BE Three Quarter Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1254     Reading:  120

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1259     BP:  122/59     Pulse:  52

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2149     Reading:  110

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Not taken

    Nice stats all around, yes? The three lisinopril per day is kicking in. I don't want her BP to go any lower, particularly her diastolic, than it is, but I like what it's doing, now, and it's reduced ranges of flare.
    Breakfast, ormal, I think. I can't remember what kind of, oh, yeah, except for the includion of, let's see, Mom had two compact but very flavorful and sweet slices of a home town bakery's cinnamon raisin bread whole wheat bread, better and sweeter than my mother's, which I remember from my childhood. I also slathered these with Vietnamese cinnamon and insisted on her aloe vera gel. Sometimes I forget this and she isn't of the opinion that it's necessary to remind me.
    Lunch: She did have peanuts and coffee. Her nap was average, a little over an hour. She felt very good afterwards, especially when she noticed that this new hairstyle seems to survive sleep, at least naps.
    Dinner: More than Mac & Cheese with all the regulars, substituting green chili for green bell; adding sun dried tomatoes and, of course, extra cheese, this time Extra Sharp Vermont White Cheddar. Perfect meal for last night. We both ate hardy.
    No extra glipizide. Third lisinopril just before bedtime.
    Her Bowel Expulsion occurred just before retirement. Considering how long and how much effort it took, Mom and I were both surprised that it was only an expulsion; poor volume; thick sludge consistency; very challenging clean-up.
    She retired at 0030, 1/12/07, after a very satisfying leg rub down. She didn't even stay up for the second M*A*S*H. Her light went out at 0100. She did not arise during the night, which I'm sure was a relief to her.

BM Three Quarter Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1410     Reading:  147

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1435     BP:  142/63     Pulse:  55

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2101     Reading:  100

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Not taken

    Breakfast: Normal, except for substitution of an apple/walnut roll instead of toast. I still put the cinnamon on it; Vietnamese. Also gave her an extra 10 mg glipizide.
    Lunch: Coffee and peanuts.
    Dinner: 1 3.5 oz bag of microwave popcorn (not "lite" in any respects) and a glass of V-8 juice with curry powder. No aloe vera gel. I had intended to make a Just Desserts dinner but that flopped and I had to throw it away. So, Mom decided, next best thing is popcorn. Lots of it.
    She did nap, and wasn't terribly active, but, I notice, at night, her prodigious sleep is catching up with her, as, she is laying down for the night then rearising and staying up for awhile within her first hour "in bed". Also, she's been actually peeing in the bathroom after going to bed a lot, lately. I assume this is good. It's certainly good for me. We're averaging about three short bath days a week, which means three days when I don't have to wash and disinfect her bed, and often can put off doing a wash for a day.
    I am determined to measure her BP every day from now until we see her doctor again in March, now that I've got her on three 10 mg lisinopril tablets a day. I'm thinking she might could even use four, but, I'm not sure about this. Her diastolic is dropping to its lower limits on 30 mg, even when her systolic is up. I know that measuring her BP is hit and miss. Yesterday, for instance, her arm was tight all the way through. The day before she talked while I took it. So, you know...but, I am noticing that it's going down a little here and there, even when it's "high". So, I'm satisfied, now, with whatever reading I get.
    Oh, we didn't rub down Mom's legs, last night. Neither she nor I felt like it.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred at 1835: Excellent volume; fair consistency (the turds were flat, thought I'd mention this, it surprised me); very easy elimination; challenging clean-up.
    She retired, first, at 2330. Her light went out at 0015, 1/11/07. Then, she went to the bathroom twice and finally, at 0045, stayed up and read and channel surfed until I went to bed at 0130.

Three Quarter Stat Day:

A.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  1501     Reading:  173

A.M. Blood Pressure:     Time:  1516     BP:  128/67     Pulse:  59

P.M. Blood Glucose:     Time:  2128     Reading:  122

P.M. Blood Pressure:     Not taken

    She arose at 1430, today, better than previous days. I started on her at 1400 and she asked for "another half hour". I managed to get in all stats that I usually take, today.
    Breakfast: Normal. I was a little surprised at her BG this morning, so I gave her two 10 mg glipizide tablets. I also substituted an adult buffered aspirin for her usual 81 mg, because she was complaining about her "iffy" back and knee.
    Lunch: Coffee and peanuts, after a long nap, two and a half hours. When she arose she looked (and seemed to feel) better than she has in some days.
    Dinner: A type of Sloppy Joe concoction made from the pulled apart remains of the bone-in beef ribs from a few nights ago (roasted in my Hoisin based barbeque sauce), mixed with more sauce and sauteed onions, celery, green chili and cherub tomatoes, served on onion buns. Delicious!
    Retired initially at 2345. Light out initially at 0015, 1/10/07. She rearose at 0045, went to the bathroom, stayed up and read and did crosswords until 0200, then went back to bed.

BM Quarter Stat Day:

Blood Glucose:     Time:  2016     Reading:  184

Blood Pressure:     Not taken

    Breakfast: Normal.
    Lunch: None.
    Dinner: 16th of Colossal chicken pot pie with dollop of sour cream.
    Her Bowel Movement occurred about 1530: Very good volume; smeary consistency; very easy elimination; somewhat challenging clean-up.
    Today was another confession day, another low key day, courtesy of me. I have no idea if my mother would like to be more active but I seem to be having a problem working myself up to supervising activities for her, including practice walkering, I seem to need to focus on my "activities". She seems to be happy watching TV or DVDs (which I am not doing with her, which, I can tell, disturbs her a little). I am letting her sleep late. Today I think she arose at 1430. I can tell that this glut of sleep and lack of activity is cramping her style, a bit, but only slightly. If it gets too bad, if, for instance, it suddenly becomes impossible for her to raise herself out of her chair, I'll probably panic and completely divert my focus. I hate running our combined life like this but, sometimes, I need time for me so bad that I just take it. And Mom becomes a prisoner.
    Anyway, no nap today. I think it featured an 8 hour day. As I recall, she decided to bed down at around 2230, which means she walked into her bedroom at 2300 and her light went out around 2330. Oh. Then, that's a nine hour day. With no nap, that's doing pretty good.
    I can't remember why I suddenly decided to take that lone before-dinner BG, but I'm glad I did. She received two 10 mg glipizide, today, but only had two meals, as well. Even though she was up for what looks like about only nine hours, she had three lisinopril (10 mg) and three Niferex-150 of this or that type. I consider that she may have gone to bed low on liquids, but that remains to be seen. I wasn't paying very close attention.
    I remember what I did yesterday. I don't remember what she did. We were both in good moods, though. I, again, suggested that she might want to start one of the Paint-by-Numbers, but she just looked through the pyracantha curtain at the setting sun through our west window and said, "No, not right now."
    Her will and spirit remain strong. She's just not moving, much, and this contributes to lethargy, and neither she nor I have the extra energy to fight it.
    This is what I mean when I talk about dwindling resources and who pays the price...the unspoken values we hold regarding who is supported in fanning the flames of life and who is not. Clearly, not only my mother's resources are dwindling, so are mine, which enhances the dwindling of her resources...and, yet, we continue to live together in a perfectly amiable but not quite well enough supported life that contributes to her death. Not that this is a tragic circumstance. Society always participates, intimately, personally, the way God is said to participate, in the deaths of its citizens. It sets the odds. Some people defy the odds but, in defying them, set them.
    Nevertheless, I need to acknowledge when my resources are low and affecting my performance as my mother's life rallier. I need, as well, to acknowledge that I consider this a failure, am sure that a large part of that failure is personal, but I don't know, yet, how to handle these times.
    Whew. Well. I meant to write most of that, above, over at The Mom & Me Journals dot Net but it ended up over here. Hope it made sense.
    In that case, from here, later.

BM No Stat Day:

    Man, what a day was this day! First, I awoke before sunrise, one of my favorite things to do, which hasn't happened in a loooong time, probably over a year...well, except for trip days. Anyway, I was stoked. Got a lot done, including some reading. I've become extremely interested in economics and figured, in the flush of a serendipitous book store gift card, to begin learning something about it so I can think intelligently about it. I began the first of two books I ordered yesterday morning. Invigorating.
    I had other plans, you understand, regarding awakening Mom. She awoke sometimes around 1100, but announced that this was clearly too early. She had not leaked through, so we changed her underwear and after a short conversation in the bathroom, she went back to bed. I went back to a variety of tasks and interests. I remember thinking, "If she isn't out by 1400, I'll start working on her."
    Around noon I decided to take a nap. I wasn't all that tired, I didn't think, and would be awake well before 1400, especially if I slept out in the living room, on the couch, in the sun, which I abhor on principle but which felt drowsily warm, yesterday.
    When the sound of the bathroom door awakened me, I hazily looked at the clock, locked onto the couch between two cats in Deep Sacred Sleep mode. 1460. Omigod.
    Mom only needed a short bath. I gave her a hefty breakfast, including the last of those apple walnut pastries, sausage and eggs.
    I guess the extra sleep hurt neither of us, but the entire evening shimmered in a haze. Not much conversation, although what there was, was pleasant. Mom pretty much watched TV. I was in robot mode and entertained myself labeling here in the early sections. We were both awaiting The L Word.
    Long story short: I made it, she didn't. I watched both showings of the first episode. Promising season, although I was not satisfied with the "Shane" story line. So far, it seems gratuitous, although entertainingly surprising. I was amazed by the abortion episode...I wonder where that's going to go! Wow! Over all, though, I would have appreciated a few more minutes devoted to fleshing out teasers. I'm also sorry their not bringing Kim Delaney's congresswoman back into the story line.
    So, let's see, that takes us to 0100. Mom went to bed about halfway through the first showing the the above mentioned episode. No dinner. Only one set of pills throughout the day, her morning meds. There was a lunch, I think, or was there? Yeah, she lunched on something, I just don't remember what it was.     I didn't eat anything. Hunger just wasn't hanging around, yesterday. I drank plenty of coffee, though, then ended up sleeping through much of the afternoon.
    Anyway, after television, I can't remember what I did, I think I was on the computer for awhile. Yeah. I caught up with lapsed labeling days here. Then, I discovered I was too tired, feeling drugged, really, to even make it into my bedroom. I set up the couch and slept. Until 0399. What?!? Well, that was probably dream mixed with reality. That's what I remember the clock saying, and me thinking, Better head for bed. I stumbled in, leaving on the desk lamp next to Mom's rocker in the living room. I don't remember settling into bed. I think I was asleep before I did that.
    This morning (1/8/07), I awoke a little after 0900. Very rested, thank you. Mom's been up once, we've changed her underwear, and she's back in bed. I am keeping in mind that she went to bed early last night, before midnight, but am reluctant to awaken her off schedule, knowing that yesterday didn't give her much fuel on which to run. She looked and felt good this morning, though, around 1000.
    There was a Bowel Movement, although I remember it in a haze and am not sure when it occurred...perhaps precipitating her short bath. I remember the volume being "very good", easy elimination, it surprised both of us, in fact; hard/smeary consistency; not the easiest of clean-ups. I found myself reminding my mother, as she objected to the cleaning process, that this isn't one of my hobbies, cleaning her ass like this.
    So, there you have it. An outrageous day, no stats, m'am.