Do I have to keep seeing my therapist?

[texasvet]

I am 65 years old and have been 100% P&T  SC PTSD for 7 years. With all of this Covid stuff, I haven’t seen my therapist for several months.  I’ve decided to not see him for the next few months & I wonder if I am in danger of losing my benefits if I stop going to my therapist for a while or if I stop altogether. 

Thoughts?

[texasvet]

Thanks GB!!

I’ve continued to see my PCP since Covid started. I like the bloodwork that the VA does more than the 31-year-old doctor that I see once a year on the outside, who doesn’t know squat. What I don’t like is that he is the fourth PCP doctor that I’ve had in the last seven years.  They keep retiring or moving on.  

I also see the VA dermatologist once a year and the VA dentist every six months. So, the only thing that I’ve put on hold is my therapist and to be honest, we’ve been at a plateau for so long on my PTSD, that the sessions seemed perfunctory at times  

I think that he is tired of me saying that avoidance works best for me. Still, he did help me a lot as far as understanding PTSD and why I have the panic attacks & nightmares as often as I do.  Also, he’s been a good cheerleader saying that PTSD stinks, but I should look at the good things that I have a life. 

thanks

[GBArmy]

I know what you mean about revolving door with VA doctors. I had an excellent one for about 7-8 years; very knowledgeable, knew the system , and was pro-patient and pro-veteran. She moved on because she had enough of an idiot admin superior and move to another location within the VA health system in another state. But to a large extent I think it is a result of the tremendous and rapid change in the Medical profession itself. Doc have 15 mins. to see you and write reports; they have a quota on number of patients to do a day, just like it is now in the private sector. I'm not making any excuses for them; they still have to get the job done right. I just believe that continuing to see a doc for MH issues is a good thing, even if we can't notice the results. It takes little effort on our part (except for anxiety, maybe), especially with video contact now, to continue. I wish you well and hope you continue here on Hadit, learn some stuff for yourself and maybe share a little knowledge that you pick up with your brothers and sister veterans.

[texasvet]

GB,

The best VA doc that I had was a DO. She got fed up with all the administrative work that had been dumped on her and she left the VA for private practice. My PCP that followed her voiced the same complaints and he left also.

My new PCP seems pretty good, but when I asked him if he could refill an eyedrop prescription for me, he told me that I would have to see a VA eye doctor. I stated that my last VA doctor didn’t have a problem doing it and he told me that he didn’t work like that and that it was wrong for my prior doctor to refill my glaucoma drops since he’s not an eye doctor.  We are talking simple an expensive glaucoma drops here, not some thousand dollar per month medication.

My thinking on the subject is that since I see a non-VA doctor for my eye problems, why should I tie up an hour’s worth of a VA eye doctor’s time when the appointments are hard to get & another veteran can be seen that maybe doesn’t have an outside doctor. I also can’t trust that a VA doctor can see me on a moments notice 24/7 like my outside Dr. can.  
 

Thanks
 

 

[GBArmy]

Texasvet I kinda agree with you. You're 100%, and if the eye drops are not expensive, if you are more comfortable with your outside specialist, continue. Be smart though; if there is anyway that your eye problems can get worse AND that it could be service-connected, be sure you are submitting your med records to the VA anyway. Worse case situation is if you were to lose sight and you could s-c it, it might mean SMC's. Certainly hope that doesn't happen of course. In fact, I have the exact same situation you do. I've been going to my eye doc for 30 years and he really knows his stuff. It is the only out-side VA doctor I now use, but I'd consider another outside source if the situation dictated it. So, do what you think is best for you.

[texasvet]

I agree with staying with an outside doctor. After a cornea transplant, a retinal detachment and what’s called “complicated cataract surgery” where the replacement lens had to be sewn into the sulus of my eye, I can’t just have any run-of-the-mill doctor taking care of that eye.  I’m already service-connected for the problems I’ve had in that eye and fortunately, my other eye does not have any bad problems.  
 

The glaucoma drops are around $10 a month, so I’ll just buy those myself. Still, my new PCP is not going the extra mile to help me like my old PCP would.  
 

Thanks,

texasvet

[john999]

I would keep seeing the VA shrink if I were you.  I have been seeing one for 25 years.  This produces a mountain of documentation and evidence.  Very hard to cut a rating for a vet who is in constant long term care from a VA shrink.