Organizing your CF supplies

[EnergyGal]

I was just surfing online because I am in the cleaning mode. This always happens to me during the PMS time lol. Found this website
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.onlineorganizing.com/Home.asp
">http://www.onlineorganizing.com/Home.asp
</a>
I know they probably do not have recommendations on how to organize medical items but I Just thought I would bring this up so others can share and inspire.

I have my vest and it sits in the corner near my sofa off in a corner. I keep all my nebs in a bag in my medicine cabinet. I have lots of cabinet space in my kitchen, so I use one of the cabinets for my vitamins and medications.

Everything is in one place so that is easy for me and it keeps it organized.

I keep my enzymes on the kitchen table where I eat.

 

[Jane]

We have all the pills in the kitchen cabinet in plastic tubs. We bought two plastic storage drawers on wheel for all of the IV stuff. We have the neb stuff in the bedrooms and daily IV stuff (alcohol, saline, heparine) in plastic bins on their night tables. Their cases of g-tube formula are under their beds and g-tube equipment is in a large drawer in Josh's room.

The oxymeters and oxygen are in the closets (although we've never used the big things so we might move them).

We've looked into getting captains beds with storage drawers under and on the headboard. That way we can have everything close by, but not out in the open.

We DO have a lot to organize. This sounds like a business opportunity for someone.

 

[anonymous]

I have a little vegetable trolley and that has stocks of all what I need. Then I have a tupperware box with all my tablets that IM currently using in it. Outside in the utility room we have a press and that has other stock of tablets in it that aren't opened. We also have a ton of unused ivs and meds out there, that most likely (touch wood) I won't need again. I think we'll be giving that stuff to the hospital eventually though.

My lil eflow sits on my bed. I've thrown out my pep mask and acapella. Risa, why do you still keep your vest?

Shamrock, x

 

[Scarlett81]

My kitchen is kinda country/frenchy looking, and I keep everything in wicker baskets. (fruit, spices, ect.) I finally got a basket for all my pills and vits. I keep it on the counter.
I do my therapies in my home office at the desk. I have a drawer for my neb cups and albuterol there.
I keep all my other aerosol meds in a box in the closet.

 

[JazzysMom]

In my kitchen I have a huge drawer for all my orals meds including room for the surplus (90 days supply). The ones I currently use are in little plastic containers in order of how I take them/how often etc. My neb meds/vest/neb machine are all near a chair (MY CHAIR) in the corner of the living room. The vest sits under a blanket when company is around & all else is hidden in a container or behind the chair. All other surplus (90 days supply) of meds like colistin, albuterol or anything else is on shelf down with my extra sodas, papertowels etc. I dont have the room to keep it ALL in the same exact place, but it works fine for me.

 

[EnergyGal]

Shamrock to answer your vest question- I had a bad chest cold a few months ago and the vest came in handy. I do not use it everyday but there are studies with lung transplants using the vest to help build their lung capacity up in the beginning or to use if they have an infection.

 

[EnergyGal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Scarlett81</b></i>

My kitchen is kinda country/frenchy looking, and I keep everything in wicker baskets. (fruit, spices, ect.) I finally got a basket for all my pills and vits. I keep it on the counter.

I do my therapies in my home office at the desk. I have a drawer for my neb cups and albuterol there.

I keep all my other aerosol meds in a box in the closet.</end quote></div>

That sounds pretty and organized

 

[anonymous]

Jane, thats a good idea about the storage on wheels. Reece has a 3 drawer storage unit in his playroom to hold all his art/playdough supplies. (I will be getting one for all his g tube junk & IV stuff. Thanks for the great idea!

Right now his oral meds are either in the fridge or on the kitchen counter. His formula, & rest of the mickey buttom stuff is on a 4 teir shelf in the kitchen along w/ the unused (right now) IV stuff.

His inhaled meds are in the pantry. His compressor & vest are in his playroom right beside the PS2!!!!

 

[MOME2RT]

Once again I didnt login before I opened my big mouth!!! Me above!

 

[JazzysMom]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>anonymous</b></i>

Jane, thats a good idea about the storage on wheels. Reece has a 3 drawer storage unit in his playroom to hold all his art/playdough supplies. (I will be getting one for all his g tube junk & IV stuff. Thanks for the great idea!



Right now his oral meds are either in the fridge or on the kitchen counter. His formula, & rest of the mickey buttom stuff is on a 4 teir shelf in the kitchen along w/ the unused (right now) IV stuff.



His inhaled meds are in the pantry. His compressor & vest are in his playroom right beside the PS2!!!!</end quote></div>


Like we couldnt tell it was you Leah LOL! How many Reeces would be on here & play with playdough! LMAO! Just had to bust on you!

 

[tleigh]

i have several of the large plastic 2-3 drawer "things"
that I keep in my bedroom closet.  one is specifically meds
(xopenex, albuterol, advair, etc)  and the other is
specifically port and IV supplies.  i also have the current
meds i am on in a decorative box in my bathroom-my husband is a
huge help and faithfully gets all of these out for me daily.<br>
<br>
still trying to find a creative way to "disguise" the
vest.  right now we just hide it away when entertaining or
when company is over-but it is a pain to move around.  any
suggestions? 

 

[EnergyGal]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>tleigh</b></i>

i have several of the large plastic 2-3 drawer "things"
that I keep in my bedroom closet. one is specifically meds
(xopenex, albuterol, advair, etc) and the other is
specifically port and IV supplies. i also have the current
meds i am on in a decorative box in my bathroom-my husband is a
huge help and faithfully gets all of these out for me daily.



still trying to find a creative way to "disguise" the
vest. right now we just hide it away when entertaining or
when company is over-but it is a pain to move around. any
suggestions? </end quote></div>

I do not think it is wise to keep meds or anything related to your health in a bathroom even though they have medicine cabinets in there. I got this quote from a website
"Don't store medications in the bathroom medicine cabinet or in direct sunlight. Humidity, heat and light can affect medications' potency and safety."
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ismp.org/consumers/brochure.asp
">http://www.ismp.org/consumers/brochure.asp
</a>

 

[Alyssa]

tleigh

I know of another person who used a "saddle rack" (for horse saddles) to put the vest on. They make it pretty easy to wheel around from room to room so you could move it out of site pretty quickly and easily.

I thought I had a link to purchase the one that she did but I cannot find it -- I'm sure if you just search online for it you can find it for sale in any horse supply kind of place. If I remember right it was around $100.

I have a picture of it with the Hill-Rom model 104 on it -- if I manage to get it posted correctly here you can see it.

 

[Allie]

Ry's dad made him a thing to organize his stuff (he makes furniture as a hobby). It had a big cabinet at the bottom for the vest stuff, and had smaller drawers up top to keep the neb stuff, IV stuff, etc, all separate. It had dividers in it that could be adjusted to keep better track of stuff, since Ry was organizationally challenged. It was pretty cool, it sat in his office and he kept a TV on top of it, it just looked like a chest

 

[anonymous]

Rip kept everything hidden but right where he used it. You never knew in our house what you'd find in a closet, drawer, or an underbed storage compartment. The vest (which he only used for a while because it played havoc with his 3 nonunion fractured ribs) and one nebulizer and supplies were in the study. Another nebulizer and supplies in the living room cabinet next to the picture window - and another up in the bedroom (should have had a portable ;-) O2 reservoir under the stairs (ours are open) and portable whereever he was. Powerchair plugged in in the foyer. 30+ days of meds in a carryall with little screw top things for taking stuff alkong with you. Backup meds in a drawer in the study. IVs weren't common enough to have their own "home" upstairs. When he was doing them the pole just sat in the corner of the living room. (Doesn't everyone have an IV pole behind their potted palm?)

We also got a dorm sized fridge for upstairs to keep some TOBI and stuff in (ice cream too).

If you do most everything in one room a separate armoire would be great!

 

[CowTown]

I have my eye on an wood cabinet from IKEA. It has wheels, 2 shelves where the vest machine and my ProNeb would fit. I was looking for one exactly like this but with a door on the front which would hide everything when I'm not using it. Haven't found that yet. Right now my vest and proNeb machine just sits on a long shelf under my home office desk - ugly. All my pills are layed out on the kitchen counter so I don't forget anything. I have one kitchen cabinet dedicated to all my meds stuff and one shelf in the fridge for my Pulmozyme and Tobi. I also have a travel bag with wheels where everything fits. That's very nice.

 

[Emily65Roses]

I keep my nebulizer next to my bed on the floor. Neb cup pieces stay in my bathroom, so they can soak overnight. I have a big drawer in my bathroom cabinet where all the Colistin/hypertonic saline stuff stays. IV stuff stays in boxes in my bathroom closet and on my dresser. Enzymes stay in my purse, and in the kitchen. I also have a bottle on my bedside table, which is where ALL my pill bottles are.

 

[JennifersHope]

I have stuff everywhere..

In the fridge upstairs I have one box of Tobi and one box of Pulmozyme... My parents gave me a kitchen cabinet which has extra boxes of my meds....inhalers and enzymes....

The fridge downstairs has my extra IV supplies, med balls I have no idea what to do with....
We have two IV poles in the garage.. stored away..

I have enzymes everywhere.. I always have a bottle in the car, along with emergency injection of steroids and steroid pills.

My bedroom aka as the pill room... I have a bookcase that has four plastic bins in it filled with my current meds... and extra enzymes...... My Desk has a three drawer plastic thing on wheels under it... It has my extra nebulizer parts, filters, and stuff like that in it.. It also has saline and heparin flushes in it. The top drawer is removed and my vest is on that.. the jacket to my vest hangs over my desk chair.

My nebulizer is on the floor next to my desk....

My night table has more enzymes....and my night time meds on it..

Bathroom has my foley cath supplies.. and stuff like that.. Basically.. my room always looks like a medical room but when everything is clean and put in its place and out of site.. I am less likely to use it...

 

[tleigh]

Risa-thanks for the heads up-maybe i will move them out of the
bathroom!!<br>
<br>
Alyssa-the saddle rack idea sound fun-my husband is a horse lover
and our loft is decorated in western decor-so that might fit right
in  !

 

[Jane]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>MyNewfy</b></i>

I have my eye on an wood cabinet from IKEA. It has wheels, 2 shelves where the vest machine and my ProNeb would fit. .</end quote></div>

We saw that one at IKEA too Kelly. It would have been perfect for all that stuff. They also had ones with frosted glass doors that was nice.