One of the worst horror stories from the VA, I've heard about in a long time.

[Archae]

Before my father died, several times I'd see him get flaming mad at the Veterans Administration, when they'd screw up.
Usually it was when they'd "lose his paperwork or files."

But this guy had a positive result on an HIV test, back in 1995.
And was never told about it by the VA.

Now he's going through AIDS treatment.

https://www.wbay.com/2020/09/11/us-navy-veteran-for-2-decades-va-never-told-him-he-had-hiv/

[Crowman2009]

1. Reason no. (insert number here) on why you should never enlist.

Why fight for your country if they screw people over constantly. Learned my lesson from my one and only Iraq deployment in 2005.

[Archae]

3. My Dad was drafted.

During the Korean War.

[Yeehah]

4. I'm damn glad I served.

I'm qualified for VA health care and I have zero complaints.

Only had one screw-up with an appointment and I got to see the provider anyway.

[Doremus]

5. I don't know about the VA but civilian hospitals are no better

Hubby had a stroke this summer and was in the hosp for a few days. Very much a shocker to see the differences between today's hospital experience vs. even 10 or 20 years ago. This is not an inner-city or charity type place btw; it's a modern healthcare facility run by a highly-regarded provider, the Cleveland Clinic.

Claustrophobic room, short staff, overbooked scan availability, I could go on. Doctors of all specialties stopped in frequently hawking one designer drug after another. The worst was when they almost double-dosed DH on his insulin injection which I was lucky enough to notice and stop.

This is the medical industrial complex of 2020.

[Backseat Driver]

8. Unfortunately, you are correct!

I was duped into becoming an accredited health information technician, assured by TPTB, it was a strong and honorable occupation for the future. Hahaha...automation and off-shoring made all that training pretty much obsolete, and I'll not go into the ways it became dishonorable. I can say that now a crash course in coding, the HIPPA rules, and possibly both a medical and a daily updated pharmaceutical dictionary is all the dumbed-down education one needs. Just hit "ENTER" and move on!

I've had a similar experience in hospital. Not a double-dosage; I had a reaction when they tried two new and more expensive medications to replace the one I had been taking with no way to tell which was responsible for the symptoms I reported after the very first doses. I feel lucky that, because of my training, I was able to distinguish the reaction coming on and keep the nurses from giving me a second round of either of those replacement meds.

One must be or have a knowledgeable advocate 24/7 when one is hospitalized. Records aren't accurate; docs don't read 'em, even their own, yet "hit the button" on their electronic signatures - it's frightening!

[Backseat Driver]

6. Yes indeed - an American horror story!

Slipped through the cracks and/or afflicted with assumed discriminations that might have been early-associated with physical/mental illness (PTSD) cases when the patient was first placed on military "disability"; the story doesn't explain when or how the sailor became HIV+, so he was subsequently perhaps caught up erroneously or not in DADT controversies in which there were strong beliefs about these policies and legislations? The story does mention the patient's girlfriends, but not even that patient admission of hetero-relationships might explain how, when, or why the patient had become positive; IT MATTERS NOT! He wasn't notified!!! Sic loquitur pro se

However it went down, the VA medical personnel and system failed this vet too long. His records, no doubt, contained volumes of medical care and history TO NO AVAIL! It matters to me because I once was an accredited health information technician. HE WASN'T NOTIFIED OR TREATED! Glad he's now receiving the treatment he required a long time ago. Also hope the patient found a way to cope with the suffering and triggering of his traumatic experiences that led to his PTSD, something else with symptoms that can play out over years.

[musette_sf]

7. props to Maimonides -

They saved my sister's life several years ago.

[BusyBeingBest]

9. Seriously, though, amazing he lived that long with untreated HIV/AIDS.

Is that a first? A medical miracle? Was it dormant in his system for a long time? I can't fathom 25 years with no meds and still kicking (albeit sick now).