OK......I know the VA is underfunded, understaffed and overworked, I get that. But is it an excuse for sub-standard medical care? ESPECIALLY for our veterans?! I don't think so. I never thought much about it until my husband became a patient at a VA hospital after serving in the Navy during and after 9/11. I guess I thought the care there was pretty much the same if not better as a civilian hospital. Boy, was I wrong! Hopefully this is only an isolated thing that affects the one hospital I'm talking about. So here it is: Last Thursday my husband woke up with a HUGELY swollen and painful knee with no apparent cause. He didn't injure it in any way that we could think of. He was also running a fever of 100.4. So at my urging he called his PCP's office at the VA med. ctr., they couldn't see him for over a month and advised him to go to the ER. Ok, no problem.....we go to the ER and sit there for 9.5 hours. While there he gets an x-ray that shows no Fx so the Dr. wants to do an MRI. The Dr. we saw isn't a "normal" doc at the VA. He is a Dr. at our local university hospital and either moonlights at the VA or fills in PRN. So he wasn't aware that he couldn't get my husband into MRI that day. Radiology would set up an appt. for the following week and let us know. Next he tried to draw fluid off of the knee and there was none, just "clean" blood. So next was a blood draw to check his WBC's which came back slightly elevated. So the Dr. ordered him some pain meds. (Lortab and Motrin) and an antibiotic (Keflex), told him to see his PCP within the next week (due to the possibility of Lupus if the MRI was negative as well as to refill pain meds. if needed) and ordered him a leg brace and crutches. Well.....a little while later the nurse comes in and says she's so embarrassed, they don't have any crutches, they ran out. All they have are the really tall ones that rarely ever get used. I had to laugh....it's not funny, but what else can you do? So other than the crutch issue and being in the ER so long it wasn't so bad. Friday morning I went to a home medical supply store and bought a pair of crutches. Then Saturday we get a letter saying his MRI is scheduled for April 22nd!!!!! Almost a month after the ER visit! Meanwhile his knee is getting bigger. His job is in jeopardy because of the knee issue (he works in a warehouse) and we can't get this through the VA's head. Monday I went to the VA hospital to try to get his MRI moved, ended up in the patient rep's office and managed to get it moved to April 2nd. Ok, that's better.....or so I thought. Next I find out that his Dr.s appt. to have the MRI read and POSSIBLE treatment wouldn't be until May 9th!!!!! I went around and around with the PCP's office for nearly 3.5 hours and after being told that I'm an unreasonable person FINALLY got them to speak with his PCP to try to get him in sooner. Oh...this was after they lied to me a few times telling me that his Dr. wasn't in that day. Funny......I just saw him going through the waiting area and behind the reception desk several times. Explain that? So next the Dr. cops an attitude with the receptionist and tells her to tell me (I could hear him, it was a loud phone) that he would see my husband on April 5th for 10 minutes JUST to read the MRI. He's not putting his hands on the pt. or addressing any issues, including the knee. He can wait until May 9th like any other pt. Next his nurse comes out and reads me the riot act and says that this course of treatment is completely appropriate for his condition and we aren't going to get anything more out of it. WTH???!!!!! I gave her the "it's d*mn sad that veterans, much less ANY human gets treated this way and I plan on seeing the Pt. rep. again, as well as calling our senator." She just shrugged and walked away......so WTH????? If there is any "good" thing to be said about this whole thing: when I turned around to leave about 5 or so veterans who were sitting near the reception desk started clapping and one said it's about time someone "gives 'em he*l". I just laughed and said well lets hope it gets the message across. Sorry this thing is so long.....but I just HAD to get it off of my chest.

I agree with you 110% Teresah! It's embarassing how our veterans are treated! So here's the latest news......We still don't know what's going on with my husband's knee. We've seen 3 different Dr.'s and are no closer to the answer than we were 3 weeks ago. So far the idea has been septic knee, which looks unlikely at this point. I wanted them to test for Lyme disease and was told there was no need to since there was no bullseye rash. Well I suppose they aren't aware that 20% of Lyme victims NEVER get a bullseye rash, in fact they may not have a rash at all. Also I suppose they aren't aware that Lyme tends to attack the knees (or ankles) more than any other joint in the body. So I don't see where the problem is in at least ruling it out, especially since they don't have any better ideas. We have lots of field space and woods on our property and have seen ticks all winter, which is unusual. Also, since when do Dr's aspirate fluid from a joint with no Lidocaine or other numbing agent? This Dr. did and I will promise you that my husband's fingernail indentions will forever be in the table he was laying on at the time! I jumped his case about doing it that way and was told that he didn't have time to numb the joint due to the fact that he has to see a certain number of pt's. in a certain amount of time and needs to use his time wisely. WTH????!!!!!!! So sticking a HUGE needle in someone and not taking the time to numb it is appropriate? I don't think so! We have an appointment with the pt. representative next week, hopefully that will get some action. I am SO aggravated with this whole thing that I am seriously considering writing a letter to our senator and congressman.

Hiya, please don't stop venting. Sometimes that hlps your inner spirit when you can get your anger out.Is there a support group in your area foor VA spouces, childrens and adults..Thee is much power in large groups. I hope you have started to write some of you polititions. Please keep me posted and  will pray for you and yours..Hugs,Teresa