The Broken Soldier

I had my neurosurgery consultation today. I need surgery. The doctor and his staff think neurosurgery can decrease pain, but aren’t sure if anything can be done about my neurological symptoms. Given the length of time I’ve had this injury, the nature of the symptoms I have, and that in the last year I’ve received little treatment (and treatments I have received weren’t rendered in a timely fashion) the deck is stacked against me.

Today I learned, contrary to what’s written on the referral from Fort Knox and our reading of the authorizations for medical care we received, neurosurgery still isn’t authorized. I was informed that if I choose to go ahead with the surgery prior to receiving pre-authorization I will be responsible for shouldering the costs.

Time is an important factor in my recovery and in arresting further deterioration and onset of secondary illnesses and injuries associated with lumbar degenerative disc disease. The difficulty I’ve experienced penetrating this bureaucracy to get the care and benefits I’m entitled under the law has been made more difficult and more time-consuming by the efforts of a quack former Army doctor at Knox - a doctor the Guard promised me would be removed - confusing my injury and associated symptoms using methods and offering opinions that contradict uncontroversial facts of contemporary medical science. Yet the Guard and the Army believe the decision to move forward should be left ultimately to this doctor.

So I can wait for this tiger to change his stripes, or I can shoulder the costs of surgery and post-op care myself. Those are the choices I’ve been given. But those aren’t the only choices available to me. Archbishop Simpson returns on March 28th. On March 29th we will be filing writ of mandamus in federal court unless authorization is given or at least in the pipe. I think that’s reasonable. In fact, I’m sort of proud of the restraint I’ve shown. But like anything in the universe, my restraint has a finite supply.