Thank you so much for being here.
Our Veterans are the true Heroes of America not some jock or rock star or celebrity.
He was sent down to Wadsworth in West Los Angeles because of a blood infection which had attacked his heart valve for the 3rd time. He was airlifted to Palo Alto and was very lucky to have a world class surgeon (finally) perform a replacement of his valve and a massive re-section of his heart which had been eaten away by infection. I need to mention that the facilities in Palo Alto are wonderful! I was very impressed. The rooms were like normal hospital rooms, not at all like the old dreary facilities in Los Angeles or Long Beach.
This surgery, although it was done by a better doctor in a better facility, was not like the others inasmuch as my brother was not coming around and seemed to be deteriorating. We would try to talk to him and could barely hear him. Days after the surgery he was unable to get up and had to be on oxygen. But the surgeons were talking about sending him home. I had flashbacks of my uncle who was sent home 10 days after open heart surgery in spite of the fact that he had pneumonia and no one at home to help him. Sure enough, 10 days lapsed and Palo Alto loaded my brother onto a commercial plane and sent him back to Wadsworth (w/o oxygen) to be released to home from there.
I was worried sick because there was no way my brother was well. I called Wadsworth to make sure he had arrived ok and was told they had no record of him. I was frantic and called and worked my way from one department to another until someone finally went out and found my brother in a wheelchair in the hallway! he had been there for hours! He was then transferred into intensive care where they discovered a massive infection that had been overlooked before his release from Palo Alto. He was once again loaded on a plane (this time a private jet with a nurse to accompany him) and sent back to Palo Alto. This was done at the request of the surgeon in Palo Alto who had apparently done the surgery and then more or less turned my brother's care over to the interns.
My brother was given top notch priority care when he returned to Palo Alto and he began to respond and do well after that. But the fact is it took a major screw up on their part before they were willing to give him the time his illness required. I think the VA tries to go by the same B.S. guidelines that the HMO's are using. If you don't fit the scenario established by the book, forget it.
My brother has always been able to be his own advocate but it often took every ounce of energy that he had to do it. He has alot of medical/chemistry knowledge. Most people are not armed with adequate knowledge to be their own advocate, and if they do not have another intelligent person who can keep up with the doctors, they can very often be at a severe disadvantage. This is unfortunately true with HMO care that many of us are forced to have as well. It is pathetic! A disabled vet or a person who works their entire life and pays for medical insurance should be secure in the knowledge that they will be well cared for. It simply doesn't happen that way, and especially not in California!
Our Veterans are the true Heroes of America not some jock or rock star or celebrity.