A Hard Pill to Swallow
We live in a world filled with medical discoveries and inventions to assist us in living longer and healthier lives. Right along with medical collaboration there has been an upswing in using more natural methods to promote and strengthen our health with reduced, to no side effects, without causing additional weakness and disease in the process.
My Mom always had a hard time swallowing pills but had a desire to be as healthy as possible. So, swallowing the handful of supplements she took every day was not easy. The closer she came to the end of her life, the harder it became. It was a chore and took some time for her to place a pill in her mouth, add some water, and then she would nod her head rapidly up and down until she felt like the pill was in proper position in her mouth and then throw her head back which would throw the pill back into her throat enough to swallow it. It seemed to take forever to get them all down and she was quite worn out by the end of it. When she got to the point of not wanting to eat anymore, it was hard for her to give up her routine, and the mindset of trying to be healthy. I’m sure that once she made the decision to be put on hospice and stop taking her supplements, she found relief from the stress of having to swallow all those pills.
My Dad, on the other hand, had suffered with health problems for many years, but was more of the mindset that ‘we’re going to die anyway, I may as well enjoy what I eat and do, in the meantime’. He probably took as many, if not more medications daily than my mom did supplements. His method was different: Step one- put all pills in hand. Step two- put all pills in mouth at the same time. Step three- swallow. He didn’t even wash them down with water. Where my mom was nodding her head in her work-out to get her pills down, I was shaking my head in amazement when I saw what my dad could do with his handful of meds.
I think because swallowing pills was so easy for my dad is why the one and only spanking I ever received from him was over the swallowing of a pill. I couldn’t do it! It must have taken me forever to get that pill down and no amount of coaxing and encouragement seemed to be helping, so in his impatience and frustration he turned to the threat, and then the follow through, that he would spank me if I didn’t get it down. Try swallowing a pill when you’re crying! I’m not sure how, but I eventually swallowed that pill.
I would hope that what I learned from that experience became the basis for my response to a daughter who, like my mom and me, couldn’t swallow pills. I gave her Puffed Rice cereal to practice with and she seemed to do okay with that, but still couldn’t get the pill to go down. We finally had to pour the powdered medication from the capsule into chocolate pudding. We took a teaspoonful of yummy pudding and emptied the contents of the capsule onto the top. It still required her looking at it and talking herself into putting it into her mouth for a time before she could do it, but she did it, followed quickly by mouthfuls of untainted pudding to cover up the flavor of the medicated bite. She had to take it at her own pace but over time has learned to swallow pills without having to trick herself into getting them down.
I wonder at times if all the supplements I take are doing any good, other than keeping the supplement makers in business. I haven’t looked at any research or clinical trials to know the facts about what plays into health and longevity, but my dad, who ate poorly and lived on medications died at age 69. My mom, who ate pretty good, exercised, and took supplements passed away four days before her 92nd birthday.
I think I’ll take my chances on the supplements. Swallowing the ‘hard pill’ just might be worth it.