ArNG11

Sad and funny at the same time. But this video keeps it real and still makes me smile. "You want the truth" ... "You can't handle the truth" is what comes to mind.

powwel long time no read bud. How have you been? It is kind of a crap shoot. I have been on the Gabepentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, Abien, Xanax, combinations and have had so so results. The Gab and Lyr caused some weight gain so I stopped those and the rest well kind of a flattened effect. I think honestly the combination of heat, ice, tens has been more successful than the neuro meds. Heh I did finally get the new pain cream from my new VA doc, so happens that the pain cream with capsicum does exist, imagine that. Still experimenting with that and see if it offers better results. I have asked for surgical consults and well the VA's stance is forcing me on the MOVE program and telling me they will send me to Houston but as a waste because they won't touch me since I am overweight and too young. Its all a process and a waiting game. Most times I realize it is not for my benefit. Private doc is going to do an anesthetic disco gram and possibly a lower lumbar fusion. Anyways off topic. I think between Gabapentin and Cymbalta the Gab took a longer time to figure out it wasn't effective on me. Cymbalta I felt flattened but no less pain relief. They warn about the low sex drive and arousal problems but I didn't have that issue with the Cymbalta. Granted each person's body chemistry and reactions with other meds and scripts do play a part. It is worth a try IMO, some people have good responses with it. Best of Luck.

Yeah John. I would have to agree. With anything that you are service connected for you need to continue treatment. VA or private. Make sure that at least once a year preferably at each 6 month exam you visit with the VA primary care. If you don't suddenly the VA starts saying that you are cured because you are not seeking treatment. What is funny, for me at least, a lot of my anxiety is made worse just by dealing with the VA and the VA claims process. But heh to each his own.

Everything above is pretty much on the money. I have a 3 tier diagnosis that I am waiting on for the decision to become official. They are rating anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The thing with mental conditions as with other things even if it is multifaceted they will only rate one predominant condition. As in my case, this is just from conjecture from information of my attorney and speaking with the DRO unofficially. I will be rated for depression and anxiety vs the PTSD. They will or rather are supposed to rate your service connected conditions to the disease and condition that more accurately fits your mental health issues. I think, just personal opinion here, that I feel most people who have some form of disability from service will suffer from depression, it is inevitable. Even if you had depression before service, I believe it would not be too hard to connect the dots that your military injuries or disease have made it worse. Mind you, you are going to have to have a Dr. relate it to you service and that they have reviewed your entire SMR's. That is a must. The VA is not going to connect the dots for you even though the regs say to do so through VCAA. It is imperative that you have contemporary records showing treatment and progression. JMO

Congrats Amicusbrief. Great victory. Haven't read your posts in a while, now I understand why. Way to preserver. Take care and good fortune.

Yes Berta absolutely right. You will get no where without an IMO. Trust me I know. Even though my ITP claim is with the DOL, the Air Force and DOL stance is that I was not exposed to hazardous chemicals as a tank rat aircraft mechanic and even though there are verified studies that correlate the effects of jet fuel to auto immune diseases you have to have a doc make the nexus and state that the jet fuel caused the disease. and the fact that I have been a jet fuel mechanic since working at the Air Force base makes no difference. With DOL there is no at least as likely as.

I agree with you fellows. The process for a claim is made to tire you out and see if you will go the distance, rather that it gets so tiring and complicated that you just give up or make a deal. Department of labor is the same way. I seriously believe that these Agencies are out to get me. Reality is they are just trying to save a buck to get that new Bentley or pay some interest group or constituents. The process has me and has gotten me to the breaking point several times. But I realized something today. With my case specifically, both on VA and Federal Workers comp. Stick to your guns. Don't give up. Once you file stay the course and don't let anyone, not family, not attorneys, not even Chief of Staffs or Secretaries of the organization intimidate you to concede. quid pro quo. It's your life, the rest of your life. Don't let your sacrifices and those before you be shamed because these perpetrators want to make or keep a buck. The hell with them. The stakes are really that high, IMO and cases they are for me. " fight til your last breath"

The benzene exposure claim is going to be a doozie. I narrowed down my exposure routes and although I was exposed to a lot of things from the burn pits in Bucca, Iraq and botched up shots, I worked fuel tanks as a civilian in the Air Force since 2005 - 2011. There are many correlating studies that confirm the relationship between aircraft fuel and auto immune diseases, specifically ITP and JP4-Jp8 fuels. My ITP claim I filed with Department of labor as this was the vast majority of my exposure. I'm having a dandy of a time trying to prove it. However, persistence and using they own studies against them it the way to go about fighting this. JMO.

I remember that stuff as well. We used it to clean parts and bearings and the like. Nasty stuff. Come to think of it that was more or less the time the Air Force Started getting Eco consious. They started using something else to degrease but I don't recall the name. I do recall that this was also around the time they switched from using Citraclean to Simple green. The stuff was less toxic but didn't clean as well. This was 1992-1995.

Heh GeorgiaPapa I wish you the best. I hope you get the results youre looking for. I still deal with my CPAP. It got old after the first week using it but reluctantly I still comply with using every night. I might look into the surgery myself, whether the VA connects my sleep apnea or not. The chronics runs is my next sort of obstacle but that is a work in progress and a daily battle. GERD Fire is at least for the moment quilled

Look up benzene induced thrombocytopenia. Idiopathic thrombocytopenia. This is a platelet disorder in which your body starts attacking its own platelets. I'm not at home but a couple of key members have given me info on this illness. I got hit with it last year and it got dicey. Please talk with doc its a serious, deadly problem.

Man this is getting hard not to do. I had my C&P done back in November and still nothing. I have even talked to my rainmaker and know what decision they are proposing but no decision yet. I still haven't pressed the damn button. Gathering evidence is what it went back to. With no C&P's left. All my treatment records, 3-5 docs all saying the same thing to include a QTC doc. Do I risk it. What will happen a bogus decision? I still will have to appeal either way. RRRRR this can be maddening but I am thinking about it logically at least trying to. If they have all they need and have a proposed rating why not force the decision. Hmm. I think I will ask my rainmaker on a hunch.

Honestly you can go that route. With disabilities, service connected disabilities depression will eventually ensue. The kicker is service medical records and cotemporary records of treatment for depression. Personality disorders are a way out for the VA to pay for compensation. Mind you this is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. However, you find me a mental condition that doesn't affect a persons personality. It is not possible. You can claim depression as secondary. IMO though you are going to need a medical nexus stating that, either from an MD or a mental health professional. I would go with the latter. However, which ever way you go claim or no claim get the help you need. That is important. If you are going to last in this horrible game you are going to need your wits about you.

Gosh John I thought I was all doom and gloom. Not too far off the mark though. I imagine in the next few years more of the same will happen. I happened to have been treated with clonazepam and effexor mix. The one that did some weird things to me was Pristiq. Got a little suicidal there for a while. I actually have had good luck with a mental health provider at the VA recently. He has me on liquid fluoxetine and pill form alprazolam. The only thing that they will give me for pain is really just a muscle relaxer. Methocarbamol to be exact. I switch that around with Demerol, Hydrocodone depending how bad of day it is. However, those narcotics are provided by private insurance. If the stuff wouldn't make me so dam drowsy it would not be so bad. They are trying different types of pain therapy. Healing touch and acupuncture have been the most recent here at the OKC VA. The one thing they won't do is chiropractic care.

So far so good with this procedure. The dysphagia is still there, I do have to avoid trigger foods and have to chew my food to mush. Still have the nausea every now and then but the burning has only come back when I have gagged on food a few times. Not terrible all together.

I guess it bothers me that I meet all the criteria for the 30% with the exception of subternal shoulder or arm pain. Every now and then yes, it feels like I'm having a heart attack but I monitor my pulse and heart rate and I know it's not when the arm starts bothering. Until I knew that though it sure felt like I was, still does every now and then.

Pete excellent points, however, the VA is quick to give the symptoms a diagnosis and then do not pass go and do not collect $200. It irritates and frustrates me to no end because they, the VA, gets this easy way out. In my case and most others one a diagnosis is given,done. If not in your active duty records and while in service, done. Never mind if you have private medical records documenting the symptoms, diagnosis attributable to a specific disease done. Is there a better way to fight this VA conundrum regarding undiagnosed illness or "Gulf war syndrome" I've been having a daisy of time trying to do it and still don't have a way in. Also this is also with VA raters attributing some health problems due to GWI, such as IBS, GERD, and Hypothyroidism, but not Sleep apnea, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. It's very difficult to connect when coexisting illness and conditions overlap with similar symptoms. Im curious if they would do a study between active duty and activated guard and reserve units and see what the statistics are with service members having these very same issues. I fear that report or data would not surface. Feels a lot like Desert Storm/Desert Shield. There's a reason why that tape changes color. There's reasons why all these registries are up. Eh blah. I think I may be beating up a dead horse. Running low on happy pils. MNBSO.

I have to comment, although this site is devoted towards Veterans issues, the same good practices here regarding evidence hold true to other avenues of disability claims. Department of Labor uses the same tricks and deceptive tactics. Heck even social security. Always cover your six. Always make copies. Always sent it return receipt green card. It has saved my caboose several times now, both in VA and Workers Comp. Eventually I think most Veterans will have to deal with VA and SS at some point in there lives. Eventually I will get a good chuckle when I succeed in using their own crooked ways against them. Interagency squabbles and blunders. Gotta love it. Just makes me think all the time and energy that could be used to help claimants the way they should.

You would think so. I am just not sure if those submission hold as much weight as the good old greens. Dates can be manipulated electronically. Can't really alter the green hard copy. I am curious if this possibility of data minupulation has shown up yet in appeals or court?

Yeah I get a little flustered with this myself. The VA has my address. They hold my VA home loan, my disability information is in the system, myVA docs appointments have the correct address yet, important appeal documents still wind up being sent to my old address. coinsidence. Not the hell likely. VA shannanigans.

I like the convenience of the electronic options, however, there nothing like holding that royal flush of green cards when they, the VA states they didn't receive that document.

Each person situation is different. IU is an interesting and sometimes complicated benefit. I know that from the regs if you have a static disability at 60% or multiple that add up to 70% you are eligible to file for IU. It's a hard decision. For me, I am the point that I can't let my pride get in the way. I know that I can't perform my duties in my career between VA and Federal Workers' comp injuries, it is just not possible. So you make the best of it. If you're eligible file for it. In the long run you must do what you need to do to survive and provide for yourself and family if you have any. Even though I am familiar with the rating schedules that pertain to me I still don't understand how some don 't rate higher and others rate anything at all. It's irrelevant though, I know that I am broken and while the money offers some security it doesn't change or fix anything. You have to make the best of what you have, and press on. It is the only thing you have control over. JMHO.

You can. Its what you are going to be able to prove. With depression, I can honestly say that is the safest route. With physical disabilities you are going to wind up being depressed because of what you can and can't do because of your illness and/or injuries. With PTSD if you have the necessary stressors, and write environment to prove it in your service medical records then I would pursue it as well. Usually on your DD214 it will give you what you need. Oh and if you received hazard duty pay and imminent danger pay that is a great prerequisite Regardless of what you do or pursue, the VA will only rate one mental condition. That is all. If it's multifaceted and unable to be separated to each condition that is irrelevant. You have a rateable mental condition that occurred in service. If they try to say that it was preexisting, refer to your entrance physical, if it wasn't annotated then you were good to go, fit for duty, no problems, no blemishes. Even if you had a mental condition and its mentioned, the argument there would be did your service make it worse. You might need IME/IMO but that is how you would fight that. JMHO.

Ditto. Slowly changes will happen. It boils down with what we let the VA and agencies get away with. It isn't fair. But it is what it is. You are left with two options either, take what they give you or fight to what the regs and law say you are entitled to. Good luck to us all. Frankly it isn't luck but how much and how hard we fight. Fight till your last breath. JMHO