Medical Examinations And Prescription Drugs

[mutt]

I just wanted to throw this thought grenade out there:

When undergoing a medical examination for VA benefits, how can the doctor get an accurate picture of potential disability conditions when the Soldier is pumped full of drugs that would mask the very conditions the doctor is looking for?

i.e. I've got arthritis from neck to toe, fibromyalgia, migraines, and sleep apnea...to name a few. I'm on six different medications that make life managable. My general health is better with the help of these drugs as is my range of motion and pain tolerance.

I've heard other veterans say to tell the doctor about how you feel on your worst days, not what you're feeling now with the aid of drugs/therapy.

I don't want the doctor to think I feel OK.

Without the aid of medicine/therapy I would be miserable...and God only knows how I'll feel in ten years.

Can anybody give me some advice?

Thanks and God bless,

Mitch

[luvHIM]

Hi Mitch,

I have the same and or similar chronic conditions. I can not remember the actual thread title but this subject has come up before and tends to be controversial.

I don't know that there is a "good" answer to your question. But it has been suggested that being honest with the C&P examiner is the best policy. I think yes, honesty is always the best policy. But it is also left to interpretation because I know people who have been honest but get the results of their C&P and it says something entirely contrary to what they said.

I, too, am on over six different medications. Some I just recently began taking to help me better manage the pain. Why it has taken so long for me to get to this point (complaints being taken seriously) is beyond me. So, I am just now (based on labs and radiographic evidence) beginning to get some of my chronic pain issues in a more manageable place. VA doctors in the past two years have thrown in "depression" due to chronic pain syndrome as another contingency. But I've been diagnosed with secondary Fibromyalgia and some rating specialists see it as par for the course.

I'm sorry I could not be of more help in providing a better answer to your question. But perhaps others will come along and offer their opinions/advice. Best regards.

Edited November 18, 2007 by luvHIM

[mutt]

Thank you just the same.

I appreciate your reponse. I'm entirely new to this process and it can be very nebulous, confusing, and stressful.

Knowing that others share your feelings and experiences is always a good thing. That's what I love about the Army...it's one big family. A perfect stranger is not really a stranger at all; just a brother or sister you haven't met before.

Hi Mitch,

I have the same and or similar chronic conditions. I can not remember the actual thread title but this subject has come up before and tends to be controversial.

I don't know that there is a "good" answer to your question. But it has been suggested that being honest with the C&P examiner is the best policy. I think yes, honesty is always the best policy. But it is also left to interpretation because I know people who have been honest but get the results of their C&P and it says something entirely contrary to what they said.

I, too, am on over six different medications. Some I just recently began taking to help me better manage the pain. Why it has taken so long for me to get to this point (complaints being taken seriously) is beyond me. So, I am just now (based on labs and radiographic evidence) beginning to get some of my chronic pain issues in a more manageable place. VA doctors in the past two years have thrown in "depression" due to chronic pain syndrome as another contingency. But I've been diagnosed with secondary Fibromyalgia and some rating specialists see it as par for the course.

I'm sorry I could not be of more help in providing a better answer to your question. But perhaps others will come along and offer their opinions/advice. Best regards.

[Pete53]

If you have an adequate C&P the meds you take should be reviewed and the examiner should take into consideration the medication and the side effects from the medication.

[mutt]

Thanks a lot. I appreciate your experience and advice.

-mutt

If you have an adequate C&P the meds you take should be reviewed and the examiner should take into consideration the medication and the side effects from the medication.

[luvHIM]

If you have an adequate C&P the meds you take should be reviewed and the examiner should take into consideration the medication and the side effects from the medication.

Mitch,

My regular f/u exams tend to do what is suggested here. But I have NEVER had a C&P exam and the examiner took into consideration the medication and the side effects from the medication. Operative word(s) in this statement are "adequate" (which would be longer than 10-15 minutes) and "should."

I have had three C&P exams. I've been on different meds at each exam. I said this subject was controversial because I was one who stopped taking the meds prior to the exam. Now, my exams have all been for "physical" and pain issues. I am not taking any type of meds for depression, PTSD, or issues like that, which I think is where the controversy enters in at.

Each C&P examiner is different. No two report their findings the same. So, the examiner SHOULD take your meds into consideration but they DO NOT. The examiner might list them but he/she does not go into what they are for and or there side effects.

Last C&P I had 09/07 the examiner listed everything I told him I was taking and that was it. I even told him that some of the meds cause drowsiness beyond the fatigue I already deal with and he put NO FATIGUE or WEAKNESS. But, I have diagnosis of secondary Fibromyalgia and one of my chronic symptoms is fatigue. Thank goodness for real thorough VAMR's.

So, in a really nice world and in a perfect C&P exam, the examiner should do what Pete has suggested. But I can assure you that he/she very seldom does do what we think is the logical thing to do.

Edited November 19, 2007 by luvHIM

[evandc]

For a VA C & P, I take all the meds with me. I open up the bag & place each bottle in front of doctor (all 14 of them). If he starts telling me that is not necessary, I keep going till I show him all of the meds. Maybe I have a thing for drama, but I want him to know that I have all these pills & take every day. I know he is suppose to have my records, but I don't trust C & P Doctor to have anything.

I did the same thing for SSD Exam. The Shrink looked at them, picked out the 3 that were for PTSD & then asked me to tell him about the other meds. By the way, I had SSD approved in four months & had to wait out the 6 months before it started.

Don