Why is it that at 36 years old, I still cannot swallow pills well?
I have to drink milk in order to take pills. Nothing else works. Then no one can be in the room while I attempt my feat of pill swallowing. Especially Matt - he cannot watch me. I just cannot swallow with him staring at me [insert dirty joke here]. It's weird.
Even when alone finally, I sit there with the pill on the back of my tongue for what seems like forever, bobbing my head up and down trying to get my throat to accept this foreign object (more dirty jokes popping up in my head, but I'm not talking about that).
Once I finally swallow [hee - I can't get past that word!), half the time, the stupid thing turns completely sideways, wherein I can feel it slowly slide down my food tube inch by painful inch, until it becomes lodged somewhere between my throat and my stomach, forcing me to drink a gallon of milk to get it completely down. What's the deal with that?
The other half of the time, I swallow it completely wrong, it doesn't make it past the back of my throat, and I end up gagging and sort of puking it back up, and all the outer coating has rubbed off and it's all gross and stuff.
The culprit pill of the moment is my prescription prenatal vitamins, which I still take for breastfeeding purposes. I take one every day, and every day, it's a battle. They are not small, but they are not the biggest pills I've ever taken, and at least they are coated with that slimy stuff that makes them a tad easier to swallow (cuz you know, slimy=more swallowable).
I once tried to take these calcium pills clearly made for horses, and with no good coating. Forget about it. After 2 or 3 days of trying to force those suckers down, I gave up, and upped my milk consumptin instead.
So, how old am I again? Am I going to have to crush my pills or take all liquid medicine? Do we need to wrap my pills up in a treat like we do for the dog? Geesh.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I don't like to take pills either, but I have found that if I get my mouth wet first, then pop that pill way back in my mouth and quickly down some water at the same time, it will go down better. Good luck with it ;)
You're not alone in this. I have friends who cannot take pills either. Me, on the other hand, can down 3-5 pills at a time, no problem. I find that if I think about it too much, it does make it harder. So, just don't think about it and swallow!
Thanks for the advice, Colette. :)
Evelyne - 3-5 at a time?? Wow! That's nuts. You're right though - I know I think about it entirely too much while I'm doing it. I sorta out-think myself, ha ha!
My wife used to wonder at how I could casually swallow several pills at once. She always used to put a bit of liquid in her mouth, then squeeze one pill between her lips, then follow it with a drink to wash it down, ALWAYS tossing her head back in the process. At some point, just within the last couple of years, she's become practically a pill pro, and she'd be the first to admit she has no idea how it has happened.
I feel for ya hon.. I'm one that doesn't have too much trouble.. but I have a girlfriend that has to CHEW tylenol to get it down!
When I read this entry, I felt like you were in my head, writing down exactly how I feel! (Except for that sometimes plain milk doesn't work for me and I have to buy or make chocolate milk. The thickness helps.)
I've even asked a doctor if there is shot available versus taking a pill. Because I'd prefer that in almost every situation. I own a pill crusher and a splitter. Here's one small tip that helps me a little bit to help get the pill to the back of your mouth, so it will go down quicker. For me, it's works best if I fill my mouth with milk, then put the pill in. If it's a capsule, tilt your head down so it floats to the back of your mouth. If it's a heavy pill, tilt your head back, so it sinks in the liquid toward the back of your mouth. Hope that makes sense. Sometimes focusing on the process that makes it work, sometimes I have to wipe my mind completely blank and think about something else.
I've read your blog periodically, but never commented before, so Hello!
oh I you could see the drama (trauma) I go through taking cough medicine... my husband can't believe a grown woman can be such a baby... and believe me - the ONLY time I'll take it is when I am about to vomit up a lung from coughing.
so glad you are blogging again!
Post a Comment