Mom & Me Four Archive

    Test results are up from Mom's blood draw yesterday! We're in the Army now! The three iron capsules have paused her in the door frame of Prescott's non-anemic blood profile and placed her just past the threshold of Mesa's non-anemic blood profile.
    This does not mean, of course, that she's no longer Anemic Due to Chronic Disease. It doesn't even mean her ADCD is in "remission", if such a term can be applied to ADCD. Considering the mega-dose of iron supplements she's taking just to gain entrance into what could be called a non-anemic state, essentially what we've done is create artificial conditions under which Mom's blood can manufacture the hemoglobin it needs and keep her blood cells looking and operating at a relatively normal rate. You can see, from her BMP, that her Chronic Renal Failure remains pertinent to her health profile, although it is also holding steady, which means that, well, she's Ancient and her body is operating probably as well as her Ancient body can. Thus, her ADCD won't go away. But, we're controlling it nicely. Hallelujah!
    I feel the need to take a moment to stress, yet again, how important it is, if, as a caregiver, you have the resources and the access to your care recipient to do so, to insist on educating yourself on your care recipient's health profile. Most importantly, learn how to read those tests, especially the blood tests, since these are usually primary when a physician decides what sort of treatment to prescribe. Take as active a role as possible in understanding both symptoms and treatments and in suggesting some treatments and refusing others. Do not apologize for your efforts and do not express to the doctors with whom you are dealing feelings of silliness or inadequacy (which will, occasionally, overtake you in this role). If you are wrong or less well informed than the doctors as a result of your non-medically-educated study and consideration, simply encourage and take instruction from them, check out what they have to say, take it into consideration, change your position if necessary, without apology (remember, doctors don't apologize for their mistakes, they take the money and run), then continue as an active and better informed advocate and provider of your care recipient's health care. Whether or not your PCP chooses to acknowledge this, by doing so you are supporting the physicians' best efforts and they are lucky that they have your input.
    If you need an example to bolster your confidence, consider the following:

    As of the results from the Blood Draw of 3/24/06, her physician, at her next appointment a bit more than a week later, believed that "she's bleeding a little somewhere, again" and attempted to launch yet another campaign for yet another colonoscopy. I felt that the results of her latest blood draw showed that this course of action would have been unnecessary and most likely, yet again, inconclusive, not to mention "torturous", as the colonoscopist pronounced Mom's last (and only) colonoscopy experience. Thus, he further suggested increasing her Niferex-150 dosage. I believe the evidence suggests that this course is exactly the treatment needed to control my mother's ACDC into the "normal" range. I also believe the doctor would not have considered this possibility if I hadn't refused his recommendation of another colonoscopy.
    I think the evidence also shows that increasing her iron supplement earlier would have worked, at any past point in my mother's life, as well as it is now, if it had been suggested and followed. It is unfortunate that this didn't come up but, medicine being the inexact and fumbling science that it continues to remain, I'm also not inclined to castigate myself or my mother's physician for the delay. The main reason I'm not inclined to cry over spilt milk in this instance is precisely because I was fully involved in my mother's treatment. By virtue of my involvement, I know that medicine is a science fraught with inexactitude and fumbling...I'm prone to both, too, and my inexactitude and fumbling is as much to blame as her PCP's for not thinking earlier of increasing my mother's iron supplementation. You lower your head, examine your tracks, you discover your mistakes, correct them, raise your head and continue on.

    Trust your care recipient's doctors, but trust them only as far as you can throw them. At that point, trust your own informed considerational ability to pick up the ball and take it further. Is this risky? Well, yes, of course, especially if you don't do as much as you are able to apprise yourself of your care recipient's profile. It is no more risky, though, I think my experience shows, than what the doctors are likely to do without your consideration and suggestions. As well, you have an advantage the doctors do not. You are dealing with only one 'patient', thus you are automatically going to put more interest and thought into your 'patient's' profile and treatment than the doctors are. If you can't find a physician who is willing to factor your involvement in your care recipient's medical care into his treatment, find one who will, if you can (probably harder than usual in rural situations). If you can't find one, be prepared to take a heavier risk burden upon your shoulders in regard to caring medically for your care recipient. Remember, doing this will be no more risky than leaving your care recipient in the unsupervised care of physicians.

    So, while working on this post, I checked in on my mother at her night-sleep's approximate 12 hour mark, 1300. "How about another hour?" she asked. I can do this. I'm going to try to get her out on the driveway today for a follow-up-to-yesterday's-activity walkering; no doubt a slow, gentle, short, loaded with rests session. I don't want to stress her, but I also want to encourage her body to handle more movement on a daily basis. We'll see how it goes.
    In the back of my mind I continue to consider that a few days a week at the Adult Center would help. I still have to wrangle with the VA over that, though. Maybe tomorrow. Looks like most of today, which will include preparing a health review for her physician, is spoken for.
    I am, by the way, immediately after publishing this post going to reference it in the links section, to the right, under Mom and Me Too Special Posts, for the convenience of any of my readers who needs a Medical Advocation Confidence Boost. It will be entitled Argument for Medical Advocation. Keep it in mind when your medically attuned spirits start to sag.
    Footnote: As of 1400, Mom asked for "just another half hour". She can have it. I guess yesterday pushed her to her Ancient Activity limit.
    Later.