I Appreciate your view, and please don't mistake my not liking the military medical system as not being pro military. My husband has been in the military for 17 years and we are staying in for the long haul. I am very involved in the military community. Truth is, military docs are allowed to practice with a lot less training than a civilian doc. They usually do go and finish their educations... but...

With that said, I have not had the same treatment as you have had from the military health care system. My 17 year old daughter (well, she was my niece, but lived with us) was sent home 3 times before they found she had a life threatening pulmonary embolism. EVEN after me telling/begging them to do a CT scan. Finally on the 3rd visit to the ER (in 2 days) they took me seriously. Before the third visit they sent her home on motrin (even though she was rolling on the floor screaming in pain) That is one of my running jokes. Go to a military doc, and you get sent home on motrin (this goes FAR beyond this situation).

It took 3 months and almost weekly trips to the ER to diagnose my Gall stones. I was in a heckufalot of pain during those 3 months, and whenever I went to the ER or my PCM, I was looked at like I was nothing more than a drug seeker (because of course by the time I got there the pain had dissipated), I asked for u/s several times, but they told me it wasn't necessary. Motrin....

On my first visit of infertility treatments (ever 10 years ago) I was told, oh don't worry, we'll have your preggo in less than 3 months. 6 months later, on my last round of chlomid, my doc told me I would move on to injectables the next month. When I came in the next month, my doc had been deployed, and I was given a new doc. She took one look at me and said, "I am not helping you until you lose weight. You are to fat for me to get you pregnant. We have already wasted enough of our recourses on you. We have better luck with skinny people (I was 230 pounds)." I could not garner anything to say except, "Since I am to big to get pregnant, should I kill myself so as to not waste the air that skinny people breath?" I walked out, and never looked back. I fell into a state of depression far beyond anything I have experienced. I could have fought it, and should have turned her in, but you can't imagine what that did to me...

5 years later I go to a new medical facility. When the doc walks in, I say, "I have one question for you... will y ou ever say I am to fat to be treated (I was 260 by now). He looked at me in the weirdest way, and when I told him, he was horrified that I was treated that way. I FINALLY cried over the whole situation. They treat me. Find out my hubby is the one with the main problem also. I am still not pregnant, nor will I ever be.

It took them 1 month to diagnose a plantar wart, that was SO BAD, I was on crutches by the time it was treated.

Each time something finally got done was because of MY research and because of what I told them was wrong with me. That is why I so strongly advocate taking care of yourself and doing research.

I am also the person that when something is wrong with me, I am GOING to go to a SPECIALIST!!! I don't care how much experience a general practitioner has, the fact of the matter is, they will not be on top of it like a SPECIALIST. When I had bariatric surgery, I could have gone through the military, in which the surgeon was a GENERAL surgeon who took one class in bariatric surgery, and did 100 surgeries. Heck no. Only the best for me... BUT that is me. I waited till he deployed, and went to a civilian (ex-air force) bariatric surgeon. I also traveled 2 hours to see him, cause he was the BEST. I could have seen one of 10 that was within 1 hour of me, but I researched and found the best... When I followed up with the general, wanna be bariatric, surgeon for my 1 year, he had no clue what tests to run, when I gave him the list my surgeon gave me, I had to explain why, and he didn't think I needed to take B-12 as often as I was, even though there is no known toxicity level to b-12, and I don't absorb ANY because of my surgery.

Maybe you missed where I do intend to follow up with the neuro I am seeing. My choice because I really like her (although she did not give ANY instructions on the LP ). I also think, in her limited experience with MS, she is knowlegable and she wants to learn. HOWEVER, to have my own peace of mind, I must see the best. Get his opinion. Get what he thinks I should do with the meds (because when I asked my neuro she was honest. She does not know the differences in the meds, doesn't know how they work, doesn't know which one I should take, and says I should choose. She also knows nothine of CAMS, which is big for me). Because she was honest in what she DOES NOT know ( and lots of docs are not honest about that) I trust her judgment. I know she will always be honest with me. She also thinks she needs the LP results to give me a definitive MS diagnosis... which isn't true either. BUT, when I get the answers I want from the specialist, I want to follow up with this neuro because I believe she want sto learn, I am very big on my own care, and I will be able to answer questions, as will the MS specialist that I (or she) can talk to.

There are a lot of other horror stories I could tell you. Besides my annual PAPS, I hardly EVER go see the doctor. I have enough motrin to last a lifetime!! Literally. I was surprised. The other day, DH was sent home with a 104 temp, and they gave him TYLENOL!!!! I could not believe it.

Please don't mis-understand. I love the military. I have been treated by some GREAT docs, but the bad (because they were so serious) far outweigh that. I know this happens in the civilian world. Don't get me started on those either (I am a nurse and have worked with many docs) which is why I am so big on specialists... I have seen general docs cause far more problems than not. I just don't talk about the civilian docs cause I only work with them and I am not treated by them (except the ones I have sought out).

One other HUGE problem I have with the military system is there is no continuity of care. I think that plays a huge part in general patient dis-satisfaction. I worry about that with my neuro (which is ONE OTHER reason I am getting an outsider involved in my care). What if she deploys, and I get someone not so knowlegable, who hasn't dealt with MS, nor wants to learn about it. Well, then I fall back on the doc I saw and will follow up with yearly (the MS Specialist - which BTW, he is 3 hours away).

Hope I have cleared some things up. I guess I am much more rigid and judgemental because I work in the health care field, and when something serious has happened, I have basically found the answer myself, and had to tell the doc what it was. Military or not (I just happen to see military docs). If they were civilian, I would do just as much complaining! Don't even get me started on why I won't see a phsychologist/psychiatrist/therapist (non-military or not)...LOL

Really, I do appreciate your input and everyone's. I hope you can see why I have the issues I have. This does not happen to everyone, nor is it every doctor. I am very pro-military. I wish they could be more consistent, and send them to more CE classes.

BTW - I LOVED every doc that treated me the last 2 days in the hospital. They were great, and I did not get motrin ONE TIME