Wed. Feb. 3 ~ James Birthday

I got up earlier today (4:45) thinking that would give me enough time to get Dan changed and fed before I had to leave. I was surprised how much longer it took than I had thought. However, it was sooo nice to know he was clean, dry and (no, not at all full) when I left. He still won't take much food. Believe me, I try! He takes what he wants and then he's done.
Anyway, I came home at noon today and he was in bed but did not feel good. He's been a bit hot today - maybe a slight fever. I tried to feed him some chicken and rice and strawberry jello dessert for lunch but again, a few bites of both and he was done. He drank about 1/2 bottle of Ensure. Not enough to make me feel good, but he was done. His bed was wet so I tried to get him to his chair so I could strip the bed and wash the sheets. We didn't make it to the chair. He went down right by the bed and again, I couldn't get him up. I fixed him with lots of pillows and a blanket and then started on the bed. I was able to get it washed and back on before I left for the pharmacy. He took his noon pills but not his evening ones today.
While I was waiting for the sheets to wash, I started calling the VA. I called Colleen who had called and left a message on Tuesday. I got her answering machine. She said she checks her messages twice a day and would call back when she could. She has not called back yet and it's 10:30. Then there was another message from a Lisa. This one bothered me because she was insistant that Dan come to Pocatello for some lab work that the Dr. wants down immediately. "At (his) age, (he) should be able to travel to Pocatello and save the VA the money from having the lab work done in IF. (I won't mention here that I've had to pay for some of the lab work that the VA had ordered done here in IF because they have refused to pay for it.)
Anyway, I tried to call Lisa back and explain; Dan can't walk and can't talk and has pretty much quit eating and I can't lift him at all. I told her that I've been trying to get a VA dr. to see him but I can't reach anyone to talk to. Of course, I was transferred to her voice messages so I told her that if she would like to give me a call back I'd be glad to visit with her about the lab work that the dr. wants.
I've not heard back from her, either. I called the VA Urgent Care there in Pocatello and some very nice Travis listened to me and said he could help. He would transfer me right to Colleen. He did and I got her message machine again. I told her that I had already left a message for her.
I've decided that if I can't talk to someone tomorrow with the intent of having a dr. see Dan, then on Friday morning we would find a way to get him upstairs, in the car and we would go directly to the VA hospital in SL, right to the ER to see a dr. I'm telling you, if this is the best Government Health care we can get... we're all in deep trouble!!!! You'd think it would be better for our vets. - NOT!
Anyway, I got the bed together and then called Bro. Tobias. He came over and helped me put Dan back on the bed.
Alisha came home soon after I left and she tried to get him to eat something, but....
He was awake when I got home so I changed him and tucked him back it. He's got some very small black dots on his stomach and I'm anxious to have someone look at them. His gums are also bleeding and I often have to wash the dry blood off his lips.
Friday at the latest!!!!