Spine Claim Questions

[rdnkjeeper]

I am new here and been reading information on this site for the last couple of days. There is so much information here that it has made my head spin. A little history so maybe someone can help me ask for the right things. I hit a towel bar in the military on my middle back and a few days later I was playing racketball and jumped to get the ball and went numb from my chest down. Spent three days on bedrest. I do have all the records supporting this. These injuries occured a few months before getting out. The Dr at my final physical told me to keep my mouth shut about my back, until I get got out and then put in a claim with the VA.

I got out and put a claim in with the VA, it took them about a year and service connected my middle back with chronic muscle spasms. I have been complaining about my back for years, but the VA didn't want to do anything. I opened a claim in June about connecting my lower back. I started noticing shooting pains down both legs for about a year before opening a claim. The VA got a new Dr at the clinic I go to. He said he reviewed my records and found that I have had back issues for years and what did any Dr say was wrong with my back. I told him muscle spasms....he then asked if I had had an MRI, told him no. He was shocked and order one right away.

The MRI showed that I have......(will type in the report and maybe someone will help me decode it)

Finding:

Thoracic spine: There is preservation of vertebral body height and alighment throughout the thoracic spine. The bone marrow signal is unremarkable. The thoracic cord demonstrates normal caliber and signal. There is a prominent central disc herniation at T9/T10 resulting in a mild indentation of the cord at this level. There is also a disc herniation, asymmetric to the right resulting in narrowing of the right portion of the thecal sac at T3/T4. Disc bulges are also present at T4/T5, T7/T8, T8/T9, and T11/T12.

Lumbar spine: There is preservation of vertebral body height and alignment throughout the lumbar spine. The bone marrwow signal is unremarkable. There is a loss of T2 signal within the L4/L5 and the space height at L5/S1. There is a focus of increased T2 signal within the posterior aspect of the L5/S1 disc compatible with annular tear. The conus ends at L1. No abnormal conal signal is present.

The L1/L2 and L2/L3 levels were not image in the axial plane but appear unremarkable on sagittal images.

L3/L4: There is a diffuse posterior disc bulge with bilateral facet hypertrophy in mild to moderate central canal and mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosis.

L4/L5: There is a left posterolateral disc herniation resulting in mild narrowing of the left lateral recess and mild left neural foraminal stenosis.

L5/S1: There is a central disc herniation resulting in mild central canal stenosis.

Impression:

Multilevel degenerative changes are present as described within the thoracic and lumbar spine.

Like I said my head is spinning so any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. I plan on waiting until this claim is done then opening another or appealing depending on what happens. Sorry for such a long post, but I also need to know what to ask for. I don't know what I am entitled to. They are pushing for surgery on the T9/T10 one right now. I am really nervous because I am the only bread winner in my house and if I can't work after the surgery what am I going to do? I have not decided if I am going to have surgery or not, but it is getting harder and harder to make it through a shift at work.

Thanks everyone.

[rdnkjeeper]

The way it was explained to me is they take your biggest award, subtract it from 100. Then everything is a percent of your remaining left over. I hope that helps a little.

[SFCTRUCKDRIVER]

here is an example for how to count your %

if you have 3 % claims

largest off 100%

100-40= 60% non-disabled body

next largest %

60-20= % non disabled body

next largest %

47-10%= 42%

hope this clears it up a little bit. you take the 2nd and next off the % of able body left after you take off the disabling %

[PE1]

I've benn using the Combined Ratings Table. That's pretty accurate right?

[Stretch]

I can see that rndkjeeper, is not interested in my train of thought.

What I meant by None of that really matters anymore, is that my body and mind has gone as far as it can go down this line (production/management/controlling). I don't need any body's approval, critique, or endorsement, for my life or train of thought, either positive or negative. This was my way-of-life, in avoiding reality, and at the same time having a family, as a cripple. It has been what it has been. I am just salvaging the rest now. Lots of disabled VN vets are crashing now, from a life-time of tremendous struggle.

Today my Son is making more money than I did. He was raised independent because I could not be a good father, other than supporting him through my wife. I do help him when he ask, if I can.

A machinist must invent tools, fixtures, devices, and procedures as he works. Sometimes I would be making something that I did not even know what it was even going to be, until I finished it. Kind of weird, but true. It was always just what I needed, and some times brilliant. Could be machinist intuition for proto-type. Engineers used me to the max when their staffs were jammed with problems. Don't know any other way to explain it.

Never was interested in the finished product of cars, boats, trains, medical equipment, gears, pumps, vacuums, planes, missiles, rockets, machines, or other things I could make. It was only the knowing of how to make them and make them faster than anyone else could. It was like magic.

That ability to invent was what need to be explained. Sorry if I did not make that clear. My ability to multi-multi-task is gone now. I never did go farther than that.

My posts may be a little eccentric, but it was an offer and explanation that only needed a yes or no answer. I got that answer from rndkjeeper.

[rdnkjeeper]

I didn't mean to give that impression that I wasn't interested. I am very interested.