A VET’S MISDIAGNOSIS LANDS HIM IN PSYCH WARD
A Florida man, on three occasions, visited a VA emergency room seeking relief from severe abdominal pain. James Ponder is a 67 year old Vietnam Vet who had been suffering from stomach pain of “indescribable agony” for eight weeks. Each time Ponder went to the emergency room he was misdiagnosed and sent home. It wasn’t until the third visit that he refused to leave, telling doctors, “If I go home and I can’t take the pain, I might have to be forced to find some way to end it myself”. It was then Ponder was placed in the psychiatric ward on suicide watch. Ann Schindler with First Coast News continues the story on how Ponder eventually received proper care.
THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS MONEY TO AID IRAQ
The White House decided this week to submit a request to Congress to move money, previously allocated for Afghanistan, to Iraq in an attempt to help the Baghdad government counter an onslaught by Islamist militants. President Barack Obama has said he is open to possible U.S. action in Iraq to help the Baghdad government. Read the full story by Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan for Reuters.
