The weekend aid and I have been given name tags to wear. IB admitted to MR the other day that she does not know our names, and that bothers her. I wondered if it would be embarrassing for her, this sudden name tag thing, or if MR had told her we'd be wearing them. As I was putting mine on, I told her the story of how, when I was a kid, we were given the assignment of researching our names...most of my schoolmates were named after saints...I, according to Webster, was named after a breed of cattle in Ireland. I was horrified, and confronted my Dad with all my tiny power. That night, he came into my room, turned on the light, and sat on my bed, National Geographic in hand. He had an article about Ireland, and on the page was a gorgeous photo of the Ring of Kerry. "That, Sunshine, is how you were named...after the prettiest part of Ireland".
IB and I talked a bit about our dogs, how they had no idea what their names were, or ours, for that matter. For all Molly knew, her name could be Dolly, or Sweetheart. My Bubba could just as easily be Fluffer-fart....but our dogs KNOW US....they know us like no humans could possibly know us. Whether or not they know our names has little to no consequence...it was a sweet conversation, this sorting out of what is important on the personal end of things. Still, I understand her desire to know the specifics. We are alone most of the time, but once a third party comes in, she should be able to refer to me.
Mon has a nice saying for this thought-thread:
We live in the heart. Our brain just takes care of the details.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
insulin, diet, exercise
In the two months I've been with IB, we've brought her insulin down from 25 units to 15. Remarkable. There are a lot of moving parts to this exploration (which feels more like experimentation, but that doesn't sound good, since this is a human being we're talking about).
The exercise is pretty well set for now...getting them done on a regular basis is on an OK projectory. Someday we'll up the reps or add new ideas, but for now, just getting her to move is a big enough challenge. I have stations set up around the house, and exercises to do at various times of the day, so she doesn't get overwhelmed and start making up excuses to get out of it.
Food is quite another story. So far, we've made a move from what I call "neutral food"...food that doesn't necessarily hurt her, but doesn't help her either...to nutrient-dense food. Almost every single meal and snack contains a protein and a fruit or veggie. We're also moving toward a gluten-free diet. But there is still an uncomfortable time of day for her, right after her morning BM, where she groans and whines for around an hour. Her small intestine is in pain. She is exhausted. She is pale. One Dr. suggested I read about Diabetic Dumping Syndrome, where the food dumps from the stomach to the Sm intestine too quickly, causing cramping and discomfort. One of the triggers is milk products...which has lead to a smoothie experiment.
I'm trying smaller amounts: 1/2 cup yogurt with banana as my control. I know bananas sit well with her. The smaller amount of yogurt seems to be working. I've also stopped her coffee (she has yet to notice..?).Three days with less cramping. I'll keep off the coffee for a while, and start playing with different banana-combos to see what sits well and what doesn't. If they're all OK, then we know the trigger is either too big a smoothie or coffee.
As the insulin units required has decreased, we've been discussing the next move. It seems to be mini-meals, to allow the insulin to work more efficiently. I've started on that, but the CNA schedules will have to change in order to do that correctly.
This blog is uncharacteristically dry, but I wanted to get the day-to-day info down first and comment on the personal impact at another time.
The exercise is pretty well set for now...getting them done on a regular basis is on an OK projectory. Someday we'll up the reps or add new ideas, but for now, just getting her to move is a big enough challenge. I have stations set up around the house, and exercises to do at various times of the day, so she doesn't get overwhelmed and start making up excuses to get out of it.
Food is quite another story. So far, we've made a move from what I call "neutral food"...food that doesn't necessarily hurt her, but doesn't help her either...to nutrient-dense food. Almost every single meal and snack contains a protein and a fruit or veggie. We're also moving toward a gluten-free diet. But there is still an uncomfortable time of day for her, right after her morning BM, where she groans and whines for around an hour. Her small intestine is in pain. She is exhausted. She is pale. One Dr. suggested I read about Diabetic Dumping Syndrome, where the food dumps from the stomach to the Sm intestine too quickly, causing cramping and discomfort. One of the triggers is milk products...which has lead to a smoothie experiment.
I'm trying smaller amounts: 1/2 cup yogurt with banana as my control. I know bananas sit well with her. The smaller amount of yogurt seems to be working. I've also stopped her coffee (she has yet to notice..?).Three days with less cramping. I'll keep off the coffee for a while, and start playing with different banana-combos to see what sits well and what doesn't. If they're all OK, then we know the trigger is either too big a smoothie or coffee.
As the insulin units required has decreased, we've been discussing the next move. It seems to be mini-meals, to allow the insulin to work more efficiently. I've started on that, but the CNA schedules will have to change in order to do that correctly.
This blog is uncharacteristically dry, but I wanted to get the day-to-day info down first and comment on the personal impact at another time.
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