JohnnyBGood

Fogive me if I'm not posting this properly, I'm a newby here. I am a Vietnam Era Veteran of the Navy. I was injured while in the service, I crushed a disc in my back and I have a fairly bad hearing loss. At the time that I crushed the disk in my back I went to sick bay and the corpmen refused to send me for further examination or treatment. No x-rays or any doctor was ever seen about this. At this timethere were many servicemen trying to get out of the Navy by feining back injurys. It wasn't untill about a year later that I was in the naval hospital in San Diego for bleeding ulcers I underwent an upper GI and the radiologist that was reading the xray results questioned me about my " Back injury" but he wouldn't elaborate about what he found. I after that I requested a copy of the radiologist report and had it sent to a civilian doctor so he could tell me what the radiologist found. I was told that he found a badly damaged disc inbetween my T10 &11 vertibrae. At the time this didn't bother me so I just let it slide. I fullfilled my enlistment and was discharged honorably. no claim was filed... Fast forward to 1990 or so. I was begining to have a bit more problems with my back and I decided to get it checked out by the Doctor , I was told that the T10 & 11 vertibrae were naturally fused together due to the disc disintegrating. Since that time I have had increasing problems with my back. more damaged discs, osteoarthritis,and bone spurs. In 1995 or so I went in and filed a claim for my back and also for stomach and throat ulcers. The VA denied this claim saying they could find nothing in my medical records about the back injury or the stomach problems. They also sent me in for an examination and the Doctor could not find any problems with either my back or my stomach. I was able to work then so I didn't appeal the decision at that time. I have been Recieving VA medical care since around 1999 Now fast forward again to December of 2003, I was nearly killed in an accident , my lower back was shattered, left leg broken several ribs broken. I had rods and pins put into my leg, knee reconstruction, lower back reconstructed with rods pins, cages and who knows what else. I am now disabled and recieving around $1200/ month SS disability. Of which the VA takes around $100 / month to pay for my drug co-pays. What I need to do is find a way to reopen my prior claim or open a new one. with all the surgery on my back the VA now has MRI's, CAT scans, and much better xrays. My neurosurgeon has shon me the damaged areas that were damaged way back in the early 70's, you know the ones that were supposedly not there when I filed the claim around 1995. So what are my options if any, I do have a significant hearing loss from working in the engine room on the ship, bad osteoarthritis, cronic stomach problems, cronic back pain from disc damage. All of these problems started while I was in the service. Oh and another thing I scorched the lining of my lungs with steam during a mishap in the engine room, I was imeadiatly transferred out of the engine room and told I would never be allowed to work in the engine room again due to the scorched lungs. This living on Social security isn't making it. I get further in debt every day. Feel free to contact me if you think you have any ideas. John