bergin c/o

i am a gulf war veteran and recently had a foot of colon remove do to diverticulitis, my question is i had filled a claim for ibs that was denied do to lake of evidence . i had a hard time with my doctors once i told them i had filled a claim with the va . it changed from ibs to you know that most of america has stomach issues we can`t support the claim. anyway .haveing the diverticulitis does that give me enough to reopen the claim

called bva number ,they said my claim was there and had not been heard yet.

thank you for your support . i had gotten my original doctor to write a medical nexus report. he was in retierment and i had originally seen him in 1994.did the whole dro thing and they still decided against me . when i recieved the statement of case the medical nexus report was not included under evidence. even though i had reciepts from my veterans advocate having sent it to them with the letter about me chosing a dro . they got the dro part but never used the nexus letter. so now i am up to bva , and a long wait .i s disapointing that you cannot call them and say hey you did not use the cridical evidence can you take another look before it goes to bva.

another update, got a second call from claims .the va said i had claimed joint pain , spinal pain , and arthritis. he said my claim was going before the board and had an unresolved issue. he stated my claim was to vague . it did not say which joints i was claiming under joint pain, what part of my spine i was claiming. and for arthritis what joints where affected. this seemed strange, i had the general medical c-p exam where i listed all my problem areas. i just told him everything from my original statement and he said i would here a result in 4-6 weeks. i think they are trying to lump my hip arthritis claim ( that is at the dro) and my new claims into one.

just an update, filed a new clain to go along with my appeal included spine pain , night sweats , ibs, and arthritis. was called for a general medical c-p exam . then resently got called back for another c-p for my hip arthritis appeal. had the same examiner as the first arthritis exam . thought that was strange. she said i looked familiar she said it was obvious that i have arthritis in my hips and neck.. today got a call from v.a saying my appeal was ready to go to the rating board and they were going to send an updated letter to me saying that the first letter only stated a claim for the hips .that the new letter would state a claim for all of my claimed conditions. sounds like they are lumping my hip arthritis claim in with my other claims . i have mixed feeling about that. the seperate claims for spine paain and arthritis are similar except for the irritable bowl and night sweats.sent them in a letter from my first docter that i saw when i got out stating that i had ibs ,arthritis ,and hip pain . and that in his opinion these were cause by my service. that i had experience micro tears in my joints that wiped out my hips. va c-p also sent me for exrays and found arthritis in my neck also. would my claim being sent for a rateing be a good or bad sign? thanks

just wanted to post an update got a letter for another c-p exam .just waiting on the call for a time and date. not sure what they are looking for i will ask what this one is for when they call. also found my first docter i saw ( he had retiered awhile ago) saw him back in1994. he wrote me a good letter still waiting.

had second c-p exam last week. docter told me that he does not give opinions just collects info and passes it on to the rating board. first he asked about brucellosis infection ,he asked me why i thought i had this, i stated it matched my symptoms and it was present in the gulf area. he asked if i was ever diagnosed with it or ever had a blood test i said that is why i put in for it here i am.he asked if i was ever near a butcher (meat) in the gulf and i said no . he then said we could rule out brucellosis and the night sweats were probably ptsd related.he asked if my work of daily life style might have contributed to my arthritis ,that it was probably made worse by activity. he seemed to be driving at that i my have had it in the service or even before but that i intenially made it worse, by not taking it easy. he also asked about cemicall exposure and if i had done burn pit ,both of which i have done.an hour and a half of questions that a week exam ,he sent me for x-rays on my back , neck, and soulder and sayed if something was wrong it would show up on the xrays.he seemed to dwell on 2 things i have had 3 different orthepedic docters( one for my shoulders and 2 different for my hips) i have had 2 for my hips because i wanted a second opinion and he is an hour and a half away so i use a local guy for my shoulder. the 2nd thind was that if i did not have a specific diagnosis for my joint pain and if the x-rats did not show anything maybe there wasn`t anything wrong left there feeling tiered and like i had just bought a car i did not want. also i switched sevice officers and will see how that goes ,i have writen back to my docters asking for more likely than not opinions

brucellosis infection , got packet today stating the va is working on my claim fo brucellosis infection ,spine pain ,arthritis, irritable bowel,joint pain and night sweats. in the letter they say that brucellosis infection has not been determined to be a presumtive condition based on service.but a va regulation is pending that would service connect it for service in southwest asiaon or after september 19 2001 .there for they are holding my claim pending approval of the regulation and they are scheduleing a general medical exam for me. the va called a few days ago about a comp-and pen exam for me they said it was for joint pain the bi-lateral hip arthritis claim that i have in appeals. but when i was able to get ahold of my dav service rep they told me the c-p exam was for brucellosis infection so that left me confused as to what the c-p exam was for..also in the packet from the va the said my appeal for bilateral hip condition will be addressed in a seperate correspondence ,which i have no clue what this means

2 nd c-p exam just got a call from comp and pen i have to come in oct 14 for a c-p exam for my hip arthritis , i am curious my claim is in appeals(dro) why would they need another exam. if i got the same examiner wouldn`t i just get the same opinion. in my last exam they could not relate my arthritis to service connection with out resorting to speculation why would this time be any different. i called my service advisor but they took a message and will call me monday to answer my questions then . is this normal to get a 2nd c-p while in appeals-- thank you

the hip replacement was done 7years ago by a private docter, he does not give opinions on the cause he says he only deals with the effectsand would not write a letter for me. the docter i saw in 1994 for the initial diagnosis is retiered i still have a letter out to him but no reply. the family practitioner i was seeing when i got out and was initally diagnosed would not write an imo for me because i am no longer under his care ( i switched family drs 4 years ago ) he told me to see my current dr.---- my current family docter would not write an imo for me because the damage was caused so long ago and since i recently came under his care he told me he could not give an imo because he was not my dr in 1991 and did not know my medical condition back then.( my word was not good enough also he would not give me a letter about my ibs because most of america has ibs )i am finding all my docters are afraid of the va .....the recent letter was writen by a dr, at the pain management center i go to , and dr hartell is a chiropracter.........i understand a imo would be great but cannot find a docter to give an honest opinion all they will give is answers like possibly caused by military service or agrivated by military serve all agree my age makes my condition unique but will not offer more than possibly caused by military service,---------also it it not a pre existing condition-------------and i just sent in a claim letter for brucellosis.....thank you for your help but it is very difficult to find a docter for an imo thanks

i just faxed a new letter vso for appeals. from my docter it says ----i have been working with mr. moyher since oct 2008 regarding ostearthritis and chronic pain management through holistic modalities. he has required total hip replacement and experiences degenerative changes to the left side. although he has eperienced some relief through holistic modalities, he contiues to have chronic pain. likely bone changes were aggravated during his time of duty in the military due to heavy lifting and walking in sandy conditions. the extent of his injuries in someone so young is consistant with the level of work in combat conditions of iraq. end of state ment my vso sent this up to appeals.hard to get any information out of my vso if this helps or hurts my case. they just said to gather more evidence and that i my wait a long time in appeals.

docters letter. just faxed a new docters letter over to my service officer and just wanted an opinion . from dr gary hartell , such pronounced degenerative changes at such a young age are generally the result of trauma. the only history the patient reports is that experienced during his years of military service. those activities with the resultant micro and or macrotrauma is the most likely cause for his present degenerative joint disease. end of statement... would this be considered new and relevent or would the va disregaurd it as redundent..thanks

thank you for all your help.

sorry i am still confused by this. do we apply for service conection because we displayed the symtoms would it still show up in a blood test. i say this only because they are giving me such a hard time over service connecting my arthritis now, would they just deny me service connection for brucellosis because i was never givin a blood test when i got out for it .sorry to sound so lost just wanted to know how to service connect it.

have been reading on infectious diseases, brucellosis has me concerned. but since it has been so long since my service in the gulf ,how do you get a diagnosis? would it still be evedent in a blood test.

since it has been so long since the gulf war would brucellosis still show up in a blood test. how would you prove you had it?

thank you i will work on this

thank you for your help, it is a very confusing process. i am still researching your posts but when i returned from sw asia i did have bad night sweats ,joint pain and irritable bowel. there is alot of information out there ,and i called my vso on my appeal and was told to gather more evidence.problem is one my evidence is redundent not new,also many of the docters i saw when i got out are no longer in practice. i had an old letter from one dated 2002 which said i had been treated for arthritic hips since my time in the service ( the va in the decisicion letter discounted this statement because they said it did not list what caused my condition and it appeared to them the doc was reliying on my statements as to when the pain started and not on medical record)..i returned to this doc for a follow up letter and was told since i was not longer his patient to see my new doc. i went to my current dr, who stated he i was not his patient when i was diagnosed he could not truthfully give a medicall opinion ,all he would write was a softball type letter based on what was in my medicall record. all other drs. have used this excuse when asked for a opinion.all are afraid to be pinned down by va.( you have bad arthritis deal with it ) i got out in 91 and the only other letter i have that is close to that time frame is a 1994 letter stating i i have bad hips due to military service( va threw that out because the docter never stated a cause) and that doc is no longer in practice. i went to get a letter for my ibs and was told by my docter that most of america has ibs and he would not give an opinion letter for such a common disease.all my other doc letters are from my current docs and all say about the same thing my condition was possibly caused by or made worse by military service. so when i go to get more evidence it is just more of the same not new and material, so thats where i am now kinda cunfused and stuck , i thank the forum for your help ,this is the only place i have found with any answers. thank you

va denied original claim because my docters said my condition was possibly caused and probably caused by military service. va said in letter that it was speculation and did not point to a specific incident. i went back to my docters for them to write a follow up and all seem afraid of the va. and would not write follow ups, i am confused because my vso told me to get more medical evidence,but if that well has run dry were do i go to get more before my hearing .

thank you , i am waiting to hear from my vso later today . after i supplied all the medical documentation, i was curious about what more to give them and what i needed to say at the hearings . i discharged three months after returning from saudi , and the aches and pains grew worse i just went to my own dr. at home for treatment. they stated that i did not get seen by a dr. in servive they could not point to a cause of injury. they could only speculate.

recieved 10 percent for ptsd but they denied service connection for bilateral hip arthritis. one hip has beed replaced and the other is on the way. i began having hip pain while in desert storm but did not give it much thought. i discharged shortly after returning and it grew progressivly worse. i was 30 when i had my first hip replaced. v.a said in denial letter that my docters relied on speculation in the evidence letters i provided the va. words like possibly caused by service in the military and may have been caused by . also c-p exam stated a cause could not be assigned without resorting to speculation .even though my docters stated abnormal amount of degenerative arthritis in a young individual..got a letter today asking me to pick between traditional appeal or a decision review officer.were do i go from here to get more supporting evidence?

Got results of claim 10 percent ptsd but denied service conection for arthritis. letter from va stated docters reports relied on speculation saying arthritis was possible caused by activities in service .and the docters used statements such as possibly aggrivated, possibly due to activities in the service, and could have been agrivated or made worse. they said these statements relied on speculation rather than pointing at a specific incident. my dav rep says to file a nod and send in supporting medical documentation. my question is i think the well is gone dry on medical documentation. my private docters don`t even want to deal with writing any more letters to the va,they wrote the first letters but refused to be anymore specific . where do i go from here if i cannot get any more medical documentation ?

i sent them letters from my family docter and chronic pain management clinic saying i have one replaced hip already and the other is wiped out.all my letters say these dramatic bone changes were possibly aggravated or made worse by his time and duties in the military service. i am trying to get the post op report from my orthopedic dr. as i had surgery in 2003 and will fax that.

I am new to the forum but i had a c-p for my hip arthritis.I am a desert storm vet and within a few years of getting out my right hip needed to be replaced. the left is on its way out.i had the exam 2 days ago,they did range of motion which was poor.they also asked when the pain started and if i had seen anyone in the military for it .i did not, i discharged shortly after returning from desert storm, and went to my family dr .she wanted to do x-rays but since i recently had x-rays at my private docter she said to fax a copy to her.i had a really difficult time getting the reports but did get a copy of my x-rays on disk .i returned to her office with my x-rays which she refused to accept saying she could not read these.and that i should have been better prepared for the exam.i went home and faxed her my old docters reports stating my condition about having advanced joint disease with one hip replaced allready.these reports i had previously submitted to the va when i opened my claim ,i did not know what to submitt to her . does any one have any thoughts?