20-01-2012, 09:35 AM
Welcome, Gnarly.
Having successfully survived 21 years of Army trials and tribulations, I have one "major" suggestion for you. Get your self enrolled in the DEERS program, which will qualify you for medical coverage, and get all the info you can about where and how you can get medical attention. This will also get you your ID card which qualifies you for many other military benefits. You may have already begun this process, but if not, do it as soon as possible. I'm guessing that your wife is going through basic training (Ft Leonard Wood?) , and you may not have much, if any contact with her for 8 weeks or so, and depending on whether or not she gets a break from her next course of training (AIT?) you may not get much done on paperwork during this time. Hopefully they started all this when she first entered service.
The reason I say this is so that you could go get a full program of blood tests, courtesy of Uncle Sam, and thus know where you stand as you begin NBE. Depending on the doctor, you may want to be sure they check T levels, as it isn't standard to do so everywhere. If anyone wants to know why you want blood testing, explain you want to know cholesterol levels, iron levels, or something along those lines. You have an advantage available now that few others have, to know these things before you begin your "project", spend a small amount, and be able to do it on a regular basis to track your bodily responses medically.
Any questions, feel free to ask. Good luck! Patti
Having successfully survived 21 years of Army trials and tribulations, I have one "major" suggestion for you. Get your self enrolled in the DEERS program, which will qualify you for medical coverage, and get all the info you can about where and how you can get medical attention. This will also get you your ID card which qualifies you for many other military benefits. You may have already begun this process, but if not, do it as soon as possible. I'm guessing that your wife is going through basic training (Ft Leonard Wood?) , and you may not have much, if any contact with her for 8 weeks or so, and depending on whether or not she gets a break from her next course of training (AIT?) you may not get much done on paperwork during this time. Hopefully they started all this when she first entered service.
The reason I say this is so that you could go get a full program of blood tests, courtesy of Uncle Sam, and thus know where you stand as you begin NBE. Depending on the doctor, you may want to be sure they check T levels, as it isn't standard to do so everywhere. If anyone wants to know why you want blood testing, explain you want to know cholesterol levels, iron levels, or something along those lines. You have an advantage available now that few others have, to know these things before you begin your "project", spend a small amount, and be able to do it on a regular basis to track your bodily responses medically.
Any questions, feel free to ask. Good luck! Patti