European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 11 Ann Landers dear Ann Landers my problem is the full nest i  i be been divorced i for 16 years raised two sons i alone without any Alimony or i child support and consider my-1 self to be a Loving and devoted Mother. M sons arc 24 and 27 and still living at Home. To be perfectly honest. Ann. I want them out of Here so i can take things easier. There is so much More work because of the boys and they make no Effort to give me a hand. It seems that one or both arc always run Ning Low on Cash and they think nothing of asking to borrow  they get sick. I feel guilty if i Don t stay Home and take care of them. If Johnny gets a traffic ticket i hear about it. Every Little thing that happens to these grown men affects me. I m tired of waking up at 3 . And worrying myself sick if the boys Aren t in yet. Am i wrong to feel that i am entitled to be free of this responsibility when will it be my turn when i discuss moving out. They Tell me that with rentals the was they arc. They would have to work two jobs just to pay the rent. They also Tell me that their 30-year-old friends Down the Block arc still living at Home and thur Parent soon l complain. Please. Ann. I need your advice. A burned out mothering . Dear burned out you be made life so easy for these two Lummox is they would be Cra a to leave. Unless you Are prepared to put up with the present arrangement for the next 20 years you d belter implement some changes. Insist that each son pay something for room and Board even if it s Only $25 a week. Assign household chores and Post them on their bedroom Wall. Don t ask them to help. . Them they Are going to help or out they go. If none of the above work is to your satisfaction move. Yes that s what i said. Find another place big enough for just Little old you and let the sons find out what the real world is like. It s time they Learned. Dear Ann Landers i have been going to a dermatologist for Collagen injections that help smooth out the wrinkles in my face. He charges me $85 for each office Call plus $168 for the  a recent visit. I mentioned that i had athlete s foot and asked the doctor if he would prescribe some thing. He looked Between my toes and wrote a prescription. This look All of two  my Bill arrived. I discovered that he had charged me an additional $50 for looking at my toes. I decided not to pay that Bill but to discuss it with him the next Lime i went in for the Collagen. After All he did nothing More than look at my toes and write the prescription. When i complained he said. Sorry the athlete s fool had nothing to do with the Collagen. It was a separate  m friends were not shocked. They said. All Spe Calis is do  this is True greed has really taken Over the entire world. True or false disgusted in Michigan dear Michigan when you go to a professional doctor lawyer Engi Neer tax consultant Etc you pay for what he or she knows. When you asked the dermatologist to look at your toes of obligated yourself to pay for his professional opinion. He had a right to Bill you but a really Nice Guy would have said no  c creators Syndicate army addresses health care concerns the first concern deals with the adequacy of care that the patient has reportedly received. An time a patiently concern is patient care of dependents. I Havn been in constant pain for 11 months. I have been to our dispensary six times and have been Given pain pills and told nothing was wrong with me. When i walked into the dispensary i could barely walk. This was the Case All six times. I was told later that my lab tests were abnormal. I was told i had to go on the Economy due to the fad that the army did not have the equipment and the were not seeing dependents at this time. So i went on the Economy along with my champs papers. I had More tests done and was scheduled for surgery the following Day. T went to pick up my champs forms for the surgery. Was denied champs and told that the military was now accepting dependents and they had the equipment All along. I was admitted to the Nurnberg Hospital three Days later. I had exploratory surgery and was told 1 had three fibroid tutors scar tissue and an infection that was so bad the doctor was surprised i was not sterile yet. I was put on medication and told the Hospital would Call me for a Post of appointment. I was never called. I developed complications and the pain increased. I was not leading a Normal life at this Point. The Hospital was called four times and i was told i had a Lon distance phone number that could not be reached from the Hospital phone. They did not even try to Call my husband s military number. We called everyone we could think of. We asked for champs and we finally got what is called an asap appointment due to the symptoms. I was sent to another doctor who said i definitely had something wrong with me but he did t know what it was. So i was handed pain pills which made me vomit so i quit taking them and sent Home. I was told it would take two weeks for lab results to come Back. I tried to make an appointment for two weeks later and was told i could be seen in four weeks. I also asked if 1 was going to get a Post of appointment with the doctor who performed my surgery and i was told i had to wait until december. But was not Given a Date. I am still in great pain. I was called by a so called head nurse who after All my phone Calls for help got me a appointment for two weeks later. I told her that there was a Strong possibility that i was now sterile because my infection had gotten twice As bad. 1 am 21 years old. She told me i was not getting an earlier appointment because 1 was not considered an emergency. She de fined an emergency As having a miscarriage or bleeding profusely. I think it is an emergency. I have been lie to and pushed around. All i want is my p9st-op appointment with the doctor i started out with. As Polnow i have seen five doctors. 1 am sick of All this garbage i have been put through. By the negligence of others 1 May be sterile. I want some answers or my champs Back or a plane ticket Home to a civilian doctor which 1 cannot afford. Since nobody is willing to see me and read Memy lab results the possibilities Are endless As to my outcome in life. A person c9iild die with the care they receive in Europe. Please print my letter so that i know my voice is being heard somewhere. Name withheld Kalterbach West Germany editor s note col. Or m. Craik Sandberg Deputy commander for clinical services Nairn Borg medi Cal department activity Midda replies the individual raises a number of legitimate concerns about the medical care that she feels she has been provided. Makes multiple clinic visits without symptomatic improvement and without Retting a satisfactory explanation of the medical problem or answers about physical findings or Laboratory tests it is certain appropriate to ask Why not at an outlying clinic the first line per son to answer that question May be the supervisor of the involved health care provider or the clinic commander. If that does t work the question May be directed to the supporting military Hospital where a specially clinic visit May provide the necessary answer. Military hospitals also have a patient representative officer . Whose primary responsibility is to As sure that answers Are provided when patients experience such difficulties. Patients arc invited to share their con Cerns when they Are not satisfied with the care that they have received in order to assist the Hospital with identification of problem areas. One of the Best ways to share these concerns is to Contact the Hospital s , whose Job is to gather accurate information about the problem that the patient has experienced As soon As possible after the problem has occurred and to assure that the patient s concerns arc answered. The second concern deals with difficulties that this individual experienced in  champs. In this Case it appears that the individual was referred for evaluation on an outpatient basis. This often allows an individual to be seen sooner than the first available clinic appointment in the local military Hospital. For outpatient care a no availability statement is not required. Unfortunately when a champs provider recommends inpatient care a no availability statement is required if the patient resides inside the specified mileage radius. The reasons that a no availability statement May or May not be provided include not Only availability of appropriate equipment but also availability of appropriate professional staff and or availability of appropriate facilities. This requirement for a no availability statement is meant to assure that tax dollars arc spent wisely by maximizing utilization of military Hospital capabilities. Patients often find it frustrating to be told that they must come to the military Hospital for inpatient care w Hen they have been evaluated by a champs provider that they have gotten to know and Trust. Ever Mili tary Hospital has a champs benefits adviser to As Sist in answering questions about utilizing Champu benefits. Of course the . May also provide assist Ance. The third concern deals with the difficulties that this individual had in making a follow up appointment. It is the policy at the is. Army Hospital in Nurnberg that Ifan appointment cannot be scheduled when the patient Calls the Hospital will guarantee to Call the patient Back when an appointment can be made. Unfortunately sometimes the staff needs to be reminded of that policy. It was certainly inappropriate to Tell this patient that she could t be called just because her number was Long distance. The . Army Hospital in number and indeed All of the military hospitals in 7lh medical come have As their goal to provide medical care of the highest Quality. Each Hospital has an Active program to assure Quality of care and to make improvements in Quality when any problems Are identified. Again this individual is invite to address concerns directly with the . Of the . Army Hospital in Norn Borg. In that Way accurate information May be obtained which will assist in assuring that those concerns will be answered. The number for the . In n Ornberg is ets 461-5666 or numb erg civilian 0911-653-5666. European edition col. Oene e. Townsend. Usan commander Zdilor m Chiel it. Col. Suzanne l. Phillips. Usan Deputy commander editor m chief Marie Kominicki Mert Proctor Deane b. Mcdermott poo Ucen manager managing editor circulation manager this newspaper is an aul Hornad Uno Lucial publication for member of me military service overseas contents of the stars and stripes Are not necessarily the Olli Cial views of. Or endorsed by. The  government the department Oloe lense or tie  european command the appearance of advertising in this publication including inserts or supplements does nol constitute endorsement by me department of de Lanse or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available Lor Purchase use or patronage without regard to race color religion sen. National origin age marital status physical Handicap. 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