12voltman59
Feb 26, 2010, 7:38 PM
In recent weeks---I have had a health situation arise that has required me to spend some time at my local VA center again.
I know that it is a common practice by some to bash "socialized medicine" but I can say for me---government provided health care is a Godsend--I might well be dead without it.
I had private insurance for a time--but I won't go into that tale of horrors--suffice to say----I don't have any love lost for for profit health care insurance providers---if I could have a dream come true--I would imagine into existence a version of the fictional charcter, Van Helsing from the vampire stories, to drive the proverbial stake in the heart of the evil, bloodsucking, living dead health care companies!!
I really hate to get political but people in some quarters love to talk scary about "socialized medicine" and how terrible it is----I don't know about the health care systems in places like the UK, France and Canada--but I know from the system that serves me---it is not perfect--but it still does a damn fine job.
Along with government in general getting bashed, "socialized medicine"--among the most reviled by a certain crowd are "goverment employees."
It is one of those things that a certain crowd holds as gospel truth is that people who go to work in any sort of goverment jobs are nothing but big slackers who do nothing but sit around all day and suck off the public tit!!
Nothing could be further from the truth though---watch one of those shows about those teams of US Marshals who put their ass on the line 24/7/365 to round up the worst criminals; the DEA making drug busts; the Border Patrol working along the Rio Grande and other such agencies. I have a lifelong friend who is a federal felony probation officer and is a supervisor for a section of the office he works at in Florida--he and his people deal with those who make their way through the federal courts system in a number of ways.
I have to say----the doctors, nurses, orderlies, lab techs, etc that work at my VA Center are some great people. They bust ass to provide us our health care--for less immediate pay than they might get if they worked in "the private sector" to be sure.
I had to stay in one night there recently---I was "all alone" in that I am single--no signigicant other at present, my folks are a thousand miles away in Florida and there was no reason for my sis to come up from Cincy to see me since by the time she would have gotten there--visting hours would have been over--but let me tell ya--I never had my hand held so many times by a group of ladies I call nothing less than angels among us!! They held my hand, rubbed my shoulder or face--and asked me how I was doing and "it will be fine sweetie--we are gonna take good care of ya--just lay back."
Thanks to the special kindnesses shown to me by all those great nurses--I was not alone!
That was three weeks ago--my immediate situation passed without harm--my problem being that my blood pressure was truly in "THE RED ZONE."
I had come in for a periodic regular check up and the nurse who sees you to take your vitals and all--put me on one of those fancy new automated General Electric BP machines----she set the cuff and let the machine do its thing---she left the exam room for a bit--and man--she came back fast when the machine went off like some sensor alert from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise!!!
At first--she could not believe my BP was that high and I had made it in on my own power!!! They said I was lucky to not be stroking out!
She set the machine again--same thing--then took it the "old school" way with the manual BP checker they have mounted on the walls.
Well--it was late in the day anyhow--and they wanted me to undergo some tests right away and to monitor my situation overnight. I was placed on a guerney and whisked to this and that place with IVs already in my arms and being hooked up to an EKG sort of machine.
By the next morning--the BP was not in the citical area, so I made the scheduled visit with my Prime Care doc----had a few more things done--and was released---they even had someone take me home in a VA van and another guy drove my SUV home. They didn't want me to drive since I was a bit woozy from a night of IV drips--which I know they had some form of sedatives in because I was feeling pretty good from something legal not long after the first IV went in!! At night--I also slept very well considering the situation--so I figured they gave me something for that--even though I did get prodded periodically awake by someone--but don't much recall that!!
In the subsequent weeks---I went back for a stress test not long ago.
Today--I went back in for my follow up "consult" and I am glad to say-with the exception I do need to lose weight---and get my respective cholesterol numbers heading the right way----I am in good condition.
The major organs are all fine, blood sugar fine, proteins are fine-which indicates heart condition. The EKG machine readings during my stay were fine and so was the stress test.
So I do feel good about that, but I really feel so good about the high quality of people who work at my VA Center---I don't know if its everyone's experience there or not--but mine--I have nothing but praise for those people---and I really feel how much they care for us.
Today when I was there back in the medical area--people would come up who worked on me and would say they were glad I was fine and that--oh yeah--my BP numbers----128/77!!! Pretty much as good as it gets.
I won't tell ya how high they were three weeks ago---holy shit!!! It must not be my time yet!!!
Well--I know this is another ramble--and I am sorry for some of the "politics" I had to include--but I just wanted to say that in spite of them being demonized---the people who work at my VA are some of the most awesome people I have ever known--and by God--they say I am a hero for having served--but they all those who have helped me in this situation and one I had when I first came to this site---they are my HEROS!!!!!
If not for them--in both instances--I might not be here to write my might rambles!!
A counselor did stop to talk to me a bit too and we went through some things--and one of them is that my current situation----was in some way--precipitated by me----I had put off going for my appointments out of a sense that when I was in the service---"my service wasn't as important as those of others."
I didn't see direct combact of a conventional type, even though we had some armed confrontations with criminals more along the line of what police do a few times when we went after drug runners.
I look at all the remaining old timers from WWII, Korea and Nam and can only imagine what they went through---and now--I am out there and I see the young kids--guys and girls----from our two wars and it breaks your heart to see them all busted up!!!
The counselor disabused me of any notion that what I experienced in my time was anything less than what the other vets did and with him not ever having served in uniform---told me I did a great thing in that I did my duty and was prepared to "give all" if need be and to not minimze my time in service.
So--if I am bit emotional now--I pled guilty as charged---but I did feel it was something worth sharing here.
So anyway all--I did this post to honor those fine folks at my VA Center---and man---I do hope we don't get screwed again when it comes to funding--they have a lot of new and great things going on at my center for the VETS--I would hope to see it continue----and also--I hate that some would just make such a negative, generalized sweeping indictment of some fine and dedicated people--I doubt that my VA Center is the only one that has such great people.
Another major sweeping generalization I hate is that goverment and those who work for it are automatically inherently "evil!"
I do go back Monday for another visit---not for something major--just a routine eye exam--I sure do need some new glasses---got oldz guyz eyz!! LOL
I do also have to add---haven't been feeling too frisky the last few weeks--I hope that comes back soon!!
I know that it is a common practice by some to bash "socialized medicine" but I can say for me---government provided health care is a Godsend--I might well be dead without it.
I had private insurance for a time--but I won't go into that tale of horrors--suffice to say----I don't have any love lost for for profit health care insurance providers---if I could have a dream come true--I would imagine into existence a version of the fictional charcter, Van Helsing from the vampire stories, to drive the proverbial stake in the heart of the evil, bloodsucking, living dead health care companies!!
I really hate to get political but people in some quarters love to talk scary about "socialized medicine" and how terrible it is----I don't know about the health care systems in places like the UK, France and Canada--but I know from the system that serves me---it is not perfect--but it still does a damn fine job.
Along with government in general getting bashed, "socialized medicine"--among the most reviled by a certain crowd are "goverment employees."
It is one of those things that a certain crowd holds as gospel truth is that people who go to work in any sort of goverment jobs are nothing but big slackers who do nothing but sit around all day and suck off the public tit!!
Nothing could be further from the truth though---watch one of those shows about those teams of US Marshals who put their ass on the line 24/7/365 to round up the worst criminals; the DEA making drug busts; the Border Patrol working along the Rio Grande and other such agencies. I have a lifelong friend who is a federal felony probation officer and is a supervisor for a section of the office he works at in Florida--he and his people deal with those who make their way through the federal courts system in a number of ways.
I have to say----the doctors, nurses, orderlies, lab techs, etc that work at my VA Center are some great people. They bust ass to provide us our health care--for less immediate pay than they might get if they worked in "the private sector" to be sure.
I had to stay in one night there recently---I was "all alone" in that I am single--no signigicant other at present, my folks are a thousand miles away in Florida and there was no reason for my sis to come up from Cincy to see me since by the time she would have gotten there--visting hours would have been over--but let me tell ya--I never had my hand held so many times by a group of ladies I call nothing less than angels among us!! They held my hand, rubbed my shoulder or face--and asked me how I was doing and "it will be fine sweetie--we are gonna take good care of ya--just lay back."
Thanks to the special kindnesses shown to me by all those great nurses--I was not alone!
That was three weeks ago--my immediate situation passed without harm--my problem being that my blood pressure was truly in "THE RED ZONE."
I had come in for a periodic regular check up and the nurse who sees you to take your vitals and all--put me on one of those fancy new automated General Electric BP machines----she set the cuff and let the machine do its thing---she left the exam room for a bit--and man--she came back fast when the machine went off like some sensor alert from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise!!!
At first--she could not believe my BP was that high and I had made it in on my own power!!! They said I was lucky to not be stroking out!
She set the machine again--same thing--then took it the "old school" way with the manual BP checker they have mounted on the walls.
Well--it was late in the day anyhow--and they wanted me to undergo some tests right away and to monitor my situation overnight. I was placed on a guerney and whisked to this and that place with IVs already in my arms and being hooked up to an EKG sort of machine.
By the next morning--the BP was not in the citical area, so I made the scheduled visit with my Prime Care doc----had a few more things done--and was released---they even had someone take me home in a VA van and another guy drove my SUV home. They didn't want me to drive since I was a bit woozy from a night of IV drips--which I know they had some form of sedatives in because I was feeling pretty good from something legal not long after the first IV went in!! At night--I also slept very well considering the situation--so I figured they gave me something for that--even though I did get prodded periodically awake by someone--but don't much recall that!!
In the subsequent weeks---I went back for a stress test not long ago.
Today--I went back in for my follow up "consult" and I am glad to say-with the exception I do need to lose weight---and get my respective cholesterol numbers heading the right way----I am in good condition.
The major organs are all fine, blood sugar fine, proteins are fine-which indicates heart condition. The EKG machine readings during my stay were fine and so was the stress test.
So I do feel good about that, but I really feel so good about the high quality of people who work at my VA Center---I don't know if its everyone's experience there or not--but mine--I have nothing but praise for those people---and I really feel how much they care for us.
Today when I was there back in the medical area--people would come up who worked on me and would say they were glad I was fine and that--oh yeah--my BP numbers----128/77!!! Pretty much as good as it gets.
I won't tell ya how high they were three weeks ago---holy shit!!! It must not be my time yet!!!
Well--I know this is another ramble--and I am sorry for some of the "politics" I had to include--but I just wanted to say that in spite of them being demonized---the people who work at my VA are some of the most awesome people I have ever known--and by God--they say I am a hero for having served--but they all those who have helped me in this situation and one I had when I first came to this site---they are my HEROS!!!!!
If not for them--in both instances--I might not be here to write my might rambles!!
A counselor did stop to talk to me a bit too and we went through some things--and one of them is that my current situation----was in some way--precipitated by me----I had put off going for my appointments out of a sense that when I was in the service---"my service wasn't as important as those of others."
I didn't see direct combact of a conventional type, even though we had some armed confrontations with criminals more along the line of what police do a few times when we went after drug runners.
I look at all the remaining old timers from WWII, Korea and Nam and can only imagine what they went through---and now--I am out there and I see the young kids--guys and girls----from our two wars and it breaks your heart to see them all busted up!!!
The counselor disabused me of any notion that what I experienced in my time was anything less than what the other vets did and with him not ever having served in uniform---told me I did a great thing in that I did my duty and was prepared to "give all" if need be and to not minimze my time in service.
So--if I am bit emotional now--I pled guilty as charged---but I did feel it was something worth sharing here.
So anyway all--I did this post to honor those fine folks at my VA Center---and man---I do hope we don't get screwed again when it comes to funding--they have a lot of new and great things going on at my center for the VETS--I would hope to see it continue----and also--I hate that some would just make such a negative, generalized sweeping indictment of some fine and dedicated people--I doubt that my VA Center is the only one that has such great people.
Another major sweeping generalization I hate is that goverment and those who work for it are automatically inherently "evil!"
I do go back Monday for another visit---not for something major--just a routine eye exam--I sure do need some new glasses---got oldz guyz eyz!! LOL
I do also have to add---haven't been feeling too frisky the last few weeks--I hope that comes back soon!!