ptsd Just Returned From My C & P Exams

[TANKERJOE0]

i just returned from 3 c&p exams today.

i am besides myself.

please people dont critisize me for the way i type this post???

im trying to unwind and catch my breath and find some help from seasoned vets with this experience.

the dr who conducted my exam for my ptsd claim was sooo condescending,rude,very impolite and very uncaring or thorough.

i brought my wife with me and he said she was not allowed in the exam????

i asked once again once we got into his room as to why she cant be in w/me and he said because this is what i said is going to be done and thats it???

i have terrible anxiety and memory problems so i needed her to analyize and help me during and after the exam???? about what happened??

he vigoursly interrogated me for about a half hour and it was over.

he did not even touch on any of the problems i face or effects it has on my life.

he asked me more about my child hood, arrest records, drinking problems???

of which i dont have any???

i hope there is a way to justify my claim in another way???

i dont know what all the acronyms mean nod or dro hearing?

i guess ill be reading up on all of this while i wait on the decision to come back??

all 3 exams went almost exactly the same,except the drs were nicer then the phsyc???

i felt like i was on the stand being cross examined by the prosecutor for a capital murder trial???

i was so thrown off, i dont even remember what he asked?? what i said???

i just was sooo uncomfortable and feel violated???

there is no need to conduct an exam like this.

i have severe anxiety issues as it is just going out in public anymore.

let alone have this guy be this way?????

i left the appointment and went outside and literaly cried to my wife that i cant believe it went like that??

ill await the decisions and then i guess go from there.

i guess i should have expected this. from reading so many posts i should have been prepared for a fight till the end.

i already fought in a war??thats whats made me like this.

i didnt think id be home fighting again against my own govt.?

i am so angered that this is how vets are treated after returning or serving our nation.

i thought i truly knew about it from hearing news stories about other veterans, war veterans (vietnam vets) what they were being treated like.

and how they were and are still treated today.

but i truly apologize from the bottom of my heart.

me and millions of other americans dont truly know what vets go through.

its a crime that should be punishable by laws!!!

now that i got just a little taste of what goes on.

i just knew in my heart though that someone could examin me for an hour and just know from what i told them how bad i am actually feeling.

but was i ever wrong.

any body have anything to say???

thanks

tankerjoe0

[TANKERJOE0]

THANKS CARLIE

YOU RELLY THINK IN ABOUT A WEEK THEY WILL HAVE SUBMITTED THERE NOTES???

I HAD THE EXAMS IN GAINSVILLE ,FL BUT GO TO A LOCAL VAMC HERE IN JAX,FL.

WILL I BE ABLE TO GO TO ROI OFFICE IN JAX AND HAVE THEM PRINT IT OUT??

THANKS

SEMPER FI!!!

TANKERJOE0

[carlie]

THANKS CARLIE

YOU RELLY THINK IN ABOUT A WEEK THEY WILL HAVE SUBMITTED THERE NOTES???

Tanker - They are usually in the system within anywhere from a week to ten working days after the exam.

I HAD THE EXAMS IN GAINSVILLE ,FL BUT GO TO A LOCAL VAMC HERE IN JAX,FL.

WILL I BE ABLE TO GO TO ROI OFFICE IN JAX AND HAVE THEM PRINT IT OUT??

Sorry tanker, but that one I'm really not sure on so any comment I made on it would be speculation. Good luck ! ! - carlie

THANKS

SEMPER FI!!!

TANKERJOE0

[free_spirit_etc]

This thing is a game. The ball is in the VA's court and then after the decision it is back in yours. It is a legal struggle and not about your health or care. It is about money.

Good point - Sometimes a denial is useful, as it gets the VA to play their hand first. Then you know what cards are on the table from their side.

For instance - Though my husband repeatedly claimed his cancer started in service - the VA ignored that - and only asked the doctor to address if his cancer was caused by asbestos exposure.

Of course, the doctor did not address whether his cancer COULD have been caused by asbestos exposure IF he were exposed. The doctor ruled out asbestos exposure on the fact that his records do not show he was exposed to asbestos.

He based that mostly on the fact that my husband was not part of any of the screening programs, although he had been an interior electrician.

So the doctor decided to be the "fact finder" in regard to determining whether my husband was exposed to asbestos.

The fact that ignored the fact that both the treating AF base oncologist and the treating AF base pulmonologist had both indicated in THEIR records that my husband was most likely exposed to asbestos.

These were post service records - but done through the military.

The screening programs that the C&P examiner relied on were actually not started until several years AFTER my husband transferred out of the electrician field.

Hmmmm - my husband worked in a field for 13 years that has a high likelihood of being exposed to asbestos.

AND he worked in that field for 13 years when there were NO safety programs or screening programs in effect yet.(People in that field are NOW part of the screening prgrams).

SO does the lack of being a part of a screening program PROVE that he was not exposed to asbestos? NO. It proves that he worked in a field that is NOW considered a high risk field at a time when no safety measures were used to prevent or mitigate asbestos exposure.

The doctor did NOT opine as to whether my husband's type of cancer COULD be related to asbestos exposure IF the VA would determine that it is more likely than not my husband was exposed to asbestos. He merely discounted the possibility of exposure.

With our records showing that the screening programs didn't start until the mid 1980's, records showing that interior electricians are NOW required to wear respirators when doing the types of work my husband did, our records showing the asbestos surveys done at the AF base he was at at the end of his electrician career (BIG BIG Problem with asbestos at that base).... I think the doctor's opinion should not be given much weight because it was mostly based on the idea that my husband had not been exposed to asbestos - because he wasn't part of any screening programs (that were not even in existence yet).

But the VA played their hand first.

Once again, with the DIC claim - I continued my husband's claim that it is more likely than not that his cancer began IN service (per his treating doctor's verbal statements to us - and remarks in his medical record) ** Doctor said the base attorney won't allow him to write an actual opinion.

What did the VA ask their doctor to opine on? They did NOT ask him to give an opinion as to whether it is more likely than not that my husband's cancer started in service. They merely asked him to opine as to whether the respiratory SYMPTOMS my husband experienced in the service were related to his cancer.

The doctor apparently looked at his medical records of respiratory infections and opined the symptoms experienced in service were caused by Upper and Lower respiratory infections.

**and ironically his discharge physical is missing - so no one knows what symptoms he had at discharge.

BUT - my point is - they have danced all around the question of when the cancer most likely started. It is very unlikely that a cancer that generally takes 12 to 15 years to grow to 1 cm grew to that size in the 2 years between when he retired and when it was diagnosed. There is NO case reported in ANY medical sites that the type of cancer EVER grows that quickly. (Average doubling time -= 180 days. Rapidly growing doubling time = 72 or more days. Doubling time needed to grow 1 cm in 2 years = 12 days. NOT heard of in medical science).

They had the opportunity to have THEIR doctor issue an opinion as to when the cancer most likely started. They did not take that opportunity. They only asked if the SYMPTOMS experienced in service were related to his cancer (though most medical evidence indicates that lung cancer has NO symptoms for YEARS).

I am not going to ask them to have their doctor give an opinion of when the cancer started. They have already played their cards and already ignored that request too many times.

I will get an IMO (as soon as they send me a copy of THEIR doctor's opinion that I have been trying to get for a year.)I will ask the IMO doctor to give an opinion as to whether it is more likely than not the cancer started in service.

I will go in with MY IMO - up against THEIR report that my husband's symptom free cancer didn't produce symptoms in the service - with no opinion as to when it may have begun.

As I will have an IMO to back what the base doctor has in his notes (I hope), and that is in line with ALL the medical journal articles, scientific writings,etc we have submitted - If they decide at that point to start asking their doctors to write a report opining that the cancer did NOT start in service - I will object to their "fishing expedition." They have clearly had ample time to ask a doctor that - They have chosen to dance all the way around the topic (most likely because they know the cancer did start in service) and as the medical evidence of record should be ample to show entitlement - they should not go on a fishing expedition to try to obtain an opinion with which to deny the claim.

So looking at it from you "game" stance -- the C&P exam (if not favorable) can be considered your opportunity to see what cards they are holding. Many times they have a pretty meager hand.

Free

[carlie]

Free,

I just want to take a minute to say - you really laid that post out great.

You have come such a long way since I first saw you posting at Hadit.

That post is just so clear and concise - right on point.

Now if VA could just get it that clearly you might get some resolve.

Wishing you the best.

carlie

[free_spirit_etc]

Hey! Thanks! Ironically, when I was just going over YOUR post on your claim I was thinking - WOW! She is so clear and to the point - I want to model HER style when I write MY statement. :)

Being clear and to the point has never been one of my strong points. It is something I have to work on. I really need to work on that in respect to dealing with the VA.

When I wrote our brief for the Social Security Hearing - Writing it all out was easy. The process of making it more clear and concise took awhile.

Free

Free,

I just want to take a minute to say - you really laid that post out great.

You have come such a long way since I first saw you posting at Hadit.

That post is just so clear and concise - right on point.

Now if VA could just get it that clearly you might get some resolve.

Wishing you the best.

carlie

[deltaj]

Good point - Sometimes a denial is useful, as it gets the VA to play their hand first. Then you know what cards are on the table from their side.

For instance - Though my husband repeatedly claimed his cancer started in service - the VA ignored that - and only asked the doctor to address if his cancer was caused by asbestos exposure.

Of course, the doctor did not address whether his cancer COULD have been caused by asbestos exposure IF he were exposed. The doctor ruled out asbestos exposure on the fact that his records do not show he was exposed to asbestos.

He based that mostly on the fact that my husband was not part of any of the screening programs, although he had been an interior electrician.

So the doctor decided to be the "fact finder" in regard to determining whether my husband was exposed to asbestos.

The fact that ignored the fact that both the treating AF base oncologist and the treating AF base pulmonologist had both indicated in THEIR records that my husband was most likely exposed to asbestos.

These were post service records - but done through the military.

The screening programs that the C&P examiner relied on were actually not started until several years AFTER my husband transferred out of the electrician field.

Hmmmm - my husband worked in a field for 13 years that has a high likelihood of being exposed to asbestos.

AND he worked in that field for 13 years when there were NO safety programs or screening programs in effect yet.(People in that field are NOW part of the screening prgrams).

SO does the lack of being a part of a screening program PROVE that he was not exposed to asbestos? NO. It proves that he worked in a field that is NOW considered a high risk field at a time when no safety measures were used to prevent or mitigate asbestos exposure.

The doctor did NOT opine as to whether my husband's type of cancer COULD be related to asbestos exposure IF the VA would determine that it is more likely than not my husband was exposed to asbestos. He merely discounted the possibility of exposure.

With our records showing that the screening programs didn't start until the mid 1980's, records showing that interior electricians are NOW required to wear respirators when doing the types of work my husband did, our records showing the asbestos surveys done at the AF base he was at at the end of his electrician career (BIG BIG Problem with asbestos at that base).... I think the doctor's opinion should not be given much weight because it was mostly based on the idea that my husband had not been exposed to asbestos - because he wasn't part of any screening programs (that were not even in existence yet).

But the VA played their hand first.

Once again, with the DIC claim - I continued my husband's claim that it is more likely than not that his cancer began IN service (per his treating doctor's verbal statements to us - and remarks in his medical record) ** Doctor said the base attorney won't allow him to write an actual opinion.

What did the VA ask their doctor to opine on? They did NOT ask him to give an opinion as to whether it is more likely than not that my husband's cancer started in service. They merely asked him to opine as to whether the respiratory SYMPTOMS my husband experienced in the service were related to his cancer.

The doctor apparently looked at his medical records of respiratory infections and opined the symptoms experienced in service were caused by Upper and Lower respiratory infections.

**and ironically his discharge physical is missing - so no one knows what symptoms he had at discharge.

BUT - my point is - they have danced all around the question of when the cancer most likely started. It is very unlikely that a cancer that generally takes 12 to 15 years to grow to 1 cm grew to that size in the 2 years between when he retired and when it was diagnosed. There is NO case reported in ANY medical sites that the type of cancer EVER grows that quickly. (Average doubling time -= 180 days. Rapidly growing doubling time = 72 or more days. Doubling time needed to grow 1 cm in 2 years = 12 days. NOT heard of in medical science).

They had the opportunity to have THEIR doctor issue an opinion as to when the cancer most likely started. They did not take that opportunity. They only asked if the SYMPTOMS experienced in service were related to his cancer (though most medical evidence indicates that lung cancer has NO symptoms for YEARS).

I am not going to ask them to have their doctor give an opinion of when the cancer started. They have already played their cards and already ignored that request too many times.

I will get an IMO (as soon as they send me a copy of THEIR doctor's opinion that I have been trying to get for a year.)I will ask the IMO doctor to give an opinion as to whether it is more likely than not the cancer started in service.

I will go in with MY IMO - up against THEIR report that my husband's symptom free cancer didn't produce symptoms in the service - with no opinion as to when it may have begun.

As I will have an IMO to back what the base doctor has in his notes (I hope), and that is in line with ALL the medical journal articles, scientific writings,etc we have submitted - If they decide at that point to start asking their doctors to write a report opining that the cancer did NOT start in service - I will object to their "fishing expedition." They have clearly had ample time to ask a doctor that - They have chosen to dance all the way around the topic (most likely because they know the cancer did start in service) and as the medical evidence of record should be ample to show entitlement - they should not go on a fishing expedition to try to obtain an opinion with which to deny the claim.

So looking at it from you "game" stance -- the C&P exam (if not favorable) can be considered your opportunity to see what cards they are holding. Many times they have a pretty meager hand.

Free

Have you tried requesting a copy of your husband's discharge physical examination from the National Personnel Records Center? My husband did this and found that the original had been lent to V.A. but a copy had been retained by the National Personnel Records Center.