Well, wish me luck dufuses ...

[Thumper]

Today's the big day ... I have my paperwork together and my story all written out. Today I meet with the Veteran's Claims Examiner to present my case (basically a malpractice type thing). This guy does NOT work for the VA ... he works with the State of Florida ... so there's no conflict of interest here.

I've had one meeting with him previously (March 11) and now have everything he needs to move forward. He seems like a straight-up kinda guy. Was very concerned and has been helpful so far. He also wants me to get on the Agent Orange registry as he's been able to verify I was exposed. I ran into a block wall previously as MI records don't always show persactly where I was at all times ... just where I was based out of. Somehow he worked through the red tape and dug up some top secret spy stuff I guess. ;)

Gonna shit, shower and shave ... then head to Tampa for some Thai food and then the big pow-wow.

Later dufes.

[johnboy]

Good luck and hope you wind up with a big chunk a change! You deserve it.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Good for you, Jim. I hope you can get some results out of this because you certainly deserve it. There's no excuse for it.

Good luck, buddy!

BKB

[Bwana]

Wishing the best for you bud.

[Captain]

Good luck Jim,

I just hope what ever comes of it will mean your quality of life will be better!
Take Care, Captain

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Tightline]

Jim, jmho, but you need justice not luck. Good luck anyway.

[Buckrub]

Good luck, but Tightline is right.

Besides, there's nobody one earth more nuts than you are..........I am afraid that is going to skew your case as to cause!!!

Man, I know you love the VA, but I sure hope you find some way to get the care that you need and get back among the crazies.

Good luck.

[Niner]

OK Jimbob....how did it go.???

[LJ3]

I got an email from him... Apparently the Lawyer said he knew Elvis in the biblical sense, Jimmy took offense given his relationship with Elvis and Col Parker, a fight ensued, Jimmy's back in the hospital. Cap'n is texting Lynn to get details :)

Sorry, I've been working 14 hours already today :)

Jimmy! What da dilly, yo?

[Captain]

I did text Thumper a couple of hours ago to see how it went. Ill let him fill in the details but will say he sounded "encouraged".
Of course he is still heart broken of the loss of Elvis.
;)
Take care, Captain

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Thumper]

Well, so far it looks promising. I didn't go in like a hateful jerk-off. I praised my VA Primary Care physician (a military officer) for "saving my life" due to her tenacity ... she ordered all sorts of tests I NEVER would have gotten with private insurance ... and (while looking for something totally unrelated) that's what led to stumbling on a problem we had no clue even existed.

The next thing I did was to praise my plastic surgeon who really is a genius as far as I'm concerned. I've seen first-hand the work he did for soldiers in Iraq who were victims of IED's, etc. He's a miracle worker IMHO. BUT ... he inherited a mess that someone else handed him ... ME! He's done everything humanly possible and is STILL working on a fix ... but it's hard to paint a masterpiece on a torn up piece of canvas. :(

The jerk-off I'm out to "F" with is the civilian "doctor" who contracted with the VA and performed my orig. surgery. They've fired him ... but I have no clue why persactly.

Anyway, after talking to half the asshole attorneys in the country just to find out they were all gung-ho and smelled nothing but money, only to have them turn a 180 and run away from the whole deal after hearing they would have to go up against the government, I finally found someone who can actually do something. Heck, I've only had two meetings with him and both times he stayed with us a couple hours after quitting time ... and this last meeting was a Friday night. The office cleared out and he stuck with us 'til the end, not once acting rushed or in a hurry to get home to his family after a long week of work. I was impressed. Plus, there's a certain "bond" as he acts like (and even stated) he really likes us and wants to pull out all the stops to help. What tightened the bond even more is, through general conversation on Friday, we discovered we were both ex-MI and worked the same type missions, except for the fact he was working the Czech mission (after the Soviet invasion in 1968) while I was working the S.E. Asia mission.

Anyway, I still have a ways to go, but at least the ball is rolling and there's a full head of steam behind it. This guy is a State employee, but I'm tellin' you, he's going for the jugular!

[Niner]

Sweet! Sounds like you may have finally found someone who can help. Keep up posted....I am keeping me fingers crossed.

[BarryBobPosthole]

If you're there for those pressure sores, then it doesn't have a damn thing to do with your surgeons. It has to do with the VA hospital not complying with even the most basic of medical procedures for people who are bedridden for a long time. It really ought to be about both. The original surgery that put you down for so long and then the whole stuff with your back. I understand your feelings about those people that tried to help you. They won't get hurt in this deal. But there is someone whose responsible for the rest of it and they need to be held accountable.

I know you love the VA, but the way they've treated the veterans from these last two wars especially is just not justifiable in any way shape or form. The VA back in the 2002-2008 actually committed fraud IMO for soldiers coming back home with PTSD. There was a big controversy inside the military that got virtually NO press where the VA was coercing soldiers into accepting agreements for percentages of disability that were just criminal. I have no love for those people. Our people who served deserve better than that. and it took a class action suit to fix it, they didn't even have the balls to fix it themselves.

BKB

[Bwana]

Sounds like a step in the right direction Jim which is good news. Hope there is more good news to come for you.

[Thumper]

As for the pressure ulcers ... yes and no. I had a SMALL bedsore after coming out of my coma. Heck, I'd been in bed on my back for a month and a half. During the coma, I was running a high fever and sweating, plus I was tied down (restrained) so I couldn't hurt myself in case I came out of the coma and started ripping out wires and tubing. They rolled me over often, gave me sponge baths, etc. during this time and were treating the sore.

The problem is, it just kept getting worse. After getting out of the hospital I was under the constant care of a wound care specialist. She tried every treatment under the sun and it just kept getting worse ... and growing larger. After a year of treatment, I was turned over to a plastic surgeon who went through the same frustration. Skin flap surgery was performed, but I went through three failed skin grafts ... which meant 6 additional surgeries. Same deal, I was not healing!

He then put together an elaborate plan to perform micro-surgery and transplant a big chunk of tissue from my leg, then tie in all the blood vessles. I went in for pre-op and a CT Scan was performed so he could map out all the blood vessels so he knew where to cut and where to "tie in". That's when it was discovered there was no blood supply going to my back. Everything started making sense then ... with no blood supply, there was no way for the tissue to heal itself.

It was determined the original surgeon screwed up and cut the main blood supply to my back and that tiny bedsore festered and grew uncontrollably until half my frigging back rotted off!

The last I heard from my plastic surgeon was he wants to put together a team of surgeons. A cardiac team to go in through the front, hook into an artery somplace, run a tube to my back ... then my plastic surgeon and his team will cut a chunk out of my leg, then go in through my back and perform the microsurgery required to tie into the blood supply furnished by the cardiac team.

Awww crap! I don't even want to talk about it! Anyway ... I'm simply trying to get a bit of financial help for all the bullshit I've been through the last 3 1/2 years ... with no end in sight.

[Buckrub]

I'm with Barry.

Every think that maybe you weren't healing from the sores BECAUSE you were 'compromised' from.............'something'......??????

I am so flabbergasted that folks with 20% of your problems sue and get bazillions easily.............and you can't get anyone to "jump to". Jimmy, any judge or lawyer or jury that heard this case even as much as WE have heard it, would give you Rhode Island and half of Connecticut.

Geez.

I hope you get something good out of all this. I hope it's soon.

[Thumper]

Well, here's the problem as it was explained to me by an attorney. Just like we keep screaming about the deficit to cut spending, we're most likely going to have to cut some "social programs". Some go for that idea ... except for the people ON those programs! We always talk about the high cost of health care in this country. Part of that is the high cost of medical liability insurance for doctors and medical institutions. We pay ridiculous amounts for auto insurance then hear about huge sums of money paid out because some idiot got drunk and ran his car into a tree at 80 mph. We have to pay double what a Big Mac is actually worth because some ditzy woman spilled hot McD's coffee in her lap while trying to drink coffee, polish her nails, talk on her cell phone AND drive at the same time.

Well, to reduce "government" spending a few years back, it was determined the VA would have a liability cap of $200,000 on "malpractice" claims. Heck, I've found out from personal experience, an attorney won't even get out of bed in the morning to tackle a $200,000 case!

That's what I'm fighting here. Evidently this State guy knows which strings to pull and what buttons to push ... plus, he isn't in it for the money ... he's on salary!

It's still early in the process and I have a ways to go ... but at least I can see a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel instead of having doors slammed in my face.

[Buckrub]

I think you need a second opinion.

I know of Agent Orange victims that got $50,000 a year for life..........

[Thumper]

Well, my SEAL bud got 100% of his Agent Orange claim ... but it ain't no $50,000/year.

This isn't an Agent Orange claim anyway ... it's a malpractice claim.

[johnboy]

Shouldn't you be going after the civilian surgeon that screwed up the blood supply to your back directly and NOT the VA? Am I missing something here?

[Thumper]

The way I understand it John, since the VA hired him as a "contract doctor" .. he fell under the VA umbrella ... or basically, he was an employee of the VA System so the VA is responsible "for him".

In otherwords ... he works for the VA and carries no personal malpractice insurance ... his coverage is provided by the "company" he works for ... which, in this case, would be the VA.

See what I've been fighting?

[johnboy]

Yeah, a bag of snakes. Keep plugging Jimbo!