Terry72

My back from my neck to my butt is messed up. I have a protruding disc in my low back which is probably what is causing my incontinence. I am only 42. I have thoracic spondylosis (DDD or arthritis whatever you want to call it) I have a piece of my vertebrae broken off in my back. I also have fibromyalgia. My doctor told me to take tylenol. My doctor thinks that I shouldn't really be in that much pain. My life is a living hell. So I can definitely relate. No one hears our story. I thought about picketing in front of my VA hospital but in too much pain to even do that.

With the Merkel cell carcinoma, about 80% of the time the cancer is caused by the Merkel cell polyomavirus. The other 20% appear to have separate causes. Exposure to ultraviolet light, like you already know, is thought to be a major causal factor. Do you know whether the Merkel cell polyomavirus was found in any of your father-in-law's cancer cells?

I am sincerely sorry for your loss. I watched the video on YouTube, and I was shocked at the way your father-in-law was treated. It seems to me to be a clear cut case. Like you mentioned, prolonged sun exposure was part of his job. It certainly is more likely than not that his cancer was due to that exposure. I was wondering what reason did they give for denying the original claim?

If all you are taking is the prescription NSAID, there is an additional medication that the doctor can give you. It is called Misoprostol. It is suppose to help with the stomach pain and acid reflux you get from the NSAIDs. Since they are not working for you though, I would just stop taking them and tell your doctor. Unfortunately getting effective help from the VA for chronic pain is nearly impossible, or at least it has been for me. I have been pretty much treated like trash. I hope you have better luck than I've had.

Are they prescribing narcotics for your pain, or are they letting you suffer with tramadol?

All I was taking is Lortab, which only has 5mg of hydrocodone in it, and they cut me off with no explanation. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. The VA facility I go to had a highly publicized overdose that killed a man, and now every pain suffering vet is paying the price. I had taken the hydrocodone for about 4-5 years and never became addicted. I don't know what I'm going to do now, and I don't like my options much. Unfortunately, what they are going to do is make criminals out of a bunch of disabled veterans. Anybody that suffers from chronic pain knows that it literally sucks the life right out of you. I think the only way this is going to be fixed is if enough vets get together and file a class action lawsuit against both the DEA and Department of Veterans Affairs. I'm no attorney, but their current practices would seem to me to violate the Americans With Disability Act. I don't know. I would be a complainant in such a lawsuit, and I would contribute financially as well. If we don't fight for each other, no one else is going to do it. I have fought for years with VA doctors over pain management, and I for one have had enough.