BM Intended Full Stat Day: Successful

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1344     Reading:  156

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1343     BP:  140/65     Pulse:  56

    I was a little surprised at Mom's blood sugar, considering that she got exactly 12 hours of sleep, but I guess the ketchup took it's toll. When my mother has ketchup it can be said that, in the case, for instance, of last night's home made french fries, she had a little fries with her ketchup. She also used it on her steak to the point where, if I hadn't known she'd had steak under there I wouldn't have known what it was covering. Oh well. If my mother's HA1c isn't in the normal range by April 4th, it won't be our fault!
    I know I usually wait until evening (or a day or two later) to post these, but I wanted to note her Bowel Movement before I forget, and, today, I am apt to forget: It occurred at 1605: Fairly poor volume; consistency looked good but it turned out to be smeary, again (I'm not sure why this is happening); very easy elimination; fairly messy clean-up.
    I'll report later on her evening stats, which I intend to take.

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2103     Reading:  120

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  2159     BP:  128/62     Pulse:  64

    Full stat day successful. She ate a light lunch at 1800: about a cup of heavily peppered cottage cheese and 11.5 oz V-8 juice. It makes a difference in her blood glucose when she has a couple of hours to digest and incorporate her lunch before I take dinner stats, as you can see.
    I gave her a choice of flank steak rolled around Portobello mushrooms baked on top of a slice of onion or chili dogs (kosher beef polish sausage with home made chili on whole wheat bolillo rolls sprinkled with diced fresh onion and freshly grated sharp yellow Cheddar). She chose the chili dogs, so we'll have the flank steak, probably with corn on the cob, tomorrow night.
    I'm also experimenting with a strawberry shortcake recipe. Mom loves strawberry short cake. I don't think we've had it since I came to be with her in December of 1993; mainly because I don't like it and for several years I've done all the cooking. I like fresh strawberries, though, even when they are forced and taste a little like flavored cardboard. They had some of these at Costco today and they looked more promising than usual (even though I was aware that they are definitely forced, since they're out of season), so I bought a four pound container. We both had some fresh strawberries with breakfast. They were passable. Mom's first thought, upon seeing the berries glittering in their container, was, of course, strawberry short cake. So, I decided to try to make one I'd like. I'll be making the biscuit shortcake tomorrow but the strawberries are marinating in an interesting mixture of sugar and spice as I speak, making their own juice. I'm going to add toasted almonds, whole wheat flour and some almond flavoring to a basic biscuit short cake recipe. We always have heavy cream on hand, in case I decide to make cocoa for myself in the evening. So, we're set. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow.
    As a note to myself, although Mom's blood pressure is okay, she seemed to be retaining a bit more water than usual this evening when I rubbed down her legs, especially around her belly. If she still looks pudgy in the morning I'll probably give her a furosemide.
    She originally headed for bed at 2300, which surprised both of us. She was up again, though, at 2345. She read for awhile then joined me about a third of the way through a movie I'd begun watching just before she arose from her startlingly early retirement. The movie ended about 0130. She retired for the last time tonight at 0145. Her light went of just a few minutes ago, at 0155.

Half Stat Day:

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2050     Reading:  143

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  2028     BP:  126/62     Pulse:  64

    Breakfast was a blur this morning, which is why there are no stats. Mr. Man, our new kitten, had his well kitten check at 0900 this morning. We were back by 0945, so I decided to get in some errands before Mom awoke. I was back by 1100 but Mom, surprisingly, considering her very late retirements and arisings, lately, was already up and in the bathroom when I returned. I had to hustle to get her ready and prepare breakfast. Nothing unusual about breakfast this morning, by the way. It was all standard.
    Her lunch was very light but occurred less than an hour before dinner, which accounts for the fairly high blood sugar, and consisted of only an 11.5 oz glass of V-8 juice. If I'd waited for another hour to serve dinner (I didn't because her nap was quite long and I knew that we'd have trouble getting in both a lunch and dinner), I expect that her blood sugar would have been close to normal range, if not in normal range.
    Dinner this evening was marinated, broiled steak, home made french fries (slathered with an obscene amount of ketchup, in Mom's case) and pickled asparagus spears.
    Despite her relatively early arising, she, again, didn't retire until 0100 3/4/06; her light went out about 1330.

BM Full Stat Day

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1310     Reading:  133

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1347     BP:  145/66     Pulse:  52

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2029     Reading:  243

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  2027     BP:  118/52     Pulse:  62

    She also had a banana with her breakfast this morning, along with a chocolate muffin. The muffins, by the way, are Costco muffins...huge. I can usually only eat half a muffin. Mom dives in for the whole thing, though. I'm sure this is the cause of her high blood sugar this evening.
    Since I am writing this two days later, I'm trying hard to remember what we had for dinner...hold on here, let me think...oh, yeah, I served pastrami and Parmesan cheese sandwiches with lots of mustard and a combination of potato and nacho chips. She did have a light lunch; cottage cheese and a 1 oz bag of peanuts.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1325: Better than good volume; excellent consistency; very easy elimination; fairly easy clean-up, just a little smeary.

No Stat Day:

    Whatever it is I have continued, although the fever isn't as virulent so I cut way back on the ibuprofen and endured the body aches and the "out of time" feeling. I can't remember when Mom awoke, but it after 1400. That was fine with me because I'd had a restless night and took a late morning nap, which is so out of character for me it feels like someone else took that nap.
    Mom, though, continues to feel good, although I think she is taking advantage of this cold-or-whatever I've got to sneak in extra sleep. She ended up having only two meals, a very hearty breakfast with polish sausage instead of bacon and a blueberry muffin. She didn't take a nap. Instead, lunch became dinner, served at about 2000, light, at her request: About a cup of heavily peppered cottage cheese, several pickled asparagus spears, and toast. According to the time, I could only give her half her pills, so at bedtime (she retired about 2330, light went off about midnight) I gave her a large glass of pure orange juice with her iron/vitamin C and lisinopril.
    I'm going to try to get her up at a decent hour (for her), probably around noon tomorrow, take stats all day and feed her well, although she doesn't seem to be the worse for more sleep and less food. I hope I begin to feel better, tomorrow.

BM Half Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1251     Reading:  122

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1323     BP:  130/67     Pulse:  56

    I barely remember this day, except that I took only one set of stats because I felt pretty bad through the day. I'm surprised I actually took stats in the "morning".
    I do remember that I had no energy for fixing dinner and I wasn't hungry so I got Mom her choice of fast food, KFC: two thighs (she ate both), cole slaw and KFC mac & cheese.
    Her Bowel Movement happened at 2120: Better than good volume; almost excellent consistency; a little less than easy elimination; slightly smeary clean-up. I also remember that she stayed up until almost 0130 3/1/06, which is when her light went off.

Full Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1254     Reading:  117

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1336     BP:  120/75     Pulse:  58

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2039     Reading:  141

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  2038     BP:  116/54     Pulse:  55

    No lunch today except coffee. She refused it and I wasn't feeling good so I didn't fight her. The muffin for breakfast this morning, though, seemed to take care of her blood sugar right on through to dinner, so I was okay with her choice.
    Dinner tonight was my home made version of mac & cheese with extra cheese; ground beef, sage sausage; chopped celery, onion, green pepper and garlic.
    I'm pleased her blood pressure is doing so well recently.

Full Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1309     Reading:  132

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1402     BP:  112/64     Pulse:  57

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2103     Reading:  149

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  2057     BP:  109/52     Pulse:  66

    So, I'm very pleased with her BP and, although it would seem that it should be otherwise, with her BG, too. I've been consciously feeding her muffins in the morning in order to get it up and it seems to be working. I'm establishing a pattern of periods in which I work on making sure she has high refined carbohydrate days then a length of low refined carbohydrated days. I think this will work better, as far as raising her Hemoglobin A1c, that doing occasional treats here and there. When her blood sugar is low for a period of time it seems that it tends not to "store" high carbohydrates. This isn't, by the way, a strategy I worked up with consultation. It's just something I thought of and am trying.
    Although the stats belie this, dinner wasn't served until about 2130. We had home made cheeseburgers on onion buns with dill pickle relish and thick slices of Bermuda onion (one of her favorite dinners). Usually she doesn't want any sides but last night she asked if we had chips, which we do. I asked her whether she wanted potato chips or Doritos, she considered this, then grinned and said, "How about some of both?" I complied. I wouldn't be surprised but what her BG is high again tomorrow morning but I'm okay with this. I know how to get it down quickly when I think it's necessary.
    She retired at 0030, 2/26/06. Her light was on until almost 0100.