while i have not been in the v.a. system i did find myself in a military hospital while i served.
my first stint was at fort benning georgia where i got pneumonia and spent four days in the hospital. in a large room with several other sick folks. everyday i woke up and was required to change my own bed linen while having an i.v. in my arm. then i would see a doctor or nurse and then take a cold shower four times a day. after my stay i was released on seven days bed rest before returning to airborne training.
my second stint was at fort bragg north carolina where i was bitten by a brown recluse spider. the “surgery” was performed in a large room with other sick folk like an emergency room. i was stabbed multiple times before i asked for someone else to put the i.v. in as the first guy was a rookie. again it was a four day hospital stay. same deal as far as changing bed linens daily. and once again was released to bed rest for seven days. this time i had several visitors checking out the affected area because they had never seen a brown recluse bite that bad. it was several days old and i was told had i waited another day i likely would have lost my leg.
my third experience didn’t include an extended stay in the hospital - i was in and out after a fluke accident that damaged my middle finger. being in the military we are guinea pigs where they use us for trial and error. this time it was a new style cast that would isolate a single knuckle rather than immobilize an entire finger or hand. the result is a finger with permanent damage.

I did two stints at William Beaumont Army medical center in the early 80's. I was in the Air Force, but we didn't have emergency services at White Sands.

Spent 1 week there for a severely broken collar bone, and 2 weeks when I broke my knee cap in 3 pieces. They safety wired my knee cap back together. I was told years later that they used an old battle field method on my knee, they should have replaced the knee cap. Still have the wire in to this day. I goes well with the others pins and hardware in my body.

Hint: I used to race motorcycles

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Political Correctness, is Fascism masquerading as manners - George Carlin.

note: my time in the service was between 1986 and 1989.
years later i was told they stopped making patients change their own bed linens.

Brown Recluse spiders are the WORST. I feel for you Gordon.
How the heck did you get that?

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“LET’S GO BRANDON”

the assumption is that it must have gotten in my sleeping bag while we were doing field training.

Spouse got bitten, by an 'unknown' spider in his glove, though the doctor believed it was likely to be a brown recluse. Spouse isn't one to go to the doctor, but when the end of his finger started showing signs of necropsy (next day) he thought maybe he should go.

Major antibiotics, and a surface scraping of dead tissue... small white mark that serves as a reminder to stomp your gloves before putting them on.....

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Your life is the sum total of the choices you make.
If you don't laugh at yourself, a whole bunch of people will volunteer to do it for you
I never lose. I either win, or I learn....

I've been thinking on AOC's thoughts on the VA. Since many disagree with ther thoughts, perhaps Mz AOC should forego whatever other healthcare she has, and spend a couple years getting that which she praises, as her own....

Just a thought.

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Your life is the sum total of the choices you make.
If you don't laugh at yourself, a whole bunch of people will volunteer to do it for you
I never lose. I either win, or I learn....

All of Congress, the Supreme Court, the President and their staffs should ONLY get health care from the VA.

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"It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties.
The freeman of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents."
..James Madison
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"Live as free people, yet without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but live at all times as servants of God."
..1 Peter 2:16