Someone on dialysis usually takes a lot of medicines! For the longest time, during life with CKD, I never used a pill box. I had a big plastic box in which I had all my medicines and would take them as per my prescription which was stored in my head. Every now and then, some medicine would finish and then I would call my dad and he would arrange for it to be bought. After a few days, another one would finish and then another call to my dad and that would be arranged as well. Yes, my dad spoils me totally (even at this age!)
At one point, I started ordering medicines for the entire month. I would open this plastic box and then lay out all the remaining strips and then calculate the number of each tablet I needed, write it on a piece of paper and give it to my dad who would have the whole lot brought. Mostly, unless there was a change in prescription or I calculated wrong (which rarely happened!), I would be good until the beginning of the next month.
However, sometimes, I would get delayed in my stock checking exercise and this would result in me running out of a medicine suddenly and then frantic phone calls to my dad.
The first time I saw a pill box being used in India was when my aunt bought one for my grandmother who being diabetic, took a lot of pills as well. She kept forgetting her meds and this helped her never miss her dose. Great idea, I thought!
At Aashayein last year, we gave out pill boxes to all the patients and I took one for myself as well. Ever since then I have been sitting every Sunday morning after my customary visit to Poorna Tiffins and refilling my pill box. It has 21 sections for seven days a week, three compartments for each day - for morning, afternoon and night.
This has helped greatly. It serves two purposes. One, I need to remember or refer to my prescription just once a week while filling. And two, when I am going to run out of a med, I know on Sunday morning itself rather than in the middle of the week and I can make arrangements immediately to get them.
Here is my pill box after I filled out this week's medicines:
At one point, I started ordering medicines for the entire month. I would open this plastic box and then lay out all the remaining strips and then calculate the number of each tablet I needed, write it on a piece of paper and give it to my dad who would have the whole lot brought. Mostly, unless there was a change in prescription or I calculated wrong (which rarely happened!), I would be good until the beginning of the next month.
However, sometimes, I would get delayed in my stock checking exercise and this would result in me running out of a medicine suddenly and then frantic phone calls to my dad.
The first time I saw a pill box being used in India was when my aunt bought one for my grandmother who being diabetic, took a lot of pills as well. She kept forgetting her meds and this helped her never miss her dose. Great idea, I thought!
At Aashayein last year, we gave out pill boxes to all the patients and I took one for myself as well. Ever since then I have been sitting every Sunday morning after my customary visit to Poorna Tiffins and refilling my pill box. It has 21 sections for seven days a week, three compartments for each day - for morning, afternoon and night.
This has helped greatly. It serves two purposes. One, I need to remember or refer to my prescription just once a week while filling. And two, when I am going to run out of a med, I know on Sunday morning itself rather than in the middle of the week and I can make arrangements immediately to get them.
Here is my pill box after I filled out this week's medicines:
... http://www.kamaldshah.com/2012/03/do-you-use-pill-box.html
