tinnitus Has Anyone Been Approved Of Sleep Apnea Claim Lately?

[bob_abad]

Hi gang,

Prepping up for upcoming OSA claim(on-deck). Would like to hear from anyone who has been approved, and not incurred while active in service. Got mine after 3+ decades after service discharge. Gained weight, DM-II, Diabetic Nephropathy, HTN, Tinnitus, etc..

Hear from you soon. Thanks in advane!

[jar]

I will know in the next 60-90 days if mine was awarded. I did mention I had trouble sleeping while in service and marked the box on seperation exam that says frequent trouble sleeping.

I shared a room with the same guy for 40 months and he wrote a very detailed 5 page letter how my sleep changed in those 40 months. He explained how I was gasping for air, excessively snoring, very irriatble, morning headaches and constantly tired.

I did hire a medical doctor to review all my military medical records, civillian records, pharmacy records for medication, sleep study reports and all my buddie and family statements and wrote me a very nice IMO letter linking SA to service.

I had a c&p exam 2 weeks ago and doctor stated that she could not make a decision for onset of SA due to mere speculation. She did make note the IMO letter and all the Buddie statements.

I got out of service in 1987 and nobody knew about SA back then.

You got to get your ducks lined up in my opinion-to become sucessful with this.

I don't have a clue which way mine will go.

jar

[bob_abad]

I will know in the next 60-90 days if mine was awarded. I did mention I had trouble sleeping while in service and marked the box on seperation exam that says frequent trouble sleeping.

I shared a room with the same guy for 40 months and he wrote a very detailed 5 page letter how my sleep changed in those 40 months. He explained how I was gasping for air, excessively snoring, very irriatble, morning headaches and constantly tired.

I did hire a medical doctor to review all my military medical records, civillian records, pharmacy records for medication, sleep study reports and all my buddie and family statements and wrote me a very nice IMO letter linking SA to service.

I had a c&p exam 2 weeks ago and doctor stated that she could not make a decision for onset of SA due to mere speculation. She did make note the IMO letter and all the Buddie statements.

I got out of service in 1987 and nobody knew about SA back then.

You got to get your ducks lined up in my opinion-to become sucessful with this.

I don't have a clue which way mine will go.

jar

Jar,

You have a very good chance of being approved while incurred in service and a buddy letter. I have browsed similar cases like yours in the VA website, and they were granted.

Keep us posted when your claim is approved. Good luck!

[broncovet]

IMHO you are going to have a very tough time getting your OSA approved, even tho I certainly concur that it is highly likely to be secondary to some of those other conditions you mentioned. I asked my sleep doc why I have OSA. He explained that it was because of my obesity..excess tissue in my throat relaxes during sleep, and blocks my airway, causing me to stop breathing during sleep.

OSA is a VERY SERIOUS CONDITION..it is not about snoring keeping your dog awake at night. When you stop breathing at night, multiple times, over a period of time, your heart compensates to this lack of oxygent at night, and the right side of the heart enlarges to compensate for lack of oxygen. A heart that gets bigger on the right side, but the left side stays the same does not work as well, and leads to heart arrythmias..(irregular beating). Heart arrythmias lead to Congential heart failure, which leads to death.

Altho this does take a long time, untreated OSA slowly chokes you to death.

My untreated OSA occurs 67 times per hour, according to my sleep study. That is like someone choking me once every minute while I sleep! (I did not know I even had OSA two years ago, even tho my right side of my heart is larger than the left...I did not know THAT either!)

Here is the problem:

Medications often cause weight gain, and weight gain often equals OSA. My doc even said that my OSA would, at a minimum, improve with weight loss. Oh, and YES, I a literally fighting for my life trying to loose weight, but food is at least as addictive as cigarattes.

You have to try to get a doctor to say something like, "OSA is caused by obesity, which was most likely caused by medications from _______ service connected condition." It would be easier to convince an angry grizzly bear mom that your 3 year old daughter just wants to pet her baby when hunters shot and killed her last baby, even tho it may be true.

Remember, just because something is a fact does not mean that you can convince the VA that it is factual. The VA operates on a Principal that All Veterans are liars and con men until they can prove otherwise. That is, GUILTY until proven Innocent. There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty with the VA.

Each and EVERY Veteran is GUILTY of Veterans fraud until/unless he is able to prove otherwise with DD214's, favorable C&P exams, military service records, continuity of conditions, patience in dealing with the VA, willing to resend repeatedly information already sent to the VARO, and numerous other hoops that the Veteran must jump through to prove he is "not guilty" and can be awarded benefits.

Edited April 9, 2009 by broncovet

[purple]

Broncovet-

I take offense to the statement you made that "each and every vet is guilty of Veterans fraud..."; I, for one have not committed any fraud against the VA. And I believe I speak for many other's on here who feel the same way. Blanket statements such as this are not a good idea.

[bob_abad]

IMHO you are going to have a very tough time getting your OSA approved, even tho I certainly concur that it is highly likely to be secondary to some of those other conditions you mentioned. I asked my sleep doc why I have OSA. He explained that it was because of my obesity..excess tissue in my throat relaxes during sleep, and blocks my airway, causing me to stop breathing during sleep.

OSA is a VERY SERIOUS CONDITION..it is not about snoring keeping your dog awake at night. When you stop breathing at night, multiple times, over a period of time, your heart compensates to this lack of oxygent at night, and the right side of the heart enlarges to compensate for lack of oxygen. A heart that gets bigger on the right side, but the left side stays the same does not work as well, and leads to heart arrythmias..(irregular beating). Heart arrythmias lead to Congential heart failure, which leads to death.

Altho this does take a long time, untreated OSA slowly chokes you to death.

My untreated OSA occurs 67 times per hour, according to my sleep study. That is like someone choking me once every minute while I sleep! (I did not know I even had OSA two years ago, even tho my right side of my heart is larger than the left...I did not know THAT either!)

Here is the problem:

Medications often cause weight gain, and weight gain often equals OSA. My doc even said that my OSA would, at a minimum, improve with weight loss. Oh, and YES, I a literally fighting for my life trying to loose weight, but food is at least as addictive as cigarattes.

You have to try to get a doctor to say something like, "OSA is caused by obesity, which was most likely caused by medications from _______ service connected condition." It would be easier to convince an angry grizzly bear mom that your 3 year old daughter just wants to pet her baby when hunters shot and killed her last baby, even tho it may be true.

Remember, just because something is a fact does not mean that you can convince the VA that it is factual. The VA operates on a Principal that All Veterans are liars and con men until they can prove otherwise. That is, GUILTY until proven Innocent. There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty with the VA.

Each and EVERY Veteran is GUILTY of Veterans fraud until/unless he is able to prove otherwise with DD214's, favorable C&P exams, military service records, continuity of conditions, patience in dealing with the VA, willing to resend repeatedly information already sent to the VARO, and numerous other hoops that the Veteran must jump through to prove he is "not guilty" and can be awarded benefits.

Broncovet,

Take it easy, and thanks for the info above. I have assisted 4 VN vets already and they were approved. 1-door gunner; 1-artillery; 1-Saigon-Long Binh corridor; 1-LRRP-PTSD. They were not aware of benefits we can get just like me until a family friend encouraged me to file the claim back in early Y2000. Not sure how they can clean up frauds/scams within VA internal staff, VSO's, of course some vets but something must be done. Meantime, most of us needed guidance especially here @hadit.

Seen you here regularly, and appreciate your helping us out. Thanks again.

[wyricklj]

Broncovet-

I take offense to the statement you made that "each and every vet is guilty of Veterans fraud..."; I, for one have not committed any fraud against the VA. And I believe I speak for many other's on here who feel the same way. Blanket statements such as this are not a good idea.