Does This Seem "fishy"....

[rpowell01]

I finally go to see my VA Primary care provider about my herniated disc and the reverse curvature in my cervical spine. Immediately after reading the private radiologist report he asked me if I had private insurance. I stated yes, then he recommended me to go see a private orthopedic surgeon down the road. After talking with somebody today you all know we both kind of see this "fishy"..

1.Why would a VA Internal Medicine Doctor recommend me to go see this certain Orthopedic Surgeon and not Bay Pines Orthopedic Surgeons? Why ask me if I had private insurance when in fact I am SC'd for my cervical/neck anyway? Isn't this unethical for him to do this actually and against VA policy?

2. I wouldn't let a Orthopedic Surgeon touch my neck if he paid me to do it. I want a Neurosurgeon to do it because every person who told me that a Orthopedic Surgeon who did their neck DID NOT do a good job and they wished they would have went to a Neurosurgeon.... I called Bay Pines Patient Advocacy today to ask them if they had any Neurosurgeons at Bay Pines. One of the so called "top" veteran hospitals in Florida and they do not have a Neurosurgeon there? OMG!!!! But they do have Orthopedic Surgeons!!! WOW!!! I did ask the person if it was ethical for my Primary Care Provider to recommend me to a Private Orthopedic Surgeon even though Bay Pines has them and her answer was "No that is not ethical" and then she asked what CBOC is he in. I told her Sebring, then she transferred me to Ft Myers Advocacy who is over Sebring. I didn't get to talk with anyone there but hopefully tomorrow she will be in.

Doesn't this seem odd or fishy he would do this? IMHO it seems there is a "kick back" thing going on here. Yes I am going to refuse this and talk with the Patient Advocacy person tomorrow about getting me to see a Neurosurgeon and ask her if it is ethical for him to do that. If she says it isn't then I am going to file a complaint against him. I might stir up some soup on this but this guy wouldn't listen to me for 6 months last year, and now that I have the proof of what is going on, he wants to send me to one of his bros...I think not!!!! I want the VA to take care of this and I should not nor will I pay one cent to have this corrected. Plus, I know it will probably cause me to be out of work for awhile so I want the VA to at least compensate me for it temporary...

BTW for information for others. If you have a neck strain with a bunch of spasms in your neck. Please get it corrected somehow if you can. If you don't you will end up in my situation with a herniated disc being caused by a reverse curvature in my cervical spine which is caused by all the spasms I have had for 15 years. That reverse curvature is very dangerous and have been known to cause death in patients. They can repair the curvature without surgery if caught early. For me I will probably have to have surgery on this because my neck is straighter than a 4x4.....

Be care careful with who your VA Primary Care Provider sends you to....

Edited March 18, 2011 by rpowell01

[john999]

A lot of times neurosurgeons will not operate until you are in dire shape. This is because of the risk involved. One mistake and you are may be much worse off than your original problem. I remember the baseball playear, Tim Wakefield the Red Sox, had a herniated disc. They operated because his leg was affected. Just because you have pain and herniated or bulging disc is not always a reason for surgery. My doctor explained what a fusion would mean for me when I told him about my lower back pain. I suffer, but fusion is major surgery. It scared me. I have had poor luck with surgeries including staff infection. Everyone says they can fix your back is this or that new surgery. I don't believe it. If the only took you have is a hammer everything starts to look like a nail.