Welcome to the VA...or not.

When you call a provider at the Veteran's Administration you hear: "Welcome to the VA..." the voice continues to tell you, "If this is an emergency please hang up and dial 911..."

Then comes the menus to take you to different areas of the VA. It started innocently enough. I called the social worker that had been in contact with us to ask a rather simple question.

Had the VA approved or authorized the follow up appointments with Neuroscience and the Neurologist that had treated my husband on May 6th?
She didn't know, but "How were things going?"

So I told her that Rich had is up days and down days. That we had done language exercises and found that some words were beyond his ability to spell or write down. I didn't know if this was new or not, I don't think he'd been asked to do any writing since his stroke.

She said she'd get back to me.
The phone rang a bit later as we were packing up the car to go fishing.

It was a case nurse from the VA. The writing issue concerned her and she wanted us to drive to the ED in Madison right away. I explained to the case nurse that I didn't think the writing issue warranted a 90 mile drive. Rich did not have stroke symptoms that were an emergency. She sounded rather displeased and said she'd put a note in that he was to see the ED [Emergency Dept] after speech therapy. She wanted a CAT scan done. She'd also notify his provider to get a consult from Neurology and ask for his records from GLHP.
I asked why no one had followed up with GLHP yet.
She had no answer.

We went fishing.

At our appointment with the Speech Therapist, Elizabeth asked us how things were going. I saw that she had printout in front of her. She knew about yesterday's call and the follow up notes that strongly suggested we come to the ED.
We were able to establish through some testing that Rich did indeed have Agraphia along with Aphasia. Both were mild but extremely frustrating to Rich.

Was this new? Probably not. We were given exercises to practice at home to challenge the writing and speaking. We left with a lot of thank yous. We'd see Elizabeth in a bit less than two weeks. She had felt that Rich had improved since last week. We left and were reminded to go see the ED.

Oh yeah. The nurses took his BP and asked a few questions. "Why were we there?" I explained because the case nurse demanded we come when I spoke with her yesterday."
The nurses left the room and then walked us to another waiting room.

I checked the clock. Shift change time.
We sat down and waited.

A man with a white coat opened up the waiting room door and asked for Richard. We stood up.
"Why are you here?" he asked Rich. So...my first thought was dislike of this doctor's manner. It was an aggressive manner and his face was closed not open. If you watch people, you would understand what I mean.
Rich tried to answer.
The doctor tilted his head a bit, then interrupted Rich.

I was able to begin to explain what was going on when the doctor held up his hand and said, "Just go to Gundersen and get all of the notes and records. Get the imaging and physically hand carry it here. I'll make a consult note to Neurology. They will call and set up an appointment. Bring them the materials."

This conversation happened as we stood in the waiting room. This person who called himself a doctor was not interested in the patient before him. He was interested in 'getting rid' of him so as not to have to deal with it.

However, the doctor was right. The VA was pretty bad about getting information from another treating facility. Their in house records were fantastic. But the method of getting other records was archaic and next to impossible.

Two days later? I still don't have an answer to an approval for a follow up appointment to see neuroscience. True to VA fashion, they would rather keep his treatment in house so to speak.

I see I will need to call the social worker again. She is going to hate me.
All I wanted was an answer to how the follow up appointments were to be handled.

Welcome to the VA.

Ping Pong Game of Healthcare for Veterans

This is sort of the never ending saga of our state of health care for Veterans.

My hubby was in pain yesterday, the medical people call it 'idiopathic' pain as it doesn't have a source that they can pinpoint it to.  His B/P went from way high to now... way low.  

As low as 103/77, which sounds okay and good, but when you are dizzy, nauseated, and unable to concentrate...it becomes a bit concerning. 
[Yes, they put him on a new B/P med which makes his blood pressure dip wildly, and it also fluctuates wildly.]

The phone call to the VA hospital triage nurse was made.  She insisted we go to Vernon Memorial...the hospital that we had such a bad experience with before.  
Hubby said no!  She warned him that he could 'die' in transit in the car.  He said 'SO?'
So off we went with a great sense of urgency.   
[Two stops for barfing...ewww, thank goodness none IN my Jeep!] 

At the Urgent care, after 5 hours they decided to keep him for observation and then a stress test the next morning.  

Good.  I had to work a midnight shift and I felt this would be a great option.

Then the substitute psych doctor came in and told him that he saw no psychiatric signs of distress and that my hubby really wasn't in distress and that high blood pressure and headaches were not caused by stress. 

[HMMM?  Where did this guy get his license to practice?  Out of a magazine? He had some way off the wall things he said to my husband and instantly his BP went from 130/88 to 187/90.  Stress nor emotion effect B/P?]

The attending doctor said he could go home and she wanted him back in the morning for a stress test but no change in meds.  
I looked at her and said *Do you have any idea how far we have to travel?  I work until 8am and I am in no way going to be able to bring him.*

She looked at hubby and he gave her the 'stink eye' and told her he hasn't been able to drive in over 3 weeks because of this...much less function.  

OH.

Well, they had beds, but he wasn't 'bad' enough to be kept and they had beds, but they needed to save them in case... so ... yeah it was a long way but could we come?  This needed to be done right away!  OH and by the way, if symptoms persist or he doesn't feel better, please come back.  But, he was to stay on the meds that were making him sick, no change, no plan other than the stress test.

Roll of the eyes.  I said so ... 'I can bring him back every day?'  No answer.  The A.M. Stress Test was out of the question for Friday morning.  No way I could work a midnight shift and have him there in time.  

The VA hospital is a good care facility, I will give them that.  What stinks is that they don't have the capabilities to actually take care of all the veterans who need help.  So the system works on the triage system.  Worst ones first.

I get that.  

Today?  He is feeling just as crappy as ever.  Two nurses have called.  One to schedule his stress test for Monday and the other to see how he was doing.  

Any changes?  Nope.

Better? Nope.

He told her not even to suggest the drive.  

I'm sure that my husband is not the only Veteran who feels like he is getting the run around for health care.  It is a sad state when these men and women give everything to protect our rights and then get shuffled around like numbers.

One person even patted my hubby's hand and said, 'Honey there is a light at the end of the tunnel.'

She meant to be nice, but I wondered if she was talking about a freakin' freight train or a 'near death experience'?

And the beat goes on.  [We hope]