Friday, January 9, 2009

Good News!

But first more glucometer woes:

Glucometer Saga Part ??

After lunch I came back up to feed Bean. His nurse swapped with another nurse at 1:00 because the NICU had some new admits and the nurses got shuffled around. I found her with the phlembotomist using the ISTAT reader (lab reader) to test his glucose. I asked what was going on...his sugar was supposed to be read by his glucometer throughout the day and 1x in the morning compared with the ISTAT. She'd been led to believe that his sugar was supposed to be read with the ISTAT throughout the day and the glucometer used once in the morning.

So she tracked down Bean's nurse practitioner who clarified things and wrote a clear (I hope!) order in his charts. Bean's bedside nurse apologized up and down. Really it wasn't her fault, I understood. I sure was glad to be there to correct this, though. The ISTAT requires so much more blood, and to have it done 8 times a day would have Bean terribly anemic in no time. The ISTAT lab reader ended up erroring out, so it didn't even get a glucose reading. I showed his nurse how to use the glucometer (she'd never used this type before) and got his glucose number. His nurse in turn made a very clear sign in large letters explaining how and when Isaac's sugars were to be tested and hung it on his crib.

I'm hoping that this is the end of the glucometer saga...

By Thursday August 28th the news was looking very good:

6 lbs 13 ounces

His blood glucoses are much more stable, and they are starting to talk about a going home time line!

Bean is off of the glyburide and has been for 24 hours. The doctors (and Jay, who put the data in a spreadsheet and graphed it) didm't think it was affecting his sugar levels much. Going to keep an eye on him during the day today, and if his sugars shoot back up then perhaps the glyburide was playing a role...(but personally I doubt it.)

He's on Lantus twice a day, and none of the regular quick acting insulin. This morning his sugars were actually a little on the low side, so there's still some tweaking still going on. His doctor commented that in a week he will likely need the current higher dose with the rate he is eating and growing. They aren't used to such great eaters, but this is a typical Ellis kid for me.

Things are looking very good. I am a happy mama!

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