My insurance switched me to a different Prescription Drug Plan and when I got all my medications through the new mail order pharmacy I was like, dang! That's a lot of medications and Diabetes testing supplies. So before I started sorting everything, I decided to take a picture, not knowing what I was going to do with it and then sort it where it goes.
Then I figured I would share a little bit about myself.
I have several chronic illnesses and medical conditions including:
Diabetes
Hypothyroidism
Hashimoto's
High Blood Pressure
Osteoarthritis in my knee's and hips
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizotypal personality disorder
Depression
Anxiety
Agoraphobia
There are a few more but these are the big ones. So I take a lot of medications.
I test my blood sugar when I first get up and take my insulin. The thing that looks like a pen is actually a pre-filled pen with the insulin. I just dial up how much, stick a pen needle on the tip and inject the medicine. Sometimes they send me vials of insulin that I have to draw up into a syringe and inject it that way. It took some getting used to.
After a walk with the dog, I have to eat something so I don't get hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and then take 6 medications.
At lunch I do it again as well as use a blood pressure machine to check my blood pressure. Make sure I have a snack before dinner and then take more medications after dinner and check my blood sugar again. I usually stick my fingers 3 times a day and give myself 1-2 injections. Some of the pills I take 4 times a day so it ends up being more than 17 pills a day.
I have Osteoarthritis in my knee's and hips and take Celebrex for that. I am in pain most of the time but I can't take prescription strength pain medications because they make me really sick. I can take anti-nausea medication with the pain medication but they make me really sleepy and I want to be awake and functioning during the day so I end up taking Ibuprofen instead.
My doctor comes out once a month to see me because I have so much going on right now. It's not just the Diabetes, high blood pressure and Thyroid problems. The mental illnesses I have cause me to have a lot of anxiety, hallucinations and voices but the medication does help somewhat with that too. There's a lot going on and a lot to keep on top of but I'm doing it.
I see no reason to hide mental illness, it's an illness just like the others. The stigma around it at times is bad which needs to stop.
So that me most days, how are your days?