Give Us This Day Our Daily Pills
People will sometimes ask me: What was the most difficult part of transplant caregiving? There are very many different answers to that question. But, the most technically challenging part was the pills. By far. The pills still give me the shudders. Why, you ask?
Because what you soon realize – oh, newly minted amateur pharmacist! – is that there is a very real chance you can screw up and kill the person in your care. And that is something you very much want to avoid.
When Jim first came home from the hospital post-transplant, he was on 18 different medications that were dispensed in more than 25 individual doses over 7 periods of times a day.
There are some meds that don't play well with others. There are some other meds that need to be taken with food. There are also those that make food taste awful, so need to be taken after food. There are pills. There are injections. There is even a category called “swish and spit.” And for the anti-rejection drugs? Dosages change frequently based on blood test results.
So to keep myself organized (and not kill Jim), I made a totally bad ass spreadsheet. I am now sharing said spreadsheet with you to use as a template. Recycle if you wish!
Link to download Post-Transplant Pill Management Spreadsheet in .xls format.
Some important notes:
This template is being provided for your information and caregiver convenience. It does not constitute medical advice. Read: Do what your doctor recommends, not what some lady on the internet says.
The drug names listed on this sheet are used for illustrative purposes. Their names being listed here does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. (Read: We pay for prescriptions just like everyone else. Exactly 0% of these companies is sending us on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Aruba.)
