Rhinitis-Sinusitis

[cooter]

I was diagnosed possible Rhinitis in the service back in 1972. I went to a ENT specialist last week and diagnosed with septal deviation and chronic sinusitis. Their doing a sleep study next week and an allergy test in 2 weeks. My nose feels like Hoover Dam when they release the water.ha. Here's my questions;

Once your diagnosed, like me in 72. Can VA come back and say it was only temperary?

Is Rhinitis, sinusitis, and allergies rated as one?

Are there any secondary problems that can be claimed for this?

Thanks!!!

[cooter]

I was refering to allergies that are temporary not sinusitis. In either case the word acute referes to a temporary condition. It appears from the link I found on purulent discharge that sinusitus is also acute. However, the article states that the chronic variety is more common. As far as acute allergic conditions goes I found a table many years ago while researching allergies that showed the type of allergy versus the more common manifestations. If I remember correctly IgE allergies are considered commonly acute. In any event your best bet is to file the claim and see what the C&P examiner says. Then if there is a problem you can get an IMO. Sometimes it is better to rebut the VA than to anticipate what they will come up with. I had an allergy claim that they drug out for seven years.

The fact that you had four months of symptoms in the military is significant. There are laws that say if the condition can be determined to be chronic while in the military any subsequent manifestation is service connected unless there is clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. If the C&P exam does not get you service connected then try and get an IMO that says that your condition in the military was more likely than not chronic prior to discharge, This will lower the evedentiary burden you have on showing post service continuity of symptoms.

Thanks again Hoppy. I also had an MRI in 92' showing polyps in the sinus cavity. I'll talk to the ENT specialist with my service records and see what he say's. I'm defintely filing!

[Teac]

I am rated seperately for Allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. They should be rated seperately since they are two different diseases.

You will have to show the va that the problems you presently have are related to those problems you had in service. If you cannot show treatment since 1972 you might have a very hard time proving service service connection.

While your doctor could write a letter showing a NEXUS, based on what you have said here, I don't know how he would justify a Nexus opinion. Best of luck

[cooter]

I am rated seperately for Allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis. They should be rated seperately since they are two different diseases.

You will have to show the va that the problems you presently have are related to those problems you had in service. If you cannot show treatment since 1972 you might have a very hard time proving service service connection.

While your doctor could write a letter showing a NEXUS, based on what you have said here, I don't know how he would justify a Nexus opinion. Best of luck

Thanks for helping Teac. Was your' a presumption award, or after that? Even though I was diagnosed in 72, I noted sinusis on my exiting exam in 76. A 92' MRI showed polyps in the maxillary cavity. How much evidence is justifiable to the VA? Did you have to fight to get yours SC? I'm still fairly new with the VA scuttle.

[Hoppy]

Only a doctor can determine the odds of your claim being granted. File a claim and let the doctors figure it out. In the link I posted the veteran was discharged in 1954. He had four months of purulent symptoms in the military. His first post service treatment record was 1996. He was granted service connection. Note that he made a statement that he had ongoing symptoms after service that the examiner thought was believable. I am familiar with many types of claims whereby veterans statement are given weight when there is also objective medical evidence supporting the original diagnosis. I was service connected thirty years after discharge for my angioedema. The only in-service symptom I had of angioedema was nasal obstruction with slight facial edema. Angioedema was not even a diagnostic term used when I was in the service. I had to get an immunologist to review my service medical records and say that my symptoms of angioedema first occurred in the military. File the claim for any condition you have been diagnosed with post service that is remotely associated with purulent nasal discharge or nasal obstruction. It may require a fight. I feel you have a valid claim.

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp03/Files/0304166.txt

[cooter]

Only a doctor can determine the odds of your claim being granted. File a claim and let the doctors figure it out. In the link I posted the veteran was discharged in 1954. He had four months of purulent symptoms in the military. His first post service treatment record was 1996. He was granted service connection. Note that he made a statement that he had ongoing symptoms after service that the examiner thought was believable. I am familiar with many types of claims whereby veterans statement are given weight when there is also objective medical evidence supporting the original diagnosis. I was service connected thirty years after discharge for my angioedema. The only in-service symptom I had of angioedema was nasal obstruction with slight facial edema. Angioedema was not even a diagnostic term used when I was in the service. I had to get an immunologist to review my service medical records and say that my symptoms of angioedema first occurred in the military. File the claim for any condition you have been diagnosed with post service that is remotely associated with purulent nasal discharge or nasal obstruction. It may require a fight. I feel you have a valid claim.

http://www4.va.gov/v...les/0304166.txt

You never cease to amaze me Hoppy!!! You must of worked hard to find that Vet's claim. For me it's like fishing in an ocean trying to catch a Rainbow trout! ha. I read the appeal, it was quit supportive. I just hope an appeal isn't the latter. BUT! It does sound like an IMO would be the route to success. I too, think I have a valid claim, but!!!!! Thanks for researching this for me Hoppy

[Hoppy]

Most the time I use the BVA cite. However, when I have multilpe search terms I use google. I type in "citation NR" and search. This gives me VA cases that google has indexed. Then I use search within a search which is at the bottom of the google page. Then I typed "sinusitis is granted" in to google. That gives me the winners. I was planning on using one more search within a search for purulent. However, I found this case on the first page of the results. The whole project took less than fifteen minutes.

I am also good at catching trout in the ocean. I used to fish off the Malibu Pier. I caught and landed a steelhead from the pier. That is really rare. I also hooked a whale from the pier. It just happened to swim by my line and got snagged. Unfortunatley, or better yet fortunately it just swam away and broke my line.