Answering the wake-up call for our health

Disclosure: This article is a paid collaboration between myself and Walgreens. All experiences and opinions are my own.

For many years we struggled with finding the right diagnosis for my husband. He dealt with various pains, depression and extreme fatigue that impacted his daily routines personally and professionally. As a veteran with combat-related post traumatic stress disorder, the list of symptoms and ailments could sometimes be overwhelming. Most recently he was diagnosed with arthritis which added another batch of medication to his already long list.

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When you have multiple prescriptions that you’re taking on a regular basis it is easy to get confused and frustrated. After watching my husband it is easy to understand why nearly 100 million Americans do not follow their prescription requirements correctly. It’s so easy to just forget, be inconvenienced or lack the information as to what can and cannot be taken together.

Thanks to the Walgreens app he has a tool to never miss a day literally in the palm of his hand. Their app provides resources and information to educate and empower users. Confused about your medication? Questions about side-effects? The Walgreens 24/7 Pharmacy Chat is always available to help.

What we love the most is the pill reminder feature to help him create a routine for taking his medication as prescribed. No more missed dosages or possible double dosages.

When you have a chronic illness there are so many reasons to get frustrated. Doctors appointments, waiting in lines for refills, waiting for follow-up calls, adjusting to new medications and days where everything seems to be stacked against you. We’ve had scares when a weekly medication was taken daily and a daily medication was skipped altogether because the side effects were worse than the symptoms it was prescribed to alleviate.

It’s not the life we imagined but it’s the life we’ve been dealt.

I can tell that there are days that my husband struggles with the diagnosis that he has received over the years. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with remembering the current prescriptions, dosages, refill dates, schedules, follow-up appointments and … the list is endless, y’all.

I asked him once what helped him to keep it together when he was having one of those days. His answer shouldn’t have surprised me but it did. He said us. The same family he vowed to come home to each deployment helped him continue to press forward now that he was home for good.

Living with a chronic illness was definitely not a part of the plan. However when we think of the alternatives, we’re thankful for each day we are able to spend together.

Many veterans struggle with their diagnosis and the adjustments needed when finding the right prescriptions. Having a strong support system helps tremendously. That support system is not just their loved ones but their team of doctors, counselors, pharmacists and technicians. It is important for them to answer the wake-up call ☎️ and commit to taking their medications as prescribed. It is important for us – their loved ones – to be there to help and support them along the way. Downloading the Walgreens app is a step in the right direction.