Category: Organized

Supporting My Family

Supporting My Family

I spent some time alone with my mother-in-law yesterday. I showed her the notebook I made to keep track of all her medical issues. She loved it and was extremely grateful of all the work I did. The visit went well; we get along great. It was just emotional for me. There were a lot of details in the notes that my mother-in-law didn’t understand. However, I knew what they meant because I heard them a lot from my father’s cancer. Her illness is bringing up a lot of emotions and memories of my dad. I just want to be able to support her and my husband without bringing up stuff about my dad. I’m not sure if that’s possible, but I’ll do my best.

Almost Finished Moving In

Almost Finished Moving In

Only a few more days of putting things away and organizing everything left out and then we will be completely moved into our new home. I know that I’m a bit obsessive about how I like to have things in my house. For example, I organized the spices alphabetically and by size. I don’t expect my husband to do any of this organizing for me. If it’s what I want, then I should be the one to do it (as long as he doesn’t mess things up purposely, which he doesn’t).

I have so much to do today, but I’m having a hard time getting started. I keep looking out the windows into our back yard and seeing the adorable bunny rabbits and quail. It’s so peaceful to watch animals exploring our yard. It’s a great way to start the day, but I know that I have to eventually get started.

Cleaning Schedule

Cleaning Schedule

Yesterday, I cleaned the house. I try to do it once a week, but lately it’s been every 2 or 3 weeks, probably because of my depression. My cleaning routine starts by organizing and dusting everything, then cleaning the kitchen, then the bathrooms, then vacuuming, and finally mopping. I’ve tried to split up the tasks over a couple of days, but for some reason I feel as if it all needs to be done in one day. It takes about 4 to 5 hours to clean the whole house. Most of the problem is dog hair, which is everywhere.

I feel better when the house is clean and organized. I spend so much of my time in my house, I think it should be clean. I just wish the cleanliness would last longer. Between the dog hair and normal living, the shiny cleanliness only lasts a day or two.

I’m Not OCD, I’m Just Organized

I’m Not OCD, I’m Just Organized

I’ve never been diagnosed with OCD and I don’t think that it’s something I have. Although, maybe I should mention it to my psychiatrist, I’ve never said anything about it to him before. I just like things organized. I have 2 drawers for filing documents; everything is arranged in alphabetical order. My clothes are arranged by type (tank top, t-shirt, etc) and by color. My spice cabinet is organized by name and by size of the bottle. I pretty much do this with everything, my books, DVDs, medicine cabinet, almost every cabinet, and the closets. I don’t see anything wrong with having each hanger one finger width apart. Each tank top has to be on the same exact type of hanger, and same goes for t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, etc. Sometimes I must have things that organized, but other times I do okay knowing when things aren’t perfectly organized how I want them. I think of my organizational skills as a positive. Whenever something needs to be found, I know exactly where to find it.

Tips for Medication Management

Tips for Medication Management

 

Medications are one of the more difficult things to manage that comes along with a bipolar diagnosis. The medications work together to help decrease the symptoms caused by bipolar disorder. Every person takes a different combination of medications to treat their individual symptoms and needs. I have been on multiple medications since my diagnosis, just like most individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

I take a combination of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and anti-anxiety medications. My medications need to be taken three times a day, and it’s important to take them regularly. Some of the medications I take treat side effects caused by my bipolar medication, and some of my meds treat separate physical conditions. It’s a lot of medication to take and keep organized. It’s important to take the right medication at the right time. It’s also important to make sure I don’t run out of any of my medications.

Keeping our psychiatric medications organized is a difficult job to handle, but it is a vital task. Medications can do a lot to treat bipolar disorder, as well as other psychiatric disorders, as long as they are taken on a regular basis. Each medication has its own specific instructions that need to be followed. Keeping track of everything is not easy, but our psychiatrists prescribe these medications to us with detailed instructions for a good reason. I never make any changes to my medications without first clearing it with my psychiatrist.

At times, I have been unable to manage all of my medications properly, even when using a weekly pill organizer. In the past, I have used a free online service called MyMedSchedule.com. This website has helped me to keep track of all my medications, how often I taken each medication, it sends me reminders to take my meds, and it sends me reminders to refill my meds. I can also print off a list of my medications that is wallet size so I have it with me in case I ever need it; when my doctors asks me what medications I’m on, all I have to do is pull out my list and hand it to them. Hopefully, this website can help some people organize and manage their medications with greater ease.

Keeping track of side effects is also important to medication management. It is critical to report all side effects to your psychiatrist so he/she can properly treat them. Some side effects, such as nausea or drowsiness, can be easily treated.

The following suggestions helpful for people who take multiple medications:

  1. Use a pill organizer: I fill mine up weekly to make sure that I take my morning and evening medications.
  2. Count your meds: Every week, when I fill up my pill organizer, I count the pills I have left. I put the bottles away as long as I have at least one full week worth of medication left in the bottle after filling up the pill organizer.
  3. Refill meds as needed: If I have less than one full week in the pill bottle, then I leave it on the counter so I remember to refill that prescription that week. I have never run out of medication using this method.
  4. Use alarms: I also set an alarm on my phone, which goes off every afternoon, to remind me to take my afternoon medication.
  5. Keeping some meds on me at all times: Some of my medications only need to be taken “as needed”, such as anti-anxiety medication and those that treat specific side effects. I keep these medications in my purse so I have them with me at all times.
  6. Use the free online services: The website mymedschedule.com can be used to keep track of all your medications, when to take your meds, and when to refill them.
  7. Talk to your psychiatrist and pharmacist: You can ask your psychiatrist about side effects, but your pharmacist will generally know more about all medication side effects and medication interactions.
  8. Don’t change your meds on your own: Despite side effects, it’s still essential not to make changes to your medications without first speaking with your psychiatrist about it.

Medications must be taken as prescribed in order for them to work to the best of their ability. This means that it is necessary to keep track of when to take meds and when to refill meds. Keeping track of side effects also helps to treat any medical issues that arise. Communicating with your psychiatrist is very important for medication management, which helps to ensure the best outcome.

 

Medical Billing Confusion

Medical Billing Confusion

My husband has a lot of medical bills, not nearly as much as I do, but his are for his back. He has a herniated disc and a bulging disc as well as degenerative disc disease. He had back surgery last year, which helped a little, but not enough. I keep all of my important documents filed alphabetically. So if I can’t figure out these bills, then I don’t know any regular person that could.

I’m having problems keeping track of all the bills. He already met his deductible, but for some reason, we are getting bills and I don’t know what to do with them. I’m a very organized person, but I still struggle keeping everything in order. One of the bills we got in the mail says that we owe $400, but it doesn’t even say why. There’s no date of service on the bill or any explanation regarding the medical service provided. Obviously, I’m going to have to call the billing departments and dispute these bills. I really hate handling these types of issues.

I can’t seem to get moving today. I fell asleep on the couch this morning less than an hour after I woke up. I’m not sure why I’m so tired, I actually slept through the night last night. Normally, I wake up several times. There are so many things I need to get done today. In addition to everything on my to-do list, I also have to clean up my house. It’s technically clean, but messy. I don’t like having a messy house, so that has to be taken care of soon.