www.incontinentsupport.org

Wait a minute,.......there are a few of us here that have disabilities and use the VA. Sometimes they are slow to get things done, but no worse than working with any HMO. I can only speak for myself, but I have no complaints regarding any of the care that I receive, (I have 2, or more doc appt's every month), plus they provide me with all my meds, and incon supplies for free.

One thing that I know for certain is that if you have something that is "urgent", you don't have to wait for anything. I recently had an MRI done and I had to wait almost 6 weeks before they could do it just because they are trying to treat so many people. However, I was told the first day I made the appt for the MRI that if my need for the MRI was "urgent", they would get me in right away. That was the longest I've had to wait for anything with the VA. If I have a medical need, I can see my primary care doc, or the doc's assitant within 48 hours, and most the time the same day if needed. My experience with customer service is as good, if not better than any HMO I've experienced, and I DON'T have any co-pays. I can't say that about any private health insurance I have had in the past, and when I think of how much I'm saving by not paying any co-pays, plus all my incon supplies (diapers), I know I'm saving $800 - $1,000, EACH month and that figure does not include the cost of health insurance. I have no complaints,......customer service or anything else.

If you feel your are not receiving timely medical treatment let them know how you feel. I'm sure if there is a medical need, you will receive anything you need in a timely manner.

Wait a minute,.......there are a few of us here that have disabilities and use the VA. Sometimes they are slow to get things done, but no worse than working with any HMO. I can only speak for myself, but I have no complaints regarding any of the care that I receive, (I have 2, or more doc appt's every month), plus they provide me with all my meds, and incon supplies for free.

One thing that I know for certain is that if you have something that is "urgent", you don't have to wait for anything. I recently had an MRI done and I had to wait almost 6 weeks before they could do it just because they are trying to treat so many people. However, I was told the first day I made the appt for the MRI that if my need for the MRI was "urgent", they would get me in right away. That was the longest I've had to wait for anything with the VA. If I have a medical need, I can see my primary care doc, or the doc's assitant within 48 hours, and most the time the same day if needed. My experience with customer service is as good, if not better than any HMO I've experienced, and I DON'T have any co-pays. I can't say that about any private health insurance I have had in the past, and when I think of how much I'm saving by not paying any co-pays, plus all my incon supplies (diapers), I know I'm saving $800 - $1,000, EACH month and that figure does not include the cost of health insurance. I have no complaints,......customer service or anything else.

If you feel your are not receiving timely medical treatment let them know how you feel. I'm sure if there is a medical need, you will receive anything you need in a timely manner.

Wait a minute,.......there are a few of us here that have disabilities and use the VA. Sometimes they are slow to get things done, but no worse than working with any HMO. I can only speak for myself, but I have no complaints regarding any of the care that I receive, (I have 2, or more doc appt's every month), plus they provide me with all my meds, and incon supplies for free.

One thing that I know for certain is that if you have something that is "urgent", you don't have to wait for anything. I recently had an MRI done and I had to wait almost 6 weeks before they could do it just because they are trying to treat so many people. However, I was told the first day I made the appt for the MRI that if my need for the MRI was "urgent", they would get me in right away. That was the longest I've had to wait for anything with the VA. If I have a medical need, I can see my primary care doc, or the doc's assitant within 48 hours, and most the time the same day if needed. My experience with customer service is as good, if not better than any HMO I've experienced, and I DON'T have any co-pays. I can't say that about any private health insurance I have had in the past, and when I think of how much I'm saving by not paying any co-pays, plus all my incon supplies (diapers), I know I'm saving $800 - $1,000, EACH month and that figure does not include the cost of health insurance. I have no complaints,......customer service or anything else.

If you feel your are not receiving timely medical treatment let them know how you feel. I'm sure if there is a medical need, you will receive anything you need in a timely manner.

I didn't mean to step on any toes, I am just frustrated by how slow this has all been. That said, we started with our civilian medical doctor and there has been no quick answers like we'd hoped. However, it took about 8 months to get an appointment to see the urologist which was frustrating!

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Vicky Wells

Vicki,

8 months is a long time to wait even for the VA. One thing you need to keep in mind is there is not always a simple answer as to why someone is incon. Granted, there are several tests that will be done to rule out some of the more obvious causes, and sometimes depending on the cause, meds will help. I don't take any meds for incontinence because the cause of my incon is nerve damage.

Many people become incon from a back injury (nerve damage). You would "think" that would be rather obvious but the doc's want to know the extent of damage to each nerve involved. Obviously these nerves affect more than just the bladder and bowel and often will affect one's ability to walk. I consider myself to be lucky in that I'm mobile. As long as I remain mobile and I'm able to keep the pain in check I'm happy,...... being incon in the big picture is minor. I can think of many things that could be worse.

Suggestion,.....the next time you receive an appt that is booked way far in advance, call the doc you are waiting to see a few times a week and ask if they have any cancellations so you can get your appt moved up that way. Good luck

Do you have to see a VA urologist? Is your husband medically retired? Can you use an army or local navy hospital?

I am medically retired from the Marines. I occasionally use the VA. They provide me with Abena diapers for free. I have Tricare prime so I am able to use network doctors. I usually get a referral to a urologist with an appt in like a month. I have used independent urologists and one that was a navy doc. They were all good.

If you have to use the VA, I would do like John said and call periodically to see if they have an opening. 8 months seems like a long time to wait. I know that in my area, I can not see my VA doc anytime soon if I need them. I have to schedule my appt like a month in advance. But 8 months seems just too long.

Yes, we have to use the VA because he wasn't medically retired. Instead the Army declared him unfit for duty and refused to allow him to re-enlist but we are fighting to have his discharge changed to medical retirement. Alas, we are waiting on a VA rating decision to move forward.

An update; the blood thinner that they prescribed for his frequent urination made him sick and the pharmacist took him off it. He's currently on VERY strong antibiotics and goes back after they've run there course for a new appointment. I'll keep you posted!! Thanks for the advice!!!

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Vicky Wells

Just an interesting question...Did he serve in Iraq or Afghanistan and get diagnosed with PTSD? I'm not being nosy. Its just that if he was diagnosed with PTSD in the military and they medically seperated him, then this is an injustice that needs to be corrected. He should have been medically retired. PTSD guarantees an automatic 50% rating by law. At minimum. So I'm just curious.

Yes, he served in Iraq twice has been diagnosed with PTSD by the VA at 30% and has a pending TBI claim as well. He wasn't diagnosed with anything by the Army because he was denied an out-processing physical. This issue is still being investigated, albet slowly, by the Army. That said, how did you get your incontinence to be service related?

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Vicky Wells

I had incontinence in service. It is in my military med record. It was easy because I got a doctor to tie my incontinence to my psych meds. My psych condition is also service connected. My psych meds are linked to incontinence. So thats all it took.

I do not understand how the army could deny someone an exit physical!!! I would be seriously thinking of getting a lawyer. I don't see how you could get this resolved without one. It just makes no sense to me. The marine corps made me get my teeth cleaned before I got out!!! They took my exit physical seriously! I just don't understand.