At VA Clinic today

[Raider]

Fun VA story. The lady tells me that we have to get some WEIGHT BEARING x-rays of my feet.

Just inside the x-ray room, she's standing right in front of me and says, "You have to take your shoes and socks off. LET'S GO. TAKE THEM OFF!" There's no chair nearby, but I see one across the room, blocked by her.

"Can I use the chair?"

"Well, I guess you can use that green chair over there."

My shoes and socks are off and she comes back over to me, "Why are your socks off? You don't need your socks off. In fact, I'd rather you have your socks on! Put them back on!"

"But you told me to take them off!?!"

"Well, I want them on!"

Socks are back on and she tells me to get on the table. The camera is angled in a way that she'd be able to take pictures of the feet. The table is as high as the dining room table, and there is no hand rail. I think, this doesn't seem right, but instant and willing obedience kicks in. I jump on the table as best an overweight, middle-aged man can, and she starts yelling at me. "GET DOWN! GET DOWN! GET DOWN!"

"But you told me to get up."

"But I didn't say stand!"

"But you said it would be weight bearing!"

"Well, we would never ask the veteran to jump on the table!"

This type of back and forth continued throughout the visit. She kept taking deep breaths and was clearly trying to be very nice, but it clearly just wasn't in her nature.

I swear the lady must have been a drill instructor. "Put em on. Take em off. On the table. Off the table. Go left. Go right." I've not been this confused since boot camp.

[cookiedough]

so, what did the xray show and why was it taken?

sometimes I think or more often than NOT like 99.99% of the time they do xrays or tests of some kind to make more money for no good reason.  With insurance having depending on plan 1500 to first 3K deductible to meet first,  they best give me a good reason to do any type of testing.

I did one nerve test on my right arm where they hook up electrodes to my right arm and zap me lightly hooked up to laptop to see if I had carpal tunnel issues or nerve issues.  Of course, 800 bucks later for 15 minutes all came back negative as usual.    rip off if you ask me.

[DDT (12)]

Raider,

Thanks for the memories you brought to the fore for this vet! 'Hurry-up and wait', 'strip to the waist... from both ends!'. 'Your other left, stupid!' Ahhh, the good ol' days...

My ex once asked me if I'd like to go with her and some others for another visit to Disney World. "No thanks," I'd responded. "I served three years in the Army, and two and a half of those were spent standing in a line someplace! Not interested in doing that any more..."

DDT

[3fan4life]

Sounds to me like she's an ex Army nurse.

[signart]

Reminds me of my Dad's stay at the VA in Murfreesboro. Before he could be released he was told he had to have a BM. He was anxiously waiting on the pot trying his best to do the deed so I could get him out of there and take him home. While sitting there, his army nurse which look like she came out of movie jerked the door to the john open and announced "Time for your shot", at the same time she jabbed him above the knee with a syringe.

...no BM

[MarkT]

Is that nurse Ratchet? 

I've been contemplating going to the VA to get them to be responsible and start paying for the meds they caused me to need with Agent Orange.  Some of them are getting spendy.  Your story reminds me why I don't really want to do that.  Though they have acknowledged they exposed me to "herbicides", they have contributed not a penny to the results of spraying my work areas with agent orange.  I think I have to turn myself over to their care in whole or part before they even start to own their damage.  Somehow I think the resulting aggravation wouldn't be worth it.  Just pay for the meds & care myself with help from Medicare and United Health (Don't) Care might be how I'll continue...

[Jess from VA]

I long ago discovered some people can be OK or good at their jobs, but they just suck working with other people, or the public.

The socks story reminds me of Brando as the Japanese interpreter Sakini in Tea-house of the August Moon. The Col is always telling him to pull his droopy socks up.  Then, when he walks slowly tells him to go faster.  Sorry boss, but if walk faster, socks fall down.

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/95840/Teahouse-of-the-August-Moon-The-Original-Trailer-.html

[Raider]

so, what did the xray show and why was it taken?

sometimes I think or more often than NOT like 99.99% of the time they do xrays or tests of some kind to make more money for no good reason.  With insurance having depending on plan 1500 to first 3K deductible to meet first,  they best give me a good reason to do any type of testing.

I did one nerve test on my right arm where they hook up electrodes to my right arm and zap me lightly hooked up to laptop to see if I had carpal tunnel issues or nerve issues.  Of course, 800 bucks later for 15 minutes all came back negative as usual.    rip off if you ask me.

Most times, I'd agree with you. Medical services are a racket.  I think the VA, on the other hand, does better for the fewer services provided.  Similar with military medical.  The people making the decisions are ultimately paying for the services.  Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune has a annual budget that includes all services they provide.  The more services they provide, the harder it is for them to maintain their budget.  On the other hand, when dealing with an insurance company, docs often advocate on your behalf to force the insurance to approve services that you need.

End of the day, they told me that I have flat feet when I exited the Corps.  Now they want to see if it's gotten any better.  I don't have the results yet.

[Raider]

Is that nurse Ratchet? 

I've been contemplating going to the VA to get them to be responsible and start paying for the meds they caused me to need with Agent Orange.  Some of them are getting spendy.  Your story reminds me why I don't really want to do that.  Though they have acknowledged they exposed me to "herbicides", they have contributed not a penny to the results of spraying my work areas with agent orange.  I think I have to turn myself over to their care in whole or part before they even start to own their damage.  Somehow I think the resulting aggravation wouldn't be worth it.  Just pay for the meds & care myself with help from Medicare and United Health (Don't) Care might be how I'll continue...

Despite the funny story, I have actually had pretty good treatment at the VA.  Even in this case, I could tell that this lady was really trying to be nice.  She's simply had years of being brutish and is clearly being told that she needs to change. 

Anyhow, get the treatment you need and deserve.  I can't stand people faking crap for VA benefits.  I'm bummed though, when vets don't get the care they need.  I exited the Corps as a Major.  I was treated well as I was checking out- even at the VA.  I watched corporals and sergeants come in to check out, and the clerk was so aggressive with them that none bothered to even see if they needed any assistance.  They just wanted the stamp on the checkout sheet.  I had words with him and with the VA about him.  They've fixed that.

[Raider]

I long ago discovered some people can be OK or good at their jobs, but they just suck working with other people, or the public.

The socks story reminds me of Brando as the Japanese interpreter Sakini in Tea-house of the August Moon. The Col is always telling him to pull his droopy socks up.  Then, when he walks slowly tells him to go faster.  Sorry boss, but if walk faster, socks fall down.

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/95840/Teahouse-of-the-August-Moon-The-Original-Trailer-.html

 

[Raider]

Glad all else enjoyed the anecdote/memories!

[old2soon]

           As most of you are aware of I unloaded Aug of 16 and broke my left ankle. It was after 4:30 in the afternoon and my V A Clinic was closed. I waited til the next day and my regular Nurse-Sheila-got all up in my face when she saw the X-ray and realized my ankle was in fact broken-the day before! To say she was NOT a happy camper is stating it too Mildly. I was NOT p od or upset-I was touched that she cared That MUCH about one of her many patients. My care at my V A Clinic-West Plains Mo.-is I M H O 2nd to nobody. And when I go to the V A Hospital in Poplar Bluff Mo. for procedures I am welcomed as friend. Also received good care at The Naval Hospital at Great Lakes Il. I'm also aware of some of the horror stories from other V A facilities across the country. Over all me personally-I receive excellent care here in Missouri. RIDE SAFE.

[3fan4life]

I have been treated well by the VA.

It can take a while to get some prceedures done.

But then things like an MRI are easier to get than they are in the civilian world.

I do have to stay on them to get them to fix a problem of instead of just throwing pills at it.

[Jess from VA]

I have no service-connected disability, so I get no VA treatment.

My story is my MEPS entrance examination ('83).  So I'm lined up with a hundred other guys, all in our jockeys and socks, walking around from station to station.  And every once in a while, a group of about 6 women (girls) was walked by or around us, fully clothed.  I asked the guy leading us around when we got to see them in their underwear, since fair is fair, and was told to shut up. (The girls giggled though.)  

When we got to the bend over and spread your cheeks station, I bent forward and spread my mouth cheeks.  The doc at that station said that was funny, the first time some guy did it 15 years earlier.  I asked him if he changed gloves between exams, and he said every other day he did.

I was found fully fit for military service.  Something a high percentage of today's youth apparently cannot say.

A female Jag I served with at my first duty station told me that on the brief psych exam, she was asked if she liked women.  She said she told him she did like women, but she didn't screw them.  This was apparently the answer he was looking for.  My how times change.          

[solo1]

I was the lead Xray technician at the Ft. Wayne VA hospital in 1956.  I never lost sight of the fact that the WWII  and Korean Vets had it much worse than I did when I was in.  Lots of stories and the vets were treated right then.

I remember three stories (lots more but). One was when I had to do a series of Xrays on a totally deaf vet.  I wrote the instructions out for him and told him on the note that I would squeeze his arm to have him stop breathing and again squeeze his arm when he should start again (Breathing blurs the Xrays).  He did exactly what I needed.  

Another story. I had another big vet that I needed to do a pelvis and femur study. I asked him to lie on the table while I got the 14x17 film cassette. I noticed that he was breathing very hard but went to get the cassette to install in the bucky. When I came back, he was staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. I looked at his chest, wasn't moving. I shook him and called him by name, nothing. I immediately got on the phone and called for doctors, STAT!.  Two minutes later, they arrived.  They tried a couple of procedures, didn't work (no shock machines then) .Four minutes later he was declared.  

Third story. Routine barium enema study on a patient that came to us on a gurney.  Installed enema tip, flowed the barium, the radiologist did his work and two of us managed to help the patient to the john to get rid of the barium. I learned to be fast when I pull out the tip when he sat on the commode.

I came back to get him 10 minutes later and he was gone.  I followed the partially white, partially, brown trail outside and down the hall and caught up with him as he was walking slowly (I was pushing the gurney), and got him back on it.  I was glad that I only had to clean up inside our department, the housekeeping services was responsible for the hall.  I left Xray work a few years later when I found out that I, as a registered Xray tech, was making 16 cents less money on the hour that the janitor.

Now I go to the same VA hospital for my meds and I'm treated just fine, once I find a parking spot.

[JimmyG]

Solo1, I too was an xray technologist for 42 years, and I know we could swap hundreds of stories. One I always remember and get a kick out of is the nurse friend I had that came in for a barium enema. She of course knew about the procedure and how we filled them to the brim before taking multiple views. As she was getting pretty full, she said,"Jim, you better be fast because I don't know if I can hold the barium in much longer. I said,"Gloria, you have to. My table has a short in it and if you let that barium go and it gets into the wiring where that short is, it will fry you like a fried chicken".  she let out a yelp and said," oh my gosh, don't tell me that".  After the procedure we laughed a lot about that. I of course told her I was just kidding her about the short circuit in the table. Thought she was going to kill me after that one .

[Raider]

Great stories!  Glad to hear that everyone has been treated pretty well by the VA!

Cracking up at, "Bend over and spread your cheeks."