Junkie

 

Much of my energy during a day is spent trying to remember to take my medicines.  Prior to my diagnosis, I was taking prescription medications for high cholesterol and hypertension, and some over-the-counter vitamins and supplements – a multivitamin, fish oil, and vitamin D3. 

Since my diagnosis, I’ve been on so many medications that it’s mind-boggling.  At the height of my pill popping, here’s the arsenal I was taking every day:  

The white bottles on the left are from a Chinese herbalist.  At that time, I was trying to balance the western medicines with eastern herbs.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to keep up with all the pills I needed to take.  I was having trouble coming up with a pill-popping schedule because some of the medicines and herbs I was on needed to be taken with food, others without food, some 1 hour before eating a meal, others 2 hours after eating food, etc.  Plus, the Chinese herbalist wanted me to take 24 herbal pills, 3-times a day, along with two herbal/medicinal teas per day.  Couple all that with on-again/off-again nausea and vomiting made it impossible for this mortal cancer girl.

Now that I’m on an oral chemotherapy, here’s my daily medications:

It still seems like a lot, but trust me, it’s much better.