Is the V.A. falsifying my test results??

[DocC03]

I recently have asked to add a few things to be SC'd for. After I filed a new claim I was sent to do several xrays and mri's for Comp and Pen.

The problem came when the results were given to me by my primary care doc. He was reading me the results and EVERY test was normal!?!? Now keep in mind that these tests are repeats of one that have been done in the past that showed problems that don;t go away on their own.

Ankle Xray-done in the past and showed arhtritis.

Ankle mri-done in the past showed serious damage to tendons and ligaments

MRI Brain-done in the past showed a cluster of blood vessels that were damaged with prior bleeding.

Xray of lower back- done in the past showed degeneative disc disease.

Ultrasound of lymph nodes-done in past showed enlarged nodes in neck

None of these things have been treated yet and all tests in the past were done by private companies when I was working and had insurance. The V.A. had these records from private companies. 

These new tests were done by the V.A. only. The tests results are ALL negative!!!!! No problems, no issues, no signs of past problems, just normal test results?!?!?!? 

I understand that people can heal. But there are certain things that don't go away like messed up vessels in your brain that were verified by MRI, CT, and Angiogram, also the damage to my ankle was so severe that it would not of healed completely with no signs of problems.

Since the original tests showed problems my ankle has gotten worse and my back has gotten worse. 

How is this possible??? My doc was blown away because he can physically see the problems such as swollen lymph nodes and ankle. 

Is there a precedent of the V.A. falsifying tests, or is this a case of maybe poor equipment at the V.A.? I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but I can't seem to wrap my head around what could be causing this?

 

[Vync]

Hey Doc,
This would not be unheard of. I have been a victim of this myself.

Did your doctor or they radiologist state the results were normal?

[DocC03]

Vync,

Thanks for the response. To answer your question.....in every case with the newest tests the person that read the records stated the results were normal. I believe it was the radiologist on my ankle and back stuff and it was the neurologist in the case of my brain issue. 

I am just so confused by this. Being a medic and also having a lot of medical training and experience in addition to the military I am having a hard time justifying how my results could be completely different like this.

[iceturkee]

it is quite possible in by saying normal, they mean no significant change since last xray. if thats the case, they should, at least, say no significant changes since xrays of (fill in the date).

[DocC03]

Iceturkee,

I had that original thought. But then once reading over everything it became clear that they were saying there is absolutely nothing wrong. Every section of every report showed no problems at all. 

Don't hesitate to let me know of any other ideas anyone might have.

[Vync]

Normal should mean "normal", as would WNL (within normal limits) in terms of a normal functioning human.

Normal would not mean same as last time.

I had a couple of situations where I had problems with VA imaging and lab results.

1. The radiologist was a noob resident who had no idea how to read the images. The attending just blindly signed off. I took the images to a non-VA doc and they said, oh yeah, there's problems.

2. Non-VA lab results showed I tested positive for Hep-C antibodies, but negative for the antigen. VA labs tested negative for everything.

 

And then you should also consider this:
- The equipment in use at the VA was purchased from the lowest bidder
- Request second opinion from a different radiologist
- Go to the VAMC and get the actual images. They usually provide them on disc. Visually compare them to your original non-VA images.

[DocC03]

I will do all of those suggestions. If my suspicions are true like I think they are then what recourse do I have being this is regarding comp and pen?