For those who are really bored and can't find anything else to do ;^) it's called Autonomic dysreflexia and here's a bit more info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomic_d...

The VA has now supplied me with a medical card that has enough information on it to point a doctor in the right direction if I have an attack. Fortunately, if I'm being reasonably attentive to what's going on with my B&B (not bed & Breakfast ;^) I can head off any problem.

I wasn't aware that they had gotten that far until you sent me that reply yesterday Jim. Thank you for that. That's a huge leap forward and because of this, there is reason to hope that we may see some repaired in my lifetime.

Well said, and thank you also for your service.
NMA

Spinal cords are being repaired in mice and rats now by Samuel Stupp and a few others. Stupp doesn't know me, but I do use his work in one of my classes.

good heaven, man, I never knew how extraordinary
things could get with spinal cord injury. scary. I am
very glad that the va doctor was available!!!

to the extent that you may agree, please know that
you are in my prayers!!! -- j

p.s. my wife has unusual effects from back pain
and arthritis, and I learn things from her about
these effects almost daily. I have zany effects
from peripheral neuropathy and low O2 and
describe them to her -- always learning!!!
Thank You for your patience!

I understood all that John and thank you for your service too. Nobody who served did less than another. It's just that some of use had more interesting service than others - I would have loved to have been a AF Jet driver! Oh yeah! But that may not be patriotism buddy, it just might be the adrenaline junkie in me coming out!

Dr Brenner and I have been in communication about some recent developments that I'm following up on.

I guess I should have added that I'm pretty certain you knew about the stuff with the VA benefits we have, but you asked a very good question that many are asking today. I've even questioned the viability of utilizing our local hospital for more of my care. The big problem is that the VA and the private hospitals operate so differently that there's no way to effectively pass records between them.

Last year I had a sudden development of a problem that required immediate hospitalization. When we went into the local ER and explained what the problem was they had to go look everything up since they had never heard of it and I required immediate treatment.

I began to tell the doctor what was going on but he was trying to diagnose it as something entirely different. Since it's a side effect of SCI that I had gone through before, I knew what it was and how to treat it. Fortunately two things happened at that time, first since the treatment is rather benign I finally convinced him to start treatment before my body shut down completely. Secondly my wife got my VA doc on the phone so they could converse about this syndrome that SCI folks live with. In about 6 hours I was back to normal and they released me. As I was leaving I saw a PILE of medical books on the desk of the nurses station - none of them were likely to have any helpful information in them.

The specialized care we do get tends to spoil us a bit. Since injuries like mine require so much care you build up a strong relationship with your doctors and nurses that care for you and because I'm as much of a techno geek as my doctor he and I share a lot of understanding since he knows I'm always going to accurately diagnose what symptoms I'm experiencing and if it's a SCI problem, I will know what the problem is.

Civilian Docs, not so much. To them a patient with erratic BP, elevated pulse, profuse perspiration around the head, chest and feet, in not other pain, blood sugar norm, along with most of the other blood work. Convincing the doc to push a IV was not problem but a cold water enema and inserting a catheter into my bladder and flushing that was just outside his understanding. But it does fix things when my system begins this run-a-way cycle of one system pushing another system to the point of collapse and death. A SCI doc would do this without thinking about it twice.

star, please let me apologize for my ignorance about
the specialized care afforded by va hospitals;;; I did
not know.

second, I did know about the Lincoln law which
includes families, and meant to imply that family
members would have vouchers as well. I strongly
agree with the debt which we owe our veterans and
their families -- I am one, though only usaf.

I was trying to state that the vets' care should be
first among the population -- you go to the front
of the line. didn't say that directly;; sorry!!!

I do wish that you did not have the 300-mile drive.
yet, the specialized care is no doubt worth it. you
deserve the very best, sir!!!

further, Dr. Jim Brenner is working among specialists
who are on the verge of curing spinal cord injury,
as I understand it;; he will keep us posted here in
the gulch -- "jbrenner".

I hope that I speak for a grateful nation -- at least
some of us who are still loyal to you -- when I say,
Thank You For Your Service! -- j

There's a slight difference between the contract every military person makes with the government when they enter the service and what was promised through Medicare. While I agree that care is care and it should be equal between soldiers and civilians, When he empowered the VA as an arm of the government, President Lincoln saw a obligation that was owed to the veteran, his widow and child that extended beyond care for medical conditions.

There's not job in the world where you might be asked - even demanded to assault a machinegun across a open field with almost absolute certainty that you will be killed - but 50 men behind you may live to destroy it. If you aren't killed, or in my case a fall from a missile launcher did not kill me, I knew that had I passed, my wife would have certain needs arranged for, my children would go to college and their medical needs would be taken care of until they graduated.

The obligation made to me was that I'd be given such care as could be provided and the usual therapy and treatment. Beyond that disability pay and retirement pay would be paid me and rehabilitation in the form of additional education was made. The intent was to restore as much of a veterans life as is possible in repayment for the sacrifice they have made for the country.

Then we must consider what would happen to veterans coverage if the BO-care system collapses by virtue of it's logistic weight. Would vets suddenly have no coverage as they came home wounded, paralyzed, burnt and suffering from PTSD? Heaven forbid!

Then you have the oddities that are peculiar to the VA. Most people don't understand how high a percentage of wounded veterans come home as paraplegics and Quads. One of the largest individual "clinics" within the VA is the SCI clinic (Spinal Cord Injury Clinic). Civilian hospitals, if they have a clinic for this at all (our local hospital does not) it is a very small unit, whereas all VA medical centers each have a entire wing dedicated to treating the specialized need we have.

There is no doubt that many of my day to day medical needs could be handled locally and my twice monthly 300 mile drive to the VA hospital would be reduced some. But there are things that simply must be handled differently or else the promise President Lincoln made 150 years ago will fall along with BO-care.

I've heard that as well. Might merit some digging.

If they privatized the VA, then it would be an admission of failure that would lead to calls for the end of Obamacare, too. If the VA crisis had come out during the Obamacare votebuying, maybe Obamacare wouldn't exist, but ... it does.

would you agree that they should just sell the VA to
private interests and give you an ID which serves
as a voucher? on medicare, I don't have to
submit a foia request. -- j

Hahaha! How about a shove??? I can think of several high and craggy places to start...

Nudge is as good as a wink to a blind populous....

Nudge nudge wink wink! ;-)

Broo hoo hoo wicked, eh? Impeach is as good as a cell for the O man, know what I mean, know what I mean, say no more, say no more...

Very Monty Python.........(applause!)

Yes it is and us folks who have expensive medical needs and equipment intensive occupational needs are going onto the back burner. Read Paraplegic's and Quads are all going to the back of the bus under BO-care not.

This is the first of these stories I've seen. I'm sure it will not be the last.

And you most definitely would know. :-(

I said in the beginning of this mess, "if anybody thinks the government can run the nations healthcare system, they don't deal with the VA System". Lately everyone has been hearing about the VA. Well as small as the VA is compared to the general population, just imagine how incredibly bad O-Care is going to be?

My advice is to stay VERY aware of your meds, double check everything they do, write and say. Keep a full copy of your medical record and for some of us this is a hassle, but keep a physical copy of all doctor reports and test results. With the VA this requires summiting a FOIA request at each visit.

That's their plan. If you don't have a great prognosis, are old(er), well, good luck! Don't let the door hit you on he way out.

This is the way they would save money on care: by declaring certain persons useless and letting them die.