Mom & Me Two Archive

    I've begun inputting copies of those blood tests run on my mother through her transfusion experience. The following are up for viewing:

• Blood Draw Date: 6/08/04 - Last blood draw upon which the decision to transfuse was made. Values essentially the same as those in the blood draw taken at her PCP's office that afternoon, which sent my mother to the hospital on an emergent basis.
• Blood Draw Date: 6/10/04 - Blood draw taken very early the morning I saw to it that she was released. This blood draw shows that she was holding her own as in comparison with the blood draw taken the evening immediately following her transfusion (to be input), 6/09/04 (results are "informal"), much to All Medical Peoples' surprise and pleasure. I will, soon, as well, be inputting her 6/14/04 blood draw, wherein her Hemoglobin had "dropped" to 9.7.
• I am herein informally reporting the results of the blood draw taken 6/17/04, given to me by phone in response to my request. Mom's hemoglobin had dropped to 8.2 as of 1150 6/17/04. Her hematocrit had dropped to 26.4.

    My understanding of these results, addressed by both her PCP and Dr. Gold, and confirmed by MCS, is that we are now seeing the drop that was expected (and typical) within 24 hours of the blood transfusion. I determined and confirmed with her PCP that she needs to be receiving much more supplemental (and natural) iron. I will reinstitute the more easily and more highly absorbed Iron Protein Succinylate and start with 4 pills a day (containing 18 mg elemental iron/pill for absorption).
    In two days she's reddened significantly. She is still muscularly weak but attempted on her own to explore her new walker and use it. She ate well, hydrated well but slacked off toward bedtime, which came at 2200, a decent hour. She's still sleeping. I'm checking on her.
    I'm also aware that I have some catching up to do which not only involves writing on promised topics under the general heading of The Transfusion Experience but general updating regarding circumstances of interest to those who love and/or are familiar with and interested in my mother.
    I just checked on her. She is in her Hold Up the Wall period of sleep which usually involves dreaming but wasn't a few minutes ago. I'm not sure if she's pale. It's hard for me to tell anymore unless I'm confronted with her complexion during and immediately following a blood transfusion. Her blood pressure is doing fine, is even up: Diastolic usually in the 60s/Systolic as high as the low 140s but usually in the 110s and 120s. Excellent, really, considering her typically low blood pressure and her frighteningly low blood pressure just previous to the transfusion. She is on 2.5 mg x 2/day lisinopril. I halve a 5 mg tablet. Her PCP and I agree that there is no need to up the dose,at this time even in Prescott.
    I must write about the changes in her medications. I've been meaning to start a daily Numbers/BP/Medication Administration journal; figured out a way to set it up so that I can input this stuff quickly each day. I just haven't gotten around to building it and starting it yet, although I've thought to collect some data.
    Mom, under my care, recovered from her Hospital Blood Sugar Hullaballo and has been very nicely under control for some time now. Her acupuncturist is addressing what she expresses, from her examinations, as an allergy to metformin. She further explained that Mom's body was treating it as an allergen, thus not working with it as well as it could. She continued that this allergic reaction was begin expressed "through the blood". She began to needle/manipulate her energy for it this last Wednesday. I'm not sure if I've seen any improvement specific to the treatment. So many indicators have slid back and forth over the last week and a half.
    Since Mom was transfused I've heard a variety of takes on the "blood transfusion as internal nuclear reactor" prediction, which happens in some cases. In other cases the energy improvement is mild and short lived while nonetheless welcome, especially in the chronic terminally ill. I've heard of one man whose energy boost involves nothing more than wanting to see a movie within 24 hours of his transfusions. I know another man, my mother's traditional and continuing caretaker for her property in Mesa, same age as her although significantly more spry and alert, also a long time smoker, not diabetic, not on oxygen, very active (continues his yard cleaning/caretaking business). He recently told me he had a blood transfusion 2.5 years ago

"...never looked back...best thing I ever had done...I know, I know, they did all that stuff to me, too, I even took the scope down the throat. Nothing. They couldn't find nothing. So they gave me a transfusion. Haven't had to have one since. 'Course, I'm on a very strong iron pill everyday now for the rest of my life, Niferex. Yeah, they do those monthly blood draws on me too. I tell 'em they're gonna draw me away, I'm so skinny. They get a kick out of that. No, no, never found nothing. No more transfusions."

    It remains to be seen if this is anything like how my mother is responding.
    Our day visitors of yesterday judged her "looking good" but "tired". She slept. A lot. She also spent some time out in the yard. She is on pulse oxygen almost all the time now, 3/lpm up here, 2/lpm down there. At these settings she remains at 99% Blood Oxygen level. The day before yesterday she had no cigarettes. Never thought of it. Yesterday she had some but stubbed those out when they made her cough, usually, I noticed, on the third puff. As soon as she stubs one out the cigarettes and paraphernalia are removed and she goes back on oxygen. I'm using the E Cylinders, the big ones, now.
    Two days ago she became curious about how to wheel them around in the cart for herself. She was fairly successful; not yet strong nor balanced enough to lift the apparatus with her up stairs or walk up stairs backwards dragging the cart. By the way to this, I think I have located two "excellent" physical therapists to fulfill the prescription, written by Dr. Gold, for "ambulation and strength training". One is a couple. The other a singular therapist. I'll be investigating them this week and allowing them to informally evaluate my mother. I'm hoping to have an offer of therapy directed toward specific, practical, probably achievable goals, i.e.:

• Being able to bathe again because she can arise from the bathtub on her own;
• No longer shy about walking, whether with and/or without the walker (which is working very well for her, and which she definitely likes, although she continues to say she doesn't like it);
• Being able to sit and stand without thought and without throwing herself into position (which compromises her still healing back);
• some aerobic improvement (I'm circumspect about this);
• Improvement in energy level;
• Improvement in interest in life outside the house.

    I've got stuff to do. It always helps if I have the house set up before Mom arises. I also need some time to pre-relax into the next few intense hours.
    Enjoy the blood test results. I'll check in as I input others, one of which, I meant to mention, is an interesting comparison of results of two sequential blood tests post-transfusion, I believe, or something like that. It looks interesting.
    Later.