TRACKING INHALER USAGE

smell the roses

From time to time in our email group, someone mentions they have a problem keeping track of how many dosages of their inhaler they have used.

Now that I am retired (and getting a few more blue hairs) I have taught myself to write everything down.  In addition to COPD, I also have type 2 diabetes.  When I had to start remembering to take pills at certain times of the day, I bought myself one of those plastic containers with a compartment for everyday and put the pills in at the beginning of every month, and it really helped.  

I thought it would be nice to have a method similar to that to keep track of my inhaler usage as well, so I came up with a chart that I print up every month.

I keep the chart pages in a binder near my medication and when I use the inhaler, I write down the time; then at bedtime, I total up the number of the dosages that I used during the day and add that number to a running total.  This method tells me two important things.  One, how long has it been since I used the inhaler last, since it must be a minimum of four hours between applications, and two, how many dosages of the inhaler have I used, so I know when to start a new one, and most importantly when to go to the drugstore to renew my prescription.  

If this isn't clear, I put together an example page of how I use the chart.

So if you are like me, and the memory isn't what it used to be, print out the blank chart and track your inhaler usage, or if you wish, you can download and save a pdf file to have on your own computer.   

I hope I have finally been able to give something back to this wonderful support group.  I can never thank you all for sharing all your information, your experiences, and encouragement.
It makes a real difference to know you are sharing this experience with so many other people. 

Thank you all, Cheryl-WA

(blow out the candles)