Creative places to store an inhaler

The following is a post originally published 9/6/11 @ healthcentral.com/asthma

Creative Places we Asthmatics Store Our Inhalers

We asthmatics are quite creative.  We come up with some unique and creative places to store our inhalers -- at least I do anyway.  Below I'll provide some examples of creative places I often store my inhalers.  

• Under couch cushions
• Under furniture
• Under beds
• Under pillows
• Under car seats
• In glove compartments
• In the hamper
• Stuffed in the recliner
• Under random dresser
• In any random drawer
• stuffed under stuff
• In the washer or dryer
• In the refrigerator
• On the bedside stand (where I prefer it)
• In the medicine cabinet (one would hope)
• In my wife's purse
• Pocket
• Stroller pocket
• Work or school locker
• On Desk
• In desk -- somewhere, maybe deep within, maybe under, maybe behind...
• Hidden in a toy box
• Clipped under the toilet seat

Now that last one has got to be my most creative of all time.  My son got a hold of it and, about four hours after the toilet seat slammed, my wife took the above picture.  We had a good laugh.

Sometimes, though, it's not such a good thing to be this creative -- like when you need it. It's probably also a good idea to keep it out of the reach of your kids, yet not always so easy.

Yet when you need to lug it around wherever you go -- which is the recommendation these days -- we're prone to get creative -- well, at least I am.  I know from talking with many of my fellow asthmatics I'm not alone in my creativity here.  

It's because of this creativity, and not because of overuse, that my doctor writes a prescription for three inhalers each month.  I purchase three and within a few days find a creative storage spot. 

The problem with this creativity is knowing which of the above places to look first when you need it, or when you need to go someplace and want to take it with you.

If any of you guys have advice on how to be a little less creative, please speak up. Yet I'm not sure you can teach an old asthmatic a new trick.

Likewise, if you have a creative storage place for your inhaler -- present or past -- please share in the comments below.