I was receiving monthly — and for a while biweekly — massages to help control my lower back pain and shoulder pain. I was told the VA "is no longer doing that" and my referral update was denied. So I get to live with much more pain and take more pills. Apparently that is the goal of the VA. Just give them pills, it's cheaper.
I was receiving care for my back, which I've had surgery on, and for nerve damage. It was helping and reducing muscle spasms. Since my denial, I was diagnosed with MS. My PA sent in another request to restart massage therapy. It was denied again — even though massage has been proven to help people suffering from MS and nerve damage.
About three months before my massage therapy was ended, my provider's nurse told me they weren't getting reports back from my massage therapist confirming I was having positive therapy sessions. That is a flat-out lie — all of my sessions were positive. Now I have to watch how I work and do things with more caution so I don't re-injure my back and neck.
Chiropractic with acupuncture and massage therapy — all prescribed by my VA primary care provider for myself as a 100% P&T service-connected veteran. The chiropractic and acupuncture only worked when accompanied by massage therapy, which held the paralysis of my feet at bay. This worked well until the VA killed my massage therapy. The paralysis spread and took over my feet, literally causing me to lose the effective use of them. My only hope is to be treated with massage therapy at least monthly.
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100% P&T Service-Connected Veteran
As a veteran, I was on a horrible regimen of pain meds to manage my back pain. I was limited in what I could do and I spiraled downward — struggling with weight, pain management, and depression. The VA prescribed monthly one-hour massages, acupuncture, and battlefield acupuncture. Within six months my depression started to improve and my use of pain meds dropped. My care continued with monthly massages for three years, with hiccups each time the yearly referral renewed. Then all of a sudden the VA changed my care and told me massage was only allowed for 12 visits in 12 weeks for acute care. I was in shock — I didn't want 12 in 12 weeks. It was stressful to manage time away from work, my body needed recovery time between visits, and honestly it was a huge waste of funds. I tried to appeal it, but no luck. Since then I've paid out of pocket and stretched out my care interval so I can afford it. My fellow veterans have had the same issue. I'm noticing headaches again, and I'm afraid to start my spring and summer cycling since I always had massage care to work my back. The biggest letdown is that I'm service-connected for these very issues, and the VA would rather put me on meds instead of giving me the care I know works. Give me a punch card with 12 per year and let me figure out how to use them.