The Battle of the Pill Caddy

Pro tip - clear polish keeps print from rubbing off!

She's approaching 86 years old now, but during the last few years of her working life Mom was a registered nurse with a four-year BSN degree. She wanted to be a nurse for a long time, finally graduated at age 53, and worked at our local hospital for 9 years before she retired. She was proud of being a nurse, and we were proud of her accomplishment.

As we were growing up Mom carefully (ok, maybe obsessively) managed her diet and exercise, especially her diet, for a long time. She didn't want to be overweight, which was an uphill battle with her genetics, and I'd say she won that battle. She also battled high blood sugar, and through her self-management, was able to avoid medication for at least 20 years. Eventually, though, the cocktail of diabetes meds and the pills for blood pressure and cholesterol became part of the routine.

Mom was fastidious about maintaining her pill caddy, organizing the a.m. and p.m., and carrying the appropriate doses with her when she traveled or went out to dinner. At times she would tweak her meds after overindulging in carbs ("I am an RN," she'd say.) She'd add a pill to make sure her sugar wouldn't go too high.

Now that her memory is failing, and following a couple of ER visits due to dangerously low sugars, I've taken over doing the caddy for her. I have placed the pill bottles out of her reach, so she cannot readily tweak her doses. She is NOT happy with me for doing so.

She forgets that she self-medicated her way into the ER a few times. She forgets the doctors' orders that she stick solely to her prescribed doses. And sometimes she argues with me about what she should and should not be taking, and how much. So I always ask the doc for a print-out of her current list of meds. I take a picture of it and keep it on my phone. I scan it and send it to my brothers so they know what's going on.

Mom's med regime has kept her pretty healthy. Her doctor has told her that years of good behavior have earned her the right to enjoy life and food more than she used to allow herself to do. She can even let her morning blood sugars run a bit higher than her old standard.  It seems that we're past the storming phase from her last medication changes. So far we have not had to progress to a locked and/or timed pill caddy, and I know where to find them online if it becomes necessary. 

But I remain vigilant.