Filed For Copd

[bubblehead80]

During C&P exam I took breathing test and the person administrating the exam said I had COPD and prescribed an inhaler. I can't remember the number but she said it was probably caused by second hand smoke when I was younger. I served in Iraq and inhaled a lot of junk over there. It seems like it has gotten worse since I have come home. Anyone had any luck with getting it service connected? What does it take? Thanks in advance. Greg.

[Pete53]

How long have you been out? If over a year it will take some extra hoops and whistles but seems like you should be able tp demonstrate that your service is linked to it.

[Guest rickb054]

During C&P exam I took breathing test and the person administrating the exam said I had COPD and prescribed an inhaler. I can't remember the number but she said it was probably caused by second hand smoke when I was younger. I served in Iraq and inhaled a lot of junk over there. It seems like it has gotten worse since I have come home. Anyone had any luck with getting it service connected? What does it take? Thanks in advance. Greg.

Greg,

In Feb 07, I was rated for COPD secondary to Asthma but the diagnoses was clearly in my active duty medical records in a number of places when I retired in 1986.

Medical authorities will tell you that most cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) develop after repeatedly breathing in fumes and other things that irritate and damage the lungs and airways. Cigarette smoking is the most common irritant that causes COPD. In rare cases, COPD is caused by a gene-related disorder called alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency. Alpha 1 antitrypsin (an-te-TRIP-sin) is a protein in your blood that inactivates destructive proteins.People with antitrypsin deficiency have low levels of alpha 1 antitrypsin; the imbalance of proteins leads to the destruction of the lungs and COPD. If people with this condition smoke, the disease progresses more rapidly.

Unless you have alpha 1 antritypsin deficiency (which requires a blood test to determine) it takes COPD a long time to develope to the point of being COPD. Most people are usually diagnosed with asthma or bronchitis before the disease even gets to the COPD stage.

The inhaler that you were prescribed are given to anyone who has any type of breathing problem. There is only one medication that is actually perscriped for COPD and nothing else it is called Spriva. Advair is also perscribed for COPD but is more of a asthma medication.

I assume based on your limited question that there is nothing in your active duty medical record that indicates you had any breathing problems on active duty. It is highly unusual for someone to be told they have copd, and not have been treated numerious times in an ER prior to a being diagnosed.

Most respiratory therphy personnal (the ones who do the pulminary fuctions test) are not medical doctors and cannot diagnose or perscribe inhalers. VA C&P examiners are also not allowed to tell you the results of the test, while I have had some tell me the results it is unethical because they do not know your history. Also s/c for lung disease is usually base on a medical history and several pulmonary fuctions test. Also C&P examiners are not allowed to diagnose a medical conditon. The purpose of a C&P exam is to confirm or dispute the existance of a condition but under no cercumstances are they legally allowed to diagnose a medical condition.

My suggestion is to see a pulmonary doctor. Explain your medical problem, have him review your active duty medical records, and if necessary he will put you on medications that will help you breath better. I will tell you that if it says anything in your medical records about you smoking that it will be almost impossible to get service connection for COPD because congress changed the laws to disallow compenstion for smoking related disease. Veterans have up to one year after leaving service to be diagnosed for a conditon or disease, if diagnosed within the year it is possible and likely that the condition can be service connected. COPD however is a hard one to get service connected unless you can prove years of exposure to something other than smoking. If your condition was caused by second hand smoke when you were younger and if that is what a doctor wrote in your medical records , it is unlikely you will be awarded service connection. Best of luck

Edited November 23, 2007 by rickb054

[danang_1969]

During C&P exam I took breathing test and the person administrating the exam said I had COPD and prescribed an inhaler. I can't remember the number but she said it was probably caused by second hand smoke when I was younger. I served in Iraq and inhaled a lot of junk over there. It seems like it has gotten worse since I have come home. Anyone had any luck with getting it service connected? What does it take? Thanks in advance. Greg.

Well bublehead80 I have had a claim in on COPD for quiet awhile. The VA gave me an inhaler in 1996 and I have had breathing problems for quiet awhile, bad breathing problems since 1997 and I am convinced they are from the Vietnam war either from AO or occupational hazards aboard ship, breathing asbestos, poor ventilation during firebox and boiler overhauls, and other military duty. When I was in high school in sports, 63-64-65, prior to my military time and duty aboard ship in 66-67, at the age of 17 and 18 and part of 68, turning 19 and 20 on a shore duty tour in Danang from 8/68-8/69, Let me say prior to that I was active in football, basketball, track, one of third fastest runners in speed and distance of my class. Shortly after military service service I was forced to be very selective in my employment, my choices were very limited because of my lungs. I did not have enough wind to do many manual jobs and did not have enough education for office work. I also struggled with mental problems as well from military service. The first few years I tried many occupations. One of those years I had over 20 W-2 forms in 1 year. I raised four kids during this time period. Many of those years were as bad on having multiple jobs. I ended up being a truck driver for 26 years at multiple companies, maintenance man for 6 years, and held an office as local elected official for 3 years, until finally the day came that I just could not regroup and function any more at anything due my all my medical problems. Now, I am on oxygen 24/7, and very needed much medication for other things. Up to this point, the VA has refused to address any of my breathing problems or as being related to AO and/or the other occupational hazards that I endured, even though they are well documented with buddy letters, medical records, and even a letter from a high ranking Navy officer admitting that the Navy had no system in place prior to 1980 to protect us from such occupational hazards. One of the SO's told me, if you don't have one of presumptive, you might as well forget it because they will just though in the trash, but I did anyway. I served in country also during my enlistment, with my boots on the ground in Nam, I received some unit and individuals citation awards for my Nam service and also for my blue water service. Of course, if you are a blue water sailor only, even though you have one of the presumptive diseases, they through it in the trash.

I know many military people who have breathing problems from military service, I lived in a compartment aboard ship with 50 or 60 other sailors and the cigarette smoke was thick most of the time your eyes would burn, but that still wasn't as bad as in the fire room duty I endured 18 hours + a day. I am still yet fighting this battle today on this claim. I have won some battles on my sc conditions recently, but the lung issue and others have been side stepped by the VA so far and they have low balled on my sc rated and the severeness of it. I have a hearing loss from the noise of the force draft blowers aboard ship, the VA test reports say that my hearing loss was not due to loud noise, a private audiologist says that is a crock, that it was too, and that any audiologist can tell by your test graph that it was from high level noise.

I hope I have helped you understand where you are on this or rather where they are. No matter what they tell you, if you think it was sc, file it. Be persistent and patient and stay chilled and I know I have given you a big list of things to do that I have fail at sometimes, miserably. I hope I have helped in someway. Stay with hadit and I know very little compared to other people on hadit. This site is your key to the knowledge needed to perfect any justifiable claim.

God Bless

Danang_1969