#Aortic Disability Issues Shouldn't be So Difficult to Understand for Non-Disabled

#Aorta Two objects on a table, one is my Telmisartan the other a screw driver bit for my drill.

Come on.  I mean the hardware store manufacturers understand ins and outs of how tools work.  Maybe that's because they were once tool people themselves.

I would suppose most pharmaceutical company employees are not disabled.  Probably some are health challenged themselves or may be disabled.  Yet my perception is that most of them are just rich.

O.K. That last sarcastic comment was underserved.  I am grateful for all my medicines without which I would be roaming the rainforests looking for the right medicinal sprout, leaf, flower or bark.

Disability and aortic dissection life is difficult enough without thoughtless non-disabled persons medical packaging designers making life more stressful.

The two items on my coffee table above are A. a single Telmisartan pill for my blood pressure I take every morning and B. a screw driver bit for my electric drill (actually its a battery powered drill).

So what's the big difference besides the obvious variant uses???

I need reading glasses to see small objects up close.  I also need them to read.

And I keep all my many various size screwdriver bits in a box, all jumbled up.  Yet if I have to use one particular type or size I don't need to stop and put on my glasses and jumble fumble trying to find the right size in the full box because some very intelligent tool person gave thought beforehand realizing an inexpensive color coding stripe might really make life easier for someone looking for a particular size/shape screw driver bit.

I call that genius.  Thoughtful genius.  Probably because the person who came up with the color indicator idea had 'been there done that' looking through a box of almost identical looking screwdriver bits for the right size, wasting a lot of time and probably building up anxiety in the process.

But nope for the Telmisartan.  Four corners and one of the corners has a tab that is confusing at best for a short clipped fingernail to find and pull back.

#Aorta Dissection Life, Telmisartan is difficult at best to open.

The back of the pill container does say 1. Tear . Peel.

But where do I tear & why is it so difficult to peel?  Reminds me of a roll of masking tape that is five years old.  You know, that roll where tape comes off in tiny pieces and is impossible to slide a fingernail under any of the layers.

I'm not complaining.  Telmisartan is a great drug IMHO, better so than Losartan for me because of lipophyllic properties and longer lasting effects.  Does a better job at keeping my aorta from dilating more.

In fact last CT showed a decrease in aortic diameter though I am suspecting the decrease is a variance in the way different radiologists read the CTs.

So cheers for Telmisartan.

Now why can't the pharmaceutical companies take a clue from the tool manufactures and color the corner of the pill envelope where the tear here part is with a noticeable symbol or color?

I don't usually lose my reading glasses but it is a hassle to put them on just to open a telmisartan package.

Even more hassling is the, nope - its not this corner, nope - its not this corner, nope - its not this corner, nope - its not this corner, wait - is it this corner?  Did I miss the tear here?

A really good answer would for the medical industry to hire more health challenged persons or at least seek input from disabled end users as to 'improvements in efficiency'.

I am sure there are persons out there who have become so frustrated with trying to open these little packets of meds that their stress levels soar as do their bloood pressure.  Maybe they even invent curse words I've never imagined.  Possibly hammers have been taken to these obnoxious little packages.  Its a shame that attempting to use a blood pressure medication actually raises blood pressure.

But this is typical disability life, not only for aortic dissection survivors but for all of those who have to struggle to open a package of meds.

Yes I'm sure the medical industry can retort with the packaging safety issue answer.  But that's not excuse, or if they think it is it is a really lame response.

Just add a little red arrow to the package pointing to the corner to tear.

Doing so might make the blood pressure medication a whole lot more effective.

Want to be the best pharmaceutical company around?  Make sure you hire or seek input from the medically challenged.

And while you are at it, please add a colored arrow or symbol on the corner I am supposed to 'tear'.