ptsd Helping My Dad Out

[montanagray]

Hello everyone,

I am a disabled veteran myself and trying to give my dad some advice on his disability. When he retired from the Marine Corps he submitted for tinnitus and hearing loss. He was given 10% for tinnitus and 0% for hearing back in 1998. He is currently getting his records together for a new claim on the following information:

1. His blood pressure

2. Sleep Apnea (uses a breathing machine)

3. Hearing loss again. He got the hearing test used by the VA just to have a hard copy to compare. Here are his results: RT EAR 1000=35, 2000=20, 3000=25, 4000=55, LT EAR 1000=30, 2000=15, 3000=30, 4000=50 The results of the speech audiometry are as follows: MVL, SRT for RT EAR=15 and then some goofy number that is under HL/PB% those numbers are 75/100, LT EAR SRT 15, HL/PB% 75/88 and his masking numbers are 55 for both ears.

4. Exposure to toxic chemicals at Terrawa Terrace, Camp Lejeune. Both of his natural children were underweight and learning difficulties.

5. Multiple Lipomas, he has about 50 of them. The VA has even removed some of them for him.

6. PTSD, was a combat camerman/photographer in the USMC. He photo'd alot of dead bodies to include military dependent children. HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO WRITE FOR THE STRESSOR since it spanned quite a few years.

7. He is currently seeing a military physician for his diagnosed longterm depression and takes anti depressants and sleeping medication. Does this fall under PTSD or another diagnosed criterion.

8. Head trauma during military service.

Is there any suggestions that you may have to help my dad in this process.

Thanks,

montanagray

[halos2]

Berta's notation and reference to a claim sounding similiar to what your dad experienced, may be very helpful in your pursuit. Especially the fact they were able to find some of the photos the WAC personally took. I am sure these were in journals/stories written. So perhaps searching for areas he was stationed in would help too. Like Tua Hoa, Ben Hoa etc...camps he served in. Good luck and we welcome you here at hadit too.

[deltaj]

Hello everyone,

I am a disabled veteran myself and trying to give my dad some advice on his disability. When he retired from the Marine Corps he submitted for tinnitus and hearing loss. He was given 10% for tinnitus and 0% for hearing back in 1998. He is currently getting his records together for a new claim on the following information:

1. His blood pressure

2. Sleep Apnea (uses a breathing machine)

3. Hearing loss again. He got the hearing test used by the VA just to have a hard copy to compare. Here are his results: RT EAR 1000=35, 2000=20, 3000=25, 4000=55, LT EAR 1000=30, 2000=15, 3000=30, 4000=50 The results of the speech audiometry are as follows: MVL, SRT for RT EAR=15 and then some goofy number that is under HL/PB% those numbers are 75/100, LT EAR SRT 15, HL/PB% 75/88 and his masking numbers are 55 for both ears.

4. Exposure to toxic chemicals at Terrawa Terrace, Camp Lejeune. Both of his natural children were underweight and learning difficulties.

5. Multiple Lipomas, he has about 50 of them. The VA has even removed some of them for him.

6. PTSD, was a combat camerman/photographer in the USMC. He photo'd alot of dead bodies to include military dependent children. HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO WRITE FOR THE STRESSOR since it spanned quite a few years.

7. He is currently seeing a military physician for his diagnosed longterm depression and takes anti depressants and sleeping medication. Does this fall under PTSD or another diagnosed criterion.

8. Head trauma during military service.

Is there any suggestions that you may have to help my dad in this process.

Thanks,

montanagray

Where was your dad stationed while he was in the military and what years did he serve? You should help your dad get a service officer from a service organization like DAV, VFW, etc. That service officer or a county veterans service officer can provide your dad with a form for requesting copies of his service medical records and personnel records from the National Personnel Records Center. A separate detailed request for inpatient hospital records also must be made.

[montanagray]

Just wanted to say thanks to all involved in helping me with my father. I have completed the PTSD statement for him to include with his packet held at the VA Regional office. They are currently looking at him for PTSD, Head Trauma, Hearing loss, vertigo, chemical exposure at Tarawa Terrace when they were leaking chemicals into the water for the families station there, mulitple lipomas that were intitially discovered after he left Tarawa Terrace, high blood pressure, in his medical records from the Marine Corps it also states that he was exposed to asbestos while Active Duty. I know during one of his three surgeries to correct his hearing while active duty they had to do a skin graft of of his forehead to transplant to his ear for correction. On his PTSD statement the one or two episodes that stick out in his mind is being involved with photographing marines that were run over by a semi and they were logged into the drive shaft of the truck. The other episode/s is when he had to participate in autoposies for military dependent children. The military hospital currrently has him on sleeping pills and to continue to use his sleep apnea machine. He is also taking anti depressant for severe/moderate long term depression. It is really hard trying to help a retired Marine and no offense to Marines, he just thinks that if they find anything else wrong with him he will be homebound and not be able to do his activities that he enjoys.

For example: three weeks ago we went hunting and we both got two does. I like hunting, but the smell of death makes me gag since I have came back from Bosnia. My dad gutted the deer and held up the heart and said look at the damn thing "Wow, he said." Being a Rehabilitation Counselor I though that was odd. He has no emotions when it comes to death both human and animal. His other big issue is that if he doesnt not eat on a regular basis he develops vertigo and dizziness. I dont know if this is contributed to his medical issues of the medication that he is on.

On another note, I just recieved a rating letter from the VA in refernce to my TBI. They granted me 30% due to long term impairmnet and said nothing about the temporal bone leak in my right side. I went to the VA in Pittsburgh and they told me that they were checking for fluid in the ear. I told the doc that is not what the MRI showed and finally after 5 minutes of sticking tubes in my ear he finally looked at the MRI, he said that he couldnt find anyting and called another doctor in. She told the problems were highlighted on the screen. He then proceeded to laugh at my sinuses that I had surgery on. He then told me that the leak or whatever it was in my temporal bone was too sensitive to fix and to come back in a year. Yeah right.....when it comes to my brain I am not waiting a year to find out information. Any thoughts or opinions HADIT.COM

Gregg

[Berta]

I get the impression he is a Retiree with 20 years or more service in the CORPS?

ALong with gathering evidence for his claims- he needs to consider CRSC and CRDP.

Military.com has updated info on these programs and I have posted links here and CRDP CRSC info as well.

I agree that he needs help from a Vet rep- to determine the most service connectable disabilities he has- and then any secondaries.

http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/camp-lejeune/

One of many sites regarding the comtamination at Camp LeJeune- he needs to follow the news on that but so far VA has not granted any claims on basis of contaminants at Le Jeune.

Was he in Vietnam during the war?

Does he have diabetes or heart disease?

Does he have any COPD?

He should claim the sleep apnea too.

He might even present a TDIU disabling picture-but so hard to say at this point.

[timetowinarace]

On another note, I just recieved a rating letter from the VA in refernce to my TBI. They granted me 30% due to long term impairmnet and said nothing about the temporal bone leak in my right side. I went to the VA in Pittsburgh and they told me that they were checking for fluid in the ear. I told the doc that is not what the MRI showed and finally after 5 minutes of sticking tubes in my ear he finally looked at the MRI, he said that he couldnt find anyting and called another doctor in. She told the problems were highlighted on the screen. He then proceeded to laugh at my sinuses that I had surgery on. He then told me that the leak or whatever it was in my temporal bone was too sensitive to fix and to come back in a year. Yeah right.....when it comes to my brain I am not waiting a year to find out information. Any thoughts or opinions HADIT.COM

Gregg

I have a couple of questions.

Have you had neuro-psychological testing?

I'm assuming the temporal bone leak is a CSF leak(cerebral-spinal fluid)? Is that correct? Do you get bad headaches?

CSF Leaks can be bad news for some. For others they are not too bad and can heal on their own. If it was bad, you would know. There would be severe headaches that lessen when laying down. The biggest danger with a leak is low pressure allowing the brain to sag onto the brainstem causing damage to it(the brainstem). It resembles what is called a Chiari Malformation. CSF is the fluid that surounds the brain. When pressure is low(not enough fluid) the brain does not 'float' in the fluid like it's supposed to causing it to sag. The headache is thought to happen because blood will try to make up for the low pressure causing strain on the blood vessels.

They are not allways dangerous. In many cases the body replaces the fluid fast enough that a small leak does not cause a low pressure situation. But, I feel they should be closely monitored. Also, my two cents. I would not allow a VA doc to do this type of surgery. I would find an expert at CSF leaks. Surgery can make them worse in some cases. If it were me, I'd go to an ENT that has experience with this. You may not be in any danger but like you, I would not trust the VA with my brain.

[john999]

Gregg

Use your own insurance and get an opinion from a real doctor. Your collsion with the VA is why vets often hate the place. I wonder if your doctor was a medical student or resident.