Juiced

I do appreciate it. Right now, mentally, I have good days and bad days and the prozac has pretty much relegated me to present but not here status even on the good days. It gets hard some days to keep track of what needs to be looked at, done, and researched. Today is one of my good days, so going to try to make the most of it.

As far as diagnosing, the only link that I've ever seen was the genetic discrepancy that could be discovered by a blood test and even that isn't conclusive. So it falls back to the doctors opinion. I've been poked, prodded, pricked, and scanned enough that I think the VA could build a duplicate of me if they were into cloning. But it was a rheumatologist that gave me the final diagnosis (after 2 or so years of testing) and is the one driving my treatment (of which there is little but preventative meds.) As to reiters, he explained to me the similarities and the differences between them and how he made his determinations, I just can't remember how or what they are at this time. Looking over your links, there are a lot of similarities though. As for getting a second opinion, that is not an option of me at the moment.... I'm struggling to just keep my place at the moment. I can't get help from SNAP or other services because technically, I still have a job but am waiting for clearance to go back to work. Work won't fire me or release me because under state law, I could get unemployment so they're claiming they can't as they don't have a valid reason to release me. If I quit, I become ineligible for help. And I can't get other work due to the explaining why I am still technically working and explanations on why I missed so many days. It's not helping my mental issues right now, but the prozac seems to have frozen my mind anyway so they aren't hitting as hard as usual. As to duty stations, it was mainly US and with a year in Germany. As to getting sick from contaminated food, only once and that was from a possibly bad MRE as that was all I had that day. I ate breakfast and was sick as a dog by lunch and in the medical station soon after. But it would be hard to tell as back then, I shrugged off many things as annoyances and ignored them until whatever was bugging me went away.

As far as I know, I don't have reiter's syndrome. The genetic disorder I have is HLA-B27 with the doctors saying I am showing signs and symptoms of this and this. The second one, I've been multiple attacks hitting the eyes and lower intestinal tracts (it doesn't only attack the groin, the bladder, pancreas, and lower intestines get inflamed as well.) The first, they don't tell you that if the inflammation happens near a nerve bundle, that you feel it throughout your lower body. The doctor said that the "stress fractures" notated in my military medical file may of been beginning symptoms. How he explained it, a hurting back can cause pain in the legs- and pain in the legs and knees can cause a hurting back. Considering that the condition is somewhat rare, it would be hard to tell except the xrays from back then show nothing to explain the pain at the time. As to SMR's, I have partial copies of portions of it. I was supposed to get full records in the last couple weeks as I requested them, but they haven't arrived yet. My apologies for being gone for so long, the docs put me on Prozac in July and have increased the dosage twice since then and my mind feels shattered at the moment. Hard to concentrate and have a lot of things flying around.

I went to the VA benefits page and it had everything I had applied for listed, but with a determination of non-service related. I applied for a VA rep to help me with my files and paperwork but still don't have one listed or even contact me. Right now, not sure what I should be doing. I visited the LA VA office and basically was told that everything I need to do is on the VA website.

Applied today and have an appointment next week to see a SSI councilor. Basically, all the person did was ask for my information, typed it up, then had me sign and gave me copies. When I asked questions, I was told to make an appointment with a rep that could answer all my questions. Seems they have multiple people that will prepare documents but only a couple that can answer questions. This was at a state veterans office that the VFW VSO recommended as he was booked for the next two weeks or so.

Only problem with that is he is the first doctor to tell me that. It was only my second visit with him and the first was more like a meet and greet as I met him for roughly 2 minutes the first time while the PA took my stats before sending me off to get my levels checked with bloodwork. He seems so new that I wouldn't be surprised if the printers ink on his parchment still smells fresh. I may be misjudging him, but with all the doctors visits before where nothing like this was not mentioned to me, I figured I'd ask here first. One day, I'll go through and count up all the doctors that hadn't said anything other then give me instructions for treatment but I wouldn't be surprised if it was over 30 with the doctors being switched out or rotated into other positions. He didn't mention anything about a link though. He was reading through my file and asked me out of the blue if I had applied for both VA and SSI disability and was surprised when I said I hadn't. He then said to apply as soon as possible.

At the moment, I really don't trust myself as my brain has a habit of getting fogged up and it gets very difficult to keep track of things so that rules out me filling myself.. Never thought I would get to that point at any time in my life. I am going to go and request 2nd copies of medical records just in case there is anything that I may not have a copy of or may of misplaced and it didn't get added to my personal folders. As to VSO's, I've been listening to bad news about them for my area over the times I was at the VA hospital or at the local clinic.. The only thing is I don't know how true the tales are or how exaggerated they are. Unfortunately, I stopped at the DAV office in New Orleans, it was packed and my time in the city is limited as I have to get back to Baton Rouge to take my medications. When I take them, I am on the downward side of useless for an hour+ when they start entering into the blood stream. I didn't know about them being at VFW's, and will start searching online for any in my area. The items that I listed in the first post were basically the tip of the iceberg of problems I have, but they are the ones affecting me the most. Hearing loss (all high and lows at minimum but my midrange is decent so hearing aids won't help) + ringing in the ears, possible sleep apnea (I have an appointment for an overnight study next month,) ongoing skin lesions due to reaction to a couple of drugs I need to take in areas where the body bends, etc.... I'm barely in the upper-middle age range and falling apart already. If I knew it was going to be this way, I would of had a lot more fun when I was older to bank upon. So far, getting information that I can start to understand the process I'm going to be going through. As pointed out, it is not something I planned on or wanted as I figured I'd be going strong until my 60's, I was going off the information my primary care and specialty clinic doctors had been giving me, but I finally did some research on the HLA B-27 last night on my own to build upon the information my new primary care doctor gave me on monday. I had thought it was going to something of an annoyance but it looks like it will be a lot more serious then I thought. Spent a sleepless night last night digging into it.

Lyme disease was one of the first items ruled out as I grew up and lived for a long period of time in an area that was a site of frequent outbreaks. They actually tested 3 times for it. Every time my primary care doctor was switched (1 retirement, 1 transfer to another clinic, and my current one,) I was retested. Right now, my copies of medical reports is roughly 4 inches tall with tests and reports so I don't get surprised when I have to go an retake tests that were already done before. It's a pain for me to keep track of them, I can imagine how it is for a doctor to go through all the screens to see what has been done and what hasn't.

Sorry if I didn't add that information. I went through the service backwards. I was in the ILNG for 5 1/2 years and my unit was demobilized and reformed as a unit without my MOS position. Instead transferring units (5-6 hour drive to a unit with an open slot,) I went from NG to full time and was assigned to a regular army unit. My time is stretched from 1992-1998 ILNG and 1998-2002 USA. Right now, my primary care doctor in at the VA as well as my specialty clinic doctors.

I was informed on monday to file for VA disability and SSDI by my primary care doctor. To tell you the truth, it is not something I had not contemplated before and now I am not sure on what I can or need to do. At the moment, I have been under treatment for HLA B27, depression, bipolar, social anxieties, and am being examined for cause on frequent passing out for no apparent reasons and under various circumstances. The mental problems have been controlled so far by medication but increases in dosage and changes in medication types have become more frequent as the I may show proper dosage in blood tests, the symptoms reappear after a period of time. The unexplained passing out, I am currently under treatment by a neurologist, cardiologist, and a lung specialist as they haven't pinpointed the cause. Right now, I have undertaken multiple CAT scans, heart scans, a heart harness (5 day,) and breathing tests. So far, no firm diagnosis but they have their theories. As I show no overt symptoms, and the passing out is random, it has been made extremely difficult to pin it down. The passing out at random is bad, but it is the HLA B-27 that has hit me the worse. I am showing no signs of spinal fusion, but I have had frequent inflamations in the back, eyes, and groin/lower intestinal region. I am currently taking medication for it but it is not always effective. I've gone down from an attack every month-6 weeks to an attack every couple months (in the left eye and have lost almost 30% vision in the last year) but have had 2 inflammations in the back that required direct steroid shots and pain medication as the pain was from the lower back to the soles of the feet. That one has kept me out of work for the last 2 months as work will not allow me back in until I get clearance to return to full duties due to the risks and needs of the job. So currently, not able to return to work and finding another line of work has resulted in no positions due to having to fill out explanations for missed days at my previous/current employer. Right now, I am not sure what to do or if I even meet the standards and I will take as much advice as I can get.