Hepatitis C Support Group

To the President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama:
I have a couple of situations I wanted to being to your attention.
First, I am a Vietnam Veteran and served between 1971 - 1975 in the United States NAVY. I started to use The Veterans Health Service in 2002. For the last two years my enzyme levels were high. After the second year they finally did a few tests and a wrong one and in two months they found out I had Hepatitis C. So I had an appointment set with the Hepatology Department, still no lab work on my Genotype or Viral Load, so it was ordered along with an ultrasound of my liver on May 10 and was told it wouldn’t be necessary for a Biopsy. After a couple more weeks and the tests back they set a Biopsy up in July. My trouble is the VA has a rule to set a policy to test all new Vets set in 1989, which I should have had done in 2002. Second, after looking death in the face it would of taken them just about six months to get to my results and with no treatment. So, I went to Shands Hospital in May after my ultrasound and started treatment the first part of June, oh, and my Biopsy at Shands showed a four stage and four grade the last stage of Fibrosis, next up Cirrhosis, and I have had the virus for at least 30-35 years. The VA system in Florida is over loaded with Vets with the highest number of Vets in the country, they get the same amount of money to fund their programs as all the other areas, this was their excuse. I put my life on the line to protect this country and this is my pay back.
Second, my Treatment is a type of Chemotherapy which lasted 48 weeks and included a drug called Interferon and Ribibavirin, a harsh type of Poison to stop the virus and in the process has lowered my immune system. I had flu like symptoms, lost of memory, depression, headaches and fatigue (I slept between 12 and 16 hours a day). I could not work since my concentration is shot, my skills are as a commercial truck driver or selling big ticket items like, RV’s or swimming pools. I have applied for Social Security Disability which was turned down twice so I had to hire an attorney to assist with the process in which I will have to give up one quarter or $5,200 which I need and will be dearly missed. They even ordered and completed a Psychophysics examination where they diagnosed me as being Severely Depressed. I am fifty-six years old and after fifteen months of waiting I am still NOT receiving benefits. I religiously paid taxes into Social Security all my life, for the Government I served for as a Proud American also putting my life on the line at eighteen years old and ONLY three days out of High School, I Served this Country. Now I have to wait up to another year and a half to see a Social Security judge where he will make a determination or drag this out till I am 65 years old. What money I have saved for the Golden Retirement years is slowly disappearing.
All the money the Federal Government is spending on big Corporations, overseas and illegal aliens, my Question is: What is happening to this country we so proudly love?
I AM a proud American Veteran who is losing him faith.

God Help Us --
Gator Buzz
American Citizen
Posted on 07/03/09, 04:07 pm