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Dr. Ho, was my Pancreas and Liver doctor while I was an inpatient for 6 months at the va


retiredat44

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10 hours ago, Valhalla0321 said:

Wow,

Thank you for sharing this and i hope you have a speedy recovery. Shedding light on this type of data is so critical to us all.

not to beat a dead horse but my diseases are permanent with no cure ever... but I know what you mean, and thank you...

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Retiredat44, beat the dead horse.  This is frustrating and a *itch.  You have been wronged and the VA spins the hamster wheel.  Make that appeal on time and we hope for a good outcome on it. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know this situation I became part of through no fault of my own, it must be extraordinary (I don't see how it can be seen as ordinary and even expected, and only possible through crazy and bad decisions made by people at the highest levels of our medical care), and even though the VA is a scandal in itself what it does to many vets.

 

I have a, let me just call it a question, instead of calling it a call out for an opinion on how I could have handled this better, since I am not a lawyer and only have a VSO. I would have gladly taken a lawyer, but none would help (me in my case for claims for disability for my injuries an illness from working my jobs in the USAF on active duty and already rated at 60% for chemical and a bad knee) in all of the years of asking for help, in person, by phone, email, and referral, they all basically told me no, they all want their money fast, and a sure bet, so they all told me to pound sand. Even though I had already won some of my claims for the chemical exposure. because the USAF doctors on active duty had already made a case for my illness from chemicals for causing extreme welling, headaches,, and more. So, in the 1990's I got the 50% for the headaches, but the va claims denied the initial intestinal problems, even though I was hospitalized for gastritis on active duty..

Then it turned out the suffering that caused me to stop working in my early 30's turned out to be at the very least gastritis and this lead to pancreatic disease, and then the failed procedures to help relieve, remove, work on a huge cyst on the head of my pancreas. The procedure failed, a second procedure failed within a couple day, and more time in the ICU fighting for my life, the doctors/surgeons were suppose to use a needle and rain that cyst, but instead cut into part of my pancreas and liver.

 

Needless to go on six months in the a hospital fighting for my life, and permanent inoperable pancreas and liver disease. I also had a lot of unexplained internal bleeding and many, many issues, that left me on feeding tube and unable to eat, and no muscles left to walk and Parkinsons took over my body. Plus, much, much more. all permanent. I will never get better.

To bring this to the crux of this entry, it turns out my main doctor who cared for me before during and after, who specializes in the pancreas and liver, was doing some unauthorized medical procedures, and I just found out when I attempted to contact the VA GI clinic that cared for me for a couple decades and also while I was an inpatient for six months. The clinic wrote me an IMO stating that 'it is more likely than not the fault of the VA procedures that caused me health problems in regards tot he pancreas. Also through more research, it turns out the doctor that worked on me for so very long, with a very close doctor patient relationship, well this doctor because the subject of a congressional investigation or causing veterans great harm for doing things to their livers and such while employed with the va (in the GI clinic) at the same time he care and worked on me. I also had unexplained internal bleeding and injuries under his care.

 

I submitted a little information about this to my BVA appeal case, with references tot he story about this doctor, and the IMO from the GI clinic too. But, I am not sure if I should have gotten more references about this investigation, the congressional investigation for his wrongdoing while I was his patient, and much, much more. I do not know anyone personally, I only see what it published for al to see through the typical news sources, Internet, news papers,, forums. Should I have gotten more of these stories and printed them out whole, I only took out an excerpt with some references about the doctor. I do not know if the BVA will actually dig into this, look at only my info, etc. I don't know if the BVA is aware of this through their legal channels when a VA doctor goes bad, and the leave it to the patient to explain, or they use resources, or if they even care. I am just a sick patient, And it turns out that a doctor that worked on my for along time was doing bad things at the va to veterans, with my condition and a possibility I was a victim in different ways. Wil the BVA look at it this way, or say I didn't provide enough information about a doctor who went bad at the va, who was my doctor. Also (along with several more claims), I filed an 1151 claim (see differences between 1151 and a federal Tort) before I even found out about the doctor doing bad things, because they cut me up, when they were not suppose to and tried to call it a foreseeable accident when doing the procedure they do on the pancreas like mine was done. So, they just denied it at a lower level before it went up in the VA courts to the judge. Now it is at the top of the appeals, with judges. And also with more proof that the doctors who worked on me (for a very long time, months and years) were doing bad things, and the IMO from the VA clinic, is a medical opinion in my favor. Plus many other issues, including the Parkinsons that left me unable to care for myself, for along while. Plus, much more. As I see full benefits, at 60% going to 100% plus special compensation for extraordinary health issues which often mean you need at least part time care with help from others, including nurses at home. Or, at the least another person helping you with life. Seeing as to how they are dragging my appeals out for more than ten years. With a high possibility of dying before the VA makes a decision on my benefits. The doctors who kept me alive and help me get better told me many times, most people with necrotizing pancreatitis do not live more than a few years, and the next step in the disease is pancreatic cancer. Yet, they drag their feet, the years go by, waiting for the final decisions. The decisions on my veteran disability claims by the lower levels were done by people who don't care are overworks, have no medical training, and have a bad record, as far as getting their decisions right in a very small percentage of the claims they decide. Note, I saw the BVA judge in person in a hearing, but a Veteran's Law Judge. As I wanted to now risk a video hearing or such and not get my case across. Time is wasting, my health is horrific. I cheated death. I had this hearing almost four years ago. The VA/BVA does not communicate, they only communicate if there is a deadline for some document, in fact during the whole va disability claim filing process they do  not communicate, there is not person to communicate with, you just send document to them. There is very little proof they read anything or understand anything submitted. They give the veteran strict time limit to be met, but they have no time limits at al to the extreme. The VA only has to explain a ruling, after a decision, and it usually written in stone, but if you have either the legal ability and know how, or legal help, lawyer, etc, they system can be navigated, not always, but sometimes.

And, or course to make it even harder, a lawyer will not help unless they are absolutely they are sure you will win and in a short period of time. And they make good money, one way or the others. The VA has service officers to help with filing claims, free, but you know what free gets you.

The doctor who was my pancreas and liver doctor at the va in this investigation and Scandal (San Diego LaJolla, V.A. California ).

https://timesofsandiego.com/military/2019/02/26/inewsource-san-diego-va-liver-study/?fbclid=IwAR0Dosm8cI7ZMMFiAOhcurVDKYZT-WGcsVWOefTBdfWER79Qo5HGKO4bk3o

https://inewsource.org/2019/10/01/veterans-affairs-investigation-san-diego/?fbclid=IwAR3dIVQi4xECowjvEJpaaJYKBdq7M-hK9_mCCgw-6wWLrs7xkzTAl8-KjKg

 

This doctor left the USA and will not answer to anyone about this case.

This is also to posterity, no matter how this turns out.

Plus my question(s) should I have done more research on this doctor and the congressional inquiry and the damage I suffered. I hope that the VA/BVA looks into this and take this care into account of me being a possible victim. Should I have dome more than an excerpt and link, and more names and tries t get more medical opinions, as I tried very hard, as the BVA gets medical opinions against you. They have deep pockets and resources.

It has been forever, years, since BVA hearing, and decade plus since filing VA disability claims. Actually, my first claims were from the 1990's. Yes this is scandal section, but I am part of this being this doctors patient for a long time. 

I read about a Writ of Mandamas , but no one said do it, or at least pushed, as usual it is scary filling out forms and wondering if you might hurt your case in some way. I have no way of knowing if I am weeks or years away from these decisions.

I have a VSO here in Oregon, She specializes in the VA claims, in the appeals process, that at the BVA. I have no spoken to her for about 3 months. She helped me send in the info about my doctor in the scandal and much more. But, I have had my claims going for so many years, I have had problems 10 VSO's on and off my case, from people leaving, moving, retiring, and more. So, each on had to told my case from scratch and has been hell, being so sick and having so many documents they fill large boxes. To move them it take a wheeled dolly.

 

Edited by retiredat44
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Retiredat44, we hear you and sympathize with you.  I had some very bad care at the VA in San Diego.  I went in for a skin lesion and was told that I had AIDS and if I was not cheating on my wife she was cheating on me.  They brought in over ten doctors to look at my body and inspected my entire body when I was there.  It was at least embarrassing and unprofessional.  After the biopsy was taken, it said I had Kaposi Sarcoma, all of my records at the hospital disappeared.  The VA told my congressman that I had never been treated at their hospital and there was no record of me being there.  The assistant secretary of the VA wrote the letter.  It sounds like a cheap spy novel but I was instructed to go to the VA release of information one night.  The man working there showed me my records and then left for dinner and locked me in with my paperwork and a copier.  I have seen how the VA covers for bad doctors and refuses to admit mistakes, even when they are in writing.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

I can't use the word "unbelievable" because, sadly, it is the VA and most of know that the VA can and does do some terrible things. But I can use the word "despicable" to describe what they do.

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