Anyone Else Having Hard Time Getting Appt With Orthopedic Back Doctor

[63SIERRA]

Ive been trying to get a appointment to see an orthopedic doctor at the waco VA, and they sure are fighting me over it. They told me certain criteria has to be met before I could get a referral, so I asked what. They told me my primary has to do a full evaluation. I told them fine, schedule it. They told me I had to wait until my bi yearly appt with my primary in mid december, they would mail out a slip, for me to call them then they would schedule it. I told them I had medical evidence from a civillian doctor that my back issues are much worse than the current va diagnosis, and they told me to bring the diagnosis in, and we would go from there. It seems like they are giving me the run around. I will know more soon. all this is after I got a new doc, because the previous doc also refused to refer me to an orthopedic doctor, and had a telephone conference with me, trying to tell me that my back xrays were normal.

[Notorious Kelly]

Any more, most of my answers seem to involve raising hell.

I've had much larger chunks than necessary cut out of me due to VA delays, and other issues as well. No disrespect to the many professional and competent VA healthcare workers but I am thankful to have the Medicare option now.

I agree with Dot and would post your experience everywhere including local news sites.

Be sure to get names, dates and times of all you deal with. If someone has their badge turned around (see a lot of that) ask for their info.

Make some noise, 63!

[63SIERRA]

Well heres how it went, I went in today for an ongoing infection under my armpit, MRSA. Yesterday I called the nurse and talked to her a while abt my ongoing back condition that the va wrongly diagnosed, and told her I had an outside medical opinion, so she said bring it with me today which I did. The nurse looked at my infection and went talk to the doc, she came back and said he told her to prescribe another zpack script of antibiotics. So then we get to the back issue, I pulled out the outside doctors diagnosis of spondyloylsisthesis with moderate degeneterative disk disease.

I pulled out the raidiologic report from va ., that says, spodylolysis without definite thsesis, and slight abnormal disc alignnment.

I explained to the nurse the these were explained to me to be 2 VERY different diagnosis.

She concurred but went on to say that alot of chiropractors, will milk patients out, and then send them to the VA.

I told her if that was indeed the case, I would call my insurance co, and an attorney and find out if the chiro " milked me"

I then told her I wanted to see a orthopedic doctor. Her answer was, that " certain criteria " must be met. I asked her to explain, and she said I had to be evaluated by my primary, and that had to be scheduled. And they could not schedule, until my bi yearly checkup came around this mid december. I never see my doc today, he did not enter the room. (I guess he smells trouble)/. \At the end of the appt the nurse copied my records from the outside doctor report, and said she would put it in my file.

In a couple days, im going to get my medical records and see what they wrote in my file.

I think they are trying to buy time, to sort out the diagnosis, so they dont want to schedule an appt for an eval right away.

When I went to the desk today and the clerk asked my why I was there., I told her, infection under arm, ingrown toenails, and back pain.

the ingrown toenails were adressed, the infection was addressed. but they STILL didnt adress my back pain.

SOMETHING IS FISHY HERE.

I even tried to give them an out, I told them I knew back issues usually got worse, and I wanted an UPDATED diagnosis. That would give them lee way, and not point out like a turd in a punchbowl, that they misdiagnosed me.

So we shall see how this goes.

I even explained, that I needed an accurate diagnosis, because it affects my disability compensation elgibility.

The WACO va DOES NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH BACK PROBLEMS, PERIOD.

Edited October 17, 2013 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

Your Primary Care Doctor is required by the VA regulations to put in a request if a consult is requested from the veteran. Go see patient advocate and they should help you with this. Unfortunately, you have a shitty Doctor that won't comply. I would file a complaint and request for a new Doctor after your consult.

Good Luck

Dot

I M ON MY SECOND DOCTOR ABOUT THIS BACK ISSUE. I fired the first one for doing the exact same thing. Thats why it must be coming from higher up because it seems like all of the doctors shy away from back issues like the plague. I dont want to be labeled as a whiner or troublemaker, but Ic want an accurate diagnosis. I told the nurse its a catch 22. I cant get a accurate diagnosis, because they wont let me see the specialist who knows how to give an accurate diagnosis.

[63SIERRA]

Any more, most of my answers seem to involve raising hell.

I've had much larger chunks than necessary cut out of me due to VA delays, and other issues as well. No disrespect to the many professional and competent VA healthcare workers but I am thankful to have the Medicare option now.

I agree with Dot and would post your experience everywhere including local news sites.

Be sure to get names, dates and times of all you deal with. If someone has their badge turned around (see a lot of that) ask for their info.

Make some noise, 63!

ive been getting screwed so much I just got tired of it, and im not going for it anymore. I even told the nurse I was going to get my medical records in a couple days, to see if they wrote in the notes that I requested a consult with a orthopedic doctor. So they know im on it. I also told them that the reason I fired the doctor I was seeing before him was becasue they denied me to see a ortho doc. Its like im asking for the keys to the pharmacy, and thier damned mercedes benz. ALL I WANT IS A DAMNED APPOINTMENT,!!!!

[63SIERRA]

I CAN SEE THE HEADLINES.

man arrested for sneaking into the va, and hiding in the orthopedic doctors office to get an appointment, no one can understand why he did this, as the man is a veteran and has access to healthcare benifits.. haha