Another Day at the VA
For all of the bad press that VA medical care, in general and in specific, has been receiving lately, I have to tell you that the level of care I've seen, here in Phoenix, is extremely good. In fact, we just spent about 4 1/2 hours with them today.
During a routine CT scan of Mark's liver and abdomen, they found what looked like a shadow on his left lung. So, we went in for an MRI and they found a lesion on the outer edge of his left lung, as well as shadows on both lungs. Today, we went in for a lung biopsy. And we actually had a blast, the pain notwithstanding.
Before you jump to the conclusion that Mark gets great treatment because everyone knows us, let me assure you that we had never worked with any of the staff that we met today; although an old buddy of ours happened to come down to do an IV set-up for a patient with 'difficult' veins. The people we spent the morning with were incredibly competent, caring, efficient, and friendly.
The biggest risk in a lung biopsy is what they call a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. A small amount of air getting into the chest cavity isn't usually an issue and the body will absorb it; but a large amount can press on the lung and cause it to collapse. This requires the insertion of a chest tube, just like you see on the medical shows, to remove the air. When Mark came back from the procedure complaining of excruciating pain in his chest, which wasn't common, the pulmonary doc immediately brought down x-ray and checked it out. Luckily, there was no serious problem and, after 3 hours of observation, the let me take him home.
I'll admit that not every department or every ward functions at the same level of competence and efficiency. We did have some issues in 2004 with one of the wards, where mostly indigent patients are treated. The furnishings looked like WWII surplus and the staff was a bit less willing to run if you called. But we said something and it was immediately resolved to our satisfaction.
The best thing you can do as a patient, family member, or caregiver is to educate yourself and stand up for your rights - whether you're dealing with the government or private medical care. And advocate for yourself as aggressively as you would for a friend or loved one - you deserve the best care, too.
During a routine CT scan of Mark's liver and abdomen, they found what looked like a shadow on his left lung. So, we went in for an MRI and they found a lesion on the outer edge of his left lung, as well as shadows on both lungs. Today, we went in for a lung biopsy. And we actually had a blast, the pain notwithstanding.
Before you jump to the conclusion that Mark gets great treatment because everyone knows us, let me assure you that we had never worked with any of the staff that we met today; although an old buddy of ours happened to come down to do an IV set-up for a patient with 'difficult' veins. The people we spent the morning with were incredibly competent, caring, efficient, and friendly.
The biggest risk in a lung biopsy is what they call a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung. A small amount of air getting into the chest cavity isn't usually an issue and the body will absorb it; but a large amount can press on the lung and cause it to collapse. This requires the insertion of a chest tube, just like you see on the medical shows, to remove the air. When Mark came back from the procedure complaining of excruciating pain in his chest, which wasn't common, the pulmonary doc immediately brought down x-ray and checked it out. Luckily, there was no serious problem and, after 3 hours of observation, the let me take him home.
I'll admit that not every department or every ward functions at the same level of competence and efficiency. We did have some issues in 2004 with one of the wards, where mostly indigent patients are treated. The furnishings looked like WWII surplus and the staff was a bit less willing to run if you called. But we said something and it was immediately resolved to our satisfaction.
The best thing you can do as a patient, family member, or caregiver is to educate yourself and stand up for your rights - whether you're dealing with the government or private medical care. And advocate for yourself as aggressively as you would for a friend or loved one - you deserve the best care, too.
Don't forget to visit JMark Afghans and My Gallery at Zazzle
We also have a page on Squidoo that supports the Genocide Intervention Network.
We look forward to seeing you online.
God Bless!
Jules
posted by Jules @ 2:47 PM
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