Gripe With Nurse Practicianers Doing C&p Exams And

[Rockhound]

Now I know why I am of the opinion that NP do not have the experience or training to give professional medical opinions that even at times, a more qualified MD and/or specialist can get wrong when they don't consider, not only all the patients medical history and problems, or compair what they have found to a differential diagnoses as well.

Case in point, the NP is so convinced that my symptoms are so consistant to Allergic Rhinitis and that it is not, in any way related to my SC nasal fracture and deviated septum, that they made no attempt to add that their where other diifferential diagnosis that could and do have the same type of symptoms. Nor do they deem it necessary to give any mention to those NSC problems that I have, that could explain for one or more of these symptoms.

If I take but one of the symptoms, such as the eye symptoms, these same symptoms can be explained away by the fact that I not only have a Autoimmune disease that is know to cause eye problems, an eye problem with dry eys syndrome, and oh yea, I have mild photophoia/sensitivity to light. These problems are not discused or mention away as to how these conditions have no bearing on their opinion that I have Allergic Rhinitis.

Finally, they are so sure of their opinion that felt it was no even necessary to have any test or such to even show what it was that I was allergic to to cause my symptoms, yet the also opinion that I have a history of Sinusits and also Chronic non Allergic Rhinitis, failing to say how either of these conditions can cause the same sympptoms and/or be present at the same time.

Neither of this matters, when my claim deals with how my fracture nasal bone and deviated septom are causing the problems or if not the cause of my present congestion and obstruction problem, they have made my chronic issues significantly worse than what they would normally be in the course of their disease process. It is shown by a differntial diagnoses, that an acquired structural change of the nasal passage, such as would be in the case of a nsal fracture and a deviated septum, cand and does cause these same symptoms of congestion and can make any one of the problems mentioned, worse than they would normally be, such as to make a non chronic nasal condition to become chronic and/or make the symptoms worse.

All this gives rise to my paranoia, that the VA is not their to help us get what is due us, but that they are their for the government, just to save as much money as they possibly same or keep the claims open long enough, in the hopes that we either drop the ball on the claim or die before we can and usually, do get SC in the end, especially those who do have anyone to carry on the claim who would also has a claim in the matter such as a wife and or child.

I'm left with trying to get, yet another IMO, to add to my DRO request and I suspect another year and maybe more time, before I here on it, and even then it would probably still end up being appealed to the BVA.

The longer this goes on, the worse my mental pictue seems to become. I guess its time to think on getting a few days stay at the VA loony ben again, just so when they adjust my medication, I don't have to worry about who or how I am going to manage to take care of myself.

I guess I better go take my meds like a good boy, I was so out of it, I forgot to take them after dinner tonight and I guess it shows. It goes to show how dependant I am on these meds, to at least keep me on a simblance of an even keel.

Good night all and I hope you all have a nice holiday week end,

Rockhound Rider :D B) :o :o

[rdnkjeeper]

How do you search the Drs? How do you find it?

Thanks

[Testvet]

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=sta...eyword_rollover

from there try your state

[rdnkjeeper]

Thanks

[poolguy11550]

http://www.vitals.com/terms?next=doctor/profile/1609825165

http://www.ratemds.com/social/

[tssnave]

Sorry for the bad news - but it gets worse - the courts have upheld the VA's right to use a NP/PA and call them competent. My advise is to always request the name and title (MD, PA, NP, etc) of the examiner so you can do some research on your own if needed.

My fear is this court ruling will mean the VA can decide that a NP opinion is just as valid or more so than an MD. Scary stuff.

In essence, the Court said that if the VA says their medical expert is a medical expert, then it is so ... unless the veteran can prove otherwise.

Here's the link to the article at vawatchdog.org:

http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/nf09/nfsep09/nf091009-3.htm

I was lucky - I had a young shrink do my C&P exam and she was very clear about nexus ("plenty of evidence" to support sc) that I was 100% ("since first treated in military") but the VA rater just ignored it all (like they did the SMR evidence and military shrinks' letters in the first place when they denied me sc) and assigned me 50%. I appealed for a higher rating, got an IMO who said the same thing the C&P examiner did, and was finally awarded 100% P&T by the DRO on the second appeal. What a hassle. And I had a good C&P exam.

Hang in there, Rockhound, and get a good IMO by a EENT doc to support your claim. It pays for itself years after the fact when they send you your retro check.

Hope this helps,

TS Snave

[Notorious Kelly]

Thanks for the info, nave.

I'm becoming more of a believer in the IMO since VA docs are refusing to make a statement just summarizing data that is ALREADY IN MY RECORDS.

We'll see how things turn out but, if there are complications, my next step will be IMO's.

Good luck to all! :P