Self Medication

I am getting over a chest infection / cough & Conjunctivitis. Oddly, apparently the two can be linked. I'm used to having throat / chest problems - probably as a result of being a teacher, or maybe I just talk too much! I pick infection up easily, it is never just a cold, it always goes on for ages. Now I have to be careful because I have a heart condition - God was having an off day when s/he made me, maybe it was a Friday & s/he was looking forward to the weekend.

Here comes the rant - As well as having an eye irritation, I  was very irritated by the Pharma company & anti biotic gel in a tube which was prescribed by my GP. The instructions for use of this gel are actually impossible to adhere to if you live alone.

• I cannot get the gel into my eye without the nozzle touching the eye.
• I cannot look up while trying to get the gel in place, looking in a mirror, & holding the lower eyelid down.
• The gel continues to ooze out of the tube & I can't therefore control the amount.
• I have to use my finger nails to cut off the gel from the tube.
• Hardly any gel ends up in the eye, most is on the eyelash or rim of the eye.

I wonder if anyone in the company has actually tried to use this product without any help? I am in my late 60s but reasonably "compos mentis" & am not physically handicapped. Having talked to friends & my optician I am not alone in having this problem. Why don't they produce anti biotic drops which are much easier to administer by yourself? At best this is thoughtless, at worst it is actually discriminatory.

I've had to stop using the gel, because I risk re-infecting the eye with the nozzle now it has touched the infected area. Conjunctivitis is very contageous. It is so frustrating to be forced into dependence on someone else. In my case there isn't anyone currently because I don't have a network of friends & neighbours here like I did in my last house.

OK - It's off my chest - quite literally. Now I'll try to"Let go" as described in my last blog!