tinnitus Va Medical Center

[kkp]

This letter is a fact, but I wonder if I should take to the patience rep.

I have an appointment at 12:30 at mental health, or perhaps just keep my mouth shut. Sometimes I do things out of anger I regret later.

To Whom It May Concern:

I was seeing the dr's in orthro clinic for my cervical problem. My neck is in pretty bad shape and I needed them to keep an eye on it. (at their request). On my last appointment I ask if they could threat my knees also, and they said I would have to have a referral from my primary doctor since it had been over a certain time limit since they had last treated me for it. They told me not to worry they would take care of it for me, The referral I mean. I waited for months and never did here anything from anyone so I stopped in at orthro and asked when my next appointment would be. They checked and said I didn't have any. They had forgotten to get the referral from primary care, and couldn't remember telling me they would. I can understand this because they see a lot of patients. They told me I would have to get another referral from the primary clinic myself. I had an appointment in a couple of weeks and decided I would take care of it then.

I'll mention here I am 50% sc and have an active claim on my sc rt. Knee

I also see doctor Blain at eye ear and nose. He is treating me for several things at the present time, Vertigo.Tinnitus,.and Meniere's diaease ..

I made mention of my dilemma to Doctor Young. His comment was, you are already seeing every specialist we have now, But I assumed he would make the referral. I was wrong. When I checked with orthro a month later I learned he hadn't.

Since I am in so much pain I had to call a local nuro surgeon, He sent me for therapy in hope that it would help, but It didn't. Ralph in orthro at the va had did this also. He advised me when I couldn't handle the pain no more he would send me some where else, Richmond or Salem or some where, mean while he would just keep an eye on it. I agreed with him entirely, because I only wanted surgery as a last resort and still do. My problem is appearently Doctor Young doesn't agree.

Doctor Pattel who I am see now at my own expense is sending me to a Doctor in Charleston to see if some sort of shots in my neck will help. That is a concern of his and mine, because if there is no pain when I do something stupid, I could do even more damage. I had an mri of my neck done at the va last feb. or march. I took him a copy of it. He advised me he recently had a patient with the same damage I have and about the same age who had a minor fall and struck his head on a wall. Unfortunately for him he is now a paraplegic. Doctor Pattel is not pushing surgery, Nor was Ralph at the va.,but I need monitored and that's a fact.

I cannot help if I have more than one body part going bad at the same time. If it was oversight on Doctor Young,s part so be it, I can understand that,but if not I think his decision was quite arrogant, and think he should reconsider. I realize I take a lot of medications. I wish I didn't and if you at the veterans hospital could heal me I wish you would, But if you can't please leave me with my dig Nanty and don't make me feel like a free loader. I was young and healthy once and you will be old and feeble soon.

[Berta]

KKP -if this all continues to bother you- please see the patient's rep- they usually are very good about sorting these things out-

the one here at Bath VAMC is excellent.

If the VA said they would give you referrals and didnt- and this can be proven, then you could claim additional disability under the Section 1151 regs,if you have incurred additional disabling problems.

My husband is dead because he was never referred to Cardiology although VA tests results -unknown to us-revealed significant heart disease.

Talk to the Pt rep if you can-and this might get straightned out.

One of my friends had a heck of a problem at the local VAMC for over a month.I gave him the PT reps number .He called the PT rep (with a lot of encouragement from me-he didnt want to )and he gave her permission to talk to me- I explained the problem-and exactly what I wanted her to do. He had started to feel ashamed that he was even questioning the doc-yet he was absolutely right and gets very flusterred and angry when he talks to ANYONE at the VA and then he blames himself for being 'stupid' -

which he is far from stupid- (2 GSWs, PTSD, leg SC, and Sec1151 100% with SMC AO misdiagnosis)

The PT rep called me and understood his problem and immediately went into the docs office and asked him to write up the prescription right away.Within hours this problem was solved.