Help Veteran Gary "Boomer" Mueller

*UPDATE AS OF 2/7/22*
Boomer was recently approved for his procedure! He is waiting for a payment plan to be determined, and the surgery will happen at the University of Minnesota. We will be updating the goal amount for this fundraiser once he receives his estimate.

*UPDATE AS OF 12/16/21*
Gary was finally scheduled for pre-op exams set for 1/11/22. This includes dental, EKG, and a stress test. This is the next step in his approval process for surgery through the VA. His hopes are high seeing as these tests are good for 30 days, meaning surgery may be a possibility for him within the month following his pre-op exams. Once he hears back on his approval, he should know what he will need to pay out of pocket for medical expenses. We plan on updating the fundraising goal then. Thank you to all who have supported him this far!

My name is Allison Mueller, and I am from Oshkosh, WI. I am the niece of Gary "Boomer" Mueller, who this fundraiser is for. These funds will be directed towards Boomer and the life-changing pancreatectomy with islet cell autotransplantation that the VA system refuses to cover.

Gary "Boomer" Mueller, Army Veteran, has been battling with VA health care to receive necessary treatment for pancreatitis for nearly six years. After traveling all over Wisconsin for help and enduring a series of dismissals, incorrect diagnoses, and a gallbladder removal, Boomer finally received a correct diagnosis (further details explained below). He has been living in extreme, constant pain while trying to advocate for himself.

 

Every step of the way has been a battle with the VA health care system, costing Boomer valuable time to receive proper and necessary treatment he actually needed. Now, he's in a race against time to receive a total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation. This is the only option left to try to improve and extend Boomer's life, and it is not covered through VA health care. The longer he waits, the less likely viable islet cells will be available to harvest within his pancreas and his liver will be healthy enough to accept the cells.

 

After dedicating 18 years of his life to the Army (service details included below), the system has tragically failed him. Boomer entrusted his care in the VA health care system, only to be led astray from a proper treatment plan due to neglect and oversight. He is left without approval or funding to receive his life-changing surgery, and this fundraiser is his last chance to try and get his procedure.

Medical Summary:

Boomer began seeking help through the VA health care system back in December 2015. It began with severe abdominal pain. For the next month he was told he had contracted a virus from food or water and was not able to receive a GI consult as it was not covered by the VA system. After continually going back to the doctor and being told he had "intestinal issues" and should simply maintain a bland diet, he finally received an abdominal ultrasound that showed a large gallstone in his gallbladder. A month after that, in February, he finally had his gallbladder removed.

 

Only one month later he returned to the VA with abdominal pain again. They provided him with the same guidance for intestinal issues and no further testing was ordered. Shortly after this, Boomer tried to seek a new primary physician through his VA advocates. That doctor remained his primary for an additional three years, which has led to his ongoing pain and multiple health issues that include diabetes and liver disease.

 

Finally, in 2017, Boomer was able to visit a GI physician in Milwaukee. He was told his pancreas was having problems processing fats in foods due to a lack of active enzymes. He was prescribed medication that replaces enzymes that his pancreas wasn't producing, helping to digest fats and proteins in food. This enzyme treatment provided relief with the exception of once or twice a year that he required treatment in a local ER for pain. His inability to process sugars took its toll, and he developed Type II diabetes and left to manage it on his own. When he asked his VA primary physician details about diabetes and how to manage it, he was told to "get a meter at Walmart" and to ask the pharmacy there. Over the next three years, the frequency of pain related to pancreatitis continued to increase significantly.

 

Within the last year, Boomer has been hospitalized four times due to painful episodes of acute pancreatitis. He is unable to fully be relieved of pain. Foods and many physical activities can be debilitating and without warning. His ability to care for himself and manage his diabetes without insulin dependency has become increasingly difficult, and his liver functions have been affected. He now has developed liver disease.

 

His options to regain an acceptable quality of life have been severely limited, especially within the VA health care system. He is now limited to pain control via opioids, and the only option the VA allowed him was receiving a total pancreatectomy (removal of his pancreas, common bile duct, portions of his small intestine and stomach, and possibly spleen), which would leave him as a Type I brittle diabetic. A common and highly recommended procedure called pancreatectomy with islet cell autotransplantation will allow his own islet cells (a cluster of cells within the pancreas that are responsible for the production and release of hormones that regulate glucose levels) to be transplanted into his liver and allow him to remain a Type II diabetic controlled without insulin. This will offer him a much better quality and longer life demonstrated in many studies. This procedure request with an outside facility was denied by the VA system several times, stating they follow Medicare guidelines and will not cover the surgery if it is not considered a clinical trial. This procedure has been successfully performed for over 40 years at hospitals. Clinical trials are obsolete and most insurances allow and encourage this procedure due to cost savings of ongoing care needed without the islet transplantation.

 

Boomer is now in a race against time to obtain this necessary procedure. The longer he waits, the less likely viable islet cells will be available to harvest within his pancreas and be accepted by his affected liver. Too much time has been wasted trying to cut through the VA system's restrictions and trying to find an outside provider that will cover his pre-existing condition. His only option left is to cover the cost of this procedure himself.

 

 

Military Service: