No Pcp, No Psychiatirst

[Rockhound]

The word is my PCP was force out of her job. They were short of Dr's with the special skills to admister to the medical needs of Veterans with Psychatric problems, and knew well in advance that my psychiatrist would be going on maternaty leave. They could have appointed a enterum psychiatrist and provided an introduction so I would be meeting them in a more familiar setting and not cold turkey as the case will be.

Since my enterum psychiatrist will be for a short time, I doubt very much they are going to study my medical charts in any depth other than to not my present problems and medication. They will probably just do the standard questionaire as to how things are presently going for me and rubberstamp my medications, in doing so, I will have lost another three to six months of discussion with my regular psychiatrist about my in-service problem as it relates to my newly discovered cognitive disorder which was probably due to the TBI I had while in-service. Also what other tests or exam should I have done to see what other damage the TBI possibly could have done to my brain.

I used to think This VA Hospital was pretty good, one of the better ones around, but now I just think I had been lucky up til now and all that was bad about this VA Hospital is finally catching up with me and other Veterans.

If I was a drinking man, I would probably be self medication myself into a stupor so I wouldn't have to deal with the increase in my DD, anxiety, AD, bloodpressor spikes due to stress, I could keep on naming the problems I have that have increased in severity since I learned my PCP had quit out of frustration at being the only medical Dr. on the green team to handle the special needs of those Veterans with psychiatric problems. Problems other than what the psychiatrist treat.

It's all not right and when you see them building a new emergency room, when they can not even staff the hospital adequately, it's disheartning to say the least.

Rockhound Rider :( :P