While the VA medical can be good,for some things,others like immune disorders,like arthritis,can be tuff.
So for past 10 about I had to order predisone from overseas,to control flareups.
My a1c reading in march showed me diabetes 2. I told the knuckle heads,probably due to predisone.They don't listen put me own metaformin, which makes telemeres longer,making you young again.
Well I forgot and thought I was taking diabetes drugs,but forgot it.
A1C is 5.5, no diabetes 2. So I take meds for teleomermes and weight loss

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

You secure prednisone overseas? Under prescription? Does the VA know this? Do you arrive at your doctor visits with a list of all the medications and dosages you currently take?

You have to be proactive about your health; don't assume that the Doctor who sees you at the VA remembers anything about your medical history that isn't on your chart...

hell yeah,not opiates,also antibiotics when needed.They no.Listen I have to work,now in pain I can't,strepth throat I can't.Keep my own meds.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I'd rather die at home in my own bed than walk into a VA clinic.

Some folks will go to unreasonable lengths to avoid a little exercise...

I signed up for the VA hospital in Atlanta a few years ago. When I learned about the extensive wait time to get an appointment, I just went back to my regular doctor. Have never been back to VA.

well my bypass care was real good,at another private hospital

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Our family doctor suddenly announced semi retirement yesterday. He claims he will stiil do some work at the hospital emergency department but his office is closed at the first of August. I believe and so do other people that he was an exceptional doctor.

Even when they were not his patients. He told me in the last year retirement was not in his plans. Unfortunatly health issues caught up to him. Medicine was really a calling for him. So time will tell if he stays retired. He is 62.

You can only wish a guy like this well. An exceptional human being besides a good doctor. This area was lucky to get him 38 years ago. He had a massive practice with over three thousand patients.

A local V.A. Clinic opened in Arcadia, Ca. , abut damn time as America owes Veterans LIFETIME HEALTH CARE ~ so many Veterans suffer from medical maladies directly related to their service .

" I'd rather die at home in my own bed than walk into a VA clinic. "

So there is hope .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

finally going to arthritis doc,next week.hopefully methotraxate

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I had VA healthcare for a while. I needed to see a doctor about something about a year ago. I'd been in a motorcycle wreck and the Navy Reserve demanded I get checked out. The VA folks told me the wait time and I promptly got myself another doctor through my TRS. If you ever need a doctor in Carson City, NV, Brett Bellard at Renown is pretty good.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

yeah I hate going there,the doc's are good,but most vet's are hateful like me,or still in Nam.No one smiles,It's a drive for me,so I cancel alot.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Sad to hear this, Veterans deserve and are supposed to get the very best in health care, God knows they earned it .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

From my experiences as a city medic transporting patients to and from McGuire VA Hospital in Richmond; the patient care on the floors is excellent. They treat the patients as though they were made of gold.

The Emergency Department (ED) however is dangerously inept. Our protocols in Richmond were to take patients to any hospital they wanted, unless it was a life-threatening condition, then the closest. I have seen the McGuire ED kill a patient by incompetence right in front of me and have had a doctor tell me that he hated to perform emergency medicine. I always tried to talk patients out of going to McGuire.

I asked our Medical Director if we could offer "refresher" classes to the McGuire ED staff. After checking it out, he told me that we could not since they were a Federal facility and do not fall under our responsibility.

Almost any doctor is better than no doctor. It is a problem to treat yourself as any objectivity is not there. Plus the average person lacks both the training and experience.

The wife is pulling some strings to get the best replacement doctor. Under the circumstances of ours going into semi retirement. As health issues have occurred with him. He met our needs as a general practicing doctor for 38 years.