[Marxism] [**] The VAMC is a Dangerous Place since George W Bush

[Hank Roth <alpha@xxxxxxxxx>]

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(I rarely post in the Marxism list anyway, but do enjoy reading the
comments here)

NOTE: I have a few things to say, which will be the last thing you hear
from me for a few days and hopefully then. I am entering the hospital
today for a few days. It isn't the VA because my experience there, though
long and at times satisfactory since George Bush was _appointed_ president
by the Supreme Court, conditions have become so bad that it becomes a
risky place for veterans to go for their medical care. Not only have
services been cut, but medications are sometimes not available (or it
takes longer than it should to get them) and the treatments may kill you.
The catherization which gave me my myocardial infarction (heart attack)
was a risk they took with my life that would not have been done in many
hospitals outside the VA without proper preparation and adequate tools.

So today, two weeks after a cath at a local hospital I have to return for
the second part of the therapy, for radioactive seeding of a stent the VA
installed about 1 1/2 years ago. My body rejected that stent or it simply
was "underdeployed" (which is what they called it) and trying to fix it
two months ago in the VA disrupted enough clotting material to cause the
heart attack. It took 4 hours to do what should have been done in one hour
because they had to stabalize me. I have been in pain ever since and two
months later at a non-VA hospital they discovered 90% occlusion of the
same place where the VA CLAIMED was 80% occluded and which they fixed. It
is hard for me to accept their explanation, but I have no other and it
seems that these doctors do cover for each other.

So today is the big one. I am somewhat anxious about it. I do not want
this to be my last day for my consciousness to be on this planet. It is no
comfort at all that the risk increases somewhat proportional to failure
and the possibilty exists that I could expire. They discovered other areas
where there was some occlusion, which is really strange considering the
fact that my cholesteral is usually low 100s or under that. It is
incredibly low. Last year it was measured at 98 and later at 110. You
would think that would be an indication that if one is going to die it
will not be from a blocked coronary artery. If I do I hope my wife
investigates this for culpable negligence. The VA service cuts are
criminal. The treatments appear to be abbreviated in some cases where
before it at least seemed much more complete. I notice quite a difference
between the treatment I am getting at an HCA hospital (excellent) and that
which I have received (since Bush) a the VA hospital (fair to poor to in
some instances horrible).

The cath room at the VA was under construction and one tech actually
kidded around about the mallets and hammers in the cath room, holding one
up and telling me those were the tools they were going to use. It was
funny at the time, until they actually got out the green gauze and paddles
to stabalize me.

I want to believe I will survive and most like will - although I must
admit it appears my blood pressure is elevated this morning, in spite of
the beta blockers, the channel C blockers and the Ace Inhibiters I am
taking to control it. My pulse rate is normally low, only 49 - but
sometimes even lower. I have taken my morphine and even popped an extra
codene to control my bowls and keep me in a state of relaxation I feel I
need. The tranquilizer I took also helped. It all begins at 2 p.m. There
will be four doctors present. It takes four of them to screw in the
lightbulb for this procedure. One, a physicist physician walks around with
a geiger counter and counts rads. An Ocologist Radiologist radiates the
stent. The invasive surgical cardiologist actually inserts the tube and I
don't know what the fourth physician does. I know my nurses from the last
time. There was Francis, the head nurse and Harvey, who I told not to let
me die on that table. There was the small women, Trish, who assisted them.
I presume the same care providers will be there. Wish me luck.

The VA has been good to me. I had brain surgery there about 10 years
ago and it was successful _treatment_ for TN, which is now returning and
for which I take ms contin regularly. The hemmroidectomy was probably one
of the worse surgeries I ever had because of the pain but really not as
bad as the brain surgery but especially not as bad as the rhezzotomy (not
sure of the spelling) which was inserting a long tube through my face (the
oval foreman) into my brain stem and applying radio waves to numb the
pain). It didn't work and I woke in the middle of it with the probe still
stuck in my face. It took a lot of morphine to quiet the pain and I had
difficulty breathing for awhile afterward. That was not fun. The removal
of the malignant mass in my chest was also not pleasant. I was awake
except for a local and my wife was allowed to watch. Afterward they showed
me this big piece of flesh they had removed from my chest and to this that
place is concave and has a prominant scar. The endoscopy and colonoscopy
last year was nothing and almost pleasant because of the drugs. I slept
better than I can remember sleeping in a long time but waking up is always
a problem for me. The plebitis almost 30 years ago which led to a
myocardial infarction was pretty common for athletes and I was treated in
a DO hospital (about 3 weeks in the hospital) and 14 years of running
afterward to rehabilitate my lunks where the clots had lodged. Since TN I
have not been able to run and have gained about 50 extra pounds. My 2004
resolution is to take the cardiac rehab and lose the 50 lbs. So much for
bad things happening to good people (or is it the other way around?)

The politics of all this is we need better medical care and it should be
available to everyone, not just the privileged and it should be good ---
at least as good as we have the capability to provide and not the short
cuts they seem to be taking in some areas (like VAMC) to meet budget
restraints while we pay insanely to keep on killing people in wars to
insure the rich stay that way.

Hank Roth

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