"Veterans" of All Kinds

Today is Veterans' Day in the United States, and I am proud to say I have an appreciation of our military's veterans, perhaps from day one.  My father served in World War II back when the Air Force was called the "Army Air Corps".  I grew up always feeling cold, as my father did, and shuddered at the story of how cold north Africa was and likely felt more so to him because he was not given the thyroid medication he had needed from the time he was a teen. 

I became the wife of a Vietnam era veteran, though he served in Cambodia and Las Vegas, repairing the bombing radar on fighter jets.  He remembered the crew's reaction when they would find out an upcoming mission was going to target civilians and modifications were attempted on the part of some of the workers to re-mediate the outcome.  His then 14-year old daughter and I would talk around the dinner table when she was studying the Vietnam conflict, and the conversation gravitated to the deep ethical, moral and legal issues that were being raised in the minds of her father and the others that served at that time and place. 

I am always grateFULL to all the lessons I got from seven years in our families' challenges.  I got as good as I could at creating great meals with friends -- one of which turned 55 yesterday and now is eligible for retirement after serving our country through the National Park Service for 35 years: our water quality and rights and park experiences have been influenced by her talents and commitment to the organization and people who visit National Park Service areas.   After having recovered from debilitating "chronic fatigue" after having become overwhelmed and exhausted, I went on my own in order to return to college an become an OTR in 1996.  My health took a frightening turn for the worse with undiagnosable muscle weakness, so I didn't 'jump', I "hopped through hoops" to be selected for a coveted internship in psychiatry at the Denver VA, which was paired with a reportedly difficult internship in physical disabilities. 

There, I learned from several very wonderful occupational therapists, and later today I will, for the first time since starting Lumigrate, be in proximity to upper extremity splinting, which was the only difficulty I had on my entire internship.  (Splinting takes coordination and multi-tasking abilities, which are not my forte). 

The PT who was on my personal health care 'team' (see Lumigrate's home page at www.lumigrate.com for the "YOU" model if you are not familiar with it -- it is our 'foundational' with our followers) along with some of the medical experts on Lumigrate.com right now, is partly responsible for my neck and head being physically able to have 'done' what I have with Lumigrate since he basically 'fixed' my physical body issues as best as can be: his fund of knowledge and unique abilities have been one of many things contributing to the upward cycle I have been on to wellness and management of fibromyalgia.  Today is normally his day off, but he is working because there is an upper extremity surgical team who needs a splint today and since we are therpists with ethics and professionalism, we are pulling together on a day we would normally be doing other things and are collaborating and I am "officially handing over" what I know and the materials I had in my previous enterprise for treating the upper extremity to a provider who I foresee being able to help the people that I caused a void for in my departure from patient care in order to help more people through creating Lumigrate.com.  My mother was a teacher -- as my sister, brother in law, and grandmother -- I come from a long line of professionals who understand that we have the responsibility to make thing happen the right and best way, even if it is at our own expense of resources (resources being time, energy, money).

If you apply the above situation in my little world here in Western Colorado to the larger military situations we are immersed in globally today, it is difficult and takes time (21 months in my case with Mardy Ross, OTR, LLC) for the solution and exit strategy to come to fruition ... the literal "handing off of the baton", so to speak.  This PT also is on the tactical climbing team for our local search and rescue, reminding me of how many people there are in a community who are 'veterans' of serving the citizens and local, state, and federal governments and their citizens.  I hope we also recognize the service and commitment of all who make 'it' what 'it' is, whatever and however you want to think of 'it'. 

On my internship at the VA in Denver, my greatest teachers were in a group of Vietnam veterans with diagnoses of PTSD that would come into the locked unit of the psychiatric department three mid-days a week to hang out and participate with the OTs (PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder).  They'd be there as mentors as well to the patients who were currently hospitalized, knowing that in the future they might once again be back in the hospital for the intensive help provided on a secured unit.   They had met three times a week for over five years at that time and were 'like family'.  Us OTs ate our lunches but the guys just came to be there together and talk.  They guided each other with some great mentoring and maybe grandmothering from a very small but strong, older OTR.  They taught me how they had successfully moved through the process together that I wrote about last week regarding healing from hurtful emotional experiences (Link below).  Years later, here in Grand Junction, I would become part of a collaborative team with Chris Young, PhD, and we realized our 'professional connection and click' was due to our sharing our formative professional learning in the wonderful collaborative care paradigm utilized by the V.A. -- Dr. Young's PhD is about PTSD and Vietnam veterans and he has vast experience with the military veterans which he today applies to all systems he serves and contracts with, which includes employers such as law enforcement and the gas industry (if there is an injury or incident he is called in to consult).  He and Cheryl put in extensive hours fulfilling their professional obligations as well.  All associated with Lumigrate do: it's why we have something so unique in my opinion.  (Our core values: Valid, Streamlined, Fun, Progressive.)

After graduating internships I worked for a year in Denver with my beloved geriatrics in skilled nursing under the previous 'liberally generous' Medicare reimbursement system, and the government's efforts to cut back on the 'cash cow' of Medicare the second year resulted in a new system of reimbursing therapy providers for their services, and I have heard that in 1999, 50% of therapists were not employed as therapists.  The PT I referred to above, who is one of the very best physical therapists I have ever known, had graduated about the same time I had from OT school and found himself loading UPS trucks that year, to give you an appreciation for how hard our industry was hurt -- it affected all of our futures in terms of employment, income, retirement and other benefits.  Suffice it to say it devastated mine, and in order to just have some work I found myself driving 250 miles every day to serve several facilities spread around the Front Range, or across western Colorado every weekend or two when I could have full time work if I was four hours away from 'home'.  On one of those trips I literally followed a semi who knew I-70 and had the lights to view better than my Pathfinder did and that's how I traveled for 100 miles of ground blizzard.  But there were facilities and patients that needed therapy and this was what I was fortunate to have for work at that time.

In the wee hours this morning, I was returning to the Valley and noticed that I was the only vehicle which had fewer than 18 wheels on it! I went 200 miles through deer and elk-riddled territory being the only non-semi truck/trailer on the road -- one that i was following for a while (as they have better viewing for deer and elk on the road) suddenly started swerving and almost going off the road.  I presumed the driver was perhaps even more tired than I, and I got to thinking about how many committed people there are 'making things happen' for us.  Western Colorado has natural gas production and many facilities had their flags already at half mast to honor our Veterans today, and it was really very moving as I thought about all the veterans I have had the pleasure to learn from in my life. 

On the occasions I have been on I-70 going east from the Grand Valley in the early mornings, there is a procession of vehicles ... mostly white trucks with added antennas for bringing in the cell signals in the canyons so they can do their work while on the commute.  The petroleum industry provides a very important product to us -- it heats our houses and factories and even can fuel our automobiles and trucks.  (If there were more natural gas stations to fill the cars which are available for sale we would be utilizing a domestic petroleum product which is in excess currently -- the availability to refill is the hold back to that catching on in the US).  I-70 reminds me how many 'veterans of hard work to provide for us' there are out in the middle of the night or the very early hours.  I know been the therapist treating their hands or brain injuries or known them socially and many report concerns of falling asleep driving or are exhausted, and likely are on their way to having their 'barrel' overflow from wellness to chronic illness.  Sometimes there isn't much one can do about the hours you need to work, but other aspects of wellness such as supplements and more nutritious food, or what is listened to in the vehicle can have a big impact for the individual who is overworking.  What they do in their free time -- things to bring them laughter, joy, pleasure and spiritual connectedness can be good influences on the body/mind/spirit burden. 

In the late 90's, in order to have work after the government implemented "PPS" and caused the 50% unemployment in my industry, I "lucked into" a neat job which utilized my newly-obtained (and very expensive) college education.  I formalized the innovative, skills-based rehabilitative driving program for MasterDrive of Denver and the Rockies.  It is an amazingly effective program within a driving school based in Colorado Springs which has first time drivers start with two days of programming their brain/body connections with correct and automatic responses and car handling. (Link at bottom.)  Many of the instructors there and my clients were retired military and it was very interesting to get to know all they had done in their careers.  All of the employees who were committed to the cause of making our driver-clients have the best driving skills possible in order to have our roads be safer would teach in freezing or baking temperatures and many times we were giving up something we personally wanted to do in order for the 'show' to go on with the skills training.   I was the only OTR in the program which later grew to have several who didn't have to drive between cities as much, so just as in my previous job as an OTR working skilled nursing, I drove tens of thousands of miles each year but I, like all employees who stuck with MasterDrive, were committed to the cause of making our highways and society safer and better. 

I moved to where they are headquartered (Colorado Springs), and within a year my health required that I stop working in such a draining position.  I needed to regenerate (wellness requires you nurture your interests which make your spirit resonate) and I helped to found a non-profit for music (blues).  They were a wonderful group of people leading the organization who understood my limitations and let me volunteer on my terms.  They were good examples and teachers to me of how to have a successful organization, and I found another blues community leader who I had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time with.  He had been been a 'code talker' in Vietnam, where he was exposed to 'Agent Orange' as well as chronic and extreme stress. Despite the issues he struggles with from that, he got a college degree in late mid-life and was a leader in his work organization and religious community. 

Being on I-70 and the 'hub' of western Colorado services, whether it be medical or vehicle maintenance, Grand Junction has many people 'coming through' who stop off to visit and this Labor Day I had the great pleasure of almost a surprise 'drop-in if I can come over now' visit by this honorable man I had known since back when we were together in Colorado Springs 10 years ago now ...  passing through Grand Junction to have his R.V. serviced.  He had reviewed Lumigrate.com and told me what his doctor at our VA here (considered the best in the nation) had told him about the needs they have for services for our returning Iraqi service men and women.  "And Mardy -- what you have here is so applicable to what they need -- you just have GOT to do something with the VA."    What he didn't know is that all the current research is integrating and showing that there is literally a fabric being woven that shows chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War Syndrome are the same thing.  Fibromyalgia basically causes the brain to appear on scans the same as veterans with PTSD.  And since every video currently on Lumigrate.com currently is appropriate for most people with fibromyalgia to learn from, it stands to reason that the veterans would benefit from it as well. 

So if you know any military veterans, please let them know about Lumigrate.com, as all of our videos, products, blogs, and forums have much that could help them.  If you know any great fathers and mothers who are working outside the home then running around to get the kids to activities, make healthy meals and facilitate getting homework done and spending their energy resources interacting with their kids and who might be feeling 'stressed', 'tired', 'exhausted', or 'fatigued', please let them know about Lumigrate.com.  (Go to the Blog tab, then 'Ever Heard of Adrenal Fatigue' ...  Link below).  If you know of anyone who might not be as well emotionally as they could be if they learned to go from 'something bad has happened to me' through acceptance and 'letting go', please let them know about the article in the Forum / Psychology portion of Lumigrate.com.

But most of all, if you know someone who was or is in the military, say 'thank you for your service' frequently and today in particular.  If you want to 'comment' here under this blog post, I will be contacting the VA for their information AND we'll be facebooking, Tweeting etc as well.  Thank YOU, who participate and contribute with Lumigrate today and every day.  

LINKS:    

Kickoff/synopsis of Cheryl Young, LMFT and processing emotional trauma:

www.lumigrate.com/forum/let-go-shameblame-game-better-health

MasterDrive's website -- has sound so have your volume adjusted but worth a minute to hear what and why Ronn Langford started the company, it is a touching story and he has committed his life to making us safer:

www.masterdrive.com/

Mardy's blog post which overviews a fabulous book about adrenal fatigue, with links to it's website:

www.lumigrate.com/blog/tired-all-time-ever-heard-adrenal-fatigue

Mardy's review of Lumigrate's Scott Rollins' July 29 brand new and long awaited seminar on Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue -- which is currently in development for release on Lumigrate.com (in readable/PDFs and printed/shipped with only short intro videos on the website, facebook, and our YouTube channel planned). 

www.lumigrate.com/blog/fibromyalgia-and-chronic-fatigue-scott-rollins-mds-solving-mystery