Jak

Rockhound, I am so sorry to hear what you're going thru. I know it must be causing you some horrible pain. Both my father and husband have had it - both men are the kind that won't complain or let pain slow them down but the kidney stones did a good job of making them cry "uncle". I know this may sound stupid but BREATH! Concentrate on your breathing and it will help to work thru the pain. Hope you pass that sucker soon!

I was reading a bunch of the appeals claims and came across a nexus letter that was accepted by the board and written by a nurse practitioner. Anyone know if a Physician's Assistant's nexus will do?

Clown Man, I'm actually in the process of figuring out how to assess and make the claim. I do have (or had) endometriosis that did attack my bladder but I'm also concerned with the blocked tubes, scaring and adhesion of ovaries to fallopian tube. I never realized how difficult this whole claims process is.....either that or I'm overwhelming myself with all of the information that I've gathered. I'll put my "proposed" claim down for everyone's dissection and see how to go from there. I had concerns that my fertility doctor would've been too busy to write a nexus but his office girls seem to think he'd do it without hesitation. That was a relief.

Jbasser, you are so correct. Most of my records reflect pelvic pain, back pain, knee pain. The back pain I felt showed up immediately following my fall but not much for the cervical. I do believe though that I have an excellent chance of a re-eval for higher rating on the low back pain considering all of the treatment I've had including, trigger point injections, epiderals to my lumbar spine. It's been constant since 02 when the flare up worsened. Rentalguy1's spine repository was so helpful...... I definitely will go for the Nexus. thank you!

If you saw some of the reports that came out of my hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, you would think so too. My doctor says that the injury to my fallopian tubes are exactly the same, almost identical and he betted that the injury came from the same source. I used to feel like a warming sensation in my stomache. I know the whole jamming system was hardcore because the actions it took to go "live", you would think the protocals were to detonate a nuclear weapon or something. It is hard to prove and what's even worse is if I'm going to be given a problem with the endometriosis then I wouldn't stand a chance declaring that I was "nuked". Ironically, theres so much data done by the FCC, the Navy and Army, stating there were no trustable method to protect from such hazards only detective mechanisms................which we never saw. But, the reports that I've seen from claims with laparoscopy reports seemed favorable to granting disabilities. Thanks brother!

Thank you Sharon! I think we're on the same page.

Thank you Carlie! You can bet that I'll check it out further and maybe with the combined reports of the infertility doctor that I used, can determine if PID had any connection to what occured with me. I appreciate you!

Hi Mike, I served three rotations to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi but the rotations weren't technically deployed due to the Gulf War. I've thought about that and have even thought about being possibly "fried" as I was a communications jammer/interceptor and deployed with the Army High Frequency Electronic Warfare (Afhews) Anntennas. If I can't make a simple claim for endometriosis then I don't think I have a chance with microwave radiation even though I and several others had symptoms related to this type of radiation. On top of all that, the AFHEWS system has been "boxed" so...proving the level of radiation would be almost impossible and therefore almost asking for a denial of claim. I've also known some vets that did serve with the same problems. Thank you for your thoughts...as I mentioned to others, every thought will help me think this claim thru.

Clownman, I hear where you're coming from and appreciate your reply. I need to have every possible angle covered and have enough of an open-mind to see how others, especially the VA, would see my claim. I've done some search and though my final diagnosis was infertility, I would certainly never even try to peg the military for my inability to naturally have a child. I agree that's a stretch even for wishful thinking but here's where I'm coming from: 1. According to claims coding: I can make a claim for endometriosis if I have a laparoscopy report done. A couple of appealed cases demonstrated that though the military is not in the business to assist with forms of reproductive assistance, they do have the scope to diagnose and in cases that require medical attention to include medicine for treatment....that they do so. 2. My concerns of infertility got nowhere even when expressed by me and my records show a consistent history of irregular bleeding, pelvic pain, etc. At the time I was experiencing all of this, I had no knowledge of causes and symptoms of infertility so I trusted that since my reproductive organs were ireported intact that it was information trustworthy. 3. If there's a rating for it....it must be possible. 4. I stand to lose nothing to stand behind a claim that I believe to fair and documented. I've already lost, in essence, as I'll never have a daughter or another son. Not meaning to sound guarded....I truly am grateful for your thoughts. As I've mentioned, every angle of attack is good for me to see and prepare for. Thanks Purple!

Jbasser, Yes I do know that the cervical spines relate to my neck and severe symptoms can result in pain to shoulder, arms and hand. I also know that the sciatic can cause pain in the buttocks, legs, and feet. I don't know how sciatic nerve wouldn't have bearing on the lower back....can you expand on that? Maybe I explained myself wrong.

I separated from the army in 1997 and was awarded 20% disability for low back pain by the VA. Many years later, my symptoms have reared their ugly heads more vicious than ever. Set aside from my episodes of "undiagnosed endometriosis" my military service years were relatively uneventful as far as injuries go except for one incident which resulted in the VA rating. In 1994, I incurred an injury while participating in an "indian run" at PT. As opposed to the normal PT uniforms, we were dressed in full BDU - kevlar, rucksack and all. I was running downhill at a cautious speed and got knocked into and knocked down by a fellow platoon member who had tripped on a rock, fell and landed partially on top of me. Nothing really happened after that - we both got back up and finished the indian run. Three days later, I went to sick call thinking I tore muscles in my back and was experiencing sharp pain that ran down my leg. I relayed the story to the technician who inspected me and diagnosed me with muscle tension and soreness. I was prescribed 500 mg of generic tylenol and sent off with a profile for light duty and temporary profile for PT for 3 days. To make a long story short, my back pain turned into a permanent profile which included pain in my knees and feet. All of my treatment is in my records with exception of the event that caused the injury. In 2003, my pain alleviated to a point that I couldn't treat myself with methods that I had been taught in physical therapy (in the military) and with finally having health insurance I sought out medical treatment that is continuous up to the current date. Through an MRI, I was diagnosed with cervical injury from C4-C6, bulging disks, arthritis, and degenerative disk disease to include diagnosis for "military neck". This isn't the end. Three weeks ago, the pain from my lower back starting acting up. I was sent for an MRI on my lumbar and the pain specialist thinks the pain is from my sciatic nerve. I'm still awaiting the MRI. I don't think I have any problems showing where I incurred the injury but my problem is that from 1997 to 2002, there's no records of any treatment for me. The reason is simple: I didn't have health insurance and I had no idea what services were available to me from the VA. Had I known, I wouldn't be posing this question now. The pain management doctor believes that the reason my neck injury hadn't shown up for so long was due to my body "prioritizing" what needed to be treated and the pain intensified once I had my twin sons. I was told that many women don't even know they have neck problems until after their pregnancy due to the constant stress and unnatural positions that our arms, shoulders, neck and back are placed in while holding our babies. Once I had my neck treated, my lower back flared up again. This has been the constant cycle since 2003. I've been on some (what I consider) hardcore medicine such as vicodin for the last three years. I have a hard time dealing with the pain and dealing with my twin toddler boys. Take a moment to read my post on infertility -endometriosis and add those symptoms to these. Between everything I've gone thru, I have bouts of panic attacks, periods of migraines, can't sleep without medicine, constantly tired, moody. At least once a week, my husband has to stay home from work to help me with my sons. Those are the days that the pain and moods are at their worst and I need bedrest. What are your thoughts? and also, now that I'm aware of VA medical services, should I forget the pain doctors and return to the military for treatment? Again, your thoughts and suggestion are appreciated!

Hi folks. I have an appointment with a VSO on March 17th and am trying to gather information and as much data as I can about claims. I am, however, stuck on a situation with how to proceed with proof and case for infertility. Here's some background on me with this: I served in the army for 7 years. (1990-1997) Throughout this time, I had episodes of irregular bleeding. For instance, following a "Post run" (every unit participated in this), I had a situation where I had severe cramping w/bad back pain and was bleeding. Being newly married, I thought I was having a miscarriage. I was driven to the medical facility where they tested me for pregnancy and when my lab results returned negative, I was diagnosed with possible "pelvic inflammatory disease" or UTI. Which, by the way, was extremely insulting to me since my husband (whom I am still married to) was my 3rd and final partner so I don't or didn't consider myself to be a promiscuous woman. So the above is an example of what happened to me the entire time of my service until the end when I finally requested to be seen by OB/GYN for possible infertility. Keep in mind that, well, I don't know a woman that would "request" this type of examination unless there were concerns. Anyhow, at my examination, once I mentioned that I had concerns considering my husband and I weren't taking precautions to prevent pregnancies that I wasn't sure if I could have children. The captain basically dismissed my concerns by telling me that my reproductive organs were all in tact. That was the end of that. In 2002, I finally was referred to an infertility doctor and after having a hysteroscopy, tubal ligation and finally laparoscopy diagnosed me with severe endometriosis with lysis of adhesion on my right fallopian tube and adhesion of my left fallopian tube to my left ovary. My doctor then put me on depo lupron to cease six months of my cycle in hope that by giving my body a break that it would heal itself. The lupron didn't work and we discussed IVF as the only way I could conceive. I was 33 at the time. The process of diagnosis pretty much emptied my bank account. I'm sharing this information with you so that you'll understand that money was the only reason of delaying my IVF attempt. It took me three years to save the money for the IVF treatment and costs. From 1997 to 2005, I went experienced anger, disapointment, guilt, basically, in general just a ticked off woman. I don't know if I have a claim for this. I don't know if it's even fair for me to say that had the military diagnosed me correctly, that my symptoms would've been treated and I would've been a mom at a much younger age. In 2006, my twin sons were born but at the expense of all aspects of my life. I've been told that children conceived thru IVF may also be infertile due to the forced process so, my sons may never have children. Or at least I won't know until they start trying. Imagine the mental and physical pain I went thru to have my sons and now add guilt on top of all of it. What do you guys think? Do I have a claim? Do I stand a chance? Thank you for reading this. I look forward to your suggestions, comments and any advice you may have. BTW, I do have all of my records of "irregular bleeding" in my service record as well as all surgery and files from my infertility doctor. I apologize if I've posted in the wrong board.