This was the third time in about three years that I had to take prescription medications while I didn’t have the full use or even partial use of one hand or arm. I broke one of my fingers and got a pin inserted for a while in 2005, I had a shoulder surgery in 2006 because of a car accident, and now the dog bites. All three times, I had to take antibiotics of course and pain killers. And all three times, the pharmacists kept giving me pills in child-proof bottles that are impossible to open not only when you can’t use one hand but also when you have the full use of both hands! All three times, I was clearly bandaged up or wearing an arm sling – this time even the blood seeped through the heavily bandaged hand because the wound was left open intentionally. But it’s like these people are either blind or don’t have common sense. I even asked for “NO child-proof” bottles a few times and somebody even volunteered to put it in the system so that I never have to ask for it again or worry about it again. Well, yet, they keep giving me those hard to open child-proof bottles.

This time was no different. I didn’t remember to ask for it – in my defense, I was on morphin! When I had to take the medication, I realized the pills were in the wrong kind of bottles. After trying to open one in many different ways, I finally was able to by holding the bottle horizontally with the cap against the wall and pressing my body against the bottle while twisting it to open the fucking thing. It took me good 5 minutes to do it, and once open, I wasn’t going to put them back in there. So the antibiotic was in vitamin B bottle, and percocet was in calcium bottle. I’ve just transferred back the medications to the properly labeled pill bottles cause, you know, I don’t want to have to take percocet thinking that it will help my bones get stronger.

I’m already not happy about all these child-proof this and child-proof that and being forced to be inconvenienced by them. I have to dog-proof a lot of things and my dogs can get through child-proof pill bottles and what not IF they were allowed to get to it. Why can’t parents simply put things away from the reach of children just like I put things away so that my dogs can’t get to them when I’m not looking? Yes, I might be fretting about things like this because I don’t have kids. But isn’t it true that people are increasingly transfering  the child-rearing responsibilities to the general public than the child’s parents?

There is a reason why I don’t have a kid. I don’t want one. I don’t want the responsibility. So yeah, call me cold and petty and uncaring. I still don’t like being forced to use child-proof products.