MedicC

Thank you everyone especially Patrick. 4th point of contact is an airborne term for what order your ass hits the ground. I have had social workers in the v.a. write in my file after a short visit that I have a personality disorder and then it gets brought up by doctors several times and they have to rule it out. Makes it hard to focus on the real problem. Even had a a social worker tell me I was bipolar becacause I was tired a lot. She wrote that in my records last year and I'm still being questioned even though the docs keep ruling it out. I truly hope that nobody has a list like mine because it us not fun to live with.

Berta, Thank you. I have not applied yet. The DAV suggested filing a claim before the end of this month for an increase due to headaches. Not tdiu claim but a fully developed claim. He said wait until the end of the month so as many tests can be done as possible and if they approve the increase then it will be backdated the Feb. 1st. Also he said they will look at tdiu as part of an increase and it will be easier to get if I'm at 90% which is where I'd be if they grant be an increase to 50% for headaches. I kind of want to wait to apply for SSDI until I get back to Idaho. I checked out the 2 websites you provided and I could not find an answer.

So I was reading about PTSD tonight because quite frankly I sometimes feel like there is more going on the PTSD. I am rated at 70% for PTSD currently. I am scared to death that if I am open and honest with my doctor about how I feel that he will say that I have some kind of personality disorder or mental problem and NOT PTSD. I am hoping that I can share with you guys a little of what I have been holding back and see if you think its ok for me to share this stuff with him and not have him think something else is wrong. I dont know how I am suppose to feel about having PTSD. Also I really am not some freak. I dont know that I would ever act on some of the stuff I am talking about unless of course it changed to being legal then I might! 1. I really want to beat the crap out of every middle eastern person I see. Their voice pisses me off. I know most of them are really good people and I hope I don't offend any of them on here but I have the urge to beat the crap out of them with my fists. I don't want to shoot them or kill them at all, I just feel the urge to hurt them alot! 2. I hate people. All people.Only people in person. On the internet where I don't have to see people I like them. I don't trust anyone but I like nice people online. I think the best word to describe would be cynic. 3. I get mad alot! If you should know that the sky is blue but you think its orange. I want to scream and yell at you for being an idiot. 4. If Im riding with you and you are not watching the road. If your texting or looking out the side window then I want to rip you out of the car and put you in the truck so I can drive. And no you cant sit in the passenger seat because I dont trust you next to me. 5. Your a psychologist? I hate you, you are looking for ways to screw me with some diagnosis about small man part syndrone or something that can take the blame OFF PTSD. 6. I dont like medication. It makes me feel like Justin Bieber on crack! I do stupid stuff, have no clue if I want to have sex with my wife, play with my dog, watch a movie or if I just want to sit there and drool on myself. 7. If I have to press 1 for english and then I get Bob from Pakistan. I want to hang up the phone and stop giving that company money because I feel like they should no better then to outsource their call centers. 8. I get no excitement in anything. Its pointless to even try to do anything that I should enjoy. Its a waste of time. 9. I used to drink HEAVILLY. Now I cant touch the stuff! I decided I needed to control something so I chose to have control over that. 10. If I hear the words "trust me" from another shrink I am going to shove my foot so far up your 4th point of contact that you will tasting shoe leather for a month. 11. Sleep? Oh you mean that thing where you lay down and pretend like nobody can see you while you lay there with your eyes open watching every light or shadow or movement of any kind and then you stand up when its light out again? These are things that I am feeling that i am not comfortable telling a doctor these things. I am wondering if it is ok to talk to them about this stuff or if #5 will come true if I try to share these thoughts with him. I have another appointment on friday and was hoping to know what was ok to talk about. I dont mean to offend anyone but this is the only place that I feel I can get straight answers! Thank you in advance

Here is a tough question I think?!?! First a little Background 80% SC Disabled 70% for PTSD 30% for Migraines due to TBI 10% Tinnitus 10% Right ankle residuals I have in the last 2 months been put out of commission due to my headaches becoming a lot worse. Still trying to figure out treatment for it. We are out of money from me not working Luckily my VA compensation covers our bills so we only need to make enough money to cover groceries, fuel and such. We are going to move to my wives parents place in Idaho the Spokane VARO. We are going to be staying in our 5th wheel on their property so we can at least have a little space. I am continuing treatment there. My concern about applying for the Caregiver Stipend is that we will be living in our 5th wheel. It says that they will come to our residence to see how we live. Does anyone think this is a problem? Also my wife will be working for her dad part time on days that I don't have doc appointments. Is this a problem? I can get by for a couple hours a day by myself on the days that i'm not feeling as bad as long as things are setup for the day such as food and clothes and stuff. I'm just trying to be honest about where I am at right now medically so I might be able to get a solid answer. My wife was working full time but since i've been down and out she had to cut back to about 10 hours per week so she could help me out as much as she can. Thank You in advance

Probably the easiest way is to get your medical records and review them. There are 2 ways that I know to go about doing that. 1. Got to the local V.A. and ask them for your records. Should be a place called ROI or Release of Information. Ive heard some people have to pay a very small amount to get them. I have never paid for mine and they give them to me on the spot. Sometimes I might have to wait a couple minutes but WELL worth it. 2. The way that I prefer is on the internet. Go to https://www.myhealth.va.gov/index.html or just google myhealthevet. You have to sign up. Its free and only takes a couple minutes. This is the important part so listen close. After you sign up you need to check VA Patient and VA Veteran in the boxes under your profile. Then you have to go the VA and do an in person verification. There will be probably one person that handles that. Just go there tell them who you are and they will approve you to use the system. Very easy to do. I like to use the online because it shows everything from when I was born into the system! The other thing is its good to get help. But its better to get help without screwing yourself! It is easy to prove PTSD if you have been in combat. Do it the right way. Read some forums here and ask advice like you are. Try to stay away from the drinking part of the conversation. Its never helped my case. I have even had a doctor try to tell me that my nightmares and depression were from drinking NOT PTSD. A Combat Medic on a line unit in Iraq during the initial invasion thru the first battle of Falujah and a couple beers a night are causing my nightmares! Sure buddy! Try to stay on topic of what your symptoms are. No matter what you hear, MOST doctors REALLY DO want to help. There are a few that don't but just stay on point with your problems that YOU KNOW are caused by combat and you should be good. Get your rating, build some trust with a doctor and then start going into some deeper stuff that you might need help. And also even if you don't get another chance I am pretty sure you refile once they deny you. I don't see why you couldn't. Maybe someone else will know for sure. You might even look into what is called a Fully Developed Claim. Its pretty new. I am not sure if you can use it for initial claims or not and what info you have to have. It requires you to do the leg work and get medical records and stuff but it is supposed to be an expedited rating decision. Contact someone the the Disabled American Veterans to help you. Its free and they file claims pretty much all day every day. No you don't have to be disabled yet to use them. Be honest with those guys..the are your representative. There are many groups from them to the American Legion, to Order of the Purple Hearts or something like that. Most Larger VA Hospitals have a place where the put all the Veteran Service Groups. They don't work for the V.A. Find someone you trust that is easy to talk to to help you. They can pick up in the middle of your claim and help you finish it the right way.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! When I was at the V.A. today I got authenticated to use the the myhealthevet program. I get my medical records and go thru them and put them in my file at home every so often. Just for giggles I thought I would look at what they had online in my medical records to see if it was the same. I GLAD I did! They do not match AT ALL! The following might explain what has been going on all along with my headaches. I remember having an MRI about 5 years ago which is about 5 years after I got out of the army. I went to see the doctor at the V.A. after the MRI and he told me that my results were normal and everything was fine. Now keep in mind this was before I started keeping my medical records at home so I just believed him and went about my way. The following is an excerpt of what I found in my medical records from 5 years ago! I had NO IDEA about this so I have not been taking it easy on my neck or trying to do any rehab. Quite the opposite, I continued running and lifting weights as a stress release. Now the only problem is I am NOT service connected for this although it will be covered as a medical expense I am not sure that I can get temporary 100% for recovery from surgery. In the report it goes on to say that surgery is the most likely treatment needed and this was 5 years ago. I know I will need another MRI to see where I am at now but I am 99% positive that this is what is causing my headaches. and in the report they did not look at the c1-c2 area and that is the one that causes headaches most frequently so I am sure that is messed up too. Does anyone know if my headaches are caused by this problem if they will show that as the cause of the muscle tension headaches the whole time and allow me put this in to my Service Connection stuff under the rating that I have at 30%? MRI CERVICAL SPINE Technique: Sagittal and axial T1 and T2 Findings: There is posterior disc and osteophyte at C3-4 through C5-6. C2-3: Sagittal images only were obtained. No significant stenosis is identified. C3-4: There is mild asymmetric left uncovertebral facet spurring without significant narrowing of the central canal and only mild narrowing of the proximal left neural foramen. C4-5: There is mild uncovertebral facet spurring and disc mild to moderately narrowing the neural foramen C5-6: There is a broad-based central right paracentral protrusion effacing the ventrolateral subarachnoid space with mild narrowing of the central canal. There is mild/moderate proximal right foraminal narrowing. C6-7: There is a small central disc protrusion mildly effacing the ventral subarachnoid space. This is associated with asymmetric left uncovertebral facet degenerative spurring and disc. There is minimal narrowing of the central canal with mild to moderate left and mild right foraminal narrowing. C7-T1: There is no significant stenosis. Impression: bilateral foraminal narrowing is noted.

You know what ticks me off and makes me blow up? When I go to see a mental health doctor and he acts like he knows what I have been thru! You know what makes me feel better? When I talk to a vet that has been thru the same stuff I have! In my experience its just fine to surround yourself or even just have one or two people that understand because they have been there too! When a vet blows up at me I tell them to quit being a jerk and then we go have an adult beverage or a milk shake or something! Its ok because are reading out of the same book and probably pretty close to being on the same page! Its normalish to have these blow ups as long as they can be controlled to not land in jail. It would be healthier to NOT have them but its part of dealing with what we have been thru. I used to think I was alone in acting the way that I do. Now I know I am not alone and either are you!

Thank You LC, I had my next MRI looking at the Veins this time this morning. I also got a letter from the V.A. that had a diagnosis of Chronic Headache Disorder listed. It was on the approval for Fee Basis for a NueroSurgeon. Also my last post did not post but to answer one of your questions about headache rating, I am rated at 30% for code 8100 which is migraines I believe but the narrative is Muscle Tension Headaches secondary to Post Concussion caused by explosion.

Thank you again for the advice LC. The 30% rating I have is for headaches. It is code 8100 which I believe is migraines but the description says muscle tension headaches secondary to post concussion due to traumatic brain injury. I will let you know what the doctors say after my MRI results are back. Thanks

Thank You LC, I have another MRI tomorrow to look closer at the veins in my brain to make sure that there is no current bleeding. The neurosurgeon has already said he is about 99% positive that the headaches I am having now are NOT caused by the vein problem. This leads me back to the problem of What is causing the headaches? If the doctors come back and say that it is different then the original diagnoses that I am rated at 30% then that means that it is possibly not service connected?? I am wondering if I should wait for a diagnosis in the next couple days and if it is NOT SC then apply for IU on the basis of PTSD only? I truly feel that it is a combination of both right now that is preventing me from working with the heavier of the 2 being PTSD.

Hello everyone, I am rated at 80% broken down as follows. 70% PTSD 30% the code the V.A. used was for migraines but the notes say muscle tension headaches secondary to post concussion. 10% Right ankle injury 10% Tinnitus 0% Hemmoroids 0% Lower back injury Denied SC MRSA Residuals I was a medic in a line unit in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 involved in some of the major battles of those 2 years. Not going into details since nobody really needs reminders of what they have been thru and I don't need to think about everything at this point but things were a little rough in the desert. I am not here for some poor me story or anything as I am well aware that some of the guys I took care of, and people I have never met, are in ALOT worse shape then I am in. I'm just trying to do the best for my family and do it the right way. I was rated at 80% within a couple months of getting out in 2004. I have done the best I can working since then but have recently been troubled by headaches that are very very bad. The doctors are still trying figure out if its related to what i have been having problems with for years or if its something new and how to fix it. I have a vein in my brain that has bled in the past that they found on an MRI but the surgeon does not think its the cause of my headaches. And its a private surgeon with a good reputation so I am inclined to believe him. I have not been able to work for the last couple weeks because of this. Not working has made me realize how much my PTSD really is affecting me. Over the last 9 years I have buried myself in work and I think it has not been healthy. I have not allowed myself time to heal. Now that I have not been working it has made me realize I really do have the problems that I have been burying this whole time. In the last 9 years I have had probably between 8-12 jobs I'd have to really think about it to figure exact number out, I have quit everyone of them because I have gotten pissed off at someone and told them to pound sand. Financially I can afford to take some time to deal with the problems I'm having. It will be tough money wise but with my wife working, and with a little family support, we can afford to not have me work for little while. It puts our dreams of buying a home and having kids on hold for awhile but I think I need some healing time before we have kids anyways. My question that I need some advice on is: Should I put in for SSDI or TDIU while going thru this or should I just give it a couple years and see how treatment goes and then apply if things don't get any better? Thank You in advance!