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Every Base ER Has a Story (or 20)

These two things happened at the same night at the Fort Leonard Wood ER when my S.O. was stationed there several years ago.

My husband brought me in due to abdominal pain that spread into my  back.  I checked in and took a seat.  

Some time passed, probably only minutes, but I couldn’t have kept track if I’d wanted to, and two young men in the ARMY were dragging an unconscious 3rd between them.  They were in uniform, the day had been hot, so if i had to guess, it was heat exhaustion and/or/with dehydration.  They manage to prop him up in a chair and one of the two alert men check him in.

Then, staff make him wait.  The men with him start stripping his blouse off. 

Now, for clarification, it’s only them, myself (with my S.O.), and another woman in the ER. Since I had been there, no one else has gone in, or come out.  

I am not a quiet person by nature, but I’m in no shape to yell at some bitches behind the counter to do something about an unconscious young man in the ARMY.  Who leaves someone unconscious like that?  I’m about to say something to my S.O. about telling them to get the young man back to be treated, but before I can, the other person waiting stands up and plays the part of yours truly: Woman Who Takes No Shit.

I was quite proud of her.  Also a bit jealous.  Mostly because she had the patience and ability to command where as I would just bark orders and expect them to do as I say.

No, I am not an officer’s wife.

No, I do not think I am better than anyone else because of my S.O.’s rank.

I simply think it’s an injustice to leave another human being that way and expect other human beings to react the same way to the suffering of others.

Oh, but man, did things move along when she had her say.  Someone wheeled out a wheelchair and the two that brought him in, placed him in it.  Then they all went back.

Now let me just pause for a moment here to explain to you the general attitude of the people working at the Fort Leonard Wood ARMY hospital (officially  General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital).  It was shit.  They treated you like shit.  They didn’t even look at you when you spoke to them when checking in, and, if you were to die while standing there, I’m fairly sure no one would have noticed.  Or cared.  So this event wasn’t a one time thing.  I have many FLW Hospital horror stories.

Moving along, I finally get to go back.  It’s been at least an hour, according to my S.O. meanwhile, the waiting room had been slowly filling up and no one else had gone back since the unconscious ARMY man & company.  When I go back, I pass a bunch of empty rooms, and a nurses station with several nurses and two doctors standing around, chatting with each other.  Nice work, guys.

Taken to a room, I get my temp and BP taken, then I get to WAIT SOME MORE. Not sure how long it was, felt like forever, but it usually does when you’re in pain. 

Eventually the doctor comes in, I explain my pain as he’s looking at my medical history in the computer.  Trust me, there’s nothing in there that screams MED SEEKER.  I didn’t even come looking for pain killers, I came looking to find out what the hell was wrong with me.  

The doctor asks me a few questions.  While I don’t recall them, I do recall them not being quite relevant to the situation, and the feeling of confusion.  Then he asks, “Are you sure this isn’t just your Bi-polar disorder?”

Say what? Are you kidding me?  Yes, my brain has moved to my abdomen and instead of causing severe depression, it’s causing such severe pain I found it necessary to go into the ER so I can be asked ridiculous questions by someone under qualified to care for anyone who is ill.

I don’t recall the outcome, it was many years ago.  I just recall the rage I felt at being asked if my abdominal pain was due to my bi-polar disorder.  

Where did you get your degree? Oh right, military training. You probably don’t know what a degree is.

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You Look A Little Pale

So you’re all like, “YES, I just married a military partner and now I have free healthcare!”

No you don’t. 

First of all, it’s not free.  Trust me, your partner is paying for it in one way or another.  

Second, I had a long conversation with a doctor back in April of this year.  You see, there is a new treatment slowly being approved for various conditions.  It’s called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS for short).  Tri-care is trying to get some doctors to cover it.  

So this doctor says to me, Tricare pays so little, they’re barely paying more than state disability, and despite them calling and trying to get him to entice him into a contract, he says accepting Tricare (and state disability) would put him out of business because the treatment is that costly.

I wasn’t particularly shocked to hear this, considering how frequently Tricare carriers change.  It’s all about who is willing to take the job for the lowest amount of money.

Third, remember that really amazing medication you were taking (at some point) that was actually helping with your medical condition?  Oops, too bad, Tricare WILL take it away from you by refusing to pay for it, and then replace it with really cheap, substandard medications that are highly ineffective.

Hope you have your own job with health insurance.  Otherwise, bend over and grab your ankles.  Here comes Tricare.

Then, as if the medication issue isn’t enough of a slap in the face, the quality of physicians who accept Tricare are at the level of, “OMG Did you even go to medical school?”  And that’s just if you go out in town.

Enjoy the Naval Hospital.  While most of them at least pretend to care - because they’re Navy, and they’re nice, enjoy dealing with their corpsman instead of an RN.  They’re not suited to deal with civilians and they can’t draw blood worth shit.  

The “doctors” are just as bad.  A trend has been to get rid of the civilian doctors, and replace them with partially trained medical specialists.  They have various degrees of some sort, all working under the supervision of an MD or DO.  Hey, if you’re lucky, you might actually get to see a real MD or DO.  Isn’t that exciting?  They don’t read charts, take you off medication because they don’t understand or have knowledge of your medical history or condition, and can’t be bothered to call you first without doing so.

Going to an ARMY hospital?  I now pronounce you dead at the scene.

Love,

the W.I.F.E.

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I’ve lost a lot of good friends in the 20 years I’ve been serving, not all in combat, I remember you all the same. RIP to all those that died serving their country. Today even though I’m out in a patrol base in Wainwright we still took the time to pay our respects..

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So I understand long distance is hard. It really is. But I don’t understand why people breakup because they “can’t handle the distance”. Personally I’d rather not see him for months with limited communication, than the rest of my life without him at all. Just saying.

(via milsolifeblog)

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You’re Doing it WRONG

Officers’ wives.  Those of you who are NCO partners of a military spouse already know of these monsters.  I’ve met a couple who weren’t self-absorbed, obnoxious, rank-wearing bitches.  But the majority of them think they’re hot shit because they married an officer.

Newsflash wives: your shit stinks too.  You still wipe your ass with toilet paper like the rest of us.  Base housing doesn’t have bidets.  You are not special.  No one cares that you’re the wife of an officer.  Especially the NCO spouses.  We think less of you than dirt because you usually treat us like garbage.

So, newcomer spouses to the military:  

Rule 1: Don’t be a douche if you married an officer.  

Rule 2: Don’t be a douche if your NCO spouse later becomes an officer.

Rule 3: You are not the officer.  Get off your high horse and remember the military is suppose to be a family.  But a family you like, not hate.

Minus the benefits - because the healthcare blows.  Topic for another day.

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No Emergency Exit Found

Congratulations, you married into the military - the NCO side.  Or, in my case, my spouse joined up one day and came home with the big surprise.  That was 12 years ago, and we’re still together despite that little (read as: giant) incident.  

You’re the new spouse. So here’s the question, will you and yours make it to the two year mark?  Never mind two.  What about one?

I’ll just start with the spouses coming into the fold whose partners have already been in the military.  You’re in for a big shock and someone needs to tell you, because no one ever does.  You are never coming first.  Not if your partner wants to be a part of the military.

So, don’t throw a tantrum when they work late, or when they have to go out into the field for a week with no contact, or especially when they have to deploy anywhere from 9-18 months with occasional long durations of communication blackouts.

Don’t repeatedly call and bother them at their work number.  Unless you are completely incapacitated and incapable of caring for yourself, whatever it is can wait for them to come home, or sit in a text message on their phone until they can get around to answering it.

Also, don’t expect there to be a ton of money.  So don’t think about overspending, stop partying like you’re rich, and for the love of everything that you may consider holy, regardless of whether or not you have a religion, don’t start having babies immediately from day one.

With some of the highest divorce rates in the country, do you really even need to ask why?

Oh, but you’re in love?  And they’re about to deploy?  Trust me, marriage isn’t going to help that deployment, and the deployment isn’t going to help that new marriage.  Especially if you’re getting pregnant just as they’re leaving.  Surprise! Good chance no one may be there to help you.

Now that you’ve had some time to think about it, know it’s not my intention to prevent marriages, but to make people think before leaping into one.  I’ve seen the high divorce rates around me in friends, neighbors, and strangers in the neighborhood.  The military is like high school, people gossip constantly, you will always know what’s up even if you just talk to one person.  

I’ve also seen an immense amount of counseling go into young members of the military, who “just want to be with the person I love most.”  Not a lick of sense in the head of someone with little to no life experience outside of life with mom and dad and their short existence without them.  One of the biggest reasons they jump in is because they’re leaving.

If you can’t wait out that deployment to get married, can’t make a long distance relationship work for half a year without being faithful, then I’m afraid things are likely to go south for the marriage.

Think of the kids.

And the pets.

Poor pets. :(

But that’s for another post.  Until then, this is the W.I.F.E. with crap you didn’t want to hear. Ta!

P.S. - I’ll try for “nice” next time.