Bonzai

AXIS II. V7109 should read V71.09 and it means no diagnosis of Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation. AXIS III. Hypertension means that you have high blood pressure. Hope this helps, Louis

If one of your parents dies of colon cancer, then they want you to have a colonoscopy done every five years. On my first one, they found one polyp, and it was sent away for testing - it was clear of cancer. The last one I have had, they didn't find any polyps, but said that there was some areas of possible minor diverticulosis, but nothing major to worry about. Have you looked up diverticulosis? Because it can cause all kinds of symptoms. Hope this helps, Louis

The brand of monitor does make a difference. When buying a monitor, you must take into consideration what you do on your computer. Gamers need high resolution monitors with souped-up video cards, while people who do spreadsheets and office applications don't really need the greater resolution.

My wife received her SSI award in May, and that is how they are paying her backpay. The person at SS said that they have changed the way they make the payout due to recipients being ripped-offed. Personally, I think it is just a way for them to hold onto someone's money longer...

Diabetes is a Greek word for 'that which passes through' and Mellitus is Latin for 'Honey'. The doctor I used to work with always told me that the urine of someone with diabetes mellitus is sweet, and in the old days, a doctor would taste the urine before making a diagnosis.

I guess the standard, like anything else in medicine, can vary from organization to organization. I worked for the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians for 8 years, and the doctor I worked with had 17 years of specializing in diabetes treatment. Our standards for ascertaining whether or not someone had Diabetes Mellitus Type II were the GTT and HgbA1C. Since Native American have the highest incidence and prevalence rates of any nationality in the world, we had a lot of new cases that we were diagnosining in the late 1990's and early 2000's. I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to mislead you in any way by stating it was sloppy medicine. But we had a case of 'Dawn Phenomena' where growth hormones were causing high fasting blood glucose levels, and we ruled out diabetes through the GTT and HgbA1C. Then the trick was to find out what was causing the high glucose levels...

Another thing is that depending on the amount of backpay owed, SS will pay in three installments with $2,022 being the maximum amount for the first payment, 1/2 of the remainder 6 months later, and the final installment 6 months after that; so it takes 1 year to receive your entire backpay. Congratulations on your award!

There are two tests that need to be done to get a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type II, one is the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the others is a blood draw to measure your HgbA1C. The first one will show how you metabolize sugars over a period of time, and the second will show what the blood sugars have averaged over the last three months. For them to diagnose you as having Diabetes Mellitus Type II, with two high glucose readings is very sloppy medicine. And if you are properly diagnosed with DM II, and your SMRs show HTN, Elevated glucose levels, and hig cholesterol, I would say you have a good chance to get the DM II service-connected, IF you can get a doctor to say 'it is as likely as not' that your DM II existed while in the service, but went undignosed for a number of years.

It is my understanding that Temp 100% is for SC stays of a duration 21 days and longer. The link below covers the regulation regarding this issue: 38 C.F.R. 4.29 Hope this helps, Louis

I have been waiting to see an answer to this question, because I remember a post where someone had made the statement "if you combine all diagnoses into one claim, then the VA will lowball one and deny all the others, effectively tying up everything in the one claim". But I couldn't find it, or even remember who posted it. Louis

From the VONAPP website: Hope this helps, Louis

I have retained a NOVA lawyer for my appeal, since he doesn't get anything if we lose. If he gets 25% of the backpay, that is all well and good, because it means that I will be getting 75% of it; which is better than the nothing that I have now. However, if I had to do it all over again, thanks to HadIt, I would have filed a request for reconsideration, before retaining a lawyer. As it was, I was almost too late to file the appeal.

Skunk, I am 50% SC for Bipolar, and I am posting part of the Reason for Decision that was sent to me: Since I had many items that qualified me for 70%, I have appealed their decision! I hope this helps... Louis

I would be one to fall under this category, but my stressors were all involved in trainings. I trained to be a front line Interrogator/PSYOP Specialist, and to be deployed with other units. I was also trained to be paranoid, avoid having my picture taken, how to lie convincingly, etc... There were times in trainings when people died, but I only know vague dates, and cannot remember their names. But then again, my DD214 has many gaps, such as no record of Airborne School, but somehow being Airborne qualified. There is also no mention of a 6 month language course taken at JFKSWC, Ft. Bragg, NC. So I was told that I have PTSD without verifiable stressors, back in the late 90s. I sincerely doubt recognition of non-combat PTSD will be forthcoming any time soon. jmo Louis

Ensure is made by Abbott, and they have a Patient Assistance Program. Please see the following link for more information: Abbot Patient Assistance Foundation (Medical Nutrition) Hope this helps, Louis

I both contracted and worked for the Indian Health Service (IHS) for 11 years, which is another Government run medical system for a individuals who qualify. The IHS hosptials have patient advisory boards, where patient issues can be brought up. I have not heard of the VA having the same, which is a shame. B)

Does this mean that the residuals are rated as 30% with no recourse? It would be nice if they spelled out exactly what is meant by residuals. I'm sure that they don't include skin cancer, as not every kidney recipient gets it. Would this be a case where an additional amount of time is requested to prepared a NOD, due to secondary conditions?

Forgive me if I do not recall ever mentioning a specific diagnosis or personality survey. I did mention that I was told that I have PTSD by my p-docs in South Dakota, but that since I did not have a verifiable stressor, it was not something to be pursued. When I got out of the service, I did not even like myself, but that is a different story. The biggest personality survey I can think of is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index or MMPI for short, so maybe that's it. Hope this helps.

Being honest is the best way to go! But it is OK to be confused, because if that's the way you feel, then that is the truth. Don't try to make it complicated, because the C&P exam is just part of what the rater will base their decision on. The letter you received for your C&P exam should tell you what the C&P exam will be for. It is my understanding that a different C&P will be given for each diagnosis claimed, but I may be wrong. If so, someone will correct me, because we all learn together here. B)

I really think that the care is different at the various hospitals, because I have heard horror stories from other veterans; but they were always from different areas. I have always appreciated the care I have received at either Ft. Meade, SD or the Memphis VAMC. The only problem I ever had was due to a personality conflict with an anal orifice, and he had to apologize. B) I recently had a tympanoplasty (hole in ear drum repair), and was very pleased by the whole procedure. But I will admit I was very nervous beforehand. Louis

I used to be on lorazepam, and it really helped me to calm down and sleep. However, when my bipolar condition started to decompensate, because for some reason my others meds didn't work anymore, it started a med merry-go-round for the past four years, and they still haven't stabilized me. Moving to a different AO didn't help matters any, not did switching psychiatrists, but I am finally at a point where I feel I once again have a psychiatrist who will at least listen to me. I have only seen him once, but when he said that I knew more about how my condition was affecting me than he did, it gave me some hope. I do know that if I was taking something that worked, I would fight attempts to have me taken off it. jmo...

I am still waiting on mine, but my wife filed in June 07 and was awarded in May 09. I think the wait time is dependent on where you file and how large the Soc. Sec. que for the Administrative Law Judge is. But this was for an appeal, as the claim was originally denied. Are you saying you have been waiting two years on the initial claim, and not appeal? If so, then there must be something very wrong.

WOW, it is things like this that scare me, and make me glad that I retained a NOVA lawyer. Because hopefully, he will be knowledgeable enough to follow-up on my claim, once the waiting period (what else do you call the backlog delay) is over. With the recent ruling of the VA having to give veterans due process, I'm sure the NOVA lawyers are just drooling at the possibility of more malfeasance on the part of the VA. jmo...

Depression NOS = Depression Not Otherwise Specified (Doesn't fit a specific category of depression) R/O Bipolar = Rule Out Bipolar

There is also the condition of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) to be taken into account. When a patient has ESRD, it means that their kidneys have failed completely. The interesting part of this diagnosis, is that the diagnosis doesn't go away after a patient receives a kidney transplant. So therefore, they are still considered as having renal failure. There are also the long-term effects of autoimmune suppressant drugs, preventing the rejection of the kidney, to be considered; of which you have mentioned a few. For case favorable to the veteran with kidney failure and cancer, click Here. I hope this helps, Louis