Friday, May 1, 2009

Pill vs Shot

Just yesterday I was wondering if I took my pill already. I do that a lot. I need to use a pill box and then check to see what day it is and whether or not my pill for that day is gone.

I do use both Google Calendar and Yahoo Calendar reminder emails set to send out at 9am every day. I'm usually sitting at the computer so that works out well. But I had to make a plan to get up as soon as I see the email, take the pill, and then delete the email.

I seem to have a lot of short term memory issues and find that sometimes I get up, go to get the pill, realize my coffee needs warmed up so I can have something to swallow the pill with and I busy myself with refreshing my cup... only to find that I sit back down at the computer with a steaming cup of decaf and no pill.

I go back to checking email and see the pill reminder again. Then I sit there in a panic trying to rewind the DVR of my life to see if I took it or not, only to realize my life has no DVR or rewind button and what I see is that snow you get when you forget to pay the cable bill.

So, I now realize that the shots actually HAVE one up on the pill in the reminder category.

I never had to have a reminder email to do my shot. Not when I was on Copaxone, and not in the first part of this Phase III trial when I was *supposedly* injecting Avonex once a week but it turned out to be a healthy dose of IM water, no doubt. (I won't know until August, but I'm fairly certain I've been on fingolimod the whole time).

So, if I were sitting here wondering if I took my SHOT, I could just pat myself down until I found the sore, welted spot. The shot wins in the "I Know I Did It" department.

I think when I am done with the trial and go back to facing a choice in medications I'm pretty sure I'll opt for more email reminders or cellphone reminders or some other foolproof routine to use over the itchy, bruised, sore, welted shot reminder. True, it works well, but still.

4 comments:

  1. That is the most irritating thing I think...being told I can't put a Fingo in my daily pill keeper with my other morning meds...haven't missed one yet, but it has only been seven weeks...I fear it is only a matter of time...

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  2. It has been exactly 621 days* since I took my very first Fingo pill and in all that time I have only missed 2 pills.

    Both times I went out of town and was an hour's drive away from my fingo bottle when I realized it.

    You won't forget -- if you obsess about possibly missing it like I do. :P

    *1 year, 8 months 12 days (including today because I already took my pill).

    BTW, nobody told ME I couldn't use it in a pill keeper. huh.

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  3. Possibly best is to make a note of some sort, to yourself, AFTER taking it. That way, if you see no note, you'll know you haven't taken it.

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  4. Ah, thank goodness I have my Google Reader reminder so I can get over here and get my dose of my favorite FingoHead!!! I always know I've taken my dose based upon the left over smile on my face...LOL

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