The "campus", as it's referred to here, is a very nice facility. It actually feels like a college campus here...a college campus of medical treatment. The building structures are very colonial and antiqued on the outside, except for the state-of-the-art gymnasium and the main hospital. The streets are narrow with slow moving traffic and the sidewalks are continuously congested with wounded warriors that are trying to run their daily lives on their own. There are always activities on the installation for the wounded warriors and their family members.
The wife and I are staying in a mini-hotel room while I'm currently inprocessing and attending medical appointments. It's a small room with a shared bathroom, but has all of the amenities of a normal hotel. It's a nice place to come back to after appointments, formations or meetings to get some sleep - attempting to get back on a normal sleep schedule.
There is one organizational aspect to the process for Wounded Warriors that I do not like very much even though I know that it is probably necessary to have in order to keep tabs on soldiers. This aspect that I do not like is the attempt to keep military processes and unit structure within the ranks of the Wounded Warriors. I am here for medical treatment - to get my body fixed so be on my way to continue my job. So far, since I have arrived to this installation, I have attended one appointment where I consulted with a doctor. The rest of my time has been attending unit formations at 0800 and inprocessing the "company" as if I were a permanent party, cadre soldier. I really just want the medical treatment, the recovery, the physical therapy, and then be kicked out of here to do my job. I almost have the impression that they are settling me in here for the long hall...I don't want that. However, I can see how they need the military structure in this medical environment. There are a LOT of wounded warriors here receiving medical treatment and the cadre need to be able to keep tabs on them, maintain discipline and make the soldiers feel like they are still a part of something.
My next medical consultation is tomorrow (Friday) with the Sports Orthopedics Department. I'm sure I will have to conduct all of the same painful movement and resistance exercises so he can say he saw the same thing that the past 5 doctors have seen since I left my unit. Tomorrow; however, should be the day that I find out about surgery on both my arm and shoulder (labrum tear in my shoulder discovered in the MRI from Landstuhl). The wife and I are keeping our fingers crossed. She and I have mentioned the word definites a lot in the past week. We haven't heard any definites from anyone over here as of yet. We thought we had heard definites in Landstuhl and Baghdad; however, each medical facility has their own opinion. Landstuhl sent me here for surgery, but Walter Reed may say there is no need for surgery. There is one thing I can say about the medical care in the Army...the continuity and trust between physicians just plain stinks.
So, until tomorrow the wife and I will be biting our time finding things to do in the mean time while our son sits in Ohio waiting for his parents to come home. I still have yet to see the little guy since I've arrived back in the United States. I'm back in the States but still feel pseudo-deployed...maybe that's why I'm still receiving my combat incentives!
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