PrairieQueen, what a terrible ordeal for your DB to go through, and so scary. I do hope he's able to get off the ventilator today and that they can do what they need to do with his teeth to heal him. I'm continuing to pray for him to heal and for you and the rest of your family to find peace from the worry it's causing. :goodvibes:

Carol Sue, I do hope you get a good report from your tests all the way around. Maybe you won't have to increase your meds, but if you do, let's hope it will only be temporary! :hug:

Mars, good for you on no sugar and increased steps! :high: I'm so glad you're feeling more settled. I can only imagine how hard it is to go from traveling like you did to straight into the holidays. I think you are doing a great job! :cp:

So I am still holding water, as I suspected. I'm home all day so I need to drink a lot of water today! :cheer:

Week 26:
11/1--DNW (forgot before we started eating breakfast)
11/2--DNW (left at 3:45 am for a 12-13 hr drive)
11/3--174
11/4--DNW (too busy with grandbabies!)
11/5--DNW (too busy with grandbabies!)
11/6--DNW (too busy with grandbabies!)
11/7--DNW (too busy with grandbabies!) Carb Day

Week 27: High 174, Low 171
11/8--DNW (too busy with grandbabies!)
11/9--173.5
11/10--173
11/11--174
11/12--172.5
11/13--171.5
11/14--171 Carb Day

Week 28: High 173, Low 171
11/15--173
11/16--172.5
11/17--172
11/18--172
11/19--172
11/20--171
11/21--171

Week 29: High 173, Low 169
11/22--170
11/23--169.5
11/24--170.5
11/25--173
11/26--169 :thanks2: Carb Day
11/27--DNW
11/28--DNW

Week 29:
11/29--171
11/30--
12/1--
12/2--
12/3--
12/4--
12/5--

Thanks all for your kind words....bro is holding steady tonight. We'll know more tomorrow.

mars735 sorry about your mom...I know it's tough. My dad is pretty dependent on my stepmom. Don't know what we'd do if something happened to her.

Today's menu....

Break - Amy's bean/cheese burrito, Coke Life
Lunch - half turkey/cheese wrap, two deviled egg halves
Dinner - Philly cheesesteak wrap

Zero snacks :)

Bro still on ventilator but is stable. Just waiting until his breathing gets stronger to do teeth.

Break - McD's sausage burrito w/hot sauce, ice tea w/stevia
Lunch - turkey /Swiss wrap
Dinner - steak fajita w/ sour cream
Snack - skinny margarita

Guess what? I am back in onederland for what, the 7th time? LOL I'm on a seesaw and it's supposed to be fun. It's only fun when I'm down. Why can't I get it to stick????

I changed my mind and didn't get my bloodwork done. When they did my Echo they checked BP and said it was 200/100. They even called over another nurse to check it and she got the same thing. I had taken my meds right before I left the house as my appointment was for 7 AM. I was too stressed out after that and didn't feel like doing bloodwork. We did a bit of shopping then I checked with my BP monitor when I got home and it was 148/61. ??? White coat syndrome? They said that only affects systolic and my diastolic was up, too. I called the Dr and gave them all my reading for the past 10 days and wait to hear from them. I also told them about the 200/100 at the clinic. This morning my BP was 146/64 before meds. So what's up? They already checked against my BP machine two weeks ago, so it should be operating correctly.

Mars, I did not have to fast for the Echo, but did since I was planning on having my bloodwork done.

I take Omega 3 Fish Oil. 1000 mg twice a day, prescribed by my cardiologist. I don't know if it's doing anything. If I were you, since you don't have heart issues, I would read up on it online, checking the benefits against the detriments and make a decision based on your own situations. It is available by prescription, but my doctor told me it was fine to buy it OTC. I just buy it at Walmart. I sometimes consider trying a more expensive brand but I don't shop where they carry them.

Does your mother have the availability of someone to come to the house to help her? There are a lot of agencies who help the elderly stay in their homes and many are covered by Medicare. The older couple across the street from us have them, and I know they wouldn't do it if they had to pay for it. It's hard to put all that responsibility on family members.

My MIL had 2 boys who lived with her until she died and that was the only way she could remain in her home. One worked from home so she was rarely alone.

Just recently I was thinking that I don't know who would have it worse if we had to continue on alone, me or DH. There are so many things I could not do on my own, but I recently realized that he would be lost without me in a lot of instances. For example. If he opens a drawer or cupboard in the kitchen (or the freezer) and the item he's looking for isn't right there in front of him he says it's not there. "Look behind the PB, Jerry!!" LOL

PQ, still praying for your brother. I hope the news is good today. He is young and should have a lot of living left in him. It's such a shame that this happened.

Where's everyone else? Tehshort1, SMF, Bewildered, Chickadeee, Rennie, even Jacqui!! How are the babies doing, Jacqui? Rennie has been posting on other threads but ignoring us here. She marches to a different drummer...very into challenges and accountability. I just like to gab. LOL

White rabbits!

Way to go Carol! Keep on trucking :)

No new updates on bro.....mom doesn't get to talk to docs until afternoon, so waiting for a text. She's retired, so she spends most of her day there, goes home and comes back with stepdad. Thankfully, hospital is only a 20-minute drive for them.

Good news is that I had a whoosh overnight of 0.8 lb (that's a big whoosh for me). Hoping to get under 150 by Xmas (or failing that, New Year's). And I'm not panicky/sick today like I was yesterday during school.

Laters!

Carol Sue, I'm here! :lol: I don't know how yesterday got away from me. I was cleaning and decorating for Christmas and before I knew it, the day was gone. Same thing today. I didn't even make breakfast this morning because I got so caught up in trying to do things, but I'm here! :D Yay on reaching Onederland again! :yay: Oh my goodness, you gave me a scare with the 200/100! :eek: I can only imagine how startling it was for you! I'm so glad when you got back home, your BP was down! :yes: And again, your DH is like my DH, lolol! :dizzy: The DGBs are wonderful! Thanks for asking. I saw them on Saturday. I'll have to get organized and send you ladies a pic!

PrairieQueen, I am still praying for your brother and your family. I sure hope y'all get some good news soon! :hug: Congrats on the whoosh! :cb:

And Mars, I'm adding your mother to the prayer list! It's no wonder at all that you are stress eating! :hug: I hope your back-to-routine makes things easier for you! :yes: I do not take Omega 3 supplements, so I'm afraid I can't be much help there. :dunno:

I am s-l-o-w-ly taking off my water weight from Thanksgiving. :shrug: It's been 5 days! I know I shouldn't complain. I should just be happy it's coming back off! :cp: It would probably help if I'd get to the gym. :exercise: I've made a goal of trying to reach my main goal of 164 by the end of December, but of course, the last 5 lbs is always tricky, especially during the holiday season, so we'll see! :crossed:

Can you believe it's December already?! :tree: This year has flown by!

Week 29:
11/29--171
11/30--170.5
12/1--170
12/2--
12/3--
12/4--
12/5--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
Yogurt
Mio water

Lunch from Subway
Large salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing
Diet Dr. Pepper

Dinner:
Chicken wings
Green beans
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
Nothing official, just moving things from the attic

I really don't understand what's going on with my BP. I am on 3 different BP meds, for a total of 5 pills a day. And I don't like salty foods. What would it be if I did? This morning it was 146/61 before I took my meds. This afternoon, it was 165/64. That was after taking the meds. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. The doctor's office hasn't called me back. Either the DR is out of the office or someone dropped the ball. This is a large group of cardiologists and recently they became part of the local hospital and many things have changed, not all for the better. I was in Target today and stopped and asked if they got a new rx from the Dr and they said no. Guess I have to call them tomorrow again.

Mars, I'm sorry to hear of your mother's problems and I understand why you're worried. It sounds as if she doesn't want her life to change. I am at the other end of the spectrum in that I am afraid of everything, afraid of what MIGHT happen. Part of me wishes I could be more like her, or somewhere in the middle. Is the live-in person qualified to do more than just be there in case something happens?

Carol Sue, I'm so sorry you're going through that! The fact that your meds weren't ready today makes me believe someone really has dropped the ball. Also, I got to wondering about your BP going up AFTER you took your meds and I found this article that says sometimes the meds cause the rise: http://www.wellnessresources.com/fre...lood_pressure/. I don't know if this is happening in your case of course, but you might want to ask your doctor about it, when you get to talk to him/her, that is! :tantrum:

This article talks about the study a little more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0819112222.htm.

Here's another one: http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.co...t/art3061.html.

Flying to FL in morning. Not good news today, cardiac arrest, revived, moved to cardiology to stabilize, when/if teeth are done, they'll do a tracheotomy. Cardiac arrest while mom and stepdad were there...they took her to ER because obviously she freaked out. I lost it for awhile, thank goodness hubs was here when I got call.

Pray, send healing thoughts, anything.

PrairieQueen, omg, I am so sorry! Your brother, you, and your family are in my prayers!

:hug: PQ I hope your DB is getting the best of care and that you can find some comfort amongst the chaos and worries.....White rabbits!! luvvit!...but I forgot to say it...

And we're all worried about you too, Carol. My BIL had scary high bp....eat bananas? on the DASH diet? Do you have sleep apnea? (CPAPs and similar devices can lower bp a tinge!) Do you drink lotsa tea? Get plenty of sunshine? Yoga?....Take care of yourself and remember to breathe.

Wow, Mars, your Mom sounds like a tough cookie. I know it's a tough time of life for you, too.

Goodness Jaq...those GBs are adorable and you're gorgeous as well. One of the twins has anime hair!!

Thanks everyone for the support! :grouphug:

PrairieQueen, Thinking of you and your brother, and your family, sending my prayers for things to turn around today. Your Mom will be so glad to have you there.

Carol By coincidence, NY Times had some short pieces on BP. (I never read the news, but for some reason clicked on it.

"Measuring blood pressure seems so straightforward. Stick your arm in a cuff for a few seconds, and there they are: two simple numbers, all the information you need to know whether you are in a healthy range or high enough that you should be taking one of the many cheap generic drugs that can bring down your blood pressure.
But the reality is more confusing, as I discovered recently when I tested mine.
It turns out that blood pressure can jump around a lot — as much as 40 points in one day in my case — which raises the question of which reading to trust."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/01/he...e=sectionfront

I would definitely be a squeaky wheel with your doc & assume they dropped the ball. Even if they didn't, it never hurts to remind them, esp with the new affiliation.

Btw, I don't think worrying about the what ifs is such a bad thing, if that motivates one to make a plan, then let go of the worry. I have a hard time with letting go of the vigilance, in general. This morning I am trying out Belleruth Naperstek affirmations and visualizations, just to get my mind on a different track.

My Mom's caregiver can do everything (tho I don't know if she cooks. She eats fast food & my Mom likes to eat out, or fast food). The caregiver is excellent--very experienced and competent beyond her official quals. She is very familiar with CHF. We are lucky to have her, but she is just not there enough to meet the need because she must hold down another job, sometimes 2. My sibs & Mom are in a state of denial, probably driven by my Mom's intransigence. It's a common issue, from what I hear. Hard to accept any loss of independence, even if it preserves independence in the long run. May we all live long enough to have this problem.

This morning, before meds my BP was 154/61. One of my concerns is that if they give me more meds to bring down the systolic they will also bring down the diastolic, which is already low. My heart rate was 54. I take a Beta Blocker to keep my heart rate down, so that explains that. When I am at a doctor's office my blood pressure is always higher than normal, but not as high as it was on Monday. Mars, they did not use a machine, but did it manually.

I was in the middle of typing this post and the DR office called and said he doubled the dose on the new meds and is sending a new RX to the pharmacy. I asked about the Echo and she said they didn't review it yet and will call with results. I am really curious to see what happens to my diastolic when I add the additional meds.

Mars, I agree that your mother has to slow down a bit. I hope she gets the help she needs.

PQ, I am so sorry to hear that your brother is having such a setback. I know this is very hard to deal with, especially from a distance. Good thing that you are able to travel to be with the family. I am praying that he pulls through this.

SMF, I do have sleep apnea and I use a CPAP every night. Besides worrying about the BP I also am concerned about the fact the top is so high and bottom is so low. Too low is also dangerous from what I've read online and there's no way to lower one and not the other. Doctors only know to keep on giving more and stronger meds, but why not try to find the source of the problem and maybe correct it. I will admit that anytime my weight goes down my BP does too, so there are things I can be doing to help matters.

Jacqui, one thing I noticed in one of those links is it says to sit quietly for 5 minutes before checking BP. I do that at home. I sit and just breathe for a few minutes. DH says that's cheating because you should go according to what your blood pressure is when doing your normal moving around. One time at the doctors when my BP was up I told the nurse "What do you expect? You weigh me, then expect my blood pressure to stay down!" LOL They are hustling me around and I don't get to sit for a few minutes to relax. I guess they don't have time to let me relax.

PrairieQueen, my thoughts and prayers are with you as you travel today, and of course with your brother and mother. Please keep us updated as time and opportunity allow. :hug:

Mars, I am unfamiliar with Belleruth Naperstek, but I'm deducing it's a type of meditation. I hope it helps! :yoga:

SeeMyFeet, thank you! Anime hair, lol! Oh, I'll have to pass that along to my son! :lol: I also forgot to say White Rabbits (or Rabbit-Rabbit-Rabbit as I learned it). Hopefully it will be an auspicious month anyway! :crossed:

Carol Sue, wow. That worries me that they doubled your meds. I have to believe you are right to be concerned about your lower number! If it drops, I wouldn't hesitate to stop the new meds and call the doctor back! :yes: Your anecdote about the nurse weighing you and then taking your BP is too funny, and makes so much sense! :lol:

I am still stuck at 170. I probably need to drink more water, and I hope to get to the gym today. C'mon 160's! :cheer:

Week 29:
11/29--171
11/30--170.5
12/1--170
12/2--170
12/3--
12/4--
12/5--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
A slice of ham
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water
Hot green tea

Lunch
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Tea Time
Hot green tea

Dinner:
Tyson Southern Fried Chicken Tenders (more breading!) cut up on a large salad with pumpkin seeds (more salt!) and ranch dressing :dizzy:
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
2 mile-walk around the gym track, 3 sets of 12 reps each on 14 upper and lower body weight machines :cp: