The Medicine Cabinet

As I have aged evolved from a single woman to a wife and mother, my medicine cabinet has also evolved.  And I bet yours has too.  When I was young I was fortunate to have very few, if any, medical problems.  My medicine cabinet looked something like this:

Just a few necessities…

• 1 bottle of acetaminophen
• 1 bottle of ibuprofen
• 1 pack of birth control pills
• Perfume
• Cute soaps (wow, when was the last time I bought cute soaps for the bathroom??)

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The single woman’s medicine cabinet becomes obsolete when you are becoming a mother.  You suddenly realize there is NOTHING in there that can be used on a baby!  So, you add items to your baby shower wish list, and use gift cards to buy the rest BEFORE baby arrives.  Because you are absolutely positive that the moment you need a specific item, it will be 3am during the worst flood of the century.

Your medicine cabinet is replaced by a diaper bag with:

• Gas drops
• Saline nasal drops/spray
• Bulb syringe/aspirator
• Thermometer (axillary, temporal, and rectal just to be safe)
• Teething tablets/numbing gel
• Diaper cream
• Glycerin suppositories
• Hand sanitizer for everyone to use before they come in contact with your precious, vulnerable baby

Then your babies grow up and start having big-kid problems, like strep throat and stomach bugs.  Not to mention the everyday bumps and bruises.

For the Kids:

• Children’s acetaminophen (liquid)
• Children’s acetaminophen (chewables)
• Children’s ibuprofen (liquid)
• Children’s ibuprofen (chewables)
• Band-aids (rookie mom buys cute, expensive character kind but quickly realizes the ugly brown ones are the way to go).
• Bandages/gauze/Ace wrap
• Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin/bacitracin)
• Cough drops/throat spray
• Children’s decongestant
• Heating pad
• Cold/ice packs

If you have a kid with seasonal allergies/eczema/food allergies/asthma like me, add to that:

• Hydrocortisone cream
• Prescription eczema cream
• Unscented lotion
• Liquid Benadryl
• Epi-Pen Jr.
• Controller/maintenance inhaler (i.e. Advair, Flovent)
• Rescue inhaler (i.e. Xopenex, albuterol)
• Allergy eye drops
• Copy of Asthma Action Plan/Allergy Action Plan

Image courtesy of Victor Habbick at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Last but not least, any adult in the house has his/her own unique needs.  It seems that every day brings a new ache, pain, mole (when did that show up?), environmental allergy, or psychiatric ailment.

I give you permission to snoop into my medicine cabinet, which is actually a whole closet:

• Anti-depressants
• Anti-anxiety meds
• Birth control pills
• Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Tums/Gas-X/Rolaids etc
• Witch Hazel pads (because hemorrhoids happen even when you’re not pregnant)
• Allergy pills
• Allergy eye drops
• Nasal spray
• Migraine medicine
• Essential oils
• Ace wrap
• Knee brace

Am I forgetting anything??

Here I Am Again

It’s been 10 months since my last confession blog post.  That post so long ago was all about admitting I couldn’t do it on my own.  I had been off medication for anxiety/depression for a short time and knew I needed it again.  I was conflicted about the decision.  But I had made a promise to myself that I would ask for help if I ever saw the warning signs again.

My anxiety at that time was so high.  I was always agitated.  In fact I’d bet money that restarting my medication saved me from:

• Losing my job (by saying something I would have regretted)
• Embarrassing myself in public (by saying something I would have regretted)
• Getting punched in the face (by saying something I would have regretted)

I became so depressed that I could barely move at times.  I saw nothing but the ground because I could barely lift my eyes. The only thoughts I had were negative ones.

Starting back on my medication was a gift to me and my family.

I have become myself again.