It's Not as Easy as It Looks

   This is not your traditional Thanksgiving day column. Usually I or one of the cats writes about things for which we are grateful. I'm going to take a slightly different spin on that topic today.
    I have been a healthcare provider for 25 years. In all those years I have always provided the health care, not received it. Lately, I've found myself on the receiving end. It's been an interesting experience. It's made me grateful that I live in a state where there are a lot of good healthcare providers. I only wish that health care wasn't so expensive so more people would be able to get the care they need. (That's another topic for another day.)
   I have been learning a lot. I've been learning that certain tests are not as scary as I thought they were. I've learned that it is possible for a phlebotomist to have a really good sense of humor. I've learned that questions are encouraged.
   I have also learned that it is not easy to take a pill twice a day.
   For years and years I have been telling people, "Take this two times a day. Space the doses evenly." No problem. This is very easy.
   Well, I'm here to tell you that it isn't as easy as it looks. I was given a prescription where the dose was eventually increased to two times a day. I'm a pharmacist. I can handle this. The first thing I did was to decide what time I wanted to take the medicine. Fortunately for me, I did not have to worry about food or about taking it with other medications. (Although I do try to keep it away from the iron supplement I also have to take.) I decided that eight in the morning and eight in the evening would work. That way I would not have to try to take a dose at work.
  I did all right the first few days. Sometimes I would take the dose 10 to 15 minutes early or five minutes or so late. This is not a big deal. Then an interruption came to my schedule. When C and I go to Toastmasters, the meeting ends at eight. I can manage this. I'll just bring a pill with me and take it at the usual time.
  The problem is, I forgot. We went to the post meeting gathering at the coffee shop. I ate my usual bagel and raspberry herb tea and forgot all about the pill in the plastic container in my pocket. I didn't think of it until nine, an hour after I should have taken my dose. We were in the car on the way home.  I decided I'd better take my dose before I forgot again. Since I had no water, I dry swallowed the tablet where it promptly got stuck in my throat. I'm not sure how much of that dose I got.
   I chided myself for forgetting and told myself it would not happen again. A few days later it did. We had eaten dinner (evening meal) earlier than usual. After doing a little kitchen clean up, we sat down to watch TV. I got engrossed in a book I was reading and lost track of time. Before I knew it it was nine. Time to get ready for bed. I had forgot my pill again. I went to the kitchen to take it.
   Most of the time I remember, but sometimes it's 20-30 minutes past time. I'm lucky that I'm not taking something that has to be more precise or that has food interactions.
   There is an additional challenge. Sometimes I'm not sure if I took it or not. I could have just taken it a few minutes ago, but I'm not quite sure. Some people can solve this question by counting the pills in the bottle. I can't do this because my dose has changed twice. Since I can't remember when I started the new dosing, I can't get an accurate count. I could use a pillbox, if I could find one in the house. I think an easier way for me would be to make a check mark on the calendar after I've taken the dose. Two check marks mean that I have taken what I need to take.
  I now have a better understanding of  one of the challenges of taking medications. I believe this, along with the other experiences I'm having, will help me be a better pharmacist and for that I am grateful. (I'm also grateful I don't have to take my medication three times daily......)