lousy day - Rant Alert!

[Sailorsong]

Yesterday turned out to be one of the worst days I have had ever at the VA.  I was scheduled to have an appointment with a shrink and my eye doctor but on Tuesday the VA called to tell me that I was also to come in and get a glucose meter from my PC nurse. Since the appointment with the shrink was at noon and the eye appointment wasn't until 3PM that really didn't bother me too much.

The first hint that it was going to be a bad day actually happened on my way up to the VA when I was run off the road by a pickup truck. He was headed south on the Trace and passed a couple of cars in a no passing zone on a blind curve. Not only did I have to serve off the road the cars he was passing also had to serve of the road in order to keep from being hit by the guy.

So I arrived at the VA and checked in for the shrink appointment 15 minutes before my appointment and got a printout of my appointments for the day. I discovered that they had also scheduled me for an appointment with a nutritionist. So now I had 4 appointments for the day at $50 each. The appointments were for 12:00, 1:30, 2:15, and 3:00.

So I finally saw the shrink at 12:30 and he apologized for being late saying that " another of his patients came in early and he didn't know when or if I would show up so he decided to see that patient'. Now I could see that excuse if I had arrived late for my appointment, but I was there 15 minutes early. Not a good way to start a relationship with a new patient!

Next he started in trying to give me a RX for an anti-depressant without even talking to me about anything. I am not depressed now and only get mild depression during the winter so that was way off base, especially once he did start talking with me it became obvious he had not read any of my records as he was asking me about what all my heal;th problems were.

Finally we got to my PTSD and he suggested that I come up to a community based  support group in Nashville to talk with others with PTSD. Yeah right! drive 2.5 hours each way to talk with others and not get any treatment.

So I finally got a chance to tell him that the doctor that gave me my Neuro-Psych test said I should get treatment for my issues so that I could better cope with my MS problems. At this point he immediately said "Oh you've got dementia", without even looking at my records from the test. I guess he believes anyone that has a Neuro-Psych test had dementia.

So finally he ends up giving me a RX for a sleeping pill and one for anxiety and I leave to go to the next appointment with the nutritionist. But I actually tried to skip that appointment as my PC had already given me a book on diet and that talk about carbs. But when I tried to check in to see the Nurse the clerk insisted that I had to see the nutritionist first. So I went and saw him and it was exactly the same as what my PC had done and said a week earlier.  $50 for nothing.

So I went back to my PC clinic to see the nurse in order to get the meter, After waiting for 1 hour there and watching all of the nurses sitting around talking with each other for a good 15 minutes I went back up to the clerk and told him I was leaving. At this point I was so mad that I blew off my eye appointment and went to the pharmacy and refused the meds that the shrink had prescribed and left the VA. I figured if I stayed there 1 minute longer I would have lost it and ended up in the Psych ward, had another heart attack, or jail.  

Last night I fired off a nasty gram email to my PC at the VA and told her that there is no way I will ever come up to the VA again for the meter and if she still wanted me to have one she would just have to have them send one to me. I haven't heard anything back about that yet though.

Dennis

[silkything]

That sounds like a rubbish day :-( I hope the rest of the weekend gets better for you.
I do wish that consultants would read their notes properly, before talking to their patients. I feel your frustration!

Thinking of you xx

[supermum_ms]

lol are you sure they dont think you've got dementia? Seriously these meters are so simple that children actually use them, they all basically work the same way these days.

Step 1 - turn it on
Step 2 - clear screen or if auto wait for the ready beep
Step 3 - stick strip in slot
Step 4 - pri_ck finger
Step 5 - put strip in blood it will soak up
Step 6 - wait for read out and record
Step 7 - throw strip away
Step 8 - turn it off

Would you like me to make you a video lol hmmm it might be cheaper to go to the chemist, they also give free demo's if you ask.

Cheers.....JJ  

[Sailorsong]

Thanks JJ, Lulu, and Alex!

I did get a call from the Nurse at my PC clinic Friday afternoon while I was out. They are insisting that I have to come back up in order to get the meter,  They said they need to go over how the meter works and how to use it, plus some other information.

This is absolutely crazy as I could go out tomorrow and pick up the same meter at a drug store ( no RX needed ). I can also go on-line to the site for the meter and they give complete instructions ( with video) on how to use the meter and how to operate it.

I also suspect that "other Info"  they mentions is what range my glucose should be which the nutritionist has already told me. I also already know about all of the symptoms for low & high blood sugar. So what else could their be?

The nurse said they would call me back again Monday, but I sure won't be holding my breath waiting for that call. First I doubt they will call me, plus no matter what they say I will NOT make a trip up there just to get the meter.

Dennis

[Lulu54]

Dennis, it sounds like it was an all-around cr appy day for you.  Being run off the road would be enough to turn me around, go back home, crawl in bed and pull the covers up over my head.  

That kind of copay expediture in one day is crazy -  especially since it was all worthless nonsense.  

I continue to be disappointed in the VA system and how you are treated.

hugs from me, too!
Lulu

[HVAC]

Sorry Dennis sounds rough.

Alex

[supermum_ms]

HUGS!!

I really dont know what to say, I have zero experience with the VA but some of your experiences are just shocking, I so dont get all the run around you go through, it simply makes no sense to me at all.

Take a breath, and remember that it does YOU no good to get upset, there is no benefit to you at all, stuff them and all their incompitence! btw you did the right thing by walking out, i'd hate to see you loosing it over the VA, I'm sure it wouldn't be good, a bit too apocalipse now or one flew over the cookoos nest. lol

So keep your smile on your dile and walk your cranky little butt out of any situation that gets your blood boiling, cause we'd miss you!

HUGS...........JJ