If I’m going to have to carry around a stash of pills tucked away in my pocket or purse (in other words, if I want to leave home, ever), then damnit, I am going to have a little bit of fun about it.
When I worked at the Camera Store, rather than using my break to buy and eat crappy and expensive mall food, I would wander around and window-shop. One day, dawdling about Hallmark, I ran into this little pill case.
It was $8. Eight friggin’ dollars.
I had to have it.
Recently a friend of ours had her father pass away, and she was taking his death rather hard. We went to the viewing to support her. When I saw her fumble around in her little black “formal” purse to take out a bottle of xanax while talking with my husband, I knew what I just had to do. I reached down into my purse, grabbed my little bee case, unceremoniously dumped all the pills out into my purse, and pressed the empty case into her hand. She hugged me.
Later she told me that it was one of few things that really made her smile during all the public ceremony surrounding his death.
I was glad to hear it, because, well, it was really hard to give up that case. I loved that thing to death. It was a small joy to see it every time I had to pop another pill to be able to keep going, whether I was shopping, working, visiting a friend, visiting a doctor…
And really, it was just cute, and stylish. And so often, the objects and devices that we, people with disabilities, depend on to help us through life, are purely functional beasts. They are large and clunky, plastic, dirty and old from years of use. They are designed to do their job — not to look nice. Which is perfectly fine, and all, but sometimes, dammit, you just like to have something pretty.
A lot of pwd go for decorative canes to walk with, for instance. Hell, kids have been decorating the casts they have over their broken bones for ages. It’s not like it’s out of place to have the desire for something that is well-designed in both form and function.
So. My pill case. I actually sought out another one (and it took some effort) just because, well, sometimes there are those things that you just become so attached to — there was a keychain I got while I was at Cal State Fullerton that lasted me years, and I had to ask the in-laws to retrieve it from the keys when we junked the car I totaled last December. There aren’t many things I get attached to that way — I can’t really think of any other item that is important to me in quite the same way.
I never did find one on eBay and Hallmark had them in clearance when I got the second one, so I can’t link you to any place where you can buy it yourself, unfortunately (I believe it to be that awesome). But a hop on the Google bus will land you a few places that are providing the same basic product, and I’m sure you can use your imagination to dream up ways to apply this concept to different assistive devices.
It’s just not living if you can’t have a little fun.
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I almost bought a pill case at Crane & Co. that simply screams, “MORE MEDICINE, PLEASE!” Thoroughly describes my regimine. Alas, it was too small for my Zoloft.
I know you said this was the “silly edition,” but I actually have tears in my eyes. Now that I’m taking double-digits of kinds of pills for my various issues, having someone give something like that to me would mean a lot. It’s silly and that’s what makes it awesome.
Side note: my dad just turned 50, and I gave him a MASSIVE pill organizer as a joke. He promptly handed it back to me. :)
i like to keep my meds in an empty candy case if im going to need to bring them out with me, like the type m+m minis come in. candy is such a happy thing that using that case makes taking my medicine easier.
I’ve always had a thing about ever letting candy and meds near each other, since there was this GIANT POSTER in my pediatrician’s office as a kid showing candies next to prescription meds that looked very similar, to warn parents what their kids might get a hold of… but whenever I describe it to my husband, friends etc. none of them ever saw anything like it, but I was under the impression it was standard. Child’s mind, I guess :)
I saw the same thing in the pediatrician’s office when my husband was in the military. My daughter was about a year old when I saw it and it scared the crap out of me because she was getting to that age where she was mobile and interested in everything. Even if we needed to (for carrying purposes) I don’t think I could put meds in a candy container (not that there’s anything wrong with someone else doing it) because of that damn poster.
whoa, my childlessness was showing! i didnt even think of that! thank you both, dear god. i plan on having kids someday, and im prone to worrying about the bad things that could befall my still hypothetical children, so now im imagining the disaster that could become, so thank you sooo much!
and i cant believe i hadnt thought of that, seeing as i ate carpet lint as a child and my fiance ate rocks. then there was the time i shoved a small shell up my nose. of course kids would mistake pills for candy.
We’re not planning on having kids for a couplefew years, but I’ve lamented to mattw how things are going to change. I’m not going to be able to keep my pain killers in a little dish in less than arm’s reach at all times. And I’m not going to be able to walk around the house nekkid (partly or fully). Am going to have to find some very comfortable pj sets, because the whole reason I prefer to be minimally-clothed is that clothing hurts to wear… etc. It’s going to be an interesting experience :)
of course kids would mistake pills for candy.
they sure don’t taste like candy tho’. blech.
except the coating on advil. ohhhh, tasty advil.
i hate wearing clothes not due to it being painful, but rather i feel trapped in it and it makes me feel caged in. as to comfy pajamas, i reccomend (that i learn to spell reccomend) tagless super soft men’s a-tank tops (more commonly called oh so offensivly “wifebeaters”) and super thin super soft yoga pants with draw strings a size or two too large so you can tie the waist loosely. or get your kids to accept that when its just family at home mommy likes to wear a tank top and her underpants, thats my plan.
I like to keep my hormones in a round candy tin thing like that. It is a much better alternative to the prescription bottles. My spiro kinda tastes like a mint too.
this GIANT POSTER in my pediatrician’s office as a kid showing candies next to prescription meds that looked very similar, to warn parents what their kids might get a hold of… but whenever I describe it to my husband, friends etc. none of them ever saw anything like it, but I was under the impression it was standard.
It’s totally not just you, I saw it too! Or some variation thereof at least. I think it’s why I never really quite trusted Skittles. :p
Adorable!! I might have to get it. Right now I keep my emergency stash of pills in a plastic baggie in my purse … I always kind of worry that it will fall out in front of someone and look really sketchy …
A trip to Etsy found this:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5479085§ion_id=5508113
This post made me happy. I’m in school to be a graphic designer, and I worry sometimes that what I will be doing won’t help anyone. It’s nice to know that graphic designers can make a small difference for people too :)
Ages ago, I bought some candy pastilles in a small metal tin. [The tin has a pseudo-Victorian look to it, and doesn't much resemble modern candy packaging.]
After finishing the candy, I repurposed the tin into a pillcase for my purse. About 1 1/4″ in diameter and maybe a half-inch thick. [The pills I take are relatively small, so it holds about a week's supply, but there's only one compartment so they all bounce around together.]
About a decade ago, I found an inexpensive pill case with a built-in alarm you could set for your doses. Once the alarm went off, the clock would continue to flash the time until you opened the case. That has long since broke, and I haven’t seen another one like it. :(
That’s the nice thing about not wanting kids – no need to alter the way I live for anyone!
Madeline, at first I had trouble picking which pillcase I liked best, but then the MST3K: The Movie one sealed the deal for me.
Having kids doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be fully/overdressed all the time, especially when they are small, believe me. It’ll take a few years before they even understand the concept of “dressed” and “naked”.
Aawwww, bumblebee!
I do the same thing — I keep my allergy medicine in a little sliding pill case that has a happy vintage-y looking girl in fancy lingerie on it.
This is probably a cultural thing, but why would you have to be dressed in front of your kids? My mom and dad still don’t mind undressing in front of me, and I’m 33… Then again, we’re Dutch, and apparently we’re weird that way.
I once saw an American woman being accused of child molestation on a blog because she mentioned walking from the bathroom to the bedroom naked where her kids could see. Now THAT’s weird to me. YMMV.
except the coating on advil. ohhhh, tasty advil.
I’ve always been partial to Sudafed myself…
also, this post is really adorable. I’ve often spent more than I needed to on notebooks, pens, etc. because, well, “but this notebook has POLKA DOTS ON THE COVER! and the lines are TURQUOISE!”
It is. I prefer to wear a comfortable chemise, or a v. loose-fitting cami/tank and short set, if anything when I’m at home.
But I know a *lot* of people around here would be up in arms about child abuse etc. if I were regularly exposing anything more than what you’d see in a gym or yoga class to my children. Remember, nudity = sexual (in popular conception) and anything sexual between parent and child, well, enough said.
Also, anything etsy: VERY highly recommended! I got my beloved hedgehog purse there, my wallets, a bunch of hair scarves, earrings, etc. It’s a marvelous place full of people making marvelous things, and many of those people willing to customize those things for you to varying extents. And most of the products are things you honestly can’t find in retail hell. And you get to support (mostly women-owned) “small business” ;)
http://www.shanalogic.com <–this is the best website ever for cute, affordable things. I actually bought a piece of art there recently and I heart it so.
I love a great pill case. Mine was given to me by my grandmother about 15 years ago. It’s a small tin with an antique looking Uneeda Biscuit logo.
I am very fortunate to not need a pillbox, but I am positively swooning over that hedgehog bag. Was it terribly expensive? Is is holding up well? I’m looking for a new, tough, everyday bag. …aaaand, back on topic.
Ewww, you like that?
It was more expensive than I ever expected a purse to be. I R not a Coach fan, lol. $49. But it has lasted since I bought it, with just the call-out tag getting a little frayed, and that’s tiny and unnoticeable. Every few months I give it the bra wash treatment (hand wash with Woolite in a sink) and let it air dry, and maybe pass an iron over it if it looks wrinkly. But it fits everything I need, I can just sling it diagonally across my shoulder when I want my hands free, and it’s damn cute if I do say so myself.
There’s a bigger version of the bag (more messenger bag style) that is UBER cute and you will see what I mean when you find it. She has them in her shop, afaik. The two tone fabric is lined up and split down the middle and… yeah, just go look for it, lol. It’s adorable. I didn’t need anything near that big which is why I asked for it in the pochette style, and that’s what she came up with for me :) (She is very easy to work with too! a very sweet woman.)
TGD: I like the taste of Pepto… you’ll find out some sick, sick things you never knew about yourself when you’ve had to take so many drugs over the course of your life ;) I relish every advil I take too (which isn’t many), and I think anyone would after tasting that God-awful vicodin powder.
Oh, ugh, your Vicodin story! That’s terrible.
I think the most actively awful thing I have ever tasted in my life is an ondansetron wafer. There isn’t much worse than seeing it wash down the drain, knowing that (a) there is no relief from your hyperemesis in sight and you’ve still got 31 weeks to go, and (b) that single tiny wisp of concentrated yecch cost you twelve dollars.
So it’s prescribed as a treatment for nausea and vomiting, and it tastes that epically awful? The irony gods etc.
Admittedly tastes can get a bit distorted, and I never tasted it again. The rest of the packet I carefully wrapped in things like strawberries, which taste not too bad coming back up. I now have a fair list of foods (well two lists), based on how they taste going the wrong direction.
I have found a pill box with the Mad Hatter on it, and it says “Meds or Madness?” around the picture.
It’s possibly in terrible taste, but we wants it, precious.
i googled “antique pill box” and found some adorable ones for not too much money. the one i want is a little silver pug/fu dog. not a picture of one, but actually shaped as one with a hinged base. want.
ugh. i always do this, i post then remember something else i meant to say.
TGD, the coating on advil tastes like the coating on m&m’s. which makes it much more pleasant than most pills i have to swallow. unfortunately the only otc painkiller i can use now is tylenol as the others interact with my meds and make my tummy bleed internally.