Countdown?

3 days left and still so much to do.

All the data collection questionnaires are updated and electronic (the only set I didn't do was Pediatric, isn't that ironic).

Tomorrow we present our two new outpatient education programs to the department: Winning at Losing (weight management) and Healthy Heart Needs TLC (cholesterol).

The updated diabetes education sessions have been a big success with the Population Health team that is revamping their program. They are still looking for a CDE. Maj Chen approached me but I had to explain their protocol called for an RN-CDE, and I am looking forward to going back to my husband in Las Vegas.

The Diet Tech training module for Diabetes has been sent forward to the Working Group. The Hyperlipidemia training module is in progress (still working on the study guide). I still haven't looked at the Strategic Plan that I helped create last month.

More outpatients on Wednesday. On Thursday (after squadron PT in the morning) I am going on a tour with Public Health at the Pentagon! On Friday the returning dietitian gets to see all the upgrades and I get to show her the new documentation templates.

Don't tell the airmen who have been working with me in the clinic, but on Friday I'm going to present the two of them with AF Dietetics coins. Shhhhhhh.

Then 1 day to get rejuvenated before I get my hubby!!! He's flying out this weekend so we can be tourist for a couple of days before going back home.

Clean Computer! And a Day at Work.

$200 and I get my computer back with a clean bill of health Monday night. Thank you Best Buy. (I still want to shoot the a$$wipes who created that Malware).

Keeping busy at work. Seeing lots of outpatients (diabetes, hypertension, gastric bypass patients are the most common). Getting materials ready for the Retirement Appreciation Day on Saturday (Med Group Health Fair will be in the morning). I am blessed with a couple of active, motivated airmen working in the Nutrition Clinic - such a wonderful breath of fresh air to have self directed diet techs. Just SrA but if I went back to Iraq I would want these two working with me.

Today was a little different with revising the diabetes class slide shows and a couple of non-typical outpatients; gastric reflux in the morning and lactose intolerance (possible Celiac) in the afternoon. I also created a "Safe Food Handling for Thanksgiving" pamphlet.

Getting ready for PT (for me every Tuesday at 3:30p) when I got a call from the ICU with an MD consult for diet education. The patient wasn't going home tonight but this doctor said "patient care takes precedence". While I could have visited either after the workout or tomorrow around lunch time....I just said "Yes ma'am" and gathered materials to bring up to the unit. After that I set up my stuff for tomorrow's outpatients and it was about 6p before I got to the gym.

CrossFit WODs
Monday: 3 rounds - 200m run, 6 Deadlifts/5 Hang Power Clean/4 Front Squats/3 Push Jerk 65# barbell (7:45)

Tuesday: "Angie" broken up. 100 pullups (62 using blue band, 38 jumping) in 9:19. 5 min "rest" (I walked one lap around the gym). 100 pushups (as prescribed, straight legs) in 7:45. 5 min "rest". 100 CF situps in 5:14. 5 min "rest". 100 air squats in 4:00.

Tomorrow will be a rest day (and I'm expecting another long day at work).

One nice thing this month is my husband's work schedule. He's on day shift which means he's at home when I get online so we can webcam and chat. The bad thing is my TV schedule is 3 hours ahead (unless we're watching a sports event). Once a week we watch Poker (WSOP) on ESPN at the same time and share comments. The rest of the week I have to keep quiet about our favorite shows (which include Survivor, Amazing Race, Heroes, The Big Bang Theory) until the next day when he has "caught up".

Nutrition Tool Box for the Deployed Dietitian

This past week I was at Fort Sam Houston (San Antonio, TX) attending a postgraduate course given by the Army for deploying dietitians. Over the three days we talked about sports nutrition, burns, trauma, critical care, humanitarian aide, and detainee nutrition care. For me it was a mix of validation of information I had figured out on my own (or with a few emails back and forth with one of the Army dietitians in Iraq), and some new information that I wish I had known before my deployment.



I hope I have the opportunity to share the knowledge from this program with other dietitians before they deploy. And with civilian dietitians working in trauma and burn units. The sports nutrition (we consider military folks to be athletes) will also come in handy in civilian private practice.

One of the other great things about this past week was meeting up with the Air Force dietitians in attendence - and that I actually knew them (since I haven't been around conferences or USAF dietitian symposiums I can't put faces to names when I look at the roster, because I just haven't had the opportunity to meet many folks in our career field). But I knew everyone else there. Some from working at Nellis AFB and some from Travis AFB.

Combat Dietitian

Arming exercise. Weapons were distributed to all Airmen (as officers we already have our M9s and are suppose to wear them all the time anyway). But today was 24 hours of U2 (Uniform Posture 2) = wearing our vest & helmet when outside. Everywhere.

The Well Equipped Dietitian

Last Day at Work

It was bitter sweet. I'm excited to be off on an adventure, a chance to support our country and do the job for which I joined the USAF Reserves. At the same time, I feel like I'm letting down my coworkers. I know many at Sunrise Hospital have come to depend on me for so much. In pediatrics I have been the diabetes educator, the nutrition support specialist, and many times a problem solver. This deployment is also taking me out of the weekend rotation so the other dietitians (*cough* Medical Nutrition Therapists) will have to cover every five weeks instead of every six (I'm so sorry Administration did not approve a VSP to cover my FTE).

Here are pictures from my "last day" (not really leaving, just taking a very long "vacation").


The Medical Nutrition Therapy department: Doreen, Katarina, Judy, Kristen, Me, Lorna and Melinda


Pediatrics (Michelle, Veronica, Christi, Melissa, Necole, Darlene, Margaret



Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (Jennifer, Healther, Kathryn, Leanne, Alicia) Pediatric Social Workers (Shelly & Anne)



Pediatric ICU (Joanne, Valerie, Abu)

It was also a long day. I saw all my patients and then continued onward 3 more hours cleaning out old files, putting away old notes, and creating the pediatric education master notebook. See you guys next year!

How It Started

It was a 6a phone call in October (whoops! Time zone difference between Florida and Nevada). The USAF was finally offering the opportunity to their Reserve Dietitians to go to the hospital at Balad AB. Did I want to go?

Less than a 30 min discussion with my husband, we easily had our answer. After 11 years in the Reserves it was a chance of a lifetime, to do the job for which I had been training, to serve my country and make a difference. Of course I want to go. My husband had pros and cons: He only just got back from his own six month tour in Afghanistan. But was excited that I would get to have a similar experience (hopefully not too similar - since he lived in the middle of an UN compound on the airport tarmack and there were rockets and morter fire).

The next two months have been filled with training, training, getting my uniforms and other supplies, and more training. I've learned how to fire an M-9 (shooting Expert!), self-aid buddy care, crawl through the dirt and man a guard post (hopefully I'll never have to do any of these skills in Iraq). My usual duties over there are suppose to be writing nutrition support for hospitalized patients, and helping support healthy eating/wellness with all our troops and contractors on the base. This is a 7 day/week job (but there is should be time for fitness training - I heard they have a couple of pools over there).

Here are some photos from my training:


In a few days I'll be taking off for a trip halfway around the world.


Here is where I'm going (upper left corner):



Here's a closer view:




As I begin my odyssey and this six month "working vacation", I plan to update my friends & family here on this blog with my thoughts, my emotions, my experiences, and photos of this journey of a lifetime. Thank you for joining me.