On the morning of March 19th . . . an exciting thing happened. I gave my 9yo his last dose of an antibiotic.
Exactly on time.
Meaning, not one of TWENTY doses had been missed.
I shared on Facebook, and you celebrated with me. Evidently, I’m not the only one who has stretched a ten-day antibiotic into sixteen days.
I’ve tried everything. I’ve taped neon-colored signs to the stove, the fridge, the coffee-maker.
But I always miss a dose or six. Neon-colored signs are no match for my Slob Vision.
So how did I do it this time?
I set the alarm on my phone to repeat every day, twice a day.
I may not be able to find keys or shoes or certain totally-necessary unmentionables when I need them . . . but I’ve never lost my phone.
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So funny that you posted this. I have 2 currently on meds and I was thinking yesterday that I don’t think I have EVER ended them on time.
Good job! We write all the doses on the medicine bottle and then cross off as we give them. So starting an antibiotic today (cuz we are!), the bottle says T W Th F S. Then I X off the dose as it’s given. Doesn’t necessarily help me remember to give them, but helps keep track – especially useful when multiple people are in charge of giving medicine.
Stopping@4, I do that too. Otherwise, it’s “did I give them the medicine, or didn’t I?”
Geez – thanks for your honesty – I thought I the only mom who forgot about medicine. The guilt!!!!!!
Great idea about using the phone – I’ll have to give it a try. I almost always (!!!!) know where my phone is.
I set it on my phone alarm too! I just had my dd on antibiotics 3 x a day for 10 days. No way I was going to remember it. Now I do lose my phone, but it is never so far away I can’t hear it. ( I call my phone often 😉
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who loses their phone in the house. My teenage son knows there will be at least a couple nights every week he will be calling my phone while we walk around looking for it! 😉
This is not hopeful for someone who is on their 3rd phone. I am still blaming the kids but if it is in their rooms, it will be years until we find them.
At one time my son was on antibiotics and my babysitter’s daughter was, too. Same kind, same doctor. She kept notes on the fridge and checked off when each one got a dose and kept everything straight. Then there’s the other son who was on antibiotics for several months. He was on chemo and couldn’t shake an ear infection (with no immune system). We started down that road when he was 19 months old. He is now 33. God is so good to us!
Good for you! It’s really important that antibiotics are used PROPERLY. Misuse and overuse is why we have antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria these days.
And good on your physician for properly prescribing them. I once had a PA tell me my son’s dry cough was probably caused by a virus, but offered me a prescription for antibiotics. I refused it and gave HER a lecture, and reminded her that if my son were sick again that winter, they’d have to give him the next step up, and there was a $20 cost difference between the two.
I don’t know how I would function without the alarms on my phone telling me what to do (bus arriving soon, get kids in bed, etc.)
If you ever had a situation where the meds suddenly got complicated (like last year after a really bad asthma month when my daughter came out of the hospital and had 6 different meds to take, and her brother had 4 different meds but at different doses), there are a few apps that help as well. Carezone is one that i’ve used and recommend.