Mom & Me Four Archive

...that having a fax machine means that faxes can go both ways! I got the call this morning from Mom's doctor's office that Blood Test Results from 9/12/06 are up. I was going to have them sent through the mail, as I always leave stamped, self-addressed envelopes there, but realized, while on the phone with the doctor's PA, that I could have them faxed. So I did. They're posted, and the doctor and I are both happy.
    Some of the comments written by the doctor on some of the tests:

• CBC: Although her her anemia indicators dropped a bit between her blood test here and the one at the doctor's office, he considers her anemia "currently stable". So do I.
• As usual, her kidneys show moderate function, no better or worse than usual, and her liver enzymes are in order, so her pronounced both "good".
• He was concerned that her HA1C is in the low range of normal, though, and suggested that we drop her back to one 10 mg glipizide ER per day at breakfast. Her lowered anemia indicators, of course, affect this result, but his concern about her average running "a little low" is warranted, even and especially with her odd drop in her anemia indicators over less than a week. Since her BG continues to display her very new tendency to run high, what I'll do, for a week or so, is drop her back to her regular two-per-day at breakfast and dinner dose, see how her BG is running and, if we're back where we were previous to about three weeks before her appointment, drop her back yet again to one per day at breakfast. As the holidays rev up and plates of sweets are laid out where ever we go, I'll keep an eye on it and add a dose here and there as necessary. However, some of this will depend on whether her anemia revives again (as it usually does), which I'll know through the monthly CBCs, which will continue. The next monthly will be drawn around 10/12/06.
• Her cholesterol is out of control, again (there are times when it's in perfect control) per the numbers, but the doctor wrote "OK" and circled it for emphasis, so I'm not going to worry about that. I understand his reasoning completely.
• Her iron (which is the last item in the Chem Panel) is fine. He didn't do a full survey but I figure he thinks none is needed, and I agree.
• I didn't bother to put in the Prescott Reference Ranges, this time. I'll continue those with the next monthly.

    So, as my mother would say, she's good to go for another 999,999 miles.
    I've been noting, over at The Dailies (into which I have yet to record yesterday) that I've been able to coax her into daily movement, including trips out of the house, without hardly any effort. Yesterday, in fact, we went to two hardware stores (I finally found an appropriate manual mower) and Walmart. By retirement, though, she was pooped, so, by mutual agreement, I'm letting her sleep in today, although I'm not going to let her go past 1400. I'll also allow a nap, though. She mentioned, last night, that she feels as though "[I've] run [her] ragged." I guess I have, although it hasn't been hard. She's been more than willing. She even wanted to do the hardware store runs a day before we actually did them. Yesterday, as usual, she combined a lot of vigorous walkering with a lot of resting, but she was a lean, mean walkering machine. At the second hardware store, the guy who helped us commented on her energy and slyly asked me how old she was, appending, "...45 or so, right?"
    Mom gave him a "you do me an injustice, sir" glare.
    Taking my cue from her, I said, "Oh, she's 89 and owns every one of her years, believe me!"
    At which Mom said (despite the fact that when she's relaxing she thinks of herself as somewhere in her 30's), "Are you sure I'm not in my 90's?"
    So, I guess her perception of her age depends on who's 'watching' and what sort of an impression she wants to make! I figure, when she's relaxing with me or among people she knows well, she is more aware of her 'spiritual age', which probably is somewhere in the 30's. When she's in public and wants to wow her audience, she tries to tack a few years onto her chronological age. Funny, funny woman!
    Well, I think I'll head over and update The Dailies while I've got a few minutes.
    Later.