Moving...Bleh

Well, I think I've done a great job of getting my family of 4 ready for big, life-changing move. But today, it all finally hit me. It took me an extra half hour to do anything today because everything made me cry! I have spent my last Saturday yard-saling in this town, had my last playdate with my best friend, have less than 5 days left till this will no longer be my home. I've done all the right things, all the logical things. And it is a great move for our family. Pay raise, closer to family, great location, great opportunity for us to get a new, bigger home. So I plowed ahead. Made reservations for the moving truck, got a storage unit, arranged for temporary housing till we find a new place, got help for packing up our belongings. But no matter how logical the decision, I could never be fully prepared for the emotional consequences--for me or my family. I feel like I'm not actually living my life, but am just standing still while life rushes by around me. My children are completely out of sorts, having had their entire schedules, not to mention every last bit of their surroundings, uprooted and in utter chaos. Crankiness, tantrums, interrupted sleep. And I feel like a horrible mama since I can't devote all the time I want to them because I have so much I have to do. I hope they are a) too young to really remember, b) able to forgive me, and c) know that I love them unconditionally. Not to mention I don't even have 5 minutes to talk to my husband uninterrupted. I can't wait for things to settle down, return to "normal". But as much as I keep trying to look forward to the (hopefully) awesome future that awaits us, my mind is constantly throwing up road blocks. Oh well, for now, I hope I continue to persevere.

Inaccurate Portrayals of Pharmacists on TV

I will preface my latest post by saying this: YES, I know it's only TV. YES, I know it doesn't represent real life exactly. However, it is easy for the majority of viewers to take what they see as fact and then act accordingly in their daily lives. To emphasize my feelings, I will focus on two particular instances.



First, I was very surprised at an advertisement for alli. This is a medication that was first prescription only, so it is FDA-approved. So when I heard one of the testimonials start out "As a pharmacist, I was skeptical," I was furious! Of all people, pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies should know that the research that goes into getting FDA approval for a drug is extensive. Plus, alli had been on the market long enough as a prescription drug that it had even been evaluated safe enough to become OTC. For a pharmacist to be "skeptical" is just ridiculous-truly an insult to all those who strive for excellence in their profession.



Second, I watch Make It or Break It on ABCfamily. As a former gymnast, it really hits home for me. However, in one of the later episodes that aired as part of the most recent segment, I found myself extremely disappointed with the show, the writers, and the consultants. So much so that I was very upset every time the incident was mentioned in the subsequent episodes. It started with Emily coming home to find her brother without the medication he needed to prevent a seizure. Naturally she rushes out to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled. When she gets there, the pharmacist informs her that his rx is no longer covered. The cash price is way more than she can afford, so she inquires about purchasing just a few pills until they can attempt to work out the coverage issue the next day. The pharmacist says that this is illegal and he can't do that. Feeling desperate, the girl lays what money she has down on the counter, grabs the pills and runs away when he turns his back. She is later arrested for this. This frustrates me to no end because it is not illegal for a pharmacist to dispense a partial prescription. Even in the case of a scheduled substance, a partial prescription may be dispensed with the only caveat being that it voids the remainder of the prescription. Additionally, a pharmacist may even dispense enough medication for up to 48 hours in certain instances. Therefore there is no way she should have had to steal and subsequently be arrested. Furthermore, this scenario makes a pharmacist look like a scapegoat or a prop to make some statement about the busted state of our current healthcare system. Which couldn't be farther from the truth. Pharmacists must work within the constraints of this (albeit broken) system and are, therefore, in no way responsible individually or as a profession as a whole for it's shortcomings as they pertain to prescription coverage. Don't these production companies pay excessively large sums of money to so-called "consultants" that are supposed to be familiar with (for example) the medical field and keep them from grossly misrepresenting the facts like this?? It particularly bothers me because I've always been a huge proponent of Disney and ABCfamily. Very disappointing.

Sick of the Whole "Breastfeeding is Best" zealots

Let me start by saying that I really do appreciate the movement to encourage women to breastfeed their children. HOWEVER, on behalf of all mommies out there who can't or choose not to for whatever reason, I am sick of the zealots that make you feel like you are a horrible mother because you aren't breastfeeding your baby. First off, these people never even stop to ask WHY the woman isn't breastfeeding. This is a huge thing to me. There are many, many reasons why a mother may not. The most important being medical. What if a mommy can't breastfeed because she cannot discontinue the use of a medication that is essential for her health and well-being? (this is actually my situation, so I figured I would start with this one) What these people fail to realize is that I would be practically useless to my kids (not to mention I would be unable to enjoy all the wonders of their precious childhood) if I were to have tried to discontinue my meds to attempt breastfeeding. So I am stuck with the constant barrage of media and opinion everywhere that I've somehow the wrong or selfish thing. To go to the other end of the "those who don't" spectrum, let's say a woman just chooses that breastfeeding is not right for her, her child, and her family. Maybe she feels completely uncomfortable doing this (or at least in public). This is a legitimate reason because part of the added benefit attributed to breastfeeding is "building a closer bond". However, if this poor mother is so uncomfortable doing it, all the stress she feels is only transferred to her baby despite being well-intentioned. And, as a biologist, I scream every time I hear that breastfeeding is so superior to the formula that's available on the market today. Things like suggesting that formula-fed babies are more likely to be obese. Both my kids are formula-fed and both are at the small end of the growth scale. It's genetics, people--FACE IT. Both my husband and I were tiny, tall, thin kids. And guess what? Our kids are, too. Shocker. How about suggesting that breastfed babies are less likely to succumb to SIDS? There is a huge deficit in actual research to substantiate this outrageous claim. Therefore, it is merely a scare tactic. Also, let's look at the so-called claims about intelligence (both supposedly proven and inferred). My children have met all their milestones way early. My daughter had already learned everything that she would've been taught in 3-yr-old preschool before she was even old enough to be enrolled. She has a better vocabulary, speech, and conversational skills than any other kid of her age I know. All this has nothing to do with formula vs. breastfeeding. It again comes back to GENETICS and also, in this case, parental involvement. Both my husband & I have post-graduate educations, so I would safely say we are of above-average intelligence. Thanks to genetics, it appears our children will be as well. Again, shocker. Furthermore, we both work very hard to provide educational toys, programs, opportunities, and interactions for our children. We don't just get them the flashy or favorite or most popular toy on the market. We go for traditional things that don't have all the sounds and things because it helps foster their imaginations, their logic, and problem-solving skills. Anyway, I know this was quite a rant, but bottom line...before you judge someone for doing something different with their lives than you would with your own, at least try to get some information about WHY they chose their path. You may be very surprised to find the time, effort, and emotion that went into the decision. Oh, and it's not your life, so let them live their own.

Owning Pets

Unfortunately for society as a whole, owning pets is no longer easily affordable (at least if you intend to take the best possible care of your pet). I was harshly reminded of that today when the need arose for me to take one of my beloved kitties to the vet for a UTI. Thank God he didn't need surgery for a blockage, but as it is, I am going to have to work very hard to keep in my budget after paying for this. But I'm the type of person that strives to love their pets unconditionally (as they love us), so anything less than the best care I can offer him is simply unacceptable. And, having worked as a veterinary technician for over 5 years, I understand that the overhead costs are simply crushing. The costs of equipment, medications, and even staff is skyrocketing. Veterinarians don't receive such great compensation from HMOs like human medicine. There are few choices for purchasing pet insurance as it is. Uh oh, kids awake...more later.

My Blog, My Rules Please

This is my way of voicing my opinion on a variety of issues...whatever I think or feel about anything and everything. Whether you agree or disagree with my opinion or thoughts, I have only one request--that I always welcome your thoughts, comments, and opinions AS LONG AS YOU ARE POLITE. One of my biggest pet peeves in this world today is that common courtesy has flown by the wayside. I have to deal with extremely rude and vindictive people that I've never even really met before on a daily basis (unfortunately), from drivers to people in stores to service personnel and the list goes on. Therefore, I think it only fair to restrict this sort of behavior in my own blog. Thank you in advance for practicing common courtesy.