mrs rockman (widow of vet)

Thanks Berta In researching, it looks like the butterfly pattern is with Rosacea. If this is it, then all I need to worry about is getting treatment for it. I was not sure because the doc said it could be either one of them yesterday. I just want it to go away. With my skin so dry, he thought that my thyroid levels maybe low. I had them last checked in 2008, before I became so sick. I know stress can bring it down. At least I am finally getting mental health treatment for the PTSD that I denied for 38 years. This is a great site for veterans and I am learning much from it. Have a nice evening. the rockman

Thanks. I thought it had to be within 1 year of exposure. I will go and see if that is the diagnosis and them that will tell me what to do. Is the butterfly look indicative of Chloracne or Rosacea? Are they still in the same family or does it need to be Chloracne? Rockman

Thanks and I just got thru sending him a message. I do not want to file claims if they are unnecessary, but do want to file if they can be service connected. Rockman

I plan to do just that. I want the condition to get treated whether or not it is AO related or not. I have enough conditions that I will be filing with regards to AO exposure, I do not want to file any ones that I do not need to. I have to wait until I see my cardiologist and then pulmonologist before I can get the new diagnostic codes. That will then keep me busy. I am trying to wait until after the first to see if I find out anything on my claims. I do not want to add them right now, for I am afraid it will slow the pending claims down. Thanks

Let me start by saying: I went to my Neurology appointment yesterday and had great news. i do not have Parkinson's Disease, but I do have essential tremors. The Doc was great and increased my Primidone dose. He even gave me his number and extension to call him as to how I am doing. If I am not getting better, then I can just call him and he will increase the meds again. While I was there he inquired about my face and asked me about what type of treatment the docs were giving me. I asked him "what treatment, no one has ever mentioned this to me". I had on a ball cap and he still could see my bright red blotchy face. I have had this for a long time now. In fact, I had some while in Nam, but never thought anything about it and never sought treatment. It has gotten very bad over the last several several years. At times I look like Rudolph, the red-nose reindeer. He said that it was either Rosacea or Chloracne. What should I do, since it has been so long since I was in Nam? I am thinking about going to my local PCP ( outside doc) and get it checked out. This would be easier than going the 2 hour drive. Help- I am not too sure what to do. Do I just go and get treatment and ignore the claim altogether?

I knew they had to be filed separately, but did not want for any reason for claims to put the two together. Yes, I am still working, for I cannot live on Social Security alone. When I first applied for disability, the DAV guy also included Individual unemployability. That was denied, probably because I am still working. In February the VA pulmonologist put in my records that I should qualify for disability, even though VA does not want to link chronic pulmonary to AO. That is why we fileld it as secondary to IHD. The VA cannot figure out why I am still working. Hey- it does take a little cash to live. I plan to try to work until the end of the year because of my retirement. Stress is very hard on my pulmonary condition and thus making the heart condition even worse. I work in a prison, so you can see whay I have stress. Now with dealing with all of this claims and VA , the PTSD has come out in full force.. I am taking this one day at a time and am determined to work through this and I will come out of it- I KNOW! I will be glad when December comes, so I can start the 12 week treatment at VA. If VA grants me a good rating, then should I look into TDIU or individual unemployability- or are they one in the same? If I get full disability, I can go on FMLA and use up my hours, then use my short term disability. Then I will be ready to file social secirity disability. Also I was told by the nurse at our local VA that I should get 100% (Ha!). He said that if I did, go straight to the VA and sign my wife up for champva. I just pray each day that VA will do the right thing- for myself and all of the forgotten Vietnam vets! Thank you Berta

Sorry, I just now found the practice manaual.

By the way, where did you find the PTSD practice manual? I would like to read it before my next visit, even though the VA doc said I had PTSD. Thanks

I need to get some help with my PTSD claim with Agent Orange association. I originally filed in Feb. '10 for the following: IHD Parkinson's Hypertension as secondary to IHD Chronic Lung condition (Pulmonary Fibrosis) secondary to IHd I then filed in May'10 for: re-instatement of scar-lower back ( actually is shrapnel by spine). They added it to my Feb.10 claim. I did get it re-instated. What I need to know is, I have gotten the PTSD diagnosis from my local VA Mental Health lady last Friday. I am filing with form 21-0781- for the stressors & form 21-4138, so that VA will not start all over- asking for another DD214, but will link it right. I found out today that the claim is ready for decision. She said that it was awaiting guidance- the 60 day rule. You can believe then 10% of the time (ON A GOOD DAY). I really do not know what that part of the process is. I wonder do they actually know the percentages or just getting me off of the phone and onto the next "victim". When I went for my heart C & P in June, the C & P doctor told me when I got any new information on my heart to fax it in and also mail it in to claims. This would help me IHD claim. and it would speed it up. I had a echo in July & a heart cath in Aug. '10 and sent all of that in together along with the doctor's diagnostic codes. When I called in to claims a few weeks ago, they had sent my claim back because of new information that was sent it. It would only have improved my claim. When my outside pulmonologist read the cath reports, he looked white as a sheet. He immediately put me on a 2 gram salt diet and said " see you in 30 days". If I file for the PTSD now, will this hold back the other claim? I read somewhere on Hadit that you should wait until the IHD is done. Any suggestions on this? Sorry I am so long on this post.

Let me clarify myself. I have filled out form 21-0781 for the PTSD stressors- "Statement in support of claim for service connection for PTSD." My VSO said to send it along with the form 21-4138, otherwise it would only confuse them,. This way, by having my claim number on it & sending in this form, they would not seek another DD 214 and go straight to my original claim. He said that this would be less confusing to the VA. Yes, I do have the PH & CIB on my DD 214

I need to get some information. I filed form 21-526 in February for agent orange claims. I then filed to have my 10% re-instanted for lowel back shrapnel. This was added to the original claim. It took less than 2 months to get that re-established. I am now getting ready to file a Claim for PTSD (form 21-0781). I need to attach it to another claim. Do I use form21-4138 that my VSO suggested or can you use form 21-526B. I told him that there was a shorter form, but I could not remembe the number. I just want to make sure it will not hold up my agent orange claims. Any help is appreciated.

I just now remembered that I also received the CIB along with the PH & BSM WITH "V' Device. I hope that all three of t hese will help when I file for PTSD along with the stressors that I have written up for the claim.

I forgot to mention that I

Thank you and you have a great evening. I will keep all of you informed. Once I get past all of the evals and the C & P, I will feel a hundred times better.

No, I cannot take that much time off from work. I will do the 12 week one that is only 20 minutes from home. I hope that the 12 week will be good for my claim also. The VA Mental Health lady said that she did think that it was PTSD. She will be doing more of an eval on Friday and said something about considering doing a claim. If she does diagnose me with PTSD, I do plan on filing. I do want to make sure it does not get mixed up with the agent orange claims that are pending. With my pulmonary Fibrosis and IHS, I hope to be able to quit work after the first of the year. It just depends on what my agenr orange claims produce. I do have people at work that I go see on a daily basis and talk out things.

No, you never forget, you just have to be able to cope with it. It is kinda of like shutting the closet doors, but sometimes the door just pops open without any warning. You then have to get it back in the closet and shut the door. I did fill out the form 21-0781 on the PTSD stressors. I mentioned 2 incidents, for I remember the approximate date and knew the location of the incident. I did not mention several several others, for I cannot remember the location or dates, but I do remember the names and all of the details concerning it. The form says your dates need to be within a 60 day window and I cannot do that. I will take this with me on Friday to the Mental Health lady at VA. I will keep one copy for myself and the other copy will go in with my PTSD Claim. She did say that she did believe that I did have PTSD. She said that I have dealt with it cognitively, but not emotionally. At first I was not going to go to the sessions- 6 week or 12 week. I believed that she just wanted to "Milk" my insurance comapny. She did mention on the first visit that I had outside insurance. I do realize now that I need it and will go. It will have to be at the local CBOC, since it is only 20 minutes away and I cannot take off 6 weeks from work. While in Nam, I did receive The Bronze Star with "V" Device and a Purple Heart. I also have claims pending with agent orange for: IHD Chronic Lung Disease (pulmonary Fibrosis) secondary to IHD Hypertension secondary to IHD Parkinsons' Disease The VA clinic before my current one,the VA doc said that I did have Parkinsons', but we cannot find it in the records and she is long gone. I thought I remembered seeing it and so does my VSO who sent in the claims. I am ging to Neurology on the 25th to see if they can diagnose it. I am also going to go to ROI and get them to print up all records pertaining to that CBOC just so we can look at it again. If they do say it is Parkinson's, I do hope they go by the original claim date of Feb. 2010. If I can find those records from 2007, I will have them to take to the Neurology doctor. After all of the dust settles, I will be filing for: pulmonary Hypertension secondary to IHD. I do not know if you can file asthma, but just found o ut I had it. When I had my private cardiologist do the heart cath in Aug. 2010, I sent the results to the pulmonary doctor at the VA and then one copy my VSO sent to claims. I then called the pulmonary doctor after 2 weeks to make sure they got it and they did. The heart C & P nurse tolld me when I had my heart cath to send it to claims and it would help my claim. I did and then the claim was sent back because of new information. I guess to help with rating, I do not know. It could only have helped it. Sorry this is so long. I hope to work until at least the first of the year. If I get decent va disability, I will use up my leave and go on fmla then will file for SSDI. Thank you for listening.

I had an appointment with the mental health lady at my local va out patient clinic to do a PTSD evaluation. I had already had one session of about 2 hours and she wanted me to come back for the eval. She could not figure out whay I have not applied for PTSD before- since it had been 38 years since leaving Vietnam. I went in on 10-04-10 & I guess it was sort of an eval. She asked me if I needed any more sessions. I told her that I needed someone to talk to besides my wife and some co-workers. She then said that she wanted me to go to a 6 week in house thing at my local VA hospital or come to her office for 12 weeks for an hour each. Then she said that she wants me to come back in to see her in 1-3 weeks, but scratched the 1 off, since I was going to be out of town. I have an appointment on this Friday to do the rest of the eval, I think and talk about filing a claim. Does anyone have any insight on this? Since all of this VA claim "stuff", I constantly have nightmares and flashbacks. My wife has learned more in the past 3 weeks about Nam than she has in 26 years. All this is not helping at work. I really never forgotten any of the things, but just kind of put it aside. Any help will be appreciated.