StreetWalker

Received my heating pad from the VA this week. Leave it to the VA to take a simple device like a heating pad and totally screw it up. The heating pad I received has a "dead-man" switch on it. There's not on/off switch or temperature setting. All it has is one spring loaded switch. You hold down that switch till you reach the desired temperature. Then you let go. The heating pad then begins to cool down. Once it's too cool you again hold down the switch till it warms up again. Now I can see this type of operation for a elderly bed-ridden person. It would prevent thermal damage to the body if the person falls asleep. But for my uses it's totally useless. When I'm sitting I pretty much need a constant level of heat to keep the pain level in my lower back to a minimum. My current heating pad has a two hour limit which you can override by pressing a button. If I don't override the timer I can tell within 5-10 minutes when the heating pad turns off due to the increase in pain in my back. I'll be returning this pad to the VA next week when I'm up on the hill for one of my two appointments. Going to talk to them and see if they have anything else available.

Been there, done that, got the lousy rating to prove it.

Yeah there's some "pissed-off" here. The Desipramine is a tri-cyclic antidepressant. However the normal adult dose is about 3X where I'm at right now. Due to this medication also being a sedative I can only take it at night. Doesn't do well to sleep too much on the job. I'm not able to do a mounted route due to the back problems. Tried that and it would totally cripple me in a couple of days. I stay on my route because it's pretty flat for this area and it's got 85% shade coverage in the summer. That's important when your medications make you more sensitive to the sun. I've not talked to anyone at the MH clinic yet. Going to get a referral next time I see my PCP.

Got my C file yesterday. Looking at the results from my latest C&P exam I can guess that I'm not going to see any increase for my back and most likely get nothing for my GERD. Taking Norco 5mg 4X a day, Lyrica 100mg 3x a day, Lidocaine patches at night, Desipramine 30mg at night (started at 10 mg about a month ago), Naproxen 440 mg 2X a day. Using my TENS and a heating pad whenever I'm not at work. All this just to get through the day so I can make a living for my family. I have to keep increasing the Desipramine dose so I can get a decent nights sleep. Between the depression and back pain I can only get 1-2 hours of sleep without medication. Taking both Prilosec and Ranitidine for the GERD which was caused by the constant bombardment of my stomach my meds for my back. Right now I'm rated at 20% for the back and from what I can read in the C&P I'm still in 20% land. Guess you've got to be unable to stand or move to get into the 40% range. Of course all this is not helping with my depression at all. That will be the next claim that's filed. My current claim finally went from "Gathering of Evidence" to "Review of Evidence" after 8 months in the gathering stage. I guess the fact that I'm a Letter Carrier that walks 10 miles per day delivering the mail means I'm "healthy" in the eyes of the VA. What I see is that I haven't been able to mow the lawn for the past two years, I've done a total of 3 hours of active yard work in my yard in the past two years. I can't sit or stand for any length of time without pain. I make it though the day on the job on pills. I'm missing a TON of work due to the back. Unable to finish my route 1-2 times per month. It's just guts, grit and pills that gets me through the day. Been waiting on a MRI for a couple of months. Only two more months to go till we can get a picture of what's going on in my back. I'm amazed that there's NO imaging done on a back during a C&P exam. They used a 4 year old X-Ray as their imaging. The VA is so behind on their treatment of back issues. The compensation standards are archaic at best and criminal at worst. No regard for pain or quality of life. Just movement and bed rest. Sorry this is disjointed. Norco is hitting me hard. Had to forgo the Lidocaine patches last night as I've got "diaper rash" on my lower back. 12 hours of Lidocaine patches and 4-5 hours of heating pad per day have made the skin in that area of my back red and raw. At least I've got the day off so I can just relax today. Maybe take a trip to the toy (tackle) store and pick up a new lure. I'm starting to understand the whole concept of suicide. But I still have my wife and my little buddy to live for. My little buddy is a Goffin Cockatoo we've had for 23 years. He's waiting for bath time right now. He takes a shower with me and then sits on my arm for his bath time. Then we come out and it's "Blow Dry, Blow Dry NOW!" time. Tight lines and good luck to all of us who served.

Yeah they do work. Only problem is they only last a few months. Also the auto-off is a PITA.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if they were available or not.

Is there any way to get a decent heating pad (for my back) from the VA? The crap one finds in stores now days doesn't last 6 months.

What a joke. I think that 11/13/2011 is pretty much a no-go. Hoping that 8/13/2012 doesn't come and go before this is decided.

All ask my PCP for a referral to the MH clinic then. I'll also ask about the pain clinic even though the new meds do seem to be working well controlling the pain.

Went down the to local VA office today. Found they are changing over the system later this month. Claims will be handled differently. My claim has been marked as URGENT. Cleared up a bit of paperwork related to the claim. Was told that it should be decided within 30-60 days now. Due to what I found out today I'm going to hold off on filing the other claim. I'm not being treated at the pain clinic nor have I seen a MH professional either. Would I be better off with a VA MH opinion or a outside opinion on the depression?

It's been a year and a day since I filed my latest claim. It's still at the "gathering evidence" stage. Going to head down Thursday and file another claim. But before I do I need some clarification. #1 I've a lower back injury. With that comes nerve damage. I've got nerve problems in the lower left leg. Is this now rated separately from the lower back? I will be filing for depression. I'm being treated by my PCP with Desipramine. I've only been taking it a week but it has helped with my sleep problem and with the pain radiating down my legs. It may even be helping with my depression. #2 Is being treated by my PCP enough to validate a claim of depression? Thanks.

I've been in three research projects over the years. All related to hearing loss and/or tinnitus. One I got paid a small stipend the others I did not.

I've asked 14 doctors about prescribing bed rest for back pain (none of them are my personal doctor. Customers on my mail route) and gotten funny looks from 12 of them. 10 of them told me there's no way they would prescribe more than 1-2 days of bed rest for 99% of back patients. Two told me up to a week at the very most. Two (both older) said they had prescribed it for long periods in the past but would be reluctant to do so today. I find it VERY strange that the VA considers it to be one of the primary rating criteria.

This is for a reopened claim. Back is getting MUCH worse. And I'm claiming GERD as a SC due to medications.

My claim has been at the "gathering of evidence" stage for months now. Claim filed 4/29/11. Getting close to a month old. I will be older and grayer before this thing gets settled.This is for "residuals of herniated nucleus pulposus with laminectomy at L5-S1 (Increase)"

I've been using Lidocaine patches for a couple of years. They do help some. Get mine from the VA.

Been taking Lyrica for nerve pain in my legs for a couple of years now For me it's been the best drug of it's class with fewer side effects. I've managed to lose 50 lbs while taking it too. Just got started on head meds a month or so ago. Will have to see how that works. Also changed pain meds a couple of days ago. The Tramadol was giving me a lovely rash. So now I'm on Vicodin.

Good luck. I've been trying to get FMLA paperwork out of the Portland OR VAMC for over 18 months. My doctor is more than willing to fill out and sign the paperwork. But first it has to go to the ROI (release of information) office. The doctors refer to ROI as "the black hole". If one listens carefully as they leave the office I swear you can hear the shredder start up.

ey You had a human examiner. Most of them seem like they could care less. I will say that at my last C&P exam the doctor did help support me during some parts of the exam. He was also nice enough to hand me my shoes when the exam was over. Contrast that with the wicked witch who did my C&P for the GERD. She had an attitude that I was there trying to rip off the Government. Questioned why I was taking the medications I'm taking currently and have taken in the past.As most of us know once the pain reaches a certain level we'll do anything to reduce it.

Another question. Several years ago my VA doc diagnosed me with Degenerative Disc Disease and osteo arthritis in my lower back. I'm not sure that my current compensation reflects this. I'll have to see what the new claim shows. Since I can't get into eBenefits at all I guess I'll just have to wait. I'm guessing that a higher rating is easier if you have been diagnosed with DDD instead of a common back injury.

Hmm.... no one ever told me that nerve impingement should be rated separately. Going to have to look into that. May have to file a claim for that and depression as soon as this claim comes through.

Range of motion is almost nil. Bed rest may be the problem. When it's bad I just stay home. I've not had a doctor actually prescribe bed rest.

Still waiting to hear from the VA on my reopened claim. But I'd like to get an idea of what to expect. Had back surgery at the Naval hospital on Okinawa back in 1979. Was rated at 10% by the Marines. VA rated me at 20% in 1980. Fast forward to now. Daily muscle spasms. Constant pain in lower back and radiating down both legs and buttocks. Left leg is around 25% weaker than right leg. Left leg is noticeably smaller than right leg. Range of motion is very limited. Bending correctly, not using hips, I can barely bend forward at all. I can't stand on my tip toes for more than a couple of seconds. Can't walk on my heels. Reflexes in left leg are muted. Can't balance on left leg without support. I'm missing around 25-30 days of work per year. Now due to 30 years of medication for the back my stomach is shredded. Heartburn constantly, reflux almost daily. I get reflux at night and a couple of times a month I aspirate the reflux. The reopened claim is for the stomach problems and an increase in the rating for my back. As soon as this claim is settled I will be filing for depression. For years I've been trying to "man up" and ignore the depression but it's gotten to the point where I can't hide/ignore it anymore. My wife has told me to get treatment or else. So the question for all of you with lower back problems is what do you think I should be rated at? The kicker is I have a walking route delivering mail. I pretty much just suck it up and pop pills to get the route done every day that I can. Is this "active" job going to hurt me when it comes to my rating?

That's what I was thinking. Also forgot about the Lidocaine patches I use to help control the pain in my back.

Injured my back in the Marines. I could hardly walk when separated and was given 10% by the USMC. This was back in the dark ages, 1980, so there weren't a lot of resources back then. VA rated me at 20% about a year later. Currently at 20% for the lower back injury. 10% for tinnitus and 0% for hearing loss. I've got to look at that hearing loss. Just got new hearing aids and they made me realize just how bad my hearing actually is. Range of motion on my back is almost nothing. Almost no forward movement and very little side to side. Pain radiates down both legs. Left leg is noticeably smaller and weaker. Very hard to balance on left leg alone for any length of time. Left foot catches on steps and drags at times. Left foot is kind of floppy. I'm missing 25-30 of work per year due to back problems. As we all know backs NEVER get better. I've got a pretty physical job. Delivering mail on a walking route. About 10 miles per day and climbing and descending about 3500 steps. The back pain never lets up. I'm taking Tramadol 3-4 times per day, 50-100 mg at a time. I'm taking Pregabalin 100mg 2-3 times per day for the radiating leg pain. I'm taking Aleve 440 mg in the morning and topping off with 600-800 mg of Ibuprofen during the day. I also take 40 mg of Omeprazole in the morning and 150 mg of ranitidine in the evening for treatment of GERD stomach issues. I guess I'm lucky the VA hasn't prescribed pills for the tinnitus yet. I filed to reopen my claim back in April 2011. Asked for increase in the comp for back and asked for a secondary for stomach issues. Exams were in July. Have yet to hear anything back from the VA. Now my VA doctor feels I'm depressed, which in all truth I am. I'm currently trying to find a med for the depression. Thinking about opening a claim for the depression. Should I wait for my other claim to be finished or just go ahead and file? Any words of encouragement or help would be greatly appreciated.