Bad News From A Friend

[john999]

One of my buddies from Vietnam emailed me today and told me he went to the VA ER today and they told him he was having congestive heart failure. He is 20% For DMII and the VA has low balled him on everything else. He is worried he is going to die. The VA doctor had been treating him for months and telling him not to worry about weakness that it was just DMII. I think he should sue this miserable bastard. Now he is in heart failure and his heart is full of fluid. What is his best course of action. I told him to see a real doctor outside the VA and file for service connection for the heart as secondary to the DMII but he is very sick. I was telling him about survivors benefits for his wife and that she should insist on pursuing this. I feel like I am telling him something but I am a day late and a dollar short. I told him to come here and post. My other two closest friends in Nam are already dead. The VA doctor at the ER told him he might die. Can you imagine what he is going through?

John

[goofycow]

John:

This sounds so much like what happened to my husband, except his lack of care was at the hands of a private doctor. He always avoided VA like the plague! But in my husband's case, even "real" doctors are sometimes worthless. My husband complained of being short winded, light headed & having swollen feet at his last doctor's visit this past July. The doctor didn't even listen to his heart. He has had DMII for at least 5 years. He died aug 31.

I hope it is not too late for your friend. By all means he should check into survivor's benefits for his wife. I have filed a DIC claim with VA because of my husband's DMII and serving several tours of duty in Viet Nam. However, I don't hold out a snow ball's chance in hell of winning.