At least 61 US Veterans who guarded contaminated ex-Soviet base died or have cancer

[opngrnd]

Wow, those conditions sound horrible. Makes me look back at my time on the ship during those same years and be thankful.

That said...I deal with and work around/with radiation...I don’t buy the “ponds glowing green” thing.

Makes me wonder if there isn't more than radiation going on.

[hotrodder636]

Yeah...DU and even enriched uranium don’t “glow” and not green. A very high flux is needed and that comes from actual fission and the fission products (think used nuclear reactor fuel) and it would have a blue glow in water. I guess if you put a used fuel assembly in pond water, due to it not being pure/clear/clean water, it may look green...but I highly doubt there are used fuel assemblies just chilling in a pond.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation

Makes me wonder if there isn't more than radiation going on.

[JoshNC]

VA docs pretend they know nothing, and most legit docs actually do know nothing about some of the military issues. I've got some odd things that are less than enjoyable, and there is little interest in dealing with them from a VA angle.

VA physicians are typically civilians employed by the federal government to be physicians. They have absolutely no idea about specific exposures, etc. It would be subspecialists in occupational medicine (or similar) who understand those nuances. Don’t paint the MDs with a conspiratorial brush, they are simply physicians practicing their specialty as they would in any other medical system.

[chuckman]

VA physicians are typically civilians employed by the federal government to be physicians. They have absolutely no idea about specific exposures, etc. It would be subspecialists in occupational medicine (or similar) who understand those nuances. Don’t paint the MDs with a conspiratorial brush, they are simply physicians practicing their specialty as they would in any other medical system.

VA docs, on the whole, are on the left side of the bell curve. Some hospitals are better than others (i.e., Durham VA, which is largely staffed by Duke docs). I have a lot less "issue" with VA docs than the VA policies that govern their practice. The whole set-up fosters the Peter Principle and reduces liability from decision making and poor care.

My 2 cents, anyway.

[Averageman]

I don't give VA doctors a lot of points for having an interest in patient care.
I would guess they leave the majority of the work to the Nurses and perhaps take 45 seconds to read the chart.
You need to walk in there ready to point out the obvious and ask for another Doc if the obvious doesn't ring a bell.
I've had as many as five appointments cancelled with the same doctor and didn't get notified until I was at the front desk.
I've had to ask for a new Doctor twice because of personality clashes.
I think if I had anything serious again, I would work the system to get private care.

[JoshNC]

I don't give VA doctors a lot of points for having an interest in patient care.
I would guess they leave the majority of the work to the Nurses and perhaps take 45 seconds to read the chart.
You need to walk in there ready to point out the obvious and ask for another Doc if the obvious doesn't ring a bell.
I've had as many as five appointments cancelled with the same doctor and didn't get notified until I was at the front desk.
I've had to ask for a new Doctor twice because of personality clashes.
I think if I had anything serious again, I would work the system to get private care.

The physicians have absolutely nothing to do with cancellations. That’s handled by the schedulers, who are their own department with their own policies and administrators within the VA system. The clinics have no control over the schedulers.

[JoshNC]

VA docs, on the whole, are on the left side of the bell curve. Some hospitals are better than others (i.e., Durham VA, which is largely staffed by Duke docs). I have a lot less "issue" with VA docs than the VA policies that govern their practice. The whole set-up fosters the Peter Principle and reduces liability from decision making and poor care.

My 2 cents, anyway.

I can’t speak to primary care, but subspecialists tend to be excellent in my experience. Keep in mind that VA salaries for MDs are nowhere close to those in the private world. This results in very specific categories of physicians who would even consider VA employment.

[Averageman]

The physicians have absolutely nothing to do with cancellations. That’s handled by the schedulers, who are their own department with their own policies and administrators within the VA system. The clinics have no control over the schedulers.

No really, if you're names on something and you care about your name, that might happen once, maybe twice.
Sometimes you have to accept enough of the personal responsibility to make things change.
If it were a private practice, I'm sure this wouldn't go on and on.

[Straight Shooter]

That's just sad. You guys put foot to ass for us and the system won't have your back.

Is there a possibility for a FOIA request and a class action lawsuit?

Do not quote me as fact- but my understanding is that Obama signed legislation a few years back..I THINK 2012 or so, that allowed treatment of anyone, civilian, military, contractor, families, ect, that had been stationed on Lejeune over 30 days from 1958 to 1988. But, it also made it to where you could NOT sue for damages.
I read the legislation one time a long time ago & said F it. I go now because I have had some weird, off the wall shit happen to me the last 3 years health wise & I want the gov to pay for it & treat me if its service related. So far, not one doctor has so much as heard of the Camp Lejeune water situation, and the one last week argued with me and I told her next time I come in, Im bringing the paperwork with all the cancers..15 or so..related to the base water.
I was f-ing pissed when I left last week, but have gotten the ball rolling I think.

[Straight Shooter]

The physicians have absolutely nothing to do with cancellations. That’s handled by the schedulers, who are their own department with their own policies and administrators within the VA system. The clinics have no control over the schedulers.

My first appt was supposed to be last July, which was three months to the day I called for an appt. Two months into it the DOC cancelled & I had to wait for another opening. I waited a bit due to a new job, but once again it took three months to get in, and my next appt is three months out. The "system" was down nationwide AGAIN, stuff took forever. Could not find out exactly what my out-of-pocket costs would be. Still dont know.
I sat in that Center last week, and was looking at men & women of various ages, some way older than me, some WAY younger. I watched them.
I literally almost teared up, and I prayed then & there & several times since, that they arent getting the run around Ive got. Saw a WW2 vet..several Vietnam vets, a Korean war vet, and many others.
I actually have had terrible guilt going, I feel as tho Im taking time away from those warriors, those valiant men & women.
But, also- IM PISSED at what the Corps & government allowed to happen on that base & others for decades. They denied it for years, like they did Agent Orange and like theyve done our Gulf War vets & so very many others.
So, Im gonna keep going, until I can find out if Ive got some kinda cancer or other hidden ailment/s.