Nice help from the VA...

[RED]

I woke up night before last at 0200 with my lungs on fire and coughing up bloody sputum. I went to the closest ER and they tested me for the flu and I tested positive for both A & B strains plus Xrays showed I had pneumonia and a 102.2 fever. They treated me with IV antibiotics, Tamiflu and I was released and told to go to my primary physician today.

Sure enough I went to the VA this AM and told the ER I had the flu. Their reply, "How do you know?" I said, "I was tested at a ER and it came up positive."

Their reply, "Then you have been treated and we don't need to treat you again... goodbye." I said "What about the Tamiflu medicine and the antibiotics.?

"You've been treated... take your medicine."

What medicine, I don't have any?

[m1ashooter]

I'm stunned.

[leftyo]

it doesnt do any good to complain here, find the # for the patient/veterans advocate of the VA hospital you go to, and call them and tell them you got the run around and could still use help.

[RED]

it doesnt do any good to complain here, find the # for the patient/veterans advocate of the VA hospital you go to, and call them and tell them you got the run around and could still use help.

You are right, that may help but in my experience appeals like that take way too much time, but I don't think I am in any danger. The people that die from the flu are small children and old geezurs. Young and healthy people like me are pretty safe.

[S.A. Boggs]

You are right, that may help but in my experience appeals like that take way too much time, but I don't think I am in any danger. The people that die from the flu are small children and old geezurs. Young and healthy people like me are pretty safe.

Put the Makers Mark back in the bottle and go to bed. Red, you are like I am any germ that bites me get what it deserves!
Sam

[leftyo]

You are right, that may help but in my experience appeals like that take way too much time, but I don't think I am in any danger. The people that die from the flu are small children and old geezurs. Young and healthy people like me are pretty safe.

im not talking about any kind of appeal, contact the veterans advocate at the hospital, and make them work for you. it is amazing how fast you can cut through BS with someone doing the legwork for you. call them, inform them of what happened, and ask that they get you in to see someone who can assist you with needed medication, and treatment.
its a PITA that you have to do it, but those advocates are there, and they sit on their thumbs all day every day doing almost nothing, because most veterans dont know they are there, or refuse to take a few minutes to contact them, and therefore never get anywhere with treatment or help of any kind at the VA hospital.
to be honest red, as much as you piss me off, the flu coupled with pneumonia can kill you (73/74 isnt exactly a spring chicken), make a phone call in the morning and get those people to help you!

[blackhawknj]

Sounds like the active military. In my day a soldier going on sick call was dismissed as a 'wuss" or a malingerer, refusal to honor profile was a major source of IG complaints. A CO reviewing the sick call numbers as part of his admin routine ? That probably ended when the M1903 was withdrawn from service.

[Dan Shapiro]

Another thought, call your Congressman. Assuming they aren't a Democrat. Nothing gets faster results than when your Congressman starts asking questions.

The VA doesn't like "questions".

[oscars]

What the hell do you want? You got standard issue treatment for flu - that is nothing. Tamiflu is not seven league boots for viral infections. At best, it is effective in, at most, 35-40% of treatments. Also, at best it will shorten the symptoms about 1 to 2 days at best with atypical benefit period of 1 day (normally symptoms last 5 to 7 days.

Yeah right Shapiro, force some clinician to take away fro patient time to answer some spurious complaint about what appears to be a normal outcome.

[RED]

What the hell do you want? You got standard issue treatment for flu - that is nothing. Tamiflu is not seven league boots for viral infections. At best, it is effective in, at most, 35-40% of treatments. Also, at best it will shorten the symptoms about 1 to 2 days at best with atypical benefit period of 1 day (normally symptoms last 5 to 7 days.

Yeah right Shapiro, force some clinician to take away fro patient time to answer some spurious complaint about what appears to be a normal outcome.

You don't know what you are talking about. Tamiflu is a 7 day treatment, 2, 75MG capsules/ day. I also have pneumonia and coughing up blood. The ER doctor told me to go see my primary Dr. as soon as I got back to MO. I did that and was told to go home and take my medicines that I didn't have by some smart mouthed nurse practitioner (my primary was off for the week) I had to go to and pay a civilian Dr. and the RX's that he wrote cost me $200. If the bitch at the VA had done her job the RX would have been less than $50... By the way where did you get your medical degree? You know more than MD's I saw.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, the flu virus is responsible for 12,000-56,000 deaths each year, but according to Siegel, this year’s strain is particularly severe.

[Vern Humphrey]

That's why Trump didn't make me Secretary of Veteran's Affairs. I'd turn the FBI loose on them, and prosecute. And for cases like in LA, where 18 vets died on a secret waiting list, I'd charge them with serial murder and ask for the death penalty.

[USMilitaryGuy]

Did you receive a Flu shot from the VA earlier this season?

[fjruple]

I had a simuliar situation with the VA several years ago. I was getting a haircut by my wife's hairdresser, she comes to do my wife's on occasion, as a close personal friend of the family. I had asked her if she would not mind cutting my hair since I did not want to take a trip to my barber that day and I like to keep my hair very close (an old habit from the Army). while cutting my hair she notice a weird looking growth on the top of my head. She told me I should make an appointment with my personal doctor to have her take a look at it. I very quickly got an emergency appointment for the next Monday this being a Thursday. On Monday, my doctor took one look at the weird growth and immediately called a dermalogist for an emergency appointment the next day, Tuesday. On Tuesday I went into the dermalogist and they took one look and said it was skin cancer, they also did an on the spot bioty and further concluded it was skin cancer. They told me that normally I would have to come back on Thursday for a out patient surgery but they were booked and I had to come back on the following Thursday, one week hince. I thought at the time, I wonder what the VA would do, I have been going round and round with them about the skin deformities that appeared around my neck where my uniform shirt came in contact with the skin on my neck, around my eye (outside of where I was wearing my wily-X ballistic glasses) and down the my back since 2004. I just happen to have an annual appointment with them on the Wednesday before my surgery. On Wednesday before my surgery I went to the VA and showed them the weird growth on the top of head and ask if it could be skin cancer? The doctors called in doctors who called in other doctors to look and discuss. Bear in mind I knew at this point it was definitely skin cancer. The doctors and technicians said they would have to take a series of pictures of the growth and send it in to the main VA hospital in Philadelphia for evaluation. They preceded to get into a verbal fight over who had the camera last and where was it? I told myself, "Great and I have skin cancer and they fighting over a camera". They found the camera at long last and take the picture of th weird growth. They said they would get right back to me. Yea right! This incident took place in early November 2015. The next day I went in to my private dermalogist and they removed the skin cancer from my head. The weird growth was sent for a detail review and it came back as being a particular aggressive form of skin cancer. I waited for the VA to call. December came and went, January and then mid February 2016 I received a form letter from the VA that I should immediately come in for a detailed evaluation. Needless to say I was boiling hot mad!! If I had waited for the VA the cancer would have spread to my bones and other organs. Folks the only way to get rid of skin cancer is the old fashion way, cut it out. Radiation and chemo does not work! Thank God I had private medical insurance from my private job. It's possible the VA would have killed me from their negliance. I really feel sorry for those veterans that can not afford better treatment. Combat veterans deserve better.

--fjruple

[holdover]

"plus Xrays showed I had pneumonia " I would be very concerned with the pneumonia, seen a lot of people have serious complications from it, especially older folks. The VA screw-up again...

BTW here at the local VA Regional administrative office in Roanoke VA, an investigation found that the local officials were cooking the books on claims settlement going back to 2008, so they would look good and get bonuses.. They should get fired, and why are gov employees getting bonuses??

[Former Cav]

That's why Trump didn't make me Secretary of Veteran's Affairs. I'd turn the FBI loose on them, and prosecute. And for cases like in LA, where 18 vets died on a secret waiting list, I'd charge them with serial murder and ask for the death penalty.

If I had waited for the VA the cancer would have spread to my bones and other organs.

I've had 6 buddies who got KILLED by the VA . the VA told them they were no good malingering so and so's and they finally got so sick they ended up in a civilian hospital ER and were told they had Leukemia and were now Phase IV as they had it for 3 or 4 years.... and the VA had LIED to them!!

I'm with Vern Humphrey and I ask for DEATH by hanging or firing squad!!