Hydrocephalus : What’s your medicine routine?

Hydrocephalus : What’s your medicine routine?

I hate taking medication but more importantly, I hate that I have to REMEMBER to take it.  My memory is terrible, as is the case with most people who have Hydrocephalus and brain surgery.  It’s not the same as “Oh, I’m getting old and can’t remember stuff anymore”.  This is a literal black hole/Bermuda triangle of memories or events that will disappear as if they never existed.

To help myself, I’ve put a few strategies in place (which work for me).  One of them is creating a routine which is repetitive.  In time, I do it without having to think and can rest easy while on autopilot.  Medication, which needs to be taken on a daily basis, has had a few tries with me attempting to remember to take it.  I literally place the bottle/box right where I can see it and this has changed quite a few times.  For example:

  • I’ve placed it right next to the kettle because I have a cup of coffee every morning.  But, others in my family have moved it before (utilising said space at the time) and that caused a break in the cycle.  Also, there are some days where I don’t always have time for or feel like a coffee first thing in the morning.  All this means is that there’ll be a break in my routine and a guarantee that I’ll forget to take my medication.
  • Now, I put it on top of my jewellery box because I can’t open it without seeing and touching the bottle.  I won’t leave home without a pair of earrings on or taking my medical bracelet out of my jewellery box so, the chance of forgetting is slim.  (That said though, it has happened before but I’d rather take the off chance of that happening again than stress about it too much).  When I’m done, I make a point of putting it back on top of the box and not just next to it.

Also, I take it as soon as I look at it because with any other thing I need to remember, it literally takes only a few seconds for me to forget something as soon as it comes in.  (Much like my salary – Lol!).

  • I’ve even tried putting it in my work bag, convinced that if I did forget to take it while at home then at least I have it with me to take later on.  This didn’t work too well for me either, simply because I would need to remember (and, I’ve already told you all about how well that works for me).

Then, there are those other little nuisances like taking different kinds of medication at different times.  Oh boy!  Trying to keep track of this can be a nightmare in itself but, routine/repetition is still the best advice I have in this regard.

I suppose this is one of the reasons why I turned down taking Venlafaxine a few months back.  The side effects weren’t comforting (as are most drug side effects) but, I was warned against missing a dose and that kind of responsibility I just did not want to take on.

It really doesn’t matter what you do to ease the pain of taking medication.  What matters, is that you find something that works best for you.  I still think a day (or lifetime) without taking medication would really not be such a bad thing.

Oh if only…

2 Comments

  • Duncan

    December 14, 2017 at 10:23 am Reply

    My self I have reminders set on my tablet. And also a headache app for pain pills, because those don’t always get taken on a regular basis. I still miss the odd time but all I need to do is check my tablet to see for sure I also have a pill box so if the pills are still there I have not taken them.

    • Skyewaters

      December 14, 2017 at 7:44 pm Reply

      A pill box is something that I’ve considered too. But, that too was a thought that came in and got lost too quickly ?
      That’s great though that you have a system that works for you.

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