In 2015 I was hospitalized with a vicious pneumonia. It cost me close to 3 weeks in the hospital, a trip to the ICU, 3 chest tubes, and a thoracic surgery. I asked if my time in military service could have been a contributing factor. Doctors were unwilling to consider this possibility. Afterwards I could hear them in the hall asking each other why I was so sick.

During the fall of 2018 I started to have gasping spells at work. I work in a neurocritical care unit and was surrounded by critical care doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. They all stated concern that I was getting worse and not better.

Having to navigate the complex healthcare system we live in has been both challenging and humbling. I have close to a decade of work in this business and continually am challenged by how daunting and dismissive it can be.

Numerous doctors have implied that my problem is psychiatric or exacerbated by it. Good doctors take bad opinions and end their willingness to help veterans find answers and solutions for their ailments. This problem is happening everywhere. We are surrounded by a system of healthcare providers that find it easier to say that we are crazy then to listen to us. We are left to fend for ourselves and to be our own doctors. We CANNOT effectively be our own doctors. Our health depends upon being able to get effective treatments from our providers.

Each doctor who has accepted us into their care has an ethical and moral responsibility to us. They have taken an oath to their patients and that includes us. They owe it to us to listen to us and try to help us find solutions. They need to remember that the money we pay them is just as good as the money that the other patients waiting to see them will pay as well.

I have volunteered with Burn Pits 360 for the last 18 months. They are phenomenal organization and truly are the backbone of the efforts to get us effective care and compensation through the V.A. I look forward to continuing my advocacy efforts with them. They are making remarkable progress in pushing legislative agendas. Volunteering with them has been and honor and a blessing that I intend to continue.

Sick From Serving has a different mission. It is intended to help steer and maneuver through our healthcare system. It takes our collections of stories and offers physicians the ability to better observe and understand our unique population. It takes veterans and service members from any situation with any illness that may be combat related. Physicians and other subject matter experts share their expertise as well.

Too many of us have been told: “you are crazy”. Too many of us have spent long hours at the computer searching for anything that matches our symptoms. We can save others the challenges and stressors of having to build the wheel. We can come together and make a stronger case for our care providers to listen to us. I strongly urge you to share your story. The magnitude of this problem is yet to be determined but I personally guarantee you this: we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.