I’ve finally done it! I have reached the milestone of 20 medications, vitamins, supplements, etc… That I need as a result of my RA. Yuck!

This is not a milestone I am proud of, but rather, one that saddens me.

A couple meds are for the RA directly; a few are for pain. But, the majority of things I take/use on a regular basis are necessary because of the side-effects caused by a few medications. Then, the meds I take to control the side effects of cause their own set of side effects, causing more meds to be taken for the latter set of side-effects. It just feels as if it is never-ending. 🙁

Ok. Enough complaining for me for now…

With all those meds, it is tough to remember what I took, when I took it, and if I took it correctly. So… I came up with an idea…

I created a schedule for taking my meds, then placed each one on the schedule when it needed to be taken, and added little square boxes to the left of each med. I placed the schedule inside a plastic sheet protector and I use a dry erase marker to check each med off as it is taken during the day. At day’s end, I erase the chart and it is ready to go for the next day. This has helped me immensely. I feel like I am staying on track better, missing fewer doses because I don’t have to rely solely on my memory.

Sometimes we are given things that overwhelm us, things that make us think we can’t handle them. For me, managing my meds was overwhelming, but I found a way to make it less of a stressor and a burden.

As I post this, my hope is that you are encouraged in some way. I truly believe that all things are possible (and survivable), but sometimes we need to find different ways of looking at and managing them.

20 meds. Yuck! But, I can handle it. 🙂 I’m praying you can handle your stresses and hurdles today and that your tomorrow will be a little bit brighter.