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What's Your Opinion Of This Imo

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blackbird

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Please read this IMO and let me know what you think,

Thanks, Blackbird

To Whom it May Concern:

Mr.XXXXXXXXX is now 51 yrs old. I have been seeing him since 1996. At that time, he came to me with a foraminal disc at L4-L5, had a foraminal diskectomy done, and had continued degeneration of the 4-5 disc and subsequently underwent a 4-5 fusion. Relevant to this, I have reviewed XXXXX's SMR'S. He notes that when on deployment in Egypt from Oct to Nov 95 he was pulling on a heavy parts box from a stack of boxes and had a sharp pain in his back radiating down his left leg into his left foot. This is the exact distribution of discomfort for which I operated on him subsequently in 1996. It is more than likely the pathology for which I operated on he incurred in the lifting incident when he was deployed in Egypt. Theresore, it is more than likely related to his military service. He has intractable leg pain as a result of injury to the dorsal root ganglia and it was the ultimate cause of him requiring a fusion at L4-L5. He has had subsequent disc herniations most recently at L2-L3 but he has also had disc disease in the cervical spine rrequiring 5 additional fusions.

There is no question in my mind that there is a direct causal relationship between the injury sustained in Egypt and the necessity he had for an L4-L5 diskectomy and subsequent L4-L5 fusion.

Please address any questions to me, Dr. XXXXXXXXX

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  • HadIt.com Elder

The only way to find out for sure is to file a claim. If you can show you were on light duty maybe that would help bolster your doctor statement. The problem is, of course, that it has been ten years since you were discharged and your SMR's are silent on a back injury. That not good!

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blackbird,

I agree with Sharon and rental on this,

though I do not feel any lay statements by either you, a buddy or family

member will be afforded any weight in the decision making process.

The reason I asked when you were discharged is because

the doctor states, "I have been seeing him since 1996."

If you were active duty until 01/1997 VA will wonder why

you were seeing this doc in 1996.

jmho,

carlie

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blackbird,

I agree with Sharon and rental on this,

though I do not feel any lay statements by either you, a buddy or family

member will be afforded any weight in the decision making process.

The reason I asked when you were discharged is because

the doctor states, "I have been seeing him since 1996."

If you were active duty until 01/1997 VA will wonder why

you were seeing this doc in 1996.

jmho,

carlie

Carlie,

I was in the Air National Guard and was only active the month I was in Egypt Oct-Nov '95.

The only time I was back at base before the surgery date was a weekend in Dec 95, Jan96 and Feb 96.

Blackbird

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Gee -I am sorry- this IMO would back up anything in your service record that shows there was an inservice back injury-

every here who said that is correct- I jumped on the fact that the IMO statement was well written-thinking this was in your record somewhere-and I was wrong-

Did you have the surgery before your discharge from the National Guards?

Is this all noted on your discharge physical from the NG?

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Gee -I am sorry- this IMO would back up anything in your service record that shows there was an inservice back injury-

every here who said that is correct- I jumped on the fact that the IMO statement was well written-thinking this was in your record somewhere-and I was wrong-

Did you have the surgery before your discharge from the National Guards?

Is this all noted on your discharge physical from the NG?

Hey Berta, Thanks for responding,

-I was deployed Oct 15th, 1995 through Nov 04, 1995.

-Back injury occured on the morning of the 18th of Oct, 1995

-Surgery by civilian surgeon on Mar 08, 1996.

-Discharged on Jan 10, 1997, deemed unqualified for continued service due to back.

-My exit exam notes that I had recently had back surgery and listed my limitation. Also on the

exam summary it states that the back pain radiating into my leg started in Nov 1995, part

of which I was still deployed..

-Surgery again to fuse same joint May 15,1998.

-Granted SSID in 2002 for disability.

-Have had five cervical disc surgeries since.

-Had back surgery on June18th, 2007.

-Had back surgery again June 16th, 2009.

Thanks for you help,

Blackbird

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