Today's Stats:
BM Breakfast
Looking good. She feels good, was standing straight in the bathroom, no breathing difficulty, is still lounging over a hearty breakfast with two slices of home made toasted bread, which has become normal.
Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1215 while we were bathing her: Fair volume, excellent consistency, very easy elimination, very easy clean-up. Just for fun I decided to check something out in which I've believed for a long time. After leaving her alone "with her thoughts," as I put it, to finish her evacuation, I decided to see if my theory that her blood pressure drops immediately after a bowel movement is true. That's what the second pressure is. It was taken maybe two minutes after she'd completed her evacuation and she was relaxed on the toilet. As you can see the opposite is true. Which, now that I think of it, shouldn't have surprised me. Remembering her blood pressure crash, the actual crash caused her complete evacuation, but immediately after evacuation her blood pressure was a bit above normal, although I don't remember and never recorded the numbers; I just remember commenting on this to the paramedics who were waiting, while she evacuated in the bathroom, to take her to the hospital.
Non-stat Lunch and Dinner
That's right, no stats. When my mother awoke from her nap and headed into the bathroom, as usual, I followed her with the blood pressure wrist cuff to get a reading before lunch.
She looked at the cuff, sighed and said, "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?"
The truth is, no, I don't, I look forward to taking stats. It's one of many ways I keep my eye on my mother's condition. I realized, though, that she gets tired of it. Lately, as you've probably noticed, I've been taking her blood pressure almost every time she turns around. Although I haven't upped taking her blood glucose, a test is a test, a testing device is a testing device and, I think, it's all the same to her.
"You know what," I said, "I'll bet you get tired of it, don't you. No stats for the rest of the day. How's that?"
She visibly relaxed while sitting on the toilet.
I fought to keep myself from taking advantage of her obvious relaxation to take yet another blood pressure stat.
"That sounds good to me," she said. "How about doing that forever?"
I laughed. "Well," I said, "that's probably not possible. I at least need to know what your normal numbers are so I'll know when your numbers are abnormal. But we'll take more vacations from stats as long as you're healthy and feeling good."
She looked at me quizzically, as though I'd just stepped out of "Jabberwocky". "I'm going to hold you to that," she said.
I'm sure she will.
Lunch: Two deviled egg halves; four green pimiento stuff olives; about 1/3 cup MCS's bread and butter pickels; 11.5 oz V-8 juice.
Dinner: I had already begun to gather stuff to make potato soup with onion, celery, green pepper and sausage when she piped up, "I'm hungry. How about some tacos and things from, oh, you know what place I mean."
"Taco Bell?"
"Oooh, yes! That's the place!"
"Sounds good to me!"
"I'm hungry. Get me what you usually get."
I did: One taco supreme, one burrito supreme, one order of pintos and cheese.
When she was finished and staring at her plate I said, "You look like you want to lick it."
She grinned. "I already did, didn't you see me?" she joked.
"Are you still hungry, can I get you something else?"
"Oh, no, I'm completely satisfied."
She must have been. She stayed up until almost midnight last night.
Change the routine and you change the day; for the better.
|
Blood Glucose: Time: 1137 Reading: 114 |
Blood Pressure: Time: 1206 BP: 128/66 Pulse: 60 |
|
Blood Pressure: Time: 1220 BP: 136/69 Pulse: 58 |
Looking good. She feels good, was standing straight in the bathroom, no breathing difficulty, is still lounging over a hearty breakfast with two slices of home made toasted bread, which has become normal.
Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1215 while we were bathing her: Fair volume, excellent consistency, very easy elimination, very easy clean-up. Just for fun I decided to check something out in which I've believed for a long time. After leaving her alone "with her thoughts," as I put it, to finish her evacuation, I decided to see if my theory that her blood pressure drops immediately after a bowel movement is true. That's what the second pressure is. It was taken maybe two minutes after she'd completed her evacuation and she was relaxed on the toilet. As you can see the opposite is true. Which, now that I think of it, shouldn't have surprised me. Remembering her blood pressure crash, the actual crash caused her complete evacuation, but immediately after evacuation her blood pressure was a bit above normal, although I don't remember and never recorded the numbers; I just remember commenting on this to the paramedics who were waiting, while she evacuated in the bathroom, to take her to the hospital.
Non-stat Lunch and Dinner
That's right, no stats. When my mother awoke from her nap and headed into the bathroom, as usual, I followed her with the blood pressure wrist cuff to get a reading before lunch.
She looked at the cuff, sighed and said, "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?"
The truth is, no, I don't, I look forward to taking stats. It's one of many ways I keep my eye on my mother's condition. I realized, though, that she gets tired of it. Lately, as you've probably noticed, I've been taking her blood pressure almost every time she turns around. Although I haven't upped taking her blood glucose, a test is a test, a testing device is a testing device and, I think, it's all the same to her.
"You know what," I said, "I'll bet you get tired of it, don't you. No stats for the rest of the day. How's that?"
She visibly relaxed while sitting on the toilet.
I fought to keep myself from taking advantage of her obvious relaxation to take yet another blood pressure stat.
"That sounds good to me," she said. "How about doing that forever?"
I laughed. "Well," I said, "that's probably not possible. I at least need to know what your normal numbers are so I'll know when your numbers are abnormal. But we'll take more vacations from stats as long as you're healthy and feeling good."
She looked at me quizzically, as though I'd just stepped out of "Jabberwocky". "I'm going to hold you to that," she said.
I'm sure she will.
Lunch: Two deviled egg halves; four green pimiento stuff olives; about 1/3 cup MCS's bread and butter pickels; 11.5 oz V-8 juice.
Dinner: I had already begun to gather stuff to make potato soup with onion, celery, green pepper and sausage when she piped up, "I'm hungry. How about some tacos and things from, oh, you know what place I mean."
"Taco Bell?"
"Oooh, yes! That's the place!"
"Sounds good to me!"
"I'm hungry. Get me what you usually get."
I did: One taco supreme, one burrito supreme, one order of pintos and cheese.
When she was finished and staring at her plate I said, "You look like you want to lick it."
She grinned. "I already did, didn't you see me?" she joked.
"Are you still hungry, can I get you something else?"
"Oh, no, I'm completely satisfied."
She must have been. She stayed up until almost midnight last night.
Change the routine and you change the day; for the better.
posted by Gail Rae @ 23:59
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