Compliance issues
ROTFLMBO
As the kids would say, "rolling on the floor laughing my bumb off!" (For those of you who are confused, look at the last post which was authored by Son #2.
Okay, I should act like an adult, but that was my response to Son #2 talking about compliance with his asthma medications. Let's face it, I'm a nag. I have to be. Especially when he is on a course of Prednisone, I have to make sure he is taking the correct dose morning and night. That's not a medication where you can afford to miss a dose - from what I know, it affects your adrenal gland. And that can cause some major problems if you stop taking it suddenly. It's important to take it EXACTLY as the doctor prescribes, including tapering off the medication.
As for maintenance medication, I feel like I'm always watching to see that the kids take it. If their disc or spacer & inhaler are in the exact same position on the kitchen counter for a day or two, I know they're not taking their medicine. It's hard to get the kids to do anything on a regular basis, and all kids want to cut corners. (I tell them "nice try, but you can't skip brushing your teeth and chew gum instead"). The shower? That includes using soap and shampoo.
They know the importance of taking their medication, even more important now since Kitty and Son #2 are sick (still....). But they have to be motivated to do it, and I'm not sure how to get them intrinsically motivated. I tell them they have to do this on their own, I'm not going to follow them to college and say "Oh yoo hooo! Honey! Are you being good and taking your asthma medication?!"
For now, I guess I'll keep nagging. Our pile of maintenance medications are in a decorative container on the counter, so when I take my disc, I look to see where theirs are. Then I know if they're taking their medication or not. Some people recommend putting medication by their toothbrush in the bathroom, so when they brush their teeth, they'll see their asthma medication and take it. But- if they're not brushing their teeth- or being like most kids and seeming not to notice that its there, it won't work. Just like the pile of clothing on their floor in their room that they literally walk on top of to get to the bathroom. Why is it that they can't stop and pick them up? And why can't they remember to take their medication every day?
We also have a job chart, with medication listed on each day. But it doesn't help if they don't look at the job chart.
So, in short. I feel like the kids aren't compliant, and how to get them to be compliant is the question of the hour.
Until it is solved, I get to keep nagging. Part of my Life as an Asthma Mom....
As the kids would say, "rolling on the floor laughing my bumb off!" (For those of you who are confused, look at the last post which was authored by Son #2.
Okay, I should act like an adult, but that was my response to Son #2 talking about compliance with his asthma medications. Let's face it, I'm a nag. I have to be. Especially when he is on a course of Prednisone, I have to make sure he is taking the correct dose morning and night. That's not a medication where you can afford to miss a dose - from what I know, it affects your adrenal gland. And that can cause some major problems if you stop taking it suddenly. It's important to take it EXACTLY as the doctor prescribes, including tapering off the medication.
As for maintenance medication, I feel like I'm always watching to see that the kids take it. If their disc or spacer & inhaler are in the exact same position on the kitchen counter for a day or two, I know they're not taking their medicine. It's hard to get the kids to do anything on a regular basis, and all kids want to cut corners. (I tell them "nice try, but you can't skip brushing your teeth and chew gum instead"). The shower? That includes using soap and shampoo.
They know the importance of taking their medication, even more important now since Kitty and Son #2 are sick (still....). But they have to be motivated to do it, and I'm not sure how to get them intrinsically motivated. I tell them they have to do this on their own, I'm not going to follow them to college and say "Oh yoo hooo! Honey! Are you being good and taking your asthma medication?!"
For now, I guess I'll keep nagging. Our pile of maintenance medications are in a decorative container on the counter, so when I take my disc, I look to see where theirs are. Then I know if they're taking their medication or not. Some people recommend putting medication by their toothbrush in the bathroom, so when they brush their teeth, they'll see their asthma medication and take it. But- if they're not brushing their teeth- or being like most kids and seeming not to notice that its there, it won't work. Just like the pile of clothing on their floor in their room that they literally walk on top of to get to the bathroom. Why is it that they can't stop and pick them up? And why can't they remember to take their medication every day?
We also have a job chart, with medication listed on each day. But it doesn't help if they don't look at the job chart.
So, in short. I feel like the kids aren't compliant, and how to get them to be compliant is the question of the hour.
Until it is solved, I get to keep nagging. Part of my Life as an Asthma Mom....
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