Rage Against the Machine!!

Just in case you are wondering, No...the title of this post is not referring to the alternative rock/heavy metal band popular in the early 90's! Although, when I was a headstrong and somewhat unruly teenage daughter (warning: this next part may come as quite a shock to some of you!), Rage Against the Machine was my very favorite band of choice for making Dad really really angry! Dad has always had this disdain almost hatred for Rock Music (unless, of course, the lyrics are in Spanish and then for some reason it doesn't count as Rock...it's simply Mariachi music!) I remember running to my room after a "disagreement" with Dad and purposefully slamming the door and blaring "Killing in the Name" on my stereo. Wow, I really hope my children never find out about this!! I am so grateful that Dad loves me anyway and we were able to get past the hormonal "teenage girl" years!! Just in case I haven't apologized enough, "Dad, I'm really sorry for putting you through so much when I was in high school!!"

Anyway...my "Rage Against the Machine" post today is in reference to the powerful and ever ominous "Government Healthcare System". I don't mean to go into too much of a back story, but over the past three or four years, Dad has been going to the VA Hospital in Salt Lake for all of his Healthcare needs...including bladder cancer in 2007. And while I am truly and extremely grateful for the skilled doctors and nurses who have attended to Dad's needs, I fully believe that the "System" has failed us. Most recently, Dad was hospitalized at the VA from the end of February 2010 to the beginning of April 2010. He had gone in for a seemingly simple procedure to place a stint and drain his kidney and ended up in septic shock which almost ended his life. Although it was a terribly difficult and trying time for our family, Dad's determination to get well was overwhelming and he did come home.

During these six weeks at the VA, Dad had a recurring and troublesome pain in his back. The hospital staff told him that it was merely a product of being in a hospital bed for so long and that it was most likely muscular and that there wasn't anything they could do. Despite Mom's persistence, three different departments (MICU, MedSurge, and Rehab) did not order scans and didn't investigate his back pain. In all fairness, these same doctors and nurses were trying to save Dad's life and cancer wasn't even on their radar screen (however, in hind sight...it should have been!) Mom, on the other hand, has always had this amazing gift of discernment and just knew something wasn't right.

Just weeks later, with Dad facing another procedure to replace/remove the stint in his kidney, the decision was made to go outside the VA for further treatment. The decision not to go with the VA is, in itself, a truly amazing story--for another post someday! Dad met with a urologist, Dr. Bishoff on a Tuesday or Wednesday and by the following Monday, we found out that it is quite common that bladder cancer travels to the back and that he had a cancerous tumor in his back that had grown so large it had penetrated the spine and was classified as stage 4 bone cancer.

Today, Mom came over to have me help her write a "strongly worded" letter to the VA for not discovering the cancer and asking that they cover the outrageous costs that will surely be incurred by Dad having to have his treatment done outside of the "System". Mom's letter uses phrases like, "...he suffered extreme pain which was not addressed... and ...he requested an Oncologist to run tests at the VA and his request went unanswered." Mom is requesting a billing case be set up at the VA so she can start sending all of her medical bills to the VA billing office to pay. It feels a little bit daunting to take on the "Machine", but I know that our family is being watched over and even after all that we have been through, we are blessed--beyond measure. I know that somehow, it will all work out and that Mom will be taken care of fairly and quickly. This is really the very last thing she should have to worry about right now and we are all there to offer our love and support!!