New Claim

[rfsvt]

I'm a 30% disabled vet and was given the rating for high blood pressure and a fused 11th and 12th broken vertebrae. Recently, I was told by a cardiologist that I have Sudden Cardiac Death and Super Ventricular tachycardia. I was sent to an electrocardiologist for further evaluation and last Monday I got an SVT heart ablation which failed. Within a few minutes of the failure, they put in a permanent 2 wire pacemaker.

Today, I contacted my DAV rep in Big Springs, TX and he told me to get a statement from my doctors indicating if my high blood pressure was a cause for my SVT. I contacted my cardiologist's office and they said I had to talk with the electrocardiologist. They didn't want to stick their necks out. I got a feeling I'm going to get the run around on this one. What should I do?

Thanks

rfsvt

[Berta]

You should file the claim as heart disease secondary to the HBP.

But you will need solid medical evidence of the link and I suggest that you try to obtain an IMO- an independent medical opinion.

This can be costly but often the only way these days to succeed in claims like this.

Sudden cardiac death? I don't get what the doc meant by that one-my husband had sudden cardiac death and he is dead.

Also for 6 years the VA never diagnosed him with heart disease yet the 6 years of medical records revealed a heart attack and completely untreated advanced atherosclerotic heart disease.

I am concerned that you jumped from HBP to pacemaker so fast.

You need a complete copy of your medical records to see if the VA (I assume this was VA treatment?)

should have discovered your heart condition prior to the ablation.

You might possibly have a basis for a FTCA case and/or a Section 1151 claim.

Are you an incountry Vietnam veteran?

Did the cardiologist say this was ischemic heart disease?

Has the VA given you an ECHO test yet?

Does it reveal narrowing of arteries and low ejection fraction?

[rfsvt]

Update:

Looks like my old military spinal cord injury was more extensive than what I had originally thought. When I fell 18 years ago, I fell backwards off of a platform and onto the attached metal ladder which as at a 45 degree angle. I hit my mid/lower back first then my upper back and landed on my feet. I felt nothing from the mid chest down and fell over. I was in the field for 18hrs before being evacuated to the hospital. We were in blizzard conditions at the time.

The hospital said I had only broken my t11/t12 ribs and vertebrae at the time. There was no mri or ct scan done at that time only x-rays. After looking at my MRI, I found a wedge type dark area in a hemisection of my spinal cord at t4/t5. It goes from just past the middle of the cord and exits out to the upper right. Could that be a lesion and could that be the cause of my bradycardia?

I wish I could upload the images and have someone look at it. It would give me peace of mind. I will be seeing a civilian spinal cord doctor on the 19th of Nov. I hope they can give me some news.

[Vync]

Update:

Looks like my old military spinal cord injury was more extensive than what I had originally thought. When I fell 18 years ago, I fell backwards off of a platform and onto the attached metal ladder which as at a 45 degree angle. I hit my mid/lower back first then my upper back and landed on my feet. I felt nothing from the mid chest down and fell over. I was in the field for 18hrs before being evacuated to the hospital. We were in blizzard conditions at the time.

The hospital said I had only broken my t11/t12 ribs and vertebrae at the time. There was no mri or ct scan done at that time only x-rays. After looking at my MRI, I found a wedge type dark area in a hemisection of my spinal cord at t4/t5. It goes from just past the middle of the cord and exits out to the upper right. Could that be a lesion and could that be the cause of my bradycardia?

I wish I could upload the images and have someone look at it. It would give me peace of mind. I will be seeing a civilian spinal cord doctor on the 19th of Nov. I hope they can give me some news.

I'm in a similar situation with my back, but probably not as severe as you. I had a fall and a number of other residual injuries. I filed for SC, but was denied, probably due to lack of documented treatment between 1995 and 2004. I also did not have a nexus letter/IMO.

Based on advice from Berta, Hoppy, and a bunch of others here, you need to have an IMO/nexus to be successful. I'm following their advice and am getting my stuff in order before I submit my appeal.

Your bradycardia could be caused by a lot of things. Definitely get it checked out. Dig up your old medical records and take the pertinent information with you to the doc. He might not have the time to look at them, but it's worth a shot.

Please be aware that lots of docs are hesitant to write up an IMO unless they treated you from the start.

[jbasser]

Update:

Looks like my old military spinal cord injury was more extensive than what I had originally thought. When I fell 18 years ago, I fell backwards off of a platform and onto the attached metal ladder which as at a 45 degree angle. I hit my mid/lower back first then my upper back and landed on my feet. I felt nothing from the mid chest down and fell over. I was in the field for 18hrs before being evacuated to the hospital. We were in blizzard conditions at the time.

The hospital said I had only broken my t11/t12 ribs and vertebrae at the time. There was no mri or ct scan done at that time only x-rays. After looking at my MRI, I found a wedge type dark area in a hemisection of my spinal cord at t4/t5. It goes from just past the middle of the cord and exits out to the upper right. Could that be a lesion and could that be the cause of my bradycardia?

I wish I could upload the images and have someone look at it. It would give me peace of mind. I will be seeing a civilian spinal cord doctor on the 19th of Nov. I hope they can give me some news.

The heartbeat is controlled by the nerves at Cervical Spine level C2.

The Bradycardia can be caused by Coronary artery disease and fibrosis which interrupts the hearts electrical system.

That should be secondary to HTN. Mine is.

J

[LarryJ]

Update:

Looks like my old military spinal cord injury was more extensive than what I had originally thought. When I fell 18 years ago, I fell backwards off of a platform and onto the attached metal ladder which as at a 45 degree angle. I hit my mid/lower back first then my upper back and landed on my feet. I felt nothing from the mid chest down and fell over. I was in the field for 18hrs before being evacuated to the hospital. We were in blizzard conditions at the time.

The hospital said I had only broken my t11/t12 ribs and vertebrae at the time. There was no mri or ct scan done at that time only x-rays. After looking at my MRI, I found a wedge type dark area in a hemisection of my spinal cord at t4/t5. It goes from just past the middle of the cord and exits out to the upper right. Could that be a lesion and could that be the cause of my bradycardia?

I wish I could upload the images and have someone look at it. It would give me peace of mind. I will be seeing a civilian spinal cord doctor on the 19th of Nov. I hope they can give me some news.

Please, don't bother posting an MRI for us to look at (unless one of us is a neurosurgeon, which I kinda doubt..... ).

[Vync]

Please, don't bother posting an MRI for us to look at (unless one of us is a neurosurgeon, which I kinda doubt..... ).

"I'm not a neurosurgeon, but I play one on tv..."

The image would be neat to view, but the reading provided by the radiologist would be much more meaningful.