diabetes Now I Have Diabetes

[huskerfanfl]

I just heard back from the VA nurse. I have had two high glucose reading in a row, 2 weeks apart. She said the doctor wanted to know if they were true fasting labs. I asked the nurse who in the hell would want to fake them. Anyway, I told her they were so she said I am now classified a diabetic. I was not in Vietnam, so there is no presumption there. I have been having elevated blood glucose readings going back to 2002 (I retired from the army in 2004), have had high blood pressure since 2001, and high cholesterol since 2003.

The three HBP, High Cholesterol, and Diabetes have been shown to occur in groups (get one probably will get the other). Does anyone think I may have a chance to get this service connected?

[James John Mercer]

I am 100% P&T. I was recently given an additional 20% for type 2 diabetes. The VA said that I had a metabolic disorder &  most organs that produce hormones are compromised or have stopped working altogether (i.e.) pancreas, prostrate & thyroid and & they say it is all caused by Agent Orange for which I was diagnosed  in 1980.I am continuing to have additional problems that I guess are related to this MESS. Can anyone let me know what the Benefit amount range should be 20% doesn't seem quite right.?

Edited October 26, 2016 by James John Mercer
make it easier to understand (see edit history)

[syne7]

On 8/25/2009 at 11:13 AM, huskerfanfl said:

I just heard back from the VA nurse. I have had two high glucose reading in a row, 2 weeks apart. She said the doctor wanted to know if they were true fasting labs. I asked the nurse who in the hell would want to fake them. Anyway, I told her they were so she said I am now classified a diabetic. I was not in Vietnam, so there is no presumption there. I have been having elevated blood glucose readings going back to 2002 (I retired from the army in 2004), have had high blood pressure since 2001, and high cholesterol since 2003.

 

The three HBP, High Cholesterol, and Diabetes have been shown to occur in groups (get one probably will get the other). Does anyone think I may have a chance to get this service connected?

A1C is really the standard and will show right away.  It's a essentially a glucose indication of the past 2-3 months.  You'd need an opinion from a doctor of potential undiagnosed diabetes from 2002.  You might persue that.  They accepted my exit exam with Metabolic syndrome as proof though I was diagnosed with in a year of discharge and my doctor's records had the "date of diagnosis" recorded.

[jamescripps2]

Don't over complicate matters. If your doctor did indeed diagnose you with DM II, and stated that diagnosis in your medical records, for service connection purposes, you are diabetic. Makes no difference how he/she came to that conclusion or what test was or was not preformed.

As far as getting it service connected, that is a different matter and will involve more medical opinions in the form of multiple Nexus letters and an event in service that can be as likely as not identified as the cause of your diabetes.

[Berta]

" The VA said that I had a metabolic disorder &  most organs that produce hormones are compromised or have stopped working altogether (i.e.) pancreas, prostrate & thyroid and & they say it is all caused by Agent Orange for which I was diagnosed  in 1980. "

Do you mean you were diagnosed in 1980 with DMII?

Did VA treat you for DMII since the diagnosis?

It can certainly affect the pancreas but I am unsure of the nexus to thyroid or prostate problems.

 

It would take an IMO/IME to support a secondary claim if ,in fact, the DMII caused these additional problems.

Unless you mean after " The VA said"..above that the VA has actually documented that opinion in your medical records.

"I am continuing to have additional problems that I guess are related to this MESS. Can anyone let me know what the Benefit amount range should be 20% doesn't seem quite right.? " You can check the DMII rating in our VA Schedule of ratings here. I think it is might be correct because diabetes does not kill anyone...it's complications do. And the rating schedule often involves secondary ratings ,if the DMII affects other organs etc etc.

Such as if the DMII caused a stroke ( highly possible) then they would rate for the stroke separately as secondary to the diabetes.

I posted the VA train Letter on DMII here not long ago. I will try to find it and post link here.

The older 1997 TL was far more detailed but they rescinded that one. I used the older one to proof my dead husband had DMII from AO and he had never been diagnosed or treated for it,yet all of his med care came from the VA.

The VA never rated it but agreed it had contributed to his death.

I raised that in an appeal I have, but has nothing to do with the appeal.Maybe I should CUE them and ask for a DMII rating.

 

You said AO , so you are an incountry Vietnam veteran...

Did the VA ever deny the DMII as SC in the past on any older rating you got?

 

[Berta]

Just to add, here is the Diabetes Mellitus Training Letter,courtesy of Asknod's site---our links here don't seem to be working for it:

https://asknod.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/va_training_letter_00-06.pdf

 

And here are two of discussions we have had here on DMII. If you put Diabetes Mellitus into the hadit search feature above, lots will pop up.

 

 

http://community.hadit.com/topic/58351-diabetes-mellitus-help/#comment-349225

http://community.hadit.com/topic/63430-heart-related-changes-due-to-lt-diabetes/#comment-382968

 

 

[Bonzai]

There are two tests that need to be done to get a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type II, one is the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the others is a blood draw to measure your HgbA1C. The first one will show how you metabolize sugars over a period of time, and the second will show what the blood sugars have averaged over the last three months.

For them to diagnose you as having Diabetes Mellitus Type II, with two high glucose readings is very sloppy medicine. And if you are properly diagnosed with DM II, and your SMRs show HTN, Elevated glucose levels, and hig cholesterol, I would say you have a good chance to get the DM II service-connected, IF you can get a doctor to say 'it is as likely as not' that your DM II existed while in the service, but went undignosed for a number of years.

[john999]

I think if you had high glucose readings on active duty or within one year of discharge you would be on more solid groud. I think that if you have DMII five years after discharge it will be hard to get it SC'ed unless you can show you were exposed to AO.

[huskerfanfl]

There are two tests that need to be done to get a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type II, one is the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) and the others is a blood draw to measure your HgbA1C. The first one will show how you metabolize sugars over a period of time, and the second will show what the blood sugars have averaged over the last three months.

For them to diagnose you as having Diabetes Mellitus Type II, with two high glucose readings is very sloppy medicine. And if you are properly diagnosed with DM II, and your SMRs show HTN, Elevated glucose levels, and hig cholesterol, I would say you have a good chance to get the DM II service-connected, IF you can get a doctor to say 'it is as likely as not' that your DM II existed while in the service, but went undignosed for a number of years.

Not to be an ass, but the standard I found on the internet is still two fasting glucose tests. This is because it is cheaper. There is a movement to use the A1C test, but it has not been adopted yet. Bottom line is I agree that those tests should be done, but they are not the standard yet.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/h...e-diabetes.html

[Bonzai]

...the standard I found on the internet is still two fasting glucose tests...

I guess the standard, like anything else in medicine, can vary from organization to organization. I worked for the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians for 8 years, and the doctor I worked with had 17 years of specializing in diabetes treatment. Our standards for ascertaining whether or not someone had Diabetes Mellitus Type II were the GTT and HgbA1C. Since Native American have the highest incidence and prevalence rates of any nationality in the world, we had a lot of new cases that we were diagnosining in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to mislead you in any way by stating it was sloppy medicine. But we had a case of 'Dawn Phenomena' where growth hormones were causing high fasting blood glucose levels, and we ruled out diabetes through the GTT and HgbA1C. Then the trick was to find out what was causing the high glucose levels...

[Pete53]

I had many blood draws with high readings and also high sugar in urine analysis The VA did not diagnose me as a diabetic till I told Doc I was one and one A1C later I was a diabetic.

As far as your claim I think you have an excellant change with your medical records to link to service. You are one IMO and a claim away,

[Bonzai]

I had... ...high sugar in urine analysis...

Diabetes is a Greek word for 'that which passes through' and Mellitus is Latin for 'Honey'. The doctor I used to work with always told me that the urine of someone with diabetes mellitus is sweet, and in the old days, a doctor would taste the urine before making a diagnosis.

[JADMP]

Diabetes is a Greek word for 'that which passes through' and Mellitus is Latin for 'Honey'. The doctor I used to work with always told me that the urine of someone with diabetes mellitus is sweet, and in the old days, a doctor would taste the urine before making a diagnosis.

Making me glad that I am not a doctor from the old days!