Meds from the VA

I recently transferred from the VA clinic in Tulsa (which is part of the network of the hospital in Muskogee) to the VA hospital in Oklahoma City. I was very happy with my doctor in Tulsa but had to transfer because of transportation problems. I'm closer to Tulsa than OKC but only slightly and the DAV won't provide transportation to Tulsa but will to OKC. Sometimes, such as for eye exams, I need transportation even when my truck is running.

I finally got in to see my new primary care physician last Thursday. I got refills on a number of pills and got some prescriptions for some new ones. I had a problem sleeping the night before, and the DAV was picking me up at 6:45 am, so I got no sleep the night before. I had a 1 p.m. appointment with the eye doctor (got my eyes dilated) and a 2 p.m. appointment with my primary care phsycian that wasn't finished until 3 p.m.

I'd been to the OKC VA before for chronic care and knew it would take half hour or an hour to get the pills from the pharmacy, I was operating on no sleep (one of the new pills was a sleeping aid), and 6 other patients were waiting on me for the return trip in the van. So I just told the doctor to have the pills mailed. I had enough of most of my pills to last a few more days and how long could it take. I figured I'd get the new pills in the mail Saturday, Monday at the latest.

Well, it's Wednesday. I ran out of my diabetes meds Monday. No pills in the mail. I called the VA. They told me it usually takes at least 10 days.

Ten days to put a bottle in a sack and drop it in the mail.

My mistake.