When well meaning turns painful.

I have bad knees. Let's get that out of the way. I am 33 years old and spent 10 of my adult years believing myself to be the next best thing to superman with no challenge unanswered, doing PLFs from barracks 2nd and 3rd floors, jumping down fully kitted up from trucks. Running wearing old vietnam era flak vests (on purpose...it makes you tougher) and thousands upon thousands of miles of PT performed on hard surfaces. End result? I'm a half inch shorter and over time my tissues are so bothered by the act of moving at all the VA drains my knees. They do this every six to nine months because I am too young for knee replacements, this is fact...and I can still walk (well not right now).

BTW, someone needs to fix the android app...won't let you make new posts or check your inbox from version 5.0 or higher on my note 5.

So here I sit having just arrived at their urgent care...or whatever version of it they call it. I have a fever and my right knee looks like a few Italians saw fit to teach me a lesson about loan debt. I'm pretty sure I caught an infection from the draining procedure a few days ago. It feels terrible, I can't hardly walk and my temperature before leaving the house (and now) is 100.8 thankfully though, a dosing of narcotics prescribed has changed my teeth grinding to messing with my phone.

Why do I dislike this particular VA? Because it's right next to UW and this VA ends up being a poor choice for a teaching hospital...they mistreat people here. Vets who need to be watched because of dementia or simply because of pain are left alone for hours and hours. Clerks and nurses with attitudes, like it is US who must serve to their requirements. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Madison is terribly liberal and I think the VA here survives on the disdain of their employees. Milwaukee could not be farther or more a polar opposite. I will likely be here for hours and hours.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by armygreywolf

I have bad knees. Let's get that out of the way. I am 33 years old and spent 10 of my adult years believing myself to be the next best thing to superman with no challenge unanswered, doing PLFs from barracks 2nd and 3rd floors, jumping down fully kitted up from trucks. Running wearing old vietnam era flak vests (on purpose...it makes you tougher) and thousands upon thousands of miles of PT performed on hard surfaces. End result? I'm a half inch shorter and over time my tissues are so bothered by the act of moving at all the VA drains my knees. They do this every six to nine months because I am too young for knee replacements, this is fact...and I can still walk (well not right now).

BTW, someone needs to fix the android app...won't let you make new posts or check your inbox from version 5.0 or higher on my note 5.

So here I sit having just arrived at their urgent care...or whatever version of it they call it. I have a fever and my right knee looks like a few Italians saw fit to teach me a lesson about loan debt. I'm pretty sure I caught an infection from the draining procedure a few days ago. It feels terrible, I can't hardly walk and my temperature before leaving the house (and now) is 100.8 thankfully though, a dosing of narcotics prescribed has changed my teeth grinding to messing with my phone.

Why do I dislike this particular VA? Because it's right next to UW and this VA ends up being a poor choice for a teaching hospital...they mistreat people here. Vets who need to be watched because of dementia or simply because of pain are left alone for hours and hours. Clerks and nurses with attitudes, like it is US who must serve to their requirements. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Madison is terribly liberal and I think the VA here survives on the disdain of their employees. Milwaukee could not be farther or more a polar opposite. I will likely be here for hours and hours.

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Hope your better soon.

I am ashamed of our VA and those charged with running it, those who are responsible to supervise those people and us who re-elect them. Continue to be an advocate for yourself.

Thank you for your service. Mike

Sorry to hear of your situation. I hope they get things fixed but document things. Will say a prayer for you that they don't screw it up this time.

I think it can be real hit and miss with specific VA hospitals. I've visited people at the one here on the weekends and I'm amazing that a person can walk into a facility pass absolutely no security and get up onto the patient wards, if a person can figure out where they are on your own. My bro works for the VA and not to be sexist but at the one where he works its mostly female RNs that have been elevated into management positions. Always telling doctors what to do via the "rules" and usually brewing staff intrigue. Patient care is in somewhere there, maybe...

Thank you for your service, and sorry for your treatment by the promised government healthcare. Perhaps, once the single payer health system we are being sold is implemented, you will see a significant improvement in the care you receive.

Hope all goes well for u I'm 34 and a army reserve her in the UK and I'm feeling the strain in the knees hope you guys can sort out your health care everyone moans bout the care we get in England but the good old NHS is doing well with all the pressure its getting put under

Iam a vet myself and went to a va clinic once it was a horror story.Thank god I have medicare and supplemental insurance.They treat us vets as if we are a pain in the butt.But nobody thinks that when we are somewhere risking life and limb fighting for what we believe in.Hope you feel better soon.

An update!

I called my GP in Milwaukee, about thirty minutes after that I had bloodwork done, thirty more minutes an MRI (because while they waited they wanted to be sure I didn't do something stupid to an ligaments) and then THREE HOURS LATER I got IV antibiotics for a post procedure staph infection (thankfully not methicillin? resistant). Now I have to take antibiotics twice a day until its better. Already I feel better, but I'd say thats painkillers, wont be the case when I go to the shop tomorrow (and I will go).

I feel like I should say more about what has already been said about the VA but seeing as how people do know it's dysfunctional as it is...nothing more to add.

wow TJ, you said that something didn't feel right earlier this week when I saw you guys. well I know your feelings towards the VA, my father in law is in and out of Hines by me. it's almost like they have no clue why he comes in for testing. Well feel better and take your pills as prescribed, hopefully they will help. Get well.

I don't think its only VA hospitals that aren't nimble. Some of the VAs may be apathy and incompetency but the non-VA hospitals its CYA first (unless the patient is actually dying) and then think about actually treating the patient in a timely manner.

Going on 2 years ago, I ended up in ER with a gall stone attack. It was my 3rd in less than a month (all triggered by eating ice cream late at night--didn't learn my lesson real fast) but the last one wasn't going to quit and this time I'm puking until I'm dry heaving. The wifey was unfortunately out-of-town with her mom and sis just starting a nice little sw Fl vacation so I call my brother at about 0630. We got in the ER somewhere between 0730 and 8 and it seemed pretty quite. I couldn't really stay in any one position for more than about 2 minutes at a time. They got me in a room pretty fast and then the female ER doc comes in. I'm lucid and describe what was going on and my bro offers his professional advice (he's a doc) but Ms. ER doc had her procedure and she sure as h*** wasn't going to give me any pain meds until she was satisfied that I did have gall stones. She told my bro basically to butt out the second time he spoke up. After about an hour and half, they finally had an ultrasound done and yep, a whole bunch of rocks in there. Not that I was in level 10 pain but it sure as h*** was a pleasant 1 1/2 of being in the hospital until they finally have me a little MS into my iv line. Things calmed down pretty quick after that. Had surgery later that afternoon.

Gall bladder removed here too. Went to the Doc last August thinking I needed something for indigestion. Nope, not the case. Within an hour I was enjoying a chopper flight to the suggested hospital. I had called the VA before I went to the local Doc but it wasn't enough or the proper procedure to receive VA coverage so Medicare was the primary insurance which paid most of it. There is a national program called Veteran's Aid that will help in such situations and they sure did in mine, but the VA itself refused everything. It's hard for me to believe that a helicopter ride costs $2,000 a minute, but it did.

The VA hosp. here in Indy so far has proven itself in that their doing plenty of testing, taking things slow, not trying to rush me back out the door too soon. Employees seem to be all friendly, so I'd say "don't lump all the VA's into the rotten apple basket".

One of my employee's is a disabled Marine vet and need's to go to the VA about once a mounth say's there kinda of slow but treat him GREAT and do every thing they can to help him. My ex work's there and doe's every thing possible to help the men and women who serve our country. God bless our country and the men and women who work to keep us free and safe. Hope it get's better for you armygreywolf. THANK you four your service. Harvey

Army, I feel you brother. Especially the not walking part. It's so frustrating. It initially took me nearly 3 years to walk agin and presently I've worked so hard all day before that by the time I get home I had to crawl into my house because my legs couldn't physically hold me up any longer, then do it all over again the next day. I have to, I have a family to care for and they need me. I hope you feel better soon and get back to your feet. It's sad you had to go to a GPto get the help you needed. I myself have had issues with one of my VA facility here in Indiana and I know Mike(mech) has been fighting a certain issue for a long time.

I very much feel for Mech(Mike) And the rest of you guys. I'm trying very hard not to be political here...but I can't imagine a better time to make single payer healthcare a reality. Why should some of us get good care, some have terrible experiences and others have to be carted from one hospital to the next? If you get sick somewhere, get treated there, go home...see your doctor on YOUR time not theirs. It should be simple to see the best doctors available to you...not just whom is least busy within your network. I could go on and on about how capitalistic fare impedes the Hippocratic oath but I think you guys who've had oops moments on a job and had to get a few stitches while out of state or out of your area know exactly what I mean.

I'm also not knocking VA in it's entirety, a great many former generals and colonels now administrate on various VA hospitals...I think with Shinseki gone (I suffered under his "leadership") the ship is coming around. More and more VAs are getting better ratings. Lets hope for better and pray for those who don't have a choice but to deal with what they have.

Well spoken and I'll overlook the political being I'm in the middle of it. If they keep the heat on the VA and keep them in front of the population I think things will slowly get cleaned up for our troops. Remember the saying," the squeaky wheel gets the grease".