Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
Mood:
Exasperated
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I think I'm exasperated with someone
but I don't know with whom.
I doubt if you will be surprised to read that during Mr W's illness, we went through a lot of medications. Hospice usually delivers prescription meds in quantities estimated to provide about two weeks of coverage. We used them at varying rates, so by the last couple of months we were getting deliveries almost every Friday. His last day at home was a Wednesday, and a large box of meds arrived two days later.
None of the stuff was anything my doctor has or would prescribe for me, so the question was, now what? The two inpatient facilities where he spent the next three weeks first instructed me to bring them, and then gave them back to me.
A residents' information flyer from the local water district had the helpful notice that Colorado has begun a disposal plan to give people a safe option to flushing unused meds down the toilet. Various locations around the metro area and the state have collection bins (they look like army green mailboxes) where you can dispose of unused meds. BUT, (and you knew there would be a "but" didn't you?) controlled substances can't be deposited there. And you're not supposed to flush them either. AND I ended up with a rather impressive quantity of morphine, both in tablet and in liquid form.
No pharmacy I called was willing to handle disposing of it, citing federal regulations regarding controlled substances. Hospice couldn't do it, for the same reason. What it came down to, was putting some cat litter in a used plastic soda bottle, adding the meds, adding some rubbing alcohol, adding more cat litter, sealing the bottle with duct tape, and dumping it in the trash. This advice came both from Hospice and from the Colorado website listing the "safe disposal" locations.
So that's what I've done. Controlled substances are on their way from my house to my local land fill. I'm not happy with this, but I didn't want them in the house, either.
Maybe there's a lot about controlling unsafe stuff I don't understand, but I don't feel leaving the disposal issue in the laps of the people who are trying to get rid of this stuff is a good answer either. Regulations were written only to prevent pharmacies, doctors' offices, medical facilities from having extra supplies on hand. The regulations don't contemplate what problems arise in the households of the persons whose taxes support the regulation writers.
I feel a letter/phone call to my Congressional delegation coming on.
I doubt if you will be surprised to read that during Mr W's illness, we went through a lot of medications. Hospice usually delivers prescription meds in quantities estimated to provide about two weeks of coverage. We used them at varying rates, so by the last couple of months we were getting deliveries almost every Friday. His last day at home was a Wednesday, and a large box of meds arrived two days later.
None of the stuff was anything my doctor has or would prescribe for me, so the question was, now what? The two inpatient facilities where he spent the next three weeks first instructed me to bring them, and then gave them back to me.
A residents' information flyer from the local water district had the helpful notice that Colorado has begun a disposal plan to give people a safe option to flushing unused meds down the toilet. Various locations around the metro area and the state have collection bins (they look like army green mailboxes) where you can dispose of unused meds. BUT, (and you knew there would be a "but" didn't you?) controlled substances can't be deposited there. And you're not supposed to flush them either. AND I ended up with a rather impressive quantity of morphine, both in tablet and in liquid form.
No pharmacy I called was willing to handle disposing of it, citing federal regulations regarding controlled substances. Hospice couldn't do it, for the same reason. What it came down to, was putting some cat litter in a used plastic soda bottle, adding the meds, adding some rubbing alcohol, adding more cat litter, sealing the bottle with duct tape, and dumping it in the trash. This advice came both from Hospice and from the Colorado website listing the "safe disposal" locations.
So that's what I've done. Controlled substances are on their way from my house to my local land fill. I'm not happy with this, but I didn't want them in the house, either.
Maybe there's a lot about controlling unsafe stuff I don't understand, but I don't feel leaving the disposal issue in the laps of the people who are trying to get rid of this stuff is a good answer either. Regulations were written only to prevent pharmacies, doctors' offices, medical facilities from having extra supplies on hand. The regulations don't contemplate what problems arise in the households of the persons whose taxes support the regulation writers.
I feel a letter/phone call to my Congressional delegation coming on.
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