Disappointments
This is the first time I have talked or written about this injury. I am a disabled veteran and I suffer from Bi-Polar Depression/PTSD. This all started in August 2009, I was involved in a one car accident and I brook my left leg in three places. Things didn’t go right from the very beginning. I was taken by ambulance to Southern Maryland Hospital from the accident. I was X-rayed, leg rapped and then released with instructions to return to the hospital in two days for surgery. That was Saturday night. I went home (in pain) and on that Sunday since I am a veteran I went to the V. A. Hospital emergency room with the X-rays from southern MD hospital. The doctor there was just as confused as I that I had been released and sent home to let the swelling go down (but I was somewhat confrontational at southern MD hospital when told to go home. Well the emergency room doctor at the V. A. authorized me to go to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center and they operated that same night. Everything was going great at least I felt it was at the time. After about a week I was released back to the V. A. and spent another three days. At this point there was no physical therapy set up and the V. A. Released me with instruction to take the prescribed medication and return to University for follow up and I did just that. V. A. policy however only allow 90 days of follow up treatment and when the 90 days ended I still haven’t been set up with physical therapy and now I had difficulty getting an appointment with Orthopedics at the V. A. I even went to the emergency room three times and referrals were made and still no appointment was given. I called them and still no appointment. My primary care doctor was in Afghanistan so he could not help. Well I fired my primary care doctor, called and demanded to be seen and an appointment was set (four months later) I went to my appointment, was tested for infection and told I would receive a call when the results came back. The call came in on Saturday night from the doctor. I have an infection and arrangements were made for me to report back to University hospital for evaluation. I went to the appointment expecting to be evaluated and ended up back on the operating table. I hope and pray that no one ever has to o through and ordeal such as this, it has taken all my strength to make it through this and keep my wife from worrying too much. Thanks for this opportunity to get this off my mind.