The Staff Sergeant from the Marine Corps Officer office picked Matthew up at noon this afternoon for his first appointment at Davis Monthan at 1:00. I couldn't take him since I don't have base privileges. At around 1:3o, I got a call to come to the visitors center so the Staff Sergeant could sponsor me on base to take Matthew to his actual appointment at 3:00. Apparently some wires got crossed about the time.
We saw the doctor right on time and she and Matthew discussed his ailments (hip, foot and now left leg). She was extraordinarily nice and soft spoken and sent us over to the Referral Management Center. Apparently, in order for Matthew to see specialists it must be coordinated by the Referral Management Center and approved by...well someone? He has been referred to see an orthopedic specialist and to get an MRI of his hip and foot. We should get approval in about 7-10 days. It is still up for debate whether he will be able to see civilian specialists or if he will continue going on base. I fear all this waiting will be detrimental to his overall health, as he is already noticing a loss of mobility in his leg which he still had just a few days ago.
He was able to get an x-ray (this afternoon) of his left tibia (shin) for an egg-sized protrusion right on the bone. We should get something in the mail regarding the results of the x-ray in about 3-5 days. In the meantime, she did prescribe some pain medication to get him through until the other appointments can be made.
I cannot describe to you how difficult it is to work within the confines of a military operation when you have no experience doing so. I was simultaneously overwhelmed and frustrated by the experience. We were bounced from office to office, building to building for almost 2 hours. On top of that, we don't have military ID's and Matthew was Marine Corps and not Air Force, which also complicates the situation. I hope it will get easier from here, but something tells me that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
We saw the doctor right on time and she and Matthew discussed his ailments (hip, foot and now left leg). She was extraordinarily nice and soft spoken and sent us over to the Referral Management Center. Apparently, in order for Matthew to see specialists it must be coordinated by the Referral Management Center and approved by...well someone? He has been referred to see an orthopedic specialist and to get an MRI of his hip and foot. We should get approval in about 7-10 days. It is still up for debate whether he will be able to see civilian specialists or if he will continue going on base. I fear all this waiting will be detrimental to his overall health, as he is already noticing a loss of mobility in his leg which he still had just a few days ago.
He was able to get an x-ray (this afternoon) of his left tibia (shin) for an egg-sized protrusion right on the bone. We should get something in the mail regarding the results of the x-ray in about 3-5 days. In the meantime, she did prescribe some pain medication to get him through until the other appointments can be made.
I cannot describe to you how difficult it is to work within the confines of a military operation when you have no experience doing so. I was simultaneously overwhelmed and frustrated by the experience. We were bounced from office to office, building to building for almost 2 hours. On top of that, we don't have military ID's and Matthew was Marine Corps and not Air Force, which also complicates the situation. I hope it will get easier from here, but something tells me that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
1 comment:
Go to nvlsp national veterans legal services program. Go yo publications and download the free servicemans and veterans manual. Lots of good info. They may have more advice if you contact them. Hang in there.
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