Vets need to look out for No. 1

#Middlebury #VetsPost

All across the country there are veterans who might be ill and not know it. The reason: They don’t have the results of their medical tests.

If you have medical tests done at a veterans’ facility, before you leave, ask when the results will be ready. You’ll likely be told, “Someone will call you.” Get a name and write it down. Later if you start getting anxious because you haven’t gotten a call, give it one more day … then go on the hunt.

Leave messages for your care manager, if you have one, and your doctor. Give it another day. If you don’t hear back, try again. Call the medical facility and ask for the lab. They’re not likely to give you the results, but ask when the results were ready, and get that person’s name. That’s part of your ammo … knowing that results were ready and when. Then call the care manager or doctor back and state that the results were ready at a certain time.

See how this works? Be proactive. Through all these steps, your name gets out there as someone who’s hunting for test results. The same is true if you have a My HealtheVet account.

Once you get the results over the phone, ask that a copy be mailed to you (or print it from your online account), which you’ll then put in your file at home.

If you have a condition that is regularly monitored, there’s a possibility you can make pals with someone in the lab who will just read the results to you.

The bottom line is that you don’t stop until you have the results. Stand up for yourself and guard your health. Don’t assume that no news is good news. Be sure.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.