Results Of Gulf War Registery Exam

[Gridsmasher11]

Yesterday I recieved the letter from VA with the results of my Gulf War Registery Exam

Quote;

" The results of your physical examination, consultations, and laboratory tests have been reviewed and the findings are as follows;

1. Depression 8. Hemorrhoids 15. Arthritis Right Shoulder

2. Insomnia 9. Headaches 16. Sleep Apnea

3. Arthritis Right wrist 10. Recurrent Brochitis

4. Polyarthralgia 11. Nicotine dependence

5. Flat feet 12. Chronic Diarrhea

6. Gout 13. Hematuria

7. History of Kidney Stone 14. Arthritis left knee " End Quote.

These results are from my exam at the OKC Va Medical Center that was done in November..Several of the items cover some of my current claims..I am thinking of about trying to get a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and the diagnose of Polarthralgia should support that..( I have constant joint pain in most of my large joints to include elbows,wrists,knees, shoulders and some back pain, plus the depression and some serious sleep issues)....My question is that since this is from the VA and signed by a VA doctor will it help support my claims that I have previously submitted..I am currently service connected 10% for right wrist (medical discharge in '94) arthritis..With the exception of the mental health issues (which I am in the system getting diagnosed currently) this covers most of my claims one way or the other . I am currently scheduled for another sleep study for the sleep apnea..It is not currently SC but being worked..I have submitted buddy letters about my snoring while on Active Duty....They have tried to deny my flat feet, depression, insomnia but I have provided letters and evidence and they are currently working my claims....I will be taking this to my service officer today and giving him a copy.......Thanks any thing that might help will be appreciated.......................Gridsmasher11

[Gridsmasher11]

John, Pete, Thanks for the replies...Some of these things are in my service records...A couple of them were in my MEB/PEB physical that I am anxiously trying to get a copy of....When I asked VA for a copy of my medical records I recieved a copy with several pages missing,including a copy of my physical sent to my MEB/PEB that resulted in my discharge....I know they were in my records on discharge..I had a complete copy of my SMR at one time but it was lost during a move several years ago...I do have the date the board convened, where and what they recommended..I have requested copies of my med board process from the National Archives...There is a copy somewhere, either in MEB/PEB records from Fort Gordon or from records from 97th General Hospital (Frankfurt, Germany...Closed for over 10 years)..It is just matter of locating them and getting a copy...That was not the only page missing.............I do have notations in my SMR of "Almost totally Flat Feet " from a medical doctor while on active duty..The Gout was noted in my exit physical ( Same as MEB/PEB)........Va is currently treating me for Depression and Insomnia...And my primary care phydician has put in my treatment notes that I probably have PTSD related to Gulf service due to dreams,nightmares,unforgetable sights and the fact that I have all of the major symptoms of PTSD....I have buddy letters from 2 different buddies ( from different units) for periods covering several years about the Apnea and the fact I snored horribly and occasionally seemed to stop breathing..Also statement from Wife for the Apnea and my battle with depression dating back to shortly after discharge, and the onset of the PTSD symptoms over the years....I made an initial claim in 1994 shortly after discharge for arthritis in multiple joints..I currently have claims in that are covered by these diagnosis', the one that are not claimed will be after I talk to my Service Officer tommorrow..I called him today and will see him after my VA appt tommorrow AM ...Sorry for getting long winded....Once again thanks for the replies...Will continue to try to get records and connect these items............Grid

[Frank0469]

Ok, just my opinion and my prior medical training here along with having many of this conditions myself.

First off for your sleep apnea did they do a sleep study? If they didn't they really cant diagnosis this. Also it's important to have them put the presumptive cause. Gettting a diagnosis really messes up getting your claim processed under the UMC clause.

Next it does sound like you have all the symptoms for PTSD and either you need to have your primary care doc make a referal for you to mental health or you need to do a self referal and start treatment for that.

The Ployathragia and arthritis is seperate from Fibromyalgia. Don't let them give you the BS that they are the same. You need Rheumatology to DX both. I have Fibromaglia which is presumptive and I also have wide spread joint aches and arthritis.

Also sleep apnea is a secondary condition for PTSD and a few others.

The chronic diarrhea and hemoriods should be loked at as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) as tis is presumptive but the other two aren't.

I would also recommend that you take a VERY close look at 38 C.F.R. § 3.317. It is very important to be familar with these regulations as you are the only one that cares the most about your claim. You should be familar with both the regs and rating tables.

The Registry exam is pertainant to your C&P and they should look at it and use it in the evidence if not that is grounds for an appeal. Also if your C&P exam doesn't request a complete Gul war eval then that is grounds also. Also probably want to talk with your primary care provider about a WRIISC referal.

Those are just some of my thoughts and ideas.

Frank Clark

Yesterday I recieved the letter from VA with the results of my Gulf War Registery Exam

Quote;

" The results of your physical examination, consultations, and laboratory tests have been reviewed and the findings are as follows;

1. Depression 8. Hemorrhoids 15. Arthritis Right Shoulder

2. Insomnia 9. Headaches 16. Sleep Apnea

3. Arthritis Right wrist 10. Recurrent Brochitis

4. Polyarthralgia 11. Nicotine dependence

5. Flat feet 12. Chronic Diarrhea

6. Gout 13. Hematuria

7. History of Kidney Stone 14. Arthritis left knee " End Quote.

These results are from my exam at the OKC Va Medical Center that was done in November..Several of the items cover some of my current claims..I am thinking of about trying to get a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and the diagnose of Polarthralgia should support that..( I have constant joint pain in most of my large joints to include elbows,wrists,knees, shoulders and some back pain, plus the depression and some serious sleep issues)....My question is that since this is from the VA and signed by a VA doctor will it help support my claims that I have previously submitted..I am currently service connected 10% for right wrist (medical discharge in '94) arthritis..With the exception of the mental health issues (which I am in the system getting diagnosed currently) this covers most of my claims one way or the other . I am currently scheduled for another sleep study for the sleep apnea..It is not currently SC but being worked..I have submitted buddy letters about my snoring while on Active Duty....They have tried to deny my flat feet, depression, insomnia but I have provided letters and evidence and they are currently working my claims....I will be taking this to my service officer today and giving him a copy.......Thanks any thing that might help will be appreciated.......................Gridsmasher11

[Gulfvet45]

One of the thind helping veterans now is using the health care guide off the NGWRC website www.ngwrc.org

you hightlight what you have in chapter one and two and talk to your doctor about it. If he tells you he does not believe in GWI show him the VA Training letter telling them it is real. you can find it on their site at http://www.ngwrc.org/docs/

If you have SA and they want to use this to rule out CFS they can not if you are treating the SA for over 6 months and not getting better.

Jim Bunker

DE

NGWRC

866-531-7183

[Gunner9835]

Smasher - 1st off, thanks for your service and if you don't mind, which unit were you assigned...basic unit details works if you want to keep it simple. Also and more importantly to me, when did you get the exam done?

I just did the GW Exam this January 2011 after years of just blowing it off and no one said anything about a follow up letter. Not to mention the Physicians Assistant that did the exam was not very thorough to me. He actually filled out the exam question sheet by hand, not me in my own written answers. He even doubted some of my answers, for example like eating and drinking food and water that got contaminated.... or how many dead bodies we saw..... I even explained to him in detail, we ate and drank while covered in smoke from the oil well fires and all of the dead bodies we came across, moved off roads etc...... Hell the guy didn't even know what a MOS was or how to write it on paper.... I had to correct him and show him.

He did a very basic in room "physical" and lab work, thats all. He doubted the skin rash on my hands and feet, the blisters that pop up on my feet, just because they were not active at the time of this exam. 1 week later, bang, the hands rashed up and several nice blisters popped up on the edges of my feet... Murphys law I guess.

Anyhow, didn't mean to rant, just curious how long it took for them to write a letter to you listing those items.