AWTR Show 351: National Guard 101

Presents Army Wife Talk Radio

Join the AWN team this week on Army Wife Talk Radio for a talk with author Mary Corbett and her new book “National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses”.

Resource of the Week: Not Alone

We’ll see you in LIVE CHAT starting at 8pm Eastern.


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Visit Army Wife Network and Loving A Soldier Blog

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Chief Pharmacist (another additional duty)

This is just a fun note/blog to make sure you guys have heard about and checked out a beneficial program availalble at most, if not all installations. It's often referred to as "the self-care class." I recently took the local equivalent at our Community Health Resource Center on Fort Leonard Wood in order to add another title to my list.

mother, wife, confidante, household 6, executive officer, chief financial officer, and now chief pharmacy officer

I've been to one class before (more than 10 years ago) and received the coveted magic card (a result of graduating the class). I can't believe I waited so long to take it again. The premise behind community health centers offering these classes is that as adults we have the ability, and to some level, responsibility to "take care of yourself." But to us, it means a free and well-stocked home pharmacy, which will serve as a first line of defense against sniffles turning into wheezing and sinus headaches turning into sinus infections.

It's another empowerment tool offered by installations to keep the numbers down in the Urgent Care and Emergency Room. I also think it keeps the barely sick out of those places that might get you really sick!

Here are some fast facts that I gathered from our Self-care class pre-test:

1. Self-care is taking care of your own health for treatment of minor health problems.

ⒶTrue Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
Or if you're a mother/chief pharmacy officer for your household, like I am now, then you can treat your spouse and children too. I remember going to the emergency room once with a baby and being "prescribed" cough syrup. Had I had the class, I would have had the syrup, knew to administer it, and gotten extra rest at home besides.

2. I can get up to 5 self-care medications for minor health symptoms that I might have.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
At my installation (please check your local rules and procedures), once you've had the class, you can draw up to 5 different items per patient per month. Our pharmacy has 50 different items to include adult vitamins and 81mg aspirin for heart health. That's got to be a periodic savings of $30 per person per "flu season."

3. Ibuprofen tablets are available through self-care.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
Ibuprofen/Motrin IS NOT candy, but I know there's a reason why they call it that. We go through a lot in our house with aches and pains due to aging, kids, stress, or all of the above.

4. I can share self-care medications with my battle buddies.

Ⓐ True Ⓑ False Ⓒ Don’t know
This is why it's important and required that you take the class. There are always rules and procedures to follow to make sure we know how to take care of ourselves and our family. You must sign a statement that these items are for "personal use only." We don't know (except for what they tell us) what other people's symptoms are, and what they can/should/can't take. Best thing you can do is sign up your battle buddy for the class too!

5. The pharmacist can answer questions that I may have about OTC medications.

Ⓐ Yes Ⓑ No Ⓒ Don’t know
I've never met a pharmacist who isn't helpful. Except many of them just shrug or laugh when I ask them why it's "over the counter" meds vs. "on the counter" meds. I guess they're just used to getting questions about dose and deconflicting prescription medication with "OTC" meds and/or supplements. Either way, they're very helpful and I'm guessing if you haven't heard of the self-care class, they'll direct you on how/where to get that too!

Here's hoping I told a few of you something new. From what I read, our newest soldiers have the "self-care class" at initial/basic training, but if they're anything like my soldier, they're notorious for not sharing the knowledge. Bottom line, get a card however you need to, start saving, and start getting and staying healthy.

That's a word from my family's Chief Pharmacist, me!
________
Assorted posts from our Loving A Soldier archives:

In Time for "Me" Time
Mom Just Locked Her Door
Household 6

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Your Mission Statement Is Your Map

"My purpose as a HH6 is to manage my family. I will do this by using my talents of planning and problem solving to build a strong family. In doing so I will achieve fulfillment as a wife and mother."

This is my mission statement. Why a mission statement? Well, a mission statement answers the question, "Where am I going?", it is the inspiration that can encourage you when a day is challenging and it refocuses you when you get off track.

Writing this statement was not easy for me. I really had to take some time to think about what I wanted out of my role as a HH6 (family manager), wife, mother and friend. That thinking turned out to be some serious introspection. I have never sat down and really thought of my role and what I wanted. I have only thought about what it is I do and how to get it done. So, writing this mission statement was an eye opener. I decided I don't have to be perfect. That is a huge step for me.

My statement will change as life changes. This statement is my spring board for building a strong family and the place where I will come back to when I have self-doubt.

I challenge you fellow HH6's to come up with your own mission statement. Start by asking yourself what your priorities are, your strengths are and what you want the end result to be. List all your ideas. After listing your ideas narrow the list by choosing one or two ideas from each question that really speaks to you. Now you are ready to write your mission statement. Let your mission statement reflect who you are.

I can't wait to see what you have to say. Post your statement in the comment section below. Let's inspire each other!

Remember, life is a journey and your mission statement is your map.

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Letting it run it's course.

Well.... here we are again. My husband has returned to Afghanistan after two blissful weeks of rest and relaxation for all of us.

It's still fresh in our hearts so we are still in that "numbing" mode that ties us over until we get to the "kinda functioning" mode and then the "deep breath lets get back into routine" mode.



Our goodbye was cut short due to the train arriving at the station early and so the kids and I had a few seconds of goodbye before our Soldier had to board. We were probably a sad sight to the other passengers peering out their windows... the three of us standing there on the platform crying as the train tortuously pulled away.

Once I pulled into the driveway of our home it felt like time stopped. I could feel the pit of my stomach and I could hear myself in my head saying that I didn't want to be home without him and I just didn't want to go into the house. Once inside, the silence was deafening. It feels like the life is sucked out of these walls. The kids and I do fine with making our house a home, but after these past few weeks of having my husband home, it just feels numb.

I couldn't resist and I immediately called my husband as soon as our boots were off. By then he had reached the underground and was waiting for his train to the airport. I quickly took the chance to pass the phone off to the kids so that he could tell them he loved them one more time. Our daughter was first and she just repeated that she missed her Daddy many many times. When our son got on the phone and just simply said that he wanted his Daddy to come back, I choked up.

By the time dinner had rolled around, the house had livened up a little. I did my best to keep the numbness away until bedtime. I put on the best happy face I could conjure and allowed the kids to be as loud as they wanted. I could write forever on how It's just not the same though.

So... here I find myself. It's almost 11pm here in Germany and the kids are asleep and the house is dark, quite the opposite of what it's been like these last few weeks. This might sound weird, but I welcome this silence and the numbness and loneliness that have taken up residence in my heart for the time being. I've learned that for me personally, if I fight how I am feeling right now and don't let it runs it course, than it stays around longer, and I am more miserable. When I let these feelings run their course, I am stronger for it, and am able to be back at 100% for myself and my family soon after the dust settles from our goodbye.

At the end of the day, after 6yrs of goodbyes, this is how my body and heart have taught me how to deal with the constant goodbyes of my husbands career. How do you deal with the silence and loneliness that meet you as soon as you utter those words of goodbye to your loved one? Do you fight them or do you pair up with a pint of ice cream and just put up with the ride?

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