iceturkee

interesting, this is the first i've read that the two are connected.

couple of points. first, have you ever had an emg to confirm the radiculapothy diagnosis? i'm also inclined to believe if you haven't already, file a claim for bilateral radiculapothy as secondary to your back issues. good luck.

please don't take this the wrong way but since when did spanking become a precusor to ptsd? my father spanked me when i was bad and i don't have ptsd!!

my counselor asked me several questions about me, my disabilities and what i would like to do if approved. we talked for close to 3 hours and she promised to put in a positive word since i was required to get a docs approval. she then, proceeded, to ignore my emails (which i kept) and ignored my voice mail messages. after 4 months i finally gave up. of course, the va tried to claim it was my fault for not following through. didn't seem interested when i produced all of the non answered emails!!

i fired dav last year. i should have fired them sooner after getting into an argument with a clueless vso over my most recent denial. i now have pva but haven't had to use them yet.

i had one last 10 to 15 minutes. ortho part of my IU c&p. ortho doc saw that i was wheel chair bound. apologized for the va waisting our time and opined i couldn't work.

buck, i saw my podiatrist this morning. told her the inserts were helping but i have been getting pain in the bottom of my feet even with them. additionally, often have what feels like a bolt of electricity in my neet. said it was all nerve pain. asked if she thought it was more back related than anything else, she replied yes. got sent to have foot molds made for custom foot orthotics. i am relatively sure i am moving forth with two clains: one for the feet and a second for radiculopathy (since it is well documented in my va record.).

you are welcome. hope it helps.

personally, i would file for radiculapothy. thats more than likely what you have from the nerve impingment. i could be wrong but i'm not aware of neuropathy problems coming from the spine per se. thats usually associated with diabetes.

i got my IU approved in 4 month and was unaware of a vocational assessment. yes, they suggested i reapply for voc rehab (got turned down the first time) but the orth doc who did my c&p exam said i was unable to work.

from my past experience, unless the muscle is causing nerve damage, no neurosurgeon will see you.

last i checked, that wasn't the policy at my local clinic. they will give you copies of your exam after adjudication. it was because one of the c&p docs was getting bombarded with angry calls from veterans who had copies of their exams prior to a decision being made. don't know when or if things changed. last i heard, it was up to each varo, va hospital or va clinic when or if to release the notes. i surmise, the exam results could be withheld from my healthevet until decision day.

actually, she was better than most. not saying much.

i once had a vso tell me not to request anything until after adjudication. because, in reality, you aren't suppose to have your c&p exam until a decision is made. if you request now, i believe you will do yourself more harm than good.

truthfully, if you can afford it, take those reports and or imagins studies to a civilian doctor and see what they say. if you go that route, please make sure you have copies of any reports and/or xrays.

it is quite possible in by saying normal, they mean no significant change since last xray. if thats the case, they should, at least, say no significant changes since xrays of (fill in the date).

thanks buck. i am currently 40 percent for my back. when i saw the podiatrist in september, she felt that my feet problem was most likely generating from my back issues. i didn't tell her about the diagnosis in 1975.

when i first enlisted in the army in 1974, my entrance physical indicated i had no physical problems with my feet. when i got to my permanent duty station, there was a requirement that women wear heels with their uniforms. i did but shortly thereafter, i fell down two flights of stairs (broken at the first landing) and injured my back. i had caught the rung of my heel on a step and tumbled. shortly, after, starting to experience pain in my feet, i went to sick call. the doc looked at my feet and indicated i had several problems, the worst being very high arches. i was given inserts for my shoes and issued a permanent profile that i wear only low quarters with the inserts. this is in my army medical record. fast forward to the present, my feet are worse, i have hammertoes, arthritis and still have high arches. i have constant pain in the metarsal region of my feet. in january, the podiatrist gave me orthotics. i am debating whether or not to open a claim for my feet, either based on my army info or as secondary to my service connected back issues. thanks. i

after years of trying, i got raised from 10 percent to 40 percent on my back. my lumbar spine has 5 herniated discs, a slipped vertabra, two torn discs, foraminal and spinal stenosis, moderate arthritis and an abnormal upper lordatic curve.

i believe there is but i don't know it off hand. maybe a google search? i can tell you my monthly deposits don't come from DESC but from c&p so that could be meaningful.

images would help in the liklihood the va radiologist didn't read the xrays properly.

andy, you should be able to request copies of your mri's and reports by signing a release of information form. i do it all the time. good luck.

i definitely have had problems with va radiologists reading my xrays.

andy, i, too, fell down two flights of stairs (but broke it after the first flight) when i was in the army. i sustained a shaarp pain in the middle of my back but never went on sick call because of all the horror stories i had heard about our army hospital. fast forward a few years later, a civilian orthopod decided i had sustained a slight fracture of my t-6 vertebrae. years, later in the navy, i threw out my lower back trying to pick up a box. i have severe issues in my lumbar spine which has now radiated into both legs, keeping me in agony even when trying to sleep. we tried the pain clinic route a couple of years ago but that didn't work. however, my quality of life continues to diminish and i'm not sure what happens next. see my doc mar 23. don't know if this helps. but wanted you to know you aren't the lone stranger. god bless and good luck!

you know the back is based on either range of motion or prescribed (in writing) bed rest. i am 40 percent for my back. i have 5 herniated discs, 2 torn discs, a slipped vertabrae, spinal and foraminal stenosis, an abnormal lordatic curve and arthritis. my guess (without knowing your range of motion) that you would stay at 20 percent for your back. my 2 cents.