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VA Appointment Day
by James Glaser September 7, 2011 
Going to the VA Clinic is always sort of an adventure. You never know who you are going to see there, nor how long you will be there. Sometimes you get right in at your scheduled appointment time, and other times you wait for hours. Today my appointment was at the Tallahassee clinic. Some times they are in Lake City or Gainsville, Florida. It really doesn't matter to me which one I go to, but if I have an 8am in Gainsville, that means getting up at 5 to make it on time. Today was Urology. I stopped in last week for my lab work so the doctor would have the results today. If you have you lab work done on an appointment day, the doctor will call you if anything is bad, but then you really don't have much to talk about during your appointment. Everything checked out fine today. I had good blood pressure (118 over 68) and my PSA was in the normal range. The doctor I saw was the same one I have been seeing for about five years, and he is just great, He explains any test and the results in a way that you can understand them. The only trouble is that he is in his late 70s and has decided to retire. He said next year I would be seeing somebody else. I thanked him for all his help over the years, and he said he would miss all the vets he sees. I did have to wait about a hour and a half past my scheduled time, but that can be for many reasons. Somebody might have had to come in for "urgent care," where they get to see the doctor right away, or maybe the Doc just spent a bit more time with each patient, and those extra minutes add up. I have learned over the years that it does no good to get upset, because you will be seen sooner or later. Usually you can strike up a conversation with somebody while waiting. In the urology waiting room guys are popping up all the time and heading to the rest room. Prostrate problems I think are the number one problem in that clinic. Today, a beautiful, tall woman walked in and sat down. It was interesting to watch all the guys sit up straighter after she sat down. In a few minutes her husband came in, and many seemed to know him. A guy came over and sat next to me. He had a big glass of water, and was sipping on it. In a little while a nurse came up to him and sternly said, "I told you to gulp that down, and as soon as you are done, you are to drink another. You are not leaving until you pee." He said, "Ok, Ok I'll drink as many as it takes." Really, nurses are in charge at the VA, and you don't want to get them mad. Urology is mostly for older guys, but out in the main waiting room there were lots of young men and women waiting for various clinics, and out in the parking lot you could pick out their cars and motorcycles. Vietnam vets ride Harleys. These young guys ride crotch rockets and even Vespa scooters. Their cars tend to be sporty looking compared to the pickup trucks and the big boats the rest of us drive. For some reason everybody seemed to be in a good mood, and the time flew right on by. It is not always that way, and you learn to be thankful when you hit a day like today. |
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