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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Oct 13, 2021 21:16:44 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! As to the healthy gut bacteria, I'll ask the VA about it. I've been discharged from the local hospital and I sincerely doubt they will want anything more to do with me. My sister [who was there while I was only semi-conscious] tells me that they seemed largely concerned with getting me well enough to leave, so that my space could go to another Covid victim. Also, they were worried about getting sued over my bungled intubation. It's almost two weeks since my discharge, yet I still can't swallow well, which in addition to the obvious also makes sleeping really difficult (I wake up after only an hour or so, feeling like I'm drowning). Also, I can speak only in a hoarse whisper and must enunciate with great care. I've been trying to get the VA to give a swallowing/physical therapy order for me to a local therapy service, but it's like trying to move a glacier. I'm an 8 year Army veteran. My Dad was in the Marine Corps. He passed away in the local VA the first week of January of this year. He still had money on his books up there. By regulation/policy/whatever they have 90 days to get a descendant the money. Here it is in October and I still haven't been able to get the money. It's not about the money or the amount, it's about just getting this whole process wrapped up. The lady at the local VA finally called today and said she bypassed the office in Oklahoma City and I should have the money by Friday or know exactly when I'm getting it by Friday. Fingers crossed... I just posted this to draw attention to the red-tape and constant irritation that Veterans go through by the very department that's set up to take care of our needs. Believe me, I would much rather the money be delayed than someone getting the care or follow up they needed BUT it just shows that it's across the board; paperwork, procedures, checkups, etc. It's all one big mess. I pray that you get the medical attention you not only need but deserve, raikenclw . My condolences on the loss of your Dad. And thank all of you Veterans for your service.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Oct 13, 2021 21:18:23 GMT -5
I would do this, tell the insurance companies that they all have to offer Veterans policies, all the policies have to provide that same level of care that Congress gets, no out of pocket for the Vet and they can go to any provider. If you think a provider is a quack, take your case to the medical licensure board, in the mean time you pay all claims and you have no say in treatment. Also all providers have to accept this insurance and no provider can turn a Vet away for something that their practice treats. All Vets are automatically covered and are randomly assigned to an insurance company, a simple phone call can switch companies and a team of attorneys is on call to handle Vet complaints. See the law could be short and sweet and fix it all quickly. Short, sweet, and to the point! HIGHLY APPROVE!
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Oct 13, 2021 21:21:25 GMT -5
I would do this, tell the insurance companies that they all have to offer Veterans policies, all the policies have to provide that same level of care that Congress gets, no out of pocket for the Vet and they can go to any provider. If you think a provider is a quack, take your case to the medical licensure board, in the mean time you pay all claims and you have no say in treatment. Also all providers have to accept this insurance and no provider can turn a Vet away for something that their practice treats. All Vets are automatically covered and are randomly assigned to an insurance company, a simple phone call can switch companies and a team of attorneys is on call to handle Vet complaints. See the law could be short and sweet and fix it all quickly. Short, sweet, and to the point! HIGHLY APPROVE! I would love to be able to take a pen to every bill and send it back to Congress and tell them, make this short and sweet or forget about it. If it is not short and sweet, it is probably something that the Gov should not be doing to begin with.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Oct 13, 2021 21:24:11 GMT -5
Short, sweet, and to the point! HIGHLY APPROVE! I would love to be able to take a pen to every bill and send it back to Congress and tell them, make this short and sweet or forget about it. If it is not short and sweet, it is probably something that the Gov should not be doing to begin with. For real!
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Oct 15, 2021 3:58:23 GMT -5
I'm an 8 year Army veteran. My Dad was in the Marine Corps. He passed away in the local VA the first week of January of this year. He still had money on his books up there. By regulation/policy/whatever they have 90 days to get a descendant the money. Here it is in October and I still haven't been able to get the money. It's not about the money or the amount, it's about just getting this whole process wrapped up. The lady at the local VA finally called today and said she bypassed the office in Oklahoma City and I should have the money by Friday or know exactly when I'm getting it by Friday. Fingers crossed... I just posted this to draw attention to the red-tape and constant irritation that Veterans go through by the very department that's set up to take care of our needs. Believe me, I would much rather the money be delayed than someone getting the care or follow up they needed BUT it just shows that it's across the board; paperwork, procedures, checkups, etc. It's all one big mess. I pray that you get the medical attention you not only need but deserve, raikenclw . My condolences on the loss of your Dad. And thank all of you Veterans for your service. Thank you on both counts! I actually got a phone call yesterday afternoon & the issue is resolved. Thank goodness!
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Oct 16, 2021 17:20:22 GMT -5
Hi everybody, I have been in and out of the hospital since 4:30AM Thursday morning. Complications from my radiation treatment Nov-Dec 2018. Partly fully normal and expected and partly not. Had some minor surgery under anesthesia, but back in again after due to re occurrence of blood clots blocking urine flow. Got home on Sat morning, with equipment to use at home to hopefully avoid more trips to the hospital. Will need to have some more procedures to solve the issue I'm having and also get some biopsies to check for cancer.
Prayers appreciated and I will not be online much at all for a while.
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Post by simrion on Oct 16, 2021 18:21:10 GMT -5
PD prayers and positive thoughts your way! Concentrate on getting better and we'll try not to burn down the board.
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Post by hengest on Oct 16, 2021 18:49:32 GMT -5
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Oct 16, 2021 19:18:36 GMT -5
Prayers!
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Post by El Borak on Oct 16, 2021 19:52:21 GMT -5
Prayers from me too! Get better soon.
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Post by raikenclw on Oct 17, 2021 0:20:21 GMT -5
Get better soon, PD! I'm praying, too.
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Post by raikenclw on Oct 17, 2021 0:34:35 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! As to the healthy gut bacteria, I'll ask the VA about it. I've been discharged from the local hospital and I sincerely doubt they will want anything more to do with me. My sister [who was there while I was only semi-conscious] tells me that they seemed largely concerned with getting me well enough to leave, so that my space could go to another Covid victim. Also, they were worried about getting sued over my bungled intubation. It's almost two weeks since my discharge, yet I still can't swallow well, which in addition to the obvious also makes sleeping really difficult (I wake up after only an hour or so, feeling like I'm drowning). Also, I can speak only in a hoarse whisper and must enunciate with great care. I've been trying to get the VA to give a swallowing/physical therapy order for me to a local therapy service, but it's like trying to move a glacier. We have Veterans in my family, including combat Veterans and I have heard a ton of VA stories. Another thing for us to pray about, that you get the treatment you need for your throat. If they are worried about getting sued, you would think they would be extra helpful, but not the VA. It's the local hospital [part of Covenant Health] that's afraid of a lawsuit. The hospital actually gave me the requested therapy orders in my release paperwork, but the service needs them from the VA (so they can get paid). The folk that actually work at my local VA Outpatient Clinic are - on the whole - obviously caring and quite helpful. But they're also fighting the same GINORMOUS bureaucracy. My throat is slowing getting better on its own, as is my sugar count. I have an appointment this coming Monday, where the doctor previously told me that I'm probably going to get a long-acting insulin shot to help bring it down somewhat quicker. There have been a couple of positive outcomes from this episode. First, since I was only semi-conscious for several days, I was unable to nervously pick at my skin, so all my various small sores healed up. Second, I was fed mostly intravenously for over a week and even afterward (and still today) have little real appetite, so I've lost ~14 pounds and my weight is still coming down. Who knows? I might eventually get down to my "ideal" weight of 150 (from my current 191, down from it's former 205).
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Post by simrion on Oct 17, 2021 6:09:08 GMT -5
Raikenclw,
Prayers for you as well! Listening to some of the alternative news outlets the push to get you out in favor of Covid patients is not surprising. Rumor has it many hospitals get comped for the number of Covid cases reported, for whatever reason. I hear you about the sugar issues too. Type 2 diabetic here, thankful that the oral meds I take had a appetite suppressive effect that helped me lose over 40lbs! And my sincerest thanks for your service to our wonderful country.
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Post by oldskolgmr on Oct 17, 2021 16:54:31 GMT -5
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Post by oldskolgmr on Oct 17, 2021 17:01:07 GMT -5
raikenclw I hope you feel better soon. Thank you (and your father) your service to our country. I have always been disturbed by the fact that, as a country, the US spends so much on defense and so little on caring for our Veterans.
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Post by simrion on Oct 17, 2021 17:32:47 GMT -5
raikenclw I hope you feel better soon. Thank you (and your father) your service to our country. I have always been disturbed by the fact that, as a country, the US spends so much on defense and so little on caring for our Veterans. Hear, Hear!!!
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Oct 17, 2021 17:37:51 GMT -5
raikenclw I hope you feel better soon. Thank you (and your father) your service to our country. I have always been disturbed by the fact that, as a country, the US spends so much on defense and so little on caring for our Veterans. Hear, Hear!!! Full agreement, Veterans should go to the front of the line for assistance with anything they need IMO. raikenclw and The Perilous Dreamer keeping you both in my prayers for you both to get healed up and well. Hope you are both doing better soon.
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Post by raikenclw on Oct 20, 2021 21:17:45 GMT -5
simrion , oldskolgmr , Crimhthan The Great - Thank you all for the kind thoughts sent my way. I'm SLOWLY getting better. One of today's good developments is that - for the first time since waking up on 9/30 - the swelling of my throat has gone down enough that I was able to go to sleep without suffering the sense that I was either drowning or suffocating. Hopefully soon it will subside enough that I can go back to using my CPAP machine. (When I first got "home" - i.e. back to the room I live in at the hotel where I work audit shift - I tried using the machine, in the expectation that it would HELP against those sensations. But I immediately discovered that using it actually made the sensations *worse.* Thinking about this, I realized that the continuous positive air pressure was pushing the swollen tissues *together* rather than forcing them apart.)
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Post by raikenclw on Oct 20, 2021 21:33:42 GMT -5
As to the healthy gut bacteria, I'll ask the VA about it. I did so. Nurse Tonya responded that she was aware of the technique, as a couple of her other patients had received the treatment. But she added that those two individuals are much older/frailer than myself and are also suffering from a serious intestinal issue (she told me the condition's name but I'm afraid I can't remember it). It seems that at the present time my intestinal issues do not rise to that level of severity. However, Tonya added that if the over-the-counter pre/probiotic I'm currently taking does not take care of the issue soon, she will inform my doctor and perhaps the doctor would approve such treatment.
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Oct 20, 2021 22:45:24 GMT -5
Hi everybody, I have been in and out of the hospital since 4:30AM Thursday morning. Complications from my radiation treatment Nov-Dec 2018. Partly fully normal and expected and partly not. Had some minor surgery under anesthesia, but back in again after due to re occurrence of blood clots blocking urine flow. Got home on Sat morning, with equipment to use at home to hopefully avoid more trips to the hospital. Will need to have some more procedures to solve the issue I'm having and also get some biopsies to check for cancer. Prayers appreciated and I will not be online much at all for a while. Positive vibes coming your way buddy. Take care.
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Post by Hexenritter Verlag on Oct 20, 2021 22:46:40 GMT -5
As to the healthy gut bacteria, I'll ask the VA about it. I did so. Nurse Tonya responded that she was aware of the technique, as a couple of her other patients had received the treatment. But she added that those two individuals are much older/frailer than myself and are also suffering from a serious intestinal issue (she told me the condition's name but I'm afraid I can't remember it). It seems that at the present time my intestinal issues do not rise to that level of severity. However, Tonya added that if the over-the-counter pre/probiotic I'm currently taking does not take care of the issue soon, she will inform my doctor and perhaps the doctor would approve such treatment. Please take care raikenclw
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Oct 23, 2021 11:17:07 GMT -5
Really glad to hear that raikenclw is doing better! I am doing OK, and the doctor wants me to heal for 2-3 weeks and then I will go back in for my biopsies (hoping for no cancer) and my other procedures. Thank you all for your prayers and for your encouragement.
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Post by raikenclw on Oct 23, 2021 12:12:57 GMT -5
Glad to hear you're doing okay, PD! And thanks - again - to those who are praying/thinking about my own self.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Nov 12, 2021 21:43:09 GMT -5
Today I had my pre-surgery checkup and my blood pressure was 122/79, so controlling my blood pressure with my diet seems to be working.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Nov 12, 2021 21:43:51 GMT -5
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Post by oldskolgmr on Nov 13, 2021 10:11:48 GMT -5
I am glad to hear that the dietary approach to controlling Blood Pressure is working for you The Perilous Dreamer! I have taken my health for granted up until recently. That caught up with me finally in my forties. Now, lots of veggies and water.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Nov 13, 2021 13:52:20 GMT -5
I am glad to hear that the dietary approach to controlling Blood Pressure is working for you The Perilous Dreamer ! I have taken my health for granted up until recently. That caught up with me finally in my forties. Now, lots of veggies and water. Thank you, I am trying to minimize/eliminate the processed food, minimize carbs and eat healthy protein and healthy fat. To the extent it is available I try to eat grass fed meat, butter, eggs, milk and cheese for the health benefits - the natural balance of omega 3 fats and for the massive flavor difference. Also try to eat fresh whole fruit and fresh whole vegetables. That is difficult since it is hard for one person to eat some things before they spoil, so I am working on trying to fix things so I can freeze or in some cases can things, but I am not there yet. I also drink almost all water, a little milk or unsweet fresh brewed ice tea now and then. Whole fruit instead of juice. I have totally eliminated low fat items from my diet as they are highly processed and often substitute unhealthy fats and sugar and artificial things for the healthy fat that should be there. I also try to eat one or two meals a day instead of the old way of three meals and frequent snacks. I try to stay away from anything with added sugar and no artificial sweeteners of any kind. I try to limit sweets to a little raw honey or homemade molasses a couple of times a month. For chocolate I eat 95-100% cacao, which is very healthy and very satisfying. Once I was off sugar, I started with 60% cacao and gradually worked my way up to no or almost no sugar at all. If you are not used to it, it is very bitter, but as you get used to it, you can enjoy the intense flavor. I keep studying and tweaking, it is really tough to get accurate information or to know who to believe. It is tough to lose weight when you cannot do a lot of things physically. My goal is to weigh no more than 220. I have a long way to go, but I am making progress a little bit here and a little bit there.
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Post by simrion on Nov 14, 2021 7:58:20 GMT -5
I endeavour to do the same being a Type 2 diabetic. I was fortunate in that I got a less common side effect of one of my meds (Metformin) which resulted in appetite suppression. Helped me to lose approximately 40 pounds.
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Post by oldskolgmr on Nov 16, 2021 13:07:23 GMT -5
Wow! The Perilous Dreamer you are ticking all of the good eating practices I've heard about. Have an exalt for that post! I'm going to have to stop watching British Bake Off because it's a food trigger for me! Have a healthy, Holiday season!
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Post by hengest on Nov 16, 2021 21:46:17 GMT -5
My father has a new cancer diagnosis (although the original one seems not to have returned). I admit I am having a bit of a hard time with this and its possible, your prayers and thoughts are very valuable. Thank you all.
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