At the End of the Day: Remembering Meds When Life's Run You Ragged

Teniecka Drake

On its own, being a parent comes with many challenges. Then, throw in being HIV positive and having to ensure you take your meds, which is another difficulty and sometimes a pain to do.

I can recall an instance this year that made taking my medication quite challenging. I had decided to start cleaning houses to make some extra money. This was on a Saturday and I had two houses to clean. To make matters more interesting, my daughter's birthday party was on the same day.

After cleaning these two homes, I still needed to cook and finish putting up decorations. The guests arrived and I was playing hostess and cook at the same time. It was a small gathering of 12 to 15 people, but when you're tired, it feels like 30 people. My daughter blew out her candles and opened her gifts. Then, when everyone left, I helped my husband clean up a little bit. I was totally and utterly exhausted and I still needed to get my medication.

What I do is keep two sets of my medication upstairs -- in two different places -- in order to remind myself to take my medication. One set is in my bedroom on my dresser where I can see it in plain sight. The second spot is in the bathroom in the medicine cabinet by my perfumes. I also have a cup for water that is always in the bathroom. That night, I was able to take my medication in the bathroom. This made that part of my evening easier for me.

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