Planning a trip with a large group of friends is not an easy task. That’s why it’s even more upsetting when certain plans fall through when the trip actually happens.
For this redditor, it was one of the friends who was responsible for repeatedly altering the group’s plans. Her disability would cause flare-ups, which would cut certain activities short, and while the OP tried being understanding, her patience eventually ran out.
Traveling with a large group of friends does not always run smoothly
Image credits: Prostock-studio (not the actual image)
This redditor had to repeatedly cut certain activities short during a trip because of her friend
Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual image)
Image credits: u/Throwaway5473756
Roughly one-in-four Americans live with some sort of a disability
Even though the OP was upset with her friend, she understood that it was a disability that kept her from fully immersing herself in the group activities. The redditor wasn’t sure what was the exact condition Sadie was dealing with, but it clearly affected her everyday life, which is the reality of nearly one fourth of people in the US.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 27% of Americans live with some sort of a disability. For the majority of them, it affects their mobility and cognition the most, making it difficult for them to walk or climb stairs, as well as concentrate on or remember things and make decisions. Certain conditions also commonly affect people’s senses, such as hearing or vision, or their ability to live independently.
Fortunately, some conditions can be managed with the help of certain medications. As a matter of fact, according to Statista’s 2021 data, roughly a third of Americans take prescription meds daily for one reason or another; one-in-five do it more than once a day.
Not all people stick to taking their meds as prescribed
Even though doctors and medicine can help manage numerous conditions nowadays, it’s important for both the medical professional and the person receiving the prescription to be on the same page; that typically involves taking the medication as prescribed or instructed.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pointed out that non-adherence is the reason behind 30-50% of chronic disease treatment failures. (The majority of patients with chronic diseases reportedly take less medication than prescribed or stop the medication altogether after just six months of taking the meds.) What is more, roughly 20% to 30% new prescriptions end up never being filled at the pharmacy in the first place.
The FDA suggested that following certain tips can help a person keep up with their medications; for example, carrying a pill container or using a “medicine calendar”. It also pointed out that taking the meds at the same hour every time can make it easier to stick to the routine, which is when a timer can likely come in handy.
In the redditor’s story, Sadie seemingly only set timers for taking her meds during the day that she had planned for the friend group. That and certain activities cut short eventually led to a confrontation with the OP, which split the online community into camps over whether the latter was a jerk in the situation or not.
The OP provided more information in the comments section
Fellow redditors shared their advice and opinions
Some didn’t think the OP was being a jerk in this situation
Others considered the redditor a jerk
The redditor provided an update after reading netizen’s comments
Image credits: u/Throwaway5473756
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