I am sure we all have had to deal with the type of medical beans that Don has had to deal with. Here is a bit of humour to make into a poster for an office or den, just to remind us.
Herding Electric Chickens
03/24/2023
05:25:05
I avoid face-to-face VA appointments as much as possible's and utilize VA Connect, which gives me access to more VA healthcare providers through video conference from either my home office or work office.
It allows me to conduct about 90% of my VA business through video conference, but because it is online and not face-to-face, the providers have better availability and overall less provider-sided cancellations.
Of course, my cardiologist has to see me to put a stethoscope to the chest, my burn nurse can look at my burn scars, but the dermatologist needs to always see me in person. I see my PCP on VA connect every two weeks, and sometimes weekly, but he requires a physical face-to-face physical appointment every 13 weeks.
I am fortunate to have a CBOC (VA local clinic) that is 10 minutes away, but I chose not to utilize same as they have no MDs there, and it is merely nurses, nurse practitioners, and addictions people, and not actual medical people. My nearest VA hospital is 60 minutes away and is more like an urgent care facility as they do not have overnight beds and they do not have a proper emergency room. We do have another hospital in a different direction that is mostly a domiciliary (VA slang for nursing home) and also a drug and alcohol intuition until, but not general medicine. If I travel 90 minutes, only then can I reach a proper, straight-up VA hospital with overnight beds and a traditional emergency room. When I am "up north," the nearest VA hospital (not including CBOCs) is literally 4 hours or more away, and if the weather is funky, it can take 6 hours in each direction. Generally, VA hospitals have guest quarters nearby, which the veteran and their family member ("attendant" is the proper phrase) can stay at no charge, or there are charity groups that offer overnight housing for trips where the travel time may exceed 90 minutes in each direction. When I was an in-patient, my wife was able to stay in a hospital house at the small free housing they provide for well-behaved veteran family members. When that was full up, she could stay across the street at the massive apartment complex operated by a charity, or the VA could pay for a hotel room within walking distance of the hospital.
When you attend a VA Comp&Pen. Exams or re-exams to determine disability percentages, the VA will usually offer to send you to a local housing facility (to say luxury is an understatement, they are really nice).
But, focus on the VA Connect for video conferences.
I have had a few VA hospital trips that were 3-4 hours in traffic each way by ambulance and 6-8 hours coming home, for 9-12 hours round trip, on a stretcher/cot, only for the clinician not to show up due to weather. Of course, I slept for most of each trip each way, earplugs and a sleep mask all the way, baby. I have also gotten stuck on the road in blizzards and major storms, and had some 12 hours days on the road, and even had to have emergency overnight admission due solely to it being too dangerous to be on the roads due to the weather.
BlueMuleCrossDresser
03/23/2023
19:41:06
I'm glad Ms. Diane has recovered from her brush with the Reaper, but it stinks that now, Don has to deal with the VA, and you both have to endure all the kooks on the road! I hope this blows over and gets settled, soon!
Aaron
03/23/2023
07:07:44
Weather is changing ….I’m 58 years old , back in the 60’s early 70’s here in Houston Texas our Thanksgivings were cold or cool every year. Heck Halloween’s were cool and crisp. Now we dont get cold until January-February.I hate it Thanksgiving is 80+ degrees at times.
2
Flying Honker
03/23/2023
04:31:57
MRI not something over 100 years old
Flying Honker
03/23/2023
04:25:57
Estes Park Colorado a great summer spot cool nights and days; family friendly and great game
1
Joe
03/22/2023
17:02:25
Out of curiosity, how tall is Don? Anybody know?
Capt. Mike
03/22/2023
15:57:25
1 2
MANCHU
03/22/2023
15:24:21
any yall ever see a pull start for a dishwasher??
1 2 2
redman
03/22/2023
14:57:00
Fair winds and following Seas
1
Simon77
03/22/2023
12:35:11
I'm guessing that the requirement to actually get examined at the VA is for things like adding a more limited range of motion or chronic pain due to things obviously service related like hard landings from parachute jumps.
While i entered the Navy with the intention of doing one enlistment and then going into the reserves I let them give their re-enlistment pitch and considered doing 20 years etc.
One of the things under consideration was that while they pushed the "we take care of you" including medical care, the system at the time was Champus not Tricare and guys told me it really only works well if you retire in a place right next to a military base. Staying in the reserves turns out to have the same problem, I knew guys driving in a hundred miles to drill on weekends and they were scared to death the place would be shut down before they could build up retirement points, that eventually did happen.
2
Hosenfeld
03/22/2023
12:19:29
Sucks that the VA has always been so complicated in care for us. You might be able to get an approved doctor closer to you. I haven't had to travel much by my Vietnam veteran farther in law lives a couple hours away from the closest VA facilities and they give him the ability to see doctors that are closer.
Mrs. Diane you're doing way better with that bridge! I remember those first videos of you going over it were painful to watch. Glad its gotten at least a little bit more comfortable!
2
Roy_Bean
03/22/2023
11:31:12
6
Buddy
03/22/2023
11:25:37
Google " starlink" it's a satillite reciever. 400 dollars off at 350 dollars . 140 per month . just ordered one. Plus , like H you can order continuos mobility and drive from job to job and be hooked to the internet all day. Just ordered one for residential total 385 plus 140 per month . All I got for now .
3 1
bossrigger
03/22/2023
08:34:58
They were offering everybody video appointments I think you can still get them
3
hball13
03/22/2023
08:21:37
Morning all! Enjoy your time…..👍🙏🇺🇸
7
jimmijo
03/22/2023
07:57:43
Glad Diane seems to be feeling better--Ugh, Don--living with pain--I had disastrous spine surgery 9 yrs ago--post surgery was twice as bad as pre-surgery--pain a 12 on 1 to 10 scale! Ended up on daily high dose hydrocodone PLUS fentanyl patch--very dangerous for me (alcoholic & chemical dependant)--quit cold turkey after a yr and a half--thanks to AA was able to cope with no urge to continue meds--I simply have learned to accept pain and occasional epidural injections--prednisone helps too--LMAO, 83 yrs old--hearing aids, false teeth, trifocals, can't piss (5 prostate surgeries), can't shit, can't fuck, don't drink--suck it up, buttercup.
2 1
MANCHU
03/22/2023
06:08:47
never before seen footage of Blair Scuba Diving...
Deep thoughts for those of you who are too young to remember Cheers.
3 4
MANCHU
03/21/2023
21:43:41
Senior, I have a CBOC in town, but have to travel 110 miles to 'Main' Hospital (John J Pershing) or 200 miles to that ones 'Main' hospital (John Cochran in St Louis)
3
Roy_Bean
03/21/2023
21:33:21
The first full day of spring and we're supposed to get another 7" of global warming before midnight.
Diane, I am familiar with the _(T)*(6997 bridge you are talking about it. I hate it and don't do well with heights as it is with my age. The older I get the worse it gets.
4
RadioMAN
03/21/2023
20:21:29
Don, You need to talk to your closest VFW about them putting you in contact with your state VA Advocate. We have an outstanding one here in NV and she got me 100 per cent asap. You don't have to be a VFW member to have them do this for you.
3
Buddy
03/21/2023
20:18:05
Every time Diane mentions that tunnel bridge i think of being inside the Alaka Hyway Pipeline and the 2 km crawl out . I feei for you ,I truelly do .
3
Buddy
03/21/2023
20:00:31
Ba ha ha ha . Total put down but in a halarious way . Hope you enjoy .
Senior, were you the biggest guy in your BUDS class? Diane, you’re a Saint for making that trip. You deserve some wine and Valium for your patience!😁❤️
5 3
redman
03/21/2023
19:24:19
I'm 180 miles from the VA in Sioux Falls. The good part of that is I receive top healthcare there vs the VA in chicago. A couple friends of mine with bad backs find relief by gettin epidural injections. Also, the VA will let me use local healthcare for some things on their nickel because i live over 60 miles away from the VA. Got me some great hearing aids too. Its nice to be able to hear when someone is talkin shit to you so you can punch them in the eye.
1 2
hball13
03/21/2023
18:43:40
A 4 hr round trip to a Govment Doc…… hope you’re feeling better Don after the meal and a few beers……. Thanks Diane for taking good care of him…. Strong men/ strong women! 👍🇺🇸🙏🙏
4
Blairzy
03/21/2023
18:33:07
Thanks for the update, sorry about the lousy drive. Hope you're feeling better soon Senior, it sucks that things you did decades ago come back and haunt you. You need to get back home, have a few pops and something good to eat. The warm weather coming should help with what ails you, it'll be Summer time soon. I'm sure the dogs will love the Janice Joplin dope smoking shirts.
They did that where I live and it pisses me off. We used to have turnout lanes for the big main streets. They took out the turnout lanes so they could beef up the bike lanes, we already had very good bike lanes but they wanted to make super-duper Agenda21/Agenda30 bike lanes.
Now there are times when you want to turn out but somebody in the same lane wants to go straight and you just have to wait.
1 1
Mick
03/21/2023
18:12:04
Looks like Dons getting one of those self driving cars.
Big Bear
03/24/2023
10:55:18
I am sure we all have had to deal with the type of medical beans that Don has had to deal with.
Here is a bit of humour to make into a poster for an office or den, just to remind us.
Herding Electric Chickens
03/24/2023
05:25:05
I avoid face-to-face VA appointments as much as possible's and utilize VA Connect, which gives me access to more VA healthcare providers through video conference from either my home office or work office.
It allows me to conduct about 90% of my VA business through video conference, but because it is online and not face-to-face, the providers have better availability and overall less provider-sided cancellations.
Of course, my cardiologist has to see me to put a stethoscope to the chest, my burn nurse can look at my burn scars, but the dermatologist needs to always see me in person.
I see my PCP on VA connect every two weeks, and sometimes weekly, but he requires a physical face-to-face physical appointment every 13 weeks.
I am fortunate to have a CBOC (VA local clinic) that is 10 minutes away, but I chose not to utilize same as they have no MDs there, and it is merely nurses, nurse practitioners, and addictions people, and not actual medical people. My nearest VA hospital is 60 minutes away and is more like an urgent care facility as they do not have overnight beds and they do not have a proper emergency room. We do have another hospital in a different direction that is mostly a domiciliary (VA slang for nursing home) and also a drug and alcohol intuition until, but not general medicine. If I travel 90 minutes, only then can I reach a proper, straight-up VA hospital with overnight beds and a traditional emergency room. When I am "up north," the nearest VA hospital (not including CBOCs) is literally 4 hours or more away, and if the weather is funky, it can take 6 hours in each direction.
Generally, VA hospitals have guest quarters nearby, which the veteran and their family member ("attendant" is the proper phrase) can stay at no charge, or there are charity groups that offer overnight housing for trips where the travel time may exceed 90 minutes in each direction. When I was an in-patient, my wife was able to stay in a hospital house at the small free housing they provide for well-behaved veteran family members. When that was full up, she could stay across the street at the massive apartment complex operated by a charity, or the VA could pay for a hotel room within walking distance of the hospital.
When you attend a VA Comp&Pen. Exams or re-exams to determine disability percentages, the VA will usually offer to send you to a local housing facility (to say luxury is an understatement, they are really nice).
But, focus on the VA Connect for video conferences.
I have had a few VA hospital trips that were 3-4 hours in traffic each way by ambulance and 6-8 hours coming home, for 9-12 hours round trip, on a stretcher/cot, only for the clinician not to show up due to weather. Of course, I slept for most of each trip each way, earplugs and a sleep mask all the way, baby. I have also gotten stuck on the road in blizzards and major storms, and had some 12 hours days on the road, and even had to have emergency overnight admission due solely to it being too dangerous to be on the roads due to the weather.
BlueMuleCrossDresser
03/23/2023
19:41:06
I'm glad Ms. Diane has recovered from her brush with the Reaper, but it stinks that now, Don has to deal with the VA, and you both have to endure all the kooks on the road! I hope this blows over and gets settled, soon!
Aaron
03/23/2023
07:07:44
Weather is changing ….I’m 58 years old , back in the 60’s early 70’s here in Houston Texas our Thanksgivings were cold or cool every year. Heck Halloween’s were cool and crisp. Now we dont get cold until January-February.I hate it Thanksgiving is 80+ degrees at times.
Flying Honker
03/23/2023
04:31:57
MRI not something over 100 years old
Flying Honker
03/23/2023
04:25:57
Estes Park Colorado a great summer spot cool nights and days; family friendly and great game
Joe
03/22/2023
17:02:25
Out of curiosity, how tall is Don? Anybody know?
Capt. Mike
03/22/2023
15:57:25
MANCHU
03/22/2023
15:24:21
any yall ever see a pull start for a dishwasher??
redman
03/22/2023
14:57:00
Fair winds and following Seas
Simon77
03/22/2023
12:35:11
I'm guessing that the requirement to actually get examined at the VA is for things like adding a more limited range of motion or chronic pain due to things obviously service related like hard landings from parachute jumps.
While i entered the Navy with the intention of doing one enlistment and then going into the reserves I let them give their re-enlistment pitch and considered doing 20 years etc.
One of the things under consideration was that while they pushed the "we take care of you" including medical care, the system at the time was Champus not Tricare and guys told me it really only works well if you retire in a place right next to a military base.
Staying in the reserves turns out to have the same problem, I knew guys driving in a hundred miles to drill on weekends and they were scared to death the place would be shut down before they could build up retirement points, that eventually did happen.
Hosenfeld
03/22/2023
12:19:29
Sucks that the VA has always been so complicated in care for us. You might be able to get an approved doctor closer to you. I haven't had to travel much by my Vietnam veteran farther in law lives a couple hours away from the closest VA facilities and they give him the ability to see doctors that are closer.
Mrs. Diane you're doing way better with that bridge! I remember those first videos of you going over it were painful to watch. Glad its gotten at least a little bit more comfortable!
Roy_Bean
03/22/2023
11:31:12
Buddy
03/22/2023
11:25:37
Google " starlink" it's a satillite reciever. 400 dollars off at 350 dollars . 140 per month . just ordered one. Plus , like H you can order continuos mobility and drive from job to job and be hooked to the internet all day. Just ordered one for residential total 385 plus 140 per month . All I got for now .
bossrigger
03/22/2023
08:34:58
They were offering everybody video appointments I think you can still get them
hball13
03/22/2023
08:21:37
Morning all!
Enjoy your time…..👍🙏🇺🇸
jimmijo
03/22/2023
07:57:43
Glad Diane seems to be feeling better--Ugh, Don--living with pain--I had disastrous spine surgery 9 yrs ago--post surgery was twice as bad as pre-surgery--pain a 12 on 1 to 10 scale!
Ended up on daily high dose hydrocodone PLUS fentanyl patch--very dangerous for me (alcoholic & chemical dependant)--quit cold turkey after a yr and a half--thanks to AA was able to cope with no urge to continue meds--I simply have learned to accept pain and occasional epidural injections--prednisone helps too--LMAO, 83 yrs old--hearing aids, false teeth, trifocals, can't piss (5 prostate surgeries), can't shit, can't fuck, don't drink--suck it up, buttercup.
MANCHU
03/22/2023
06:08:47
never before seen footage of Blair Scuba Diving...
MANCHU
03/22/2023
05:42:20
Jay Leno gets pranked
Watch on YouTube
not my creation
Yosemite Sam
03/22/2023
05:25:22
Watch on YouTube
Satan's Blues - Jr. Walker & The All Stars (1964) (HD Quality)
Blairzy
03/22/2023
04:49:10
Good morning Echo platoon and Elegant Echo's, hope everyone has a good day.
Sgt. Tee
03/22/2023
03:46:20
Don, VFW join up
MANCHU
03/22/2023
03:34:03
Jordanb18
03/22/2023
00:30:03
Lmao
Buddy
03/22/2023
00:14:07
Watch on YouTube
Woodstock
ebeeby
03/21/2023
22:35:41
woot!
Roy_Bean
03/21/2023
21:45:59
Deep thoughts for those of you who are too young to remember Cheers.
MANCHU
03/21/2023
21:43:41
Senior, I have a CBOC in town, but have to travel 110 miles to 'Main' Hospital (John J Pershing) or 200 miles to that ones 'Main' hospital (John Cochran in St Louis)
Roy_Bean
03/21/2023
21:33:21
The first full day of spring and we're supposed to get another 7" of global warming before midnight.
hball13
03/21/2023
21:08:56
Watch on YouTube
Tucker: This is malicious
Buddy
03/21/2023
20:34:10
Compounded falls and explotions
Watch on YouTube
Wile E Coyote & The Road Runner Best Compilation ever - Lo mejor del Coyote y el Correcaminos
RadioMAN
03/21/2023
20:25:35
Diane, I am familiar with the _(T)*(6997 bridge you are talking about it. I hate it and don't do well with heights as it is with my age. The older I get the worse it gets.
RadioMAN
03/21/2023
20:21:29
Don, You need to talk to your closest VFW about them putting you in contact with your state VA Advocate. We have an outstanding one here in NV and she got me 100 per cent asap. You don't have to be a VFW member to have them do this for you.
Buddy
03/21/2023
20:18:05
Every time Diane mentions that tunnel bridge i think of being inside the Alaka Hyway Pipeline and the 2 km crawl out . I feei for you ,I truelly do .
Buddy
03/21/2023
20:00:31
Ba ha ha ha . Total put down but in a halarious way . Hope you enjoy .
Watch on YouTube
"Who Drew The Map of Canada??" The Pale Tourist (NEW MATERIAL) Jim Gaffigan Stand Up
Robin - E.E.
03/21/2023
19:48:00
Senior, were you the biggest guy in your BUDS class? Diane, you’re a Saint for making that trip. You deserve some wine and Valium for your patience!😁❤️
redman
03/21/2023
19:24:19
I'm 180 miles from the VA in Sioux Falls. The good part of that is I receive top healthcare there vs the VA in chicago. A couple friends of mine with bad backs find relief by gettin epidural injections. Also, the VA will let me use local healthcare for some things on their nickel because i live over 60 miles away from the VA. Got me some great hearing aids too. Its nice to be able to hear when someone is talkin shit to you so you can punch them in the eye.
hball13
03/21/2023
18:43:40
A 4 hr round trip to a Govment Doc…… hope you’re feeling better Don after the meal and a few beers……. Thanks Diane for taking good care of him…. Strong men/ strong women! 👍🇺🇸🙏🙏
Blairzy
03/21/2023
18:33:07
Thanks for the update, sorry about the lousy drive. Hope you're feeling better soon Senior, it sucks that things you did decades ago come back and haunt you. You need to get back home, have a few pops and something good to eat. The warm weather coming should help with what ails you, it'll be Summer time soon. I'm sure the dogs will love the Janice Joplin dope smoking shirts.
Watch on YouTube
Janis Joplin - Summertime
Simon77
03/21/2023
18:26:22
They did that where I live and it pisses me off. We used to have turnout lanes for the big main streets.
They took out the turnout lanes so they could beef up the bike lanes, we already had very good bike lanes but they wanted to make super-duper Agenda21/Agenda30 bike lanes.
Now there are times when you want to turn out but somebody in the same lane wants to go straight and you just have to wait.
Mick
03/21/2023
18:12:04
Looks like Dons getting one of those self driving cars.
Jai - E.E.
03/21/2023
18:07:34
Evening all 😊
Blairzy
03/21/2023
17:49:32
Hello folks
MANCHU
03/21/2023
17:46:45
rollin in
soundin EWS
hball13
03/21/2023
17:45:17
Number #1