Product Review: Pill Suite

Disclosure: **I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network.  Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. *

There are all kinds of pill cases on the market, and many of us with chronic illnesses that take multiple medications struggle with how best to store them.  One alternative is the Pill Suite.  The Pill Suite allows you to individually package your medications for single, one-time use. 

Basically, the system consists of a pill case that you can divide your pills into.  You then turn the funnel so that each divided section goes into its own “suite” (bag).  Once the bag is filled with the pills, you put it under the sealer, hit the button for a few seconds, and it heat seals the bag so your pills are safe and secure.  Each “suite” is one-time use only.  Once you’ve opened it, you cannot reseal it. 

The bags aren’t the best quality, and I sometimes struggled to rip them off without ripping off the part of the bag that is needed to open the bag once it is sealed.  If you do it very carefully, you can get the bag off in one piece. 

For me, personally, I can’t see using this every day.  This system is convenient if transporting medication bottles and a weekly pill organizer isn’t practical.  I guess for some people, that’s never practical and this system is perfect for those people, who may take so many medications that they don’t fit in any standard pill case.

The other issue I had is that the button on the sealer is made of very hard plastic, and even though you have to press it for just a few seconds, it’s not totally arthritis friendly.  So this is another reason why I can’t see using this all time.  But if your fingers/hands don’t give you trouble, then this really isn’t a consideration for you.        

In order to give the product a fair try, as an experiment, I doled out my pills for an entire week.  It took me probably at least three times the amount of time it would take me to dole out my pills for the week into a standard pill container.  I actually have a weekly pill organizer that I really like, but I know that there are people chronically searching for a weekly pill organizer and they never find one that they like.  So maybe a system like this is perfect for someone like that. 

I will say, it was kind of nice that all of my pills fit into a sandwich-size Ziploc bag.  It was much flatter than a normal pill case.  However, it took a bit of searching to make sure that I was picking the correctly labeled suite.  And if I would have happened to forget to take a dose, I might not have noticed as easily as when my pills are organized in a pill case. 

When traveling, I often struggle with how best to transport my meds, and this system would definitely be ideal for trips.  This system is also useful if you want to carry a “spare” set of pills with you at all times, and you want a very compact way to do that.  I can definitely see using this for travel.

You can write on the bags – best to do that when they are empty – and this allows you to customize them however you want. I needed to have two bags per day, one for morning meds and one for night meds. 

Some of you may have heard of Pill Pack, which is a system that allows you to get your pills pre-packaged for you into single serve pouches, similar to the ones that come with the Pill Suite.  If you like the idea of Pill Pack, but your pills change too frequently for you to take advantage of that, the Pill Suite is great because it’s the same concept but you can do it on your own, even when your pills change.   

Again, for me I think this is a great solution for traveling with medication.  I personally wouldn’t use it every day, but the reasons that hold for me might not hold for others.  So if you’ve been looking for an alternative to the traditional, bulky, plastic pill cases, this might be the perfect system for you. 

The Pill Suite system comes with the pill case that allows you to funnel your meds into the bags, the sealer, 400 “suites” (bags), and four AA batteries.

For more information, visit www.pillsuite.com,  

Sabi Folio Pill Case*

I’ve actually been looking for a new pill case for awhile because the one I used before just wasn’t meeting muster.  It was clunky and hard to open.  And blame it on my lupus brain, but there were several times when I mixed up the end, and ended up taking Saturday’s pills instead of Sunday’s or vice versa.  And if you are on a pill that varies, this is a huge problem.

So this one is so out! 

 Sabi is so in! (Pills not included!)  

 Pros:

+ Discrete

+ Sleek design

+ Easy to open

+ Won’t come open on its own

+ I did a shake test, and you can shake the thing around like it’s a maraca, and all of the pills stayed in there respective grooves

+ Can’t get days confused

+ Holds a full week of pills, with a.m. and p.m. grooves for each day

+ When held vertically, looks like one of those fancy notebooks

Cons:

- Not see through, which means you have to be a bit more vigilant about making sure you take your medication

- Fits a relatively good amount of medication, but depending on the size of the pills you take, may not fit all of them

This Folio sells for $24.99.  They have a larger version for $29.99.  These are a bit on the pricey side, but they really have a great design and are much better than the plastic job I used to have (see above). 

They have some other really cool pill holders, as well.    

For more information on Sabi products, visit http://sabi.com/.

* Sabi was generous enough to provide two Folio cases free of charge, one for me and one for a lucky reader of my blog.  I also mentioned Sabi in my Some Of My Favorite (Chronically Ill) Things For This Holiday Season  post.   

Happy Holidays And Epic Giveaways

Hey, everyone!  I figured I would post one last time before I go off the grid for the holidays. 

I’m excited to share our holiday card this year, our first annual, for those who didn’t get one via snail mail. 

I’m also super excited to announce that many of the products/companies I highlighted in my holiday gift post came through with some great giveaways for my readers.  

Here’s what I’ve got:

1.       A signed, personalized copy of “So Young” by Daniel Malito

2.      A pillfold from Sara Gorman

3.      A Sabi Folio pill holder

4.      An E-certificate worth $35 from Road ID

So here’s how the giveaway is going to work: To enter, comment on this post, share which item you would like and why.  The contest is open until January 10, 2014 at 12 a.m.  Winners will be randomly selected, and will be announced in my first post of 2014.

Again, Happy Holidays, everyone.  Catch you all in 2014!

Some Of My Favorite (Chronically Ill) Things For This Holiday Season

I had intended to post this before the unexpected death of my grandfather, but didn’t get the chance.  So I am posting it now so it is hopefully still timely.

With Chanukah starting the day after Thanksgiving this year, it was a rush to get gifts, and I was short on both time and ideas.

But I did have some time to brainstorm and come up with some great gift ideas for yourself or someone you know who has a chronic illness.  

So here goes:

12. Miamica inner booties (http://miamica.com/Shoe-Stuff/)

This isn’t explicitly chronic illness related, but it is winter related.  I found these inflatable inserts for boots.  They keep your boots shapely.  The thing I like about these, besides the cute design, is that they keep the natural shape of the boot rather than stretch them like some wood or plastic inserts might. 

11. EOS lip balm and hand lotion (http://evolutionofsmooth.com/)

 This also isn’t explicitly chronic illness related, but it is winter related.  I’ve been wanting to try EOS lip balm for awhile because I’ve been intrigued by the circular design.  I’m glad I did.  The lip balm tastes great, is very moisturizing, very easy to use, and comes in a pot that clicks sealed so you don’t have to worry about it coming open in your purse.  I also tried their hand lotion, which has it’s own unique packaging, and it smells great and is lightweight on.   

10. Fingerless gloves (http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp)

I’ve had a pair of fingerless gloves for awhile, but just rediscovered them recently and they are really handy for cold hands when you are inside, especially working on a computer.  Can help mitigate Raynaud’s a bit.    

9. Oxo Good Grip products (http://www.oxo.com/)

I was pretty sure that OXO was an Arthritis Foundation approved product/company.  I am not sure if that is true anymore, but a key component of their products is that they are based on universal design.  My boyfriend’s dad has this great can opener that is so easy for me to use, and of course, it’s an Oxo.

8. Miamica pill holders (http://miamica.com/Pill-Cases/)

These are super cute.  I have a pink shiny one that says “Take a Chill Pill.”  Unfortunately, they aren’t super arthritis friendly.  They are pretty hard to open, so I don’t use mine that much.  With the strong plastic and the zipper, though, your pills are super secure.  But if you are chronically ill and don’t have problems with your joints, these are great because they are so adorable.  Varieties include the sayings, “My Pills”, “Happy Pills”, “Crazy Pills”, “Happy Hour”, “Chill Pill”, “Love is the Drug”, “Stay Calm”, “Take a Chill Pill”, “Hangover Drugs”, and “Drugs”.  These are also great for people who aren’t chronically ill.

7.  Apple IPad Mini (http://www.apple.com/ipad-mini/)

My boyfriend bought me an IPad Mini for getting my PhD.  I didn’t really know I wanted one until I had it.  Honestly, if I could do everything on it and ditch my computer, I totally would.  I can do almost anything on it.  And it is light weight, which makes it great for school and traveling.  The touch screen is super great if you have joint problems, as it’s much easier on your fingers and hands than regular computer keys.

6.  Books by and about the chronically ill

I can never read enough books by and about chronically ill people.  On my list to read over winter break:

“Battle for Grace” by Cynthia Toussaint

“Chronic Resilience” by Danea Horn

“Knocking on Death’s Door” by Katy Butler

“So Young” by Daniel Malito

I am sure there are others I am missing, so if you know of others that are relatively new, let me know.

5. Lauren’s Hope (http://www.laurenshope.com/)

This is an old favorite.  I’ve had several of Lauren’s Hope medical ID bracelets.  I like the fact that these are pretty, and while they don’t look like a traditional medical alert bracelet, they are noticeable enough.  Although I may have found a new favorite – see number 2. 

4. Sarah Gorman’s Pillbags (http://www.pillfold.com/)

This is another old favorite, but since I blogged about these, Sara has created more patterns of both her Pillfold and Pillpouch.  These are great for travel, really handy, and stylish, to boot.     

3. Sabi (http://sabi.com/)

I don’t actually have any of their products, but these pill cases are pretty ingenious.  I especially like the carafe that doubles as a pill case and the streamlined pill cutter and crusher.

2. Road ID (http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx and https://www.myroadid.com/)

 So these aren’t as cute as Lauren’s Hope, but if you get the interactive version, you can put all of your information online and it can then be accessed by first responders in an emergency.  It allows you to update information constantly, so rather than having to get a new bracelet every time something changes, you simply access your account online and change whatever needs to be changed.  This is totally a case of function over form, but the silicone band comes in a variety of fun colors.  And there are other band types to choose from, as well. 

1. Prepara iprep (http://www.prepara.com/kitchen-gadgets/iprep)

This is something that I am totally obsessed with right now.  Its main purpose is as a stand so you can use your IPad when you are cooking.  But it is so much more than that.  It is a stand that allows me to do reading for school off of my IPad without having to hold it, can be a stand for your phone for hands free talking, and you can watch movies and stuff on it, too.  It is really great, and perfect for extra bad joint pain days.  I got mine at Barnes & Noble, but Amazon sells it, too, or you can purchase it directly from Prepara.  Definitely worth it if you have an IPad.

***

I hope that this has given you some ideas for gifts for yourself or others this holiday season.

I would love, love, love it if this post makes it to any of the companies I’ve highlighted, that they might donate a product or two for a giveaway.  So Miamica, EOS, Urban Outfitters, Oxo, Apple, Amazon or Cynthia Toussaint, Danea Horn, Katy Butler, Daniel Malito, Lauren’s Hope, Sara Gorman, Sabi, Road ID, and Prepara, if you are out there reading, please help me offer some great holiday giveaways to my readers.