every do this

arrive back home from the chiropractor and discover the grass is up, your way behind on your big project. every car you have has the hood up, there is something wrong with the one your driving but it started and the ladder is up on the roof. you seeing 3 or 4 different DR and they all say something is amiss with the combination of pills your taking. but none of them will till you what? might be time to quit taking those pills, playing chemist at the kitchen sink with your big basket of pills. is in order. I'm going die some day but I'm not going to die strung out one proscription meds ordered by Doctors that no longer have the time to take care of you. just about got them down to 1/3 of one. the capsules are kind of hard to guess one or two grains of. final after a month of doing on my own I'm feeling better. might just get something done today.

you know they get them needles stuck in your back side in the right places and things works better.

you have to love those doctors who wile they are examining you say, your 68 and you have federal employees blue cross/blue shield $$$. got some good advice from temporary DRs no help but good advice. the VA system is in such a flux now I'm not receiving help there either. will I can't say no help were do you think I got those pills I'm mixing up. got heads up that something is wrong with the mix there also but no one can touch the others orders. but they all say you need to get with your other providers and get you meds straighten out. the ones I gave you are what you need to be on.

only a fool would not head that kind of advice from 4 different healthcare professionals. as I said I got them down from 10 to 1/3 of one

here is the view comming home yesterday.

Be it ever so humble there is no place like home,early in my career I got a suspension of 1 week no pay cause this doctor so infuriated me on a call that I advised him the only difference between him and god is that god doesn't think he's a doctor,sometimes it is better to sit in the corner and be perceived as a fool rather than opening ones mouth and proving it,or as a kindly older dutch gentleman advised me "too soon we get old,too late we get smart".

Ed,
Unfortunately, your story is a very common one. It always amazes me that there aren't more malpractice suits than what there are. Their "wishy-washy" advice and billing practices just infuriate me.

Fortunately for me, my health has always been good and I don't treat for anything. I avoid doctors and hospitals. Finally decided that I should get a doctor, a physical and a colonoscopy when I turned 50. My last doctor(the one that brought me, my siblings, and my parents into this world) died when I was about 20 years old. I will always remember going into his bathroom to "pee into the cup" for athletic physicals. The toilet bowl was always full of cigarette butts!

drives me nuts that every one knows that I have been assigned a bad mix but no one will give me a clue. I get to meet with my last dr that has prescribed a set of med for me next week. up in Sturgis. the problem is no one assigned to me can get with the specialist and discus my combination. I know what they were given to me to counter act. so it's taper off them all and start over. see if the small bruises everywhere on my arms from bumping into things goes away. cause when I ask about them I get the you need to get with your other providers speech.

mean time I'm feeling better then I have in two years. most of my what did I do with and what am I here for has cleared up. still can't type but then I could not before.

got the top repainted on the 58 today came out a lot better this time.

A short story, and some advice....

I’ve been following all of your posts for years, fact is I’ve gotten real good at deciphering “Ed-Speak” if you will. I really enjoy tracking the progress on whatever project you’re working on. We met in Hudson, and have spoken on the phone a time or two, I feel I’ve got a pretty good idea of who you are. We are the same age, and pretty much have more medical issues than we care for. I’m going to share some thoughts with, maybe give you some advice.

Here goes…….! I first started having hypertension problems in 1990 when we still lived in Arizona. The doctor I had out there thought the answer to everything is “more medication”. Nothing seemed to work, I felt like hell all the time!

In 1994 we moved back here, and I got hooked up with a recent graduate from medical school doing her first gig at the Norwalk Clinic. She was young, and new at it, but very much in tune with things. Over the course of a few years we finally got my blood pressure moderately under control. At least I could pass a DOT Exam with no problems (just barely). She opened her own practice and Barb and I were some of her first patients.

As time has gone by, we’ve managed to get my blood pressure down to a very respectable 118/76, and keep it there. Not with “more medications” but with the right meds and some life style and diet changes. Several years ago I thought I hade torn rotator cuffs (job-related). Dr. C. sent me to an orthopedic guy who X-rayed both shoulders and informed me that my rotator cuffs were fine, but that I had osteo arthritis in both shoulders. He pointed to the left one and said “that one’s bad, the right one’s terrible”!! I started taking injections three times a year and was able to keep doing my job.

In late 2014 I developed what turned out to be a severe problem with blood clots and some other related things. As I previously related on the site I took a little tour through the Cleveland Clinic, a little surgery, and suffered a pretty bad “crash landing” in the recovery room, spent a couple days in Intensive Care, followed by five more in the hospital.

During all of this, I had a Cardiologist, Vascular guy, Orthopedic guy and Dr. C. all working together. Dr Chan (cardio guy) organized it all. He informed everybody that Dr. C. (my doctor) was going to function as the person-in-charge!!!! Nothing happens to, with, by, or for me without her knowledge and consent!!! My daughter-in-law is an R.N., and on more than one occasion has called Dr. C. to verify something that was going on. She is one very assertive young lady!!!

Now, I’m in pretty good shape, I can’t take the shoulder injections anymore because I’m on Warfarin for the clotting problems. I can’t do a lot of things I used to, but I’m still able to drive the truck, just pull van-type trailers all the time.

Here’s where this is going Ed……get ASSERTIVE with these doctors!!!!! If you have a personal family doctor, put him/her in charge!!!! Make them talk to each other, none of this “we can’t do that” bull sh!t!!! Build a good relationship with a Pharmacist that you trust!!! Have them make sure that any and all medications that you take work and “play” well together!!!! THAT is very important!!! Nothing happens to, with, by, or for you without the Dr. in charge giving it the okey dokey!!!!! Be VERY, VERY ASSERTIVE Ed!!!!!! If somebody gets ****ed, it’s their problem not yours!!! You are the guy “paying the bills” or “paying the price” if something goes wrong!!!!!

If any of this is related to the current situation in the Veterans Administration, hopefully that gets taken care of after next January.

Hope this advice helps a little bit. Do well my friend!!!!!

ED, That top looks great!

thanks Russ. getting old ain't for wimps. we have given them the benefit of the doubt for awhile now it time to get a life back. started at the top they are unresponsive so we ran a letter up from the bottom, again unresponsive. got just about run out of my senators office. but what since is a veterans affairs committee if it's only a paper tiger. I have weened my self off all but my deibities meds and we we'll get the dr to drop the set she gave me a year ago as soon as I can get into see her the end of the month. then maybe my new rent a DR primary care can see why I have all this bruising on my arms. instead of telling me I need to get with the other 3 and get my meds straightened out. every day the VA gets worse not better. but by the time I'm forced to leave the system they will know I was there.

mean time I'm happy with how the top came out. this stuff is some real slow drying paint so it flows out nicely. then by redoing it you get the fill need to make it smooth. the bottom comes out this good I will be vary happy. finding out I need to go to a finer tip on the gun really helped.
all we have left is to fit the rocker moldings on and we are ready to get the dark blue and send this one home.

Five years younger, but facing the health issues of life, living in another health care system, and in a world I look after "someones right third toe", I totally agree with Russell. You need a quarterback. I could ramble on, but won't. Do not hesitate to: ask, question, suggest, decline. It is all about you.

time it's right now about time. 6 weeks to getting to see the specialist that has assigned me a set of drugs that no one else can alter(except me) . then as the system of the team approach to pt care is no longer in place were my primary care is my go to Dr it's up to me to keep my meds in one source with out getting labeled none complaint.

it will take place as I get into see her next week and my consent Dr the week after that.

the flux comes in as they double the work load with the remaining physicians, refuse to hire replacements as they reassign Drs to other places in the system. all to prepare to close down. higher temporary rent a Dr as replacement for permanent positions and rotate them out. I have been assigned 9 primary care physicians since January 2010. 3 of which have been permanent employees of the department of Veterans affairs. all of them have been reassigned in the system else wear. as management plays there games of force the people to comply.

add that to living in a medical undeserved area of the country with some complications out side the general medicine make finding a new system 60 miles away a poor option. local I can be covered buy a man I trust (former VA Pa) but I can't handle my Mental health issues that way. we will be in better shape as we get the neurologist to drop the meds they put me on so someone I am seeing can control them if they are necessary.
mean time other then the sleep problem I feel better then I have in a long time.

Related to this thread......

I found this on Drudge, and couldn't believe what I was reading.........


Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Monday compared the length of time veterans wait to receive health care at the VA to the length of time people wait for rides at Disneyland, and said his agency shouldn't use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn't either.

"When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what's important? What's important is, what's your satisfaction with the experience?" McDonald said Monday during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with reporters. "And what I would like to move to, eventually, is that kind of measure."

My answer to this clown would be very politically incorrect but to the point!!!!! "Because you silly s*n*f*b*tch, you're not running an amusement park.....you are running the Veterans Administration for cryin' out loud!!!! Get a f****n clue Moron!!!!!"

Sorry if that offended anybody, but I do feel slightly better for having shared it!!!

Watched that on the evening ABC news,my immediate thought is how did this dipstick get the job,waiting for a ride at Disney is a far cry from some poor veteran who is waiting for treatment and to compare the two only proves Disney is not the only agency that specializes in make believe.

CNN and Fox News have picked up this story as well. Interestingly, I didn't see it on MSNBC.com, which instead chose to report that Obama's job approval rating is at its highest since 2013.

Thanks

Thank you Abe for the information ,although a part of it is quite funny !

Agree

"My answer to this clown would be very politically incorrect but to the point!!!!! "Because you silly s*n*f*b*tch, you're not running an amusement park.....you are running the Veterans Administration for cryin' out loud!!!! Get a f****n clue Moron!!!!!"

Sorry if that offended anybody, but I do feel slightly better for having shared it!!!
__________________________________________________________________________

Russell,

THANK YOU for typing what I was THINKING !!:agree: I think that it shows total disrespect for our vets !!

Its idiotic statements like that by our "leaders" (used VERY lightly) that have made the current state of our country the way it is.....I hope change is on the way !

will depending on who is in line I might be getting better advice waiting in nlne for a ride. no thank you sir you leadership has taken me for quit a ride. tomorrow I do the 90 mile trip to Sturges to see the only neurologist on station. I could have seen her in Rapid. but that visit and her work load there would make it two more weeks longer. now mind you all I want to see here for is to have her disconnected the Psy meds she put me on a year ago. one would have thought a phone call would have worked. but you can.t take the chance of being labeled non-complaint.

now mind you i did the pt choice thing for a follow up on a recommend treatment from our on station dermatologist as they are so busy that all they can do is strip you make a run around quickly with a strong light and make sure you don't have any weeping sores. no other treatments are offered due to work load. my annual visit this time was 18 months due to this fact. so I was sent to them for a follow up treatment for a skin condition.

after receiving a appointment from them for Acupuncture in Rapid I inquired as I thanked them for setting me up for a appointment that was not requested, about my appointment for outside dermatological. you know you can get that dumb looks are fee over the phone?? I did get that appointment. they were the ones that questioned me about my health insurance. the also picked up a few red flags on my combination. as I inquired about the old man on blood thinners bruises on my arms. number 4 stating you need to get with your other providers. so neurology tomorrow. mental health on the first of June that will be all three of them, as I started with my primary. then I guess it's start over again and ask why the bruises are appearing on my arm.

oh by the way I get to do a pt satisfaction survey again in a few weeks check the dots generic markers on, was the place clean, time in waiting room, was the nurse nice to you and was the dr nice to you. big one did the staff wash there hands between pts. those are the markers this clown in charge of this circus is using for his do you like standing in line for a 15 second ride. the other big marker is would you rather wait a extra 2 weeks for a appointment or go to a privet physician? you of course will pay for that out of pocket. see the veterans would rather wait to see a VA Dr rather then use a outside Dr. of course the average Veteran using the service is on the lower end of the pay scale. so what choice do they have as being enrolled in the VA is the equivalent of having insurance under the "affordable" health care act. enroll stand in line or get fined. the start of the turn around from one of the best preventive health care system bar none was about mid 90 for us here. but the last 5 years has been a high dive into a low tank.

but it promises to be a nice day anyone want any pictures of sturges before the rally?

but to be fair to the man it is kind of like visiting fantasy land. though when I got back in 1970 Walt gave me two free tickets or were they just discounted can't remember and the only whait wa for the new Matterhorn ride that was about a hr and no I would not do it again. not worth the wait.

I guarantee the man in charge of the VA, doesn't use it like he expects us to. He's not much better than Shanzike was ( the man he replaced).
I'm no doctor, played one once with the neighbor girl, but I digress. I would think it could be from a couple of things, like blood thinners, or maybe a lack of vitiams of iron?
My other Dr, was a young lady, very smart but had the worst bedside manner. I got to where I hated going in and seeing her. Always had problems with my pain meds not being delivered on time. They ran me out 6 times last year, that's 1/2 the time. A few times it was over a week before they were sent out. Well in January they took this well educated young Dr, that had been there over 10 years, and gave her a new job of working on schedule's for patient appointments. Now this young Dr, had to attend years of schooling and now she works at a job that most high school kids could do or learn.
But I have a new Dr., shes from India or somewhere like that, and I must say I really like her and she answers my questions the same day on MY health E benefits. My pain meds have been on time for the last 6 months, and I actually enjoy her. I hope she stays for a long time.

Yes please Ed always enjoy your pictures.

we will get a few strung together lovely trip up and back and a swing there the urgent car last night and back up today. bough me a new cheap War-Mart glucose meter and I think my blood sugar is running high.. we will start doing he daily checks again and see. it was at least today anyway. that would do it. the last set of fasting labs were a little high but not alarming, the a1c has been a number to be proud of. but we are all the meds now. so we can start again appointments start the first of June. again

we put the 67 in the hospital. It's not terminal but limping badly. see if they can get it hitting on all 8 of them.

while we were up there ran out past the burnt out full throttle and the Buffalo chip. found this yard. no pro cars a couple fire trucks and lots of 50s stuff. still looking for a molding off the hood of a 75 pon.

as we had time we took this road back. I did not have any chains with me but figures by the time they caught we we would be threw.