"It leaves me with a feeling that I can't trust the VA medical community."

All information about the VA's contaminated equipment problems can be found on this page.

Be sure to watch the video of this story at the link below.

Vet Negative For Virus After Retesting

Thousands Worried About Health After V.A. Colonoscopy Issues

Reported By Deanna Lambert
 

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A veteran possibly infected with a virus following a colonoscopy at the Murfreesboro Veterans Affairs clinic received a second call informing him that he needed to be retested, and the results were negative.

The man is just one of thousands of vets who have been worried about their health because of equipment problems and protocols at the VA.

The man, who did not want to be identified, went for a third, independent test to find out if he has a disease or not.

"I was in my home, in my kitchen," said the veteran of the Vietnam War. "My wife was present, and it just knocked us down. I mean, I just cried in rage. We held each other."

But the nightmare for the Smith County man did not stop there. The VA called back, saying he needed to be retested.

"They called back about four or five days later after that second test," said the veteran. "And again, it was not in writing, but it was a call, saying, 'You are negative and have nothing to worry about.'"

But with one negative test and one positive test for two very serious and possibly life-threatening diseases, he's still worried and disappointed.

"It leaves me with a feeling that I can't trust the VA medical community," he said. "I am going to get independent testing done for my own peace of mind and that of my wife's, because if I had any of those (illnesses), then my wife does."

"You can imagine the concern and fear and anxiety in these veteran families," said attorney Michael Sheppard, who has been contacted by more than 40 veterans looking for help. "The problem is that the VA is not coming out with how their investigation is progressing."

"There's a lot of unanswered, you know, questions that need to be answered and ... solved before they can move on," said the veteran.

Channel 4 has been unable to confirm what prompted the veteran's retesting and how many others have to be retested. It's also unknown if there are any deaths possibly linked to virus contacted in a colonoscopy.

The VA said three veterans have tested positive for HIV, including one from the York facility in Murfreesboro, and two others in Georgia and Florida. At least 10 other patients at York have tested positive for Hepatitis B and C.

Channel 4 also asked the VA for an update Thursday on those numbers but was told only that the VA is "working on it."