and 11.5 oz V-8 juice. She also had the last (thank god that's gone) piece of chocolate cake, lots of coffee, and later I insisted she drink a full 16 oz. of water. When she retired she had no feet or belly swelling, she just looked well hydrated.

Today's Stats:

BM Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  0921     Reading:  90

Blood Pressure:     Time:  0944     BP:  129/62     Pulse:  59

    Today was Mom's blood draw morning. As you can see, she was up earlier than usual I intended on awakening her at 0930. When I peaked in on her after finishing a phone conversation with MCS at 0915 Mom's eyes were open and she rose up off the pillow at the sight of my head peaking around the door at her.
    I think this may be why her blood pressure is a bit higher than usual in the morning. She was wound and ready when she arose. She was probably wound and ready all night last night. I moved her up and around quickly, too. We were at the lab by 1040 a.m. I took her pressure twice because I couldn't believe how high it was. Typically, in the morning, completely relaxed in the bathroom on the toilet (the best place and time to take her blood pressure) before her bath, her blood pressure is the lowest it will be all day. But, today was a little different. Her first reading was 132/69 P-59 four minutes earlier than the above blood pressure, so you can see, it was simply taking her some time to settle down.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at about 1000: Poor volume; good consistency with some shit rocks; very easy elimination; very easy clean-up.
    This was a fasting blood draw so she didn't eat breakfast until we arrived home. She was eating by 1145, which is a good hour and a half earlier than she usually eats breakfast. Surprisingly, at this hour, she's still up, watching Animal Planet.

Lunch

Blood Glucose:     Time:  Not taken

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1727     BP:  114/58     Pulse:  66

    Looks good. She slept for quite awhile this afternoon; from 1430 - 1730. Since I already had dinner planned and sort of in the works and she wasn't that hungry, anyway, it was okay with me that all she wanted was some yoghurt and a small bowl of dry roasted peanuts and mixed nuts. As usual when she is on the border of dehydration, she didn't want anything to drink but her instant decaf coffee. Today I gave her a huge cup full. She drank it all.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1937     Reading:  128

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1936     BP:  115/47     Pulse:  66

    So, because she seems adverse to liquids this evening, I made something delicious and mushy: I altered the Beef Strogansauer recipe, left out the vinegar and added lots of two different types of curry powder. It added liquid to her food as well as the 16 oz glass of cranberry juice she drank. She was beginning to look very good when she went to bed, although she retired awfully early tonight: 2100. She wasn't, however, having any problems breathing and her skin was nice and pink.

Today's Stats:

Breakfast

Blood Glucose:     Time:  1250     Reading:  130

Blood Pressure:     Time:  1250     BP:  100/52     Pulse:  66

    I was so surprised at her blood glucose that I asked her if she awoke in themiddle of the night and ate something. She said no, although considering the "Oh What a Night" night I'll be writing about shortly, she may have and not remembered it. Could have been the Taco Bell the night before, too. She had a rounded teaspoon of Benefiber® in her orange juice.

Non-stat Lunch
    I didn't take her blood pressure. On her way out of the bathroom into the living room, when she stopped to pet The Little Girl lounging on the couch she turned her right knee. I was right there so she didn't go down. I gave her one extra strength acetaminophen tablet with her lunch which was 8 oz yoghurt, 5 green pimiento stuff olives, about 1/2 cup of MCS's Bread and Butter pickles and 11.5 oz v-8 juice.
    She's had the knee brace on this evening and her knee seems to be fine, although she's being careful with it, at my insistence and with my coaching.

Dinner

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2025     Reading:  125

Blood Pressure:     Time:  2024     BP:  119/62     Pulse:  70

    Looks good. For dinner she had a side salad (in our house a side salad is a small Cobb salad) and two deviled eggs (that's four halves).