This second time it is due to the VA's utterly ridiculous bureaucratic red tape and preposterous regulations denying a drug for my cancer treatment. However, the 1st time was due to the doctor being unavailable because he was in emergency surgery, however it would not have mattered anyway since the VA no longer authorized that drug. This is the 2nd time I showed up traveling 200 miles roundtrip for an appointment to get the injection and left without getting it. The initial authorization for this treatment is valid until Maand one would think it should cover any medication the doctor recommends. When the nurse returned to administer the injection she informed me the VA does not authorize this drug unless there is a special request from the doctor so I did not get the injection. He informed me the nurse would come in and give me the injection and that was the last I saw of him that day.
He then said he could have it upgraded to once every 4 months and then every 6 months providing the PSA continues to drop. He then prescribed a new drug degarelix (FIRMAGON) on a monthly basis until the PSA has dropped to an acceptable level.
He informed me the prostate cancer had spread to the bones in my shoulder, throughout my back, my ribs and the pelvis as well as the liver. When I arrived I sat down with him while he discussed the results of the PET scan. My next appointment hopefully to get cancer care was Decemwith my urologist at Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck. The next chapter in this VA debacle is hard to believe. I had just driven 200 miles roundtrip, was not able to see the urologist and was not going to get cancer care treatment. This appointment was Septemand when I arrived at Sanford Medical Center I was informed the VA no longer authorizes the use of Leuprolide Acetate (Lupron Depot) so I was informed by the nurse that the urologist (he was in emergency surgery) would have to consider another drug. The urologist I chose is at Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck and since my PSA had risen to an unacceptable level of 26 he prescribed a PET scan.Īfter reviewing the PET scan the urologist recommended an injection of Leuprolide Acetate (Lupron Depot). After the Portland, OR VA was able to transfer me back to the Fargo VA system I was able to get a primary care physician assigned to me and after consulting with him in the Bismarck VA clinic he recommended I see a urologist for continued treatment of cancer care. Since I live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA facility I am eligible to take part in the Community Care Act and am able to use civilian services. I have never had any problems with the VA until it came to my cancer care and now it has mushroomed into a nightmare. I ask what the heck is wrong with the Fargo VA. This in contradiction when Fargo VA would not help once again. Fargo VA then advised me that Portland VA had to initiate the transfer process.
I contacted the Fargo VA to have my health care needs taken care of through Fargo. Then when I was finished with traveling I returned to to live. This was such a nightmare as the Fargo VA was refusing to help me through the process and the Portland VA simply took over the transfer and completed it. During this time the VA had temporarily transferred me to the Portland, OR VA hospital for administrative purposes. Having finished the treatments there I went back on the road living in my RV. Charles Medical Center in Bend, OR where I went through 39 radiation treatments. I finally settled on the Cancer Center at St.
In early 2018 I was diagnosed with stage 3 prostate cancer and since I began a two and a half year travel throughout the country filming and photographing for the National Parks and National Geographic as well as myself it was going to be a struggle to find a cancer center that could start the radiation treatments. After much thought and calming down I will put the issues I am once again having with the Veterans Administration into perspective.
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