Carrying Medications

Another way to be prepared for your day is to make sure you have whatever medicines you may need. If you’re in school, your parents may have to make arrangements for the nurse’s station to have a small supply of your medications on hand. By going to the nurse’s office, you don’t have to worry about losing it or people jumping to the wrong conclusion about what you are taking and why. Often, schools restrict students from carrying prescriptions on campus. School policy may require you go to the office for this purpose.

If you’re out of school and do carry spare medication on you, I suggest you don’t have more than a day or two worth of pills on you at a time. If you carry your whole bottle with you and loose it, you’re going to have problems. I learned this lesson well. At the time, I was in my early twenties and in the habit of carrying my entire bottle of painkillers with me. One day—when on vacation and far from any doctor who knew me—I went to take my medicine and was in panic mode when I thought I had lost the bottle. I was quite relieved to find them in a pocket I hadn’t checked—no, I am not blond. I learned then and there to carry only what I need for that day and leave the remainder at home.

If you are old enough to drive and have a car available, being prepared with all the things I’ve talked about is pretty easy. I keep a spare coat, blanket, water, food, and spare doses of all my medicine in my car for emergency purposes at all times. That way, in case I didn’t plan ahead as I should have, I always have what I need to stay warm, fed, hydrated, and pain free. If you’re too young to drive and/or don’t have a car, you can use a backpack or day bag to carry all your necessities. Though it may not be convenient to carry all these things with you, it sure beats not having them when you need them.