VA primary care will not refer to Rheumatologist or MRI

[jbasser]

How is an Xray going to show a disk problem? It is not going to. That doc is a Quack.

Gamma Radiation from an Xray shows up as bone and can tell if you have arthritis. An Mri shows soft tissue like your disks.

Go outside the VA and get your MRI. Do you have medicare part B?

If the MRI shows you have a serious problem then you can go back on that doc for quality of treatment and other issues.

 

J 

[iceturkee]

yes the xray will show if your vertabrae are fused, if you have arthritis, if one of your vertabrae have slipped and if you have scoliosis. it will not show a herniated disc and it will not show spinal stenosis.

 

but basser i am going to disagree. mild djd at one disc does not warrant an mri. if the op is complaining of serious, crippling pain, then other films would be in order.

i have inflammatory arthritis which shows up in my lab work as my blood sed rate was off the charts. the op's bloodwork apparently is normal so i can understand the doctor not wanting to order any more tests. if the op is not happy, he can bitch up the food chain and/or go to a civilian doctor.

if it were me, i would start with the patient advocate and go up to the chief medical officer. if necessary, i would also alert my local news outlets. and there is always an email to secretary mcdonald!!

[Vync]

13 hours ago, jbasser said:

How is an Xray going to show a disk problem? It is not going to. That doc is a Quack.

Gamma Radiation from an Xray shows up as bone and can tell if you have arthritis. An Mri shows soft tissue like your disks.

Go outside the VA and get your MRI. Do you have medicare part B?

If the MRI shows you have a serious problem then you can go back on that doc for quality of treatment and other issues.

 

J 

I agree with jbasser on this one. If someone's x-ray is positive for DJD, that's a clear sign that something deeper is wrong and warrants further investigation. Only an MRI can get to the bottom of the problem. The doc should have known this and should have referred him to a VA specialist at minimum.

All doctors are supposed to take the Hippocratic Oath, but some doctors are hypocrites and really don't care about helping their patients. Unfortunately, too many of them are in the VA system.

[iceturkee]

you do realize that most people as they get older have arthritis in their back and nothing else. he has arthritis at one level of his spine. i will bite my tongue and refer from saying anything else on this subject!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[63SIERRA]

thanks guys, ive been pretty busy trying to take care of myself some, and will try and spend alot more time here helping other vets.. Ive lived alot of what others are yet to go through but will go thru with the VA.  My fight i is over for now, but they are jacking my wifes claim around now, so im still   working on that, but at least now, I have some better tools to help her win, and win we shall.!!!!

AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, THE CLAIM IS NEVER OVER, UNTIL THE VETERAN SAYS ITS OVER.  NEVER GIVE UP IF YOU KNOW ITS A JUST CLAIM, IF YOU DONT KNOW IF ITS A JUST CLAIM, FIND OUT.

[fiasco2g]

Well guys I appreciate the comments and advice. The pain in my back is crippling at times when I have been on the floor unable to move. The pain has been there since before I got out in 2005 and now I am 36 years old so it has been since my 20's and getting worse. I will keep working on it just wish the va doctor would have attempted to diagnosis problem. If he had a plan other than what I suggested I may have been willing to move forward with him. But his plan is for me to come back in six months so he can see me for two minutes again and not even look at me just the computer. The va is a joke and I will find a way to get diagnosed without them when possible.