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I have been at Fargo North Dakota VA hospital for the last two days for my yearly checkup. The checks went literally on my toes to the top of my head. I am a candidate for a spinal cord stimulator. For reasons that were not explained to me, I had to get a psychological evaluation. The first part was an interview with a psychologist. It covered what you might expect for a veteran – PTSD and other lingering problems from being in the military. The second part was sitting down at a computer and taking four groups of questions. The first two covered the same material as the interview with the psychologist. The last two were really The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). I’m sure someplace along the line, you’ve taken that test. It’s prevalent as a quick assessment tool in the psychology field. I suspect one reason is that there is very effective software that analyzes the results of the tests. The only problem I have with it is it is very boring. The questions are true and false. They told me the results looked good, and they would have the report out today.

I am always amazed at how caring they are at the VA. I’m sure you have heard negative news reports about the VA, but I can tell you they are outstanding. The doctors that see you are not just trying to get onto the next patient. They will listen to you and answer your questions. They take time to explain the results of any tests. That must be boring for them because they’re repeating the same thing over and over, but they take the time to personalize what they’re telling you. They let you decide what you want to be done. An example of that is one of my kidneys keeps producing stones. They are not bothering me, but they will continue to grow. I chose to not have anything done about them because I wanted to leave time for the spinal cord stimulator procedure. The doctor was happy with that and gave me his card and said, call me if you change your mind, and I’ll schedule things for you. They are great people at the VA at all levels.