Rebutting VA's 2004 FAST Letter on HCV/jetguns

[FormerMember]

If any of you need definitive evidence for VA claims concerning Hepatitis C and the possibility of infection via a jetgun, I received rather damning evidence useful to your claim submission. 

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2015/11/28/jetguns-dont-kill-people-but-just-in-case/

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and thank you for being so selfless as to be willing to serve your country. Many hear the call. Some listen. 3% sign the line and raise their hand. I salute you.

Alex sends

[JR Reihs]

About 10 years ago, I got a Certified letter from the VA that I needed to be screened for Hep C due to the use of air-guns in bootcamp. I have kept that notice in my file ever since. I just thought it was odd that the VA would send out that notice when I knew that they were fighting it at the same time.

[FormerMember]

In the years 1999-2005, VA vigorously tested Vets in the VAMC system for HCV  but did not tell them if they were positive. Many of the Vets I helped have retrieved old records via their VAMC ROI showing the lab tests entered into the VISTA VA medical computer. You don't need a FOIA to obtain this stuff. They were dumbfounded VA wouldn't have told them of the results so as to obtain treatment. Do I make myself clear? That's why it took me 21 years to win. This is a cake walk nowadays with a good nexus. We know so much more now because of people like Theresa who gave birth to this. I doubt any of you would even know who Carlie was without these boards.

While I got my service connection via a transfusion, I'm pretty sure the potential for the jetgun to crossinfect was a far greater risk for all Veterans of that era. Statistics are steady that Vietnam era Vets were 10% more likely to have HCV than their civilian counterparts. When narrowed down to actual Vietnam Vets physically stationed in-country for a year or more, the odds increased exponentially to 67% of  the in-country troops over the ten years (1965-75) studied. This was based on 187,000 Vets both living and dead, identified as having HCV in the survey.  

[broncovet]

I sometimes wonder why I did not get hep, while others did.  I recall them using the jetgun on us, actually I forgot how many times.  We were never told what the shot was for, and we were not even allowed to ask.  We lined up, and the medic went by and shot the Vets, one after another.  I had a buddy who I called "Olsen".  He and I lined up together, as we were usually hanging out.  

If I was forced to have another persons blood injected into me without testing, it would have been him.  Im sure thats pretty much what happened as they figured out one drop of blood was often left in the tip, and was injected into the next troop.  

If the guy ahead of you did not have hep, you probably would not get it either.  I didnt get hep.  I see an all new meaning when my parents said,  "Choose your friends wisely, you tend to become like them".  

 

 

 

[pwrslm]

HCV behaves differently in each of us.  Some folks get it, and can fight it off, clear it out of their system, and only leave an antibody to show it was there.  Cured, permanently.

Others can have it for life, with only minor affect.

Still others get liver failure.

I had it for well over 20 years.  Nobody has a clue how long, but the liver biopsy showed lvl 2 stage 2 damage, half way to cirrhosis more or less.  VA got me treated with the new drugs, now they say its undetectable.  Probably get retested again In a year or so to validate that, but hope that my liver gets better now.

[ArNG11]

Just for giggles, No not really.  Have any of you folks gotten back results for an enlarged liver?