Thanks Teresa, Most VAMC’s are closely facilitated with generally great medical facilities. As an example two that I have used are near or across the street from Duke and Yale. There is a strange sense of confidence until I realized that the personnel from these wonderful medical facilities are employed by residence and some have supervisors that they consult with, sometimes while they leave you waiting in the exam room. So the so called confidence is a false confidence because they encourage the residence to go back to the room on their own and do what they are being thought what doctors do. Furthermore after a few close calls I almost had a miniscus surgery from a very confident doctor who told me that I would be his first which still almost happened except for an emergency in Florida with my Dad that I left to be there and cancelled the surgery. That was almost 10 years ago and I still haven’t had the operation but still walk about 5 miles a day and rarely use topical treatments to sooth some pain.
At Yale I was an in patient with stomach pains. After a few days of IV and laxatives I was felling much better. In walks a very tall attractive doctor with a pack of students following her. After greeting me and asking how I was feeling she proceeded to talk with the students: Mr S presented in the ER a few nights ago.... I felt like a cadaver but when she told the students that I was “ a classical case for gall bladder removal “ I interrupted and mentioned that I lived in California for 15 years and I’d like a second opinion for an alternative option. There was this brief but pregnant pause as she turned to the students not to lose a REAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE and told them that they will likely run into people from California who always have unusual offbeat ideas about how to doctor. In my mind she turned the pack around and walked them out of the room. She did however wish me “ GOOD LUCK “ I honestly think that wishing a patient “GOOD LUCK “ is thought in medical school. And if you think about it “ LUCK “ itself is a word that goes against the “ SCIENCE OF MEDICINE “ unless of course you get your medicine from a Native American medicine man or snake salesmen, or any other number of “ quack “ which is originally spelled kwak short for kwakzalver which is Dutch for a person who practices with home remedies. So hot tea with honey, lemon, and a shot of whiskey is quackery as are any of the remedies Grandma used give you if you were sick.
Of course I’m creating another epically long post talking around your suggestion which I really do appreciate Teresa and I do not want to discourage others from telling me what they think or know. Obviously someone might know something that the traditionalist doctors don’t know or certainly they would not practice. I had one person recently tell me to eat caviar because it is very high in vitamin D. I’m trying it even though I recall trying it in the past and I wasn’t an immediate fan.

I did have a very interesting conversation with an administrator at Cleveland clinic. She listened to everything that had happened and directed me to a doctor who had a special interest in the importance of Vitamin D
I found a doctor who now wants to see some of my records but he also wants me to write a narrative of what’s been going on with a time line. I think he found the right person to write “ a narrative “ 😃 So we’ll see where this goes. BTW, I still have my gallbladder
Thanks again Teresa! I really appreciate your willingness to reply.