Widow Needs Help With Dic

[Blessedmom]

Hi Everyone

I posted this somewhere else and did not get any responds--not sure if I posted in the right place. Please forgive me if I have not posted this in the right place or I am posting wrong. I have been lurking for quite a while and join a few weeks or month ago. If it is in the wrong place, please be so kindly and let me know. I really need help.

I am a recent widow with 4 small children ranging in the ages of 11 years old to 1 years old. My husband passed away last year at the age of 33 years old. His death was sudden. There are many questions unanswered. Here is his background.

He served in the military from August 1994-August 2004. He was a dental tech and had never been deployed. He does not really have anything in his military records except for a few stomach complains (2 times), latent tb, allergic reaction to amoixicillian, and cyst on his eye. He was really never sick. For 10 years, he only has 156 medical pages.

As mentioned he was discharged from the military in August 2004. He received a VA physcial in May 2005 which is 8-9 months after discharged. His blood work was abnormal. His hematocrit was slightly elevated and he had a low white blood count. His kidneys had a creatintine level of 1.4 and eGFR of 77. In 2008, he was diagnosed with chronic stage 2 kidney disease. His blood levels mentioned above stayed the same in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009. He was never on any medication for blood disorders. In 2009, he began to complain about stomach pain. He went numberous times to the VA hospital and they kept sending him back home telling him that nothing was wrong. When they finally admitted him into the hospital a day or so later, he had to be rushed into the emergency room. They found 2 feet of his intestines was dead. He was placed into a coma induced state by the doctors. Upon waking him up a week later,he had passed away. Listed on his death certificate is

1. Immediate cause Pulmonary Embolism

2. Hypercoaguable state (btw on set and death) is listed as years. Meaning he had the hyperocoaguable state (blood clotting disorder for years)

3. Superior Mesenteric Venous Throbolism.

4. Ischemic bowel.

Listed on the autopsy also is infarct of kidneys and cardiomegaly.

In summary, he died 4 years and 9 months of getting out of the military.

Questions:

1. Isn't there a way I can connect his blood disorder to the abnormal blood work which was conducted 8-9 months after service?

2. What about the kidneys?

3. Also in his autopsy, his spleen weighed 430 grams which is double the size.

I know all what happen to him did not happen over night. Please help me.

Thanks

[Berta]

This is the medical opinion firm I mentioned in addition to Dr. Craig C Bash:

http://legalmed1.com/

If you do email or call Pete DeBoiseblanc make sure he has a good idea of what type of opinion you are seeking.

When I emailed him as to how I needed opinion regarding undiagnosed DMII as my husband's med recs revealed this was the possible cause of his IHD and CVAs- he called me up and said there was no association at all between DMII and these conditions.(he is not a doctor himself)

I gave him a quick education in Endocrinology and emailed him a few abstracts (one from the ADA) that supported what I had said.He then wanted me to hire one of their doctors - which I did - but the award came before the IMO was prepared.

I had full confidence that it would have helped my claim but the 3 IMOs I had were good enough.

In spite of Pete's initial misunderstanding of the medical evidence I had, I would definitely contact hm again if I need an opinion for my IHD claim.

They charged me 1750 which was cheaper than Dr. Bash and refunded 900 of it when I faxed them I had won and didnt need it.

That refund was unexpected so I felt they are a fair outfit.

They also sent me a nice letter complimenting the way I had prepared the evidence and Pete said even lawyers they deal with don't prepare evidence that good.

It shows how very important it is to state in a cover letter what the evidence is with an evidence list and then explain why certain pieces of evidence are critical to the claim.Of course they need every clinical record possible and ,in your case, they will need the veteran's SMRs too as their opinion could possibly cover both a direct SC death -as Pete mentioned here-as well as a Section 1151 claim (or FTCA claim)

Va will only award on one basis if they do,in fact, award the claim.

I cant state that the cost to you will be the same as the fee they charged me.

Once they saw my evidence,and the 3 IMOs I already had - they took that info into the fee consideration and they did not need to spend time on my husband's SMRs so that too reduced their time spent on the IMO.

There are even many more IMO services on the net now then when I contacted this place a year ago.

Still it is difficult to determine what type of doctor is best for your claim.Yo might need to call or email many IMO places .

Edited August 24, 2010 by Berta

[Blessedmom]

^{Hi Berta}

^{Thanks for all your help. I have all SMR (I think). I ordered another copy from the National Archives just in case. I will be doing more research on the internet tonight and trying to gather and sort out all I can. I am not sure what doctor I need also. I was thinking maybe a kidney or hematologist or internist...not quite sure, but I think I do need someone who understands blood issues since he died from issues dealing with blood (listed on death certificate). I will be looking at the medical suggested and trying to gather info. I am just not sure what to do about the kidney disease. They diagnosed him with it, but did not say what type he had just (renal parenchyma disease.) No specific type....what to do?}

^Thanks

[Berta]

It might help a lot to study the autopsy narrative.

An autopsy is a far more detailed cause of death statement than a Death Certificate.

"Now I have a doctor looking at the records" the autopsy is probably the first thing this doctor has considered.

[Blessedmom]

Thanks Berta. There is a lot of research to do. The regulations are a little confusing, but I keep reading them--so they can sink in. Thanks. I will be trying to find an IMO also.

[Blessedmom]

Hi Berta and everyone

I think I am finally ready to send paperwork off. Do I need to go to the DAV for them to fax it off also or can I just mail it off. I had an IMO done. It is listed in the IMO section. If you can please give me your opinion. I gave him (Berta's outline) which I think he followed well.

Thanks

[Berta]

I think I answered in DIC forum but Yes- mail it to the VA, keep copy for yourself and send copy to the DAV rep and make sure you get a proof of mailing.

I always send via USPS with a tracking slip. Then I track the stuff on the USPS web site and print out the proof receipt that shows VA got it and I save all receipts from USPS.