1991 - Automobile accident where I was taken to the post hospital and treated for shoulder and c-spine injuries. Sent home with Motrin after Xrays were normal (did they have MRI's back then??). Went to Troop Medical Clinic the next day in pain. Sent home again and told it was normal. Gave up going to sick call after that.
1993 - Subluxation of the patella in my knee. I was running during a night exercise while wearing night vision goggles. That 3rd dimension (depth) is really important when running, huh? I was on a remote island out in the Pacific. Was flown to Hawaii for treatment at Trippler. Xrays showed negative, sent home with Motrin. Again, no MRI's??
1994 - Left the military and became a civilian police officer.
1998 - L-5 disc in my back ruptured. Diagnosed with DDD at the young age of 27. Laminectomy surgery. Resulted in nerve damage to my leg. I now live with daily muscle cramps and a much larger left calf than right due to the constant muscle spasms.
2011 - Went through a spinal decompression regimen with a local chiropractor to relieve pain in my lumbar region.
To this day I struggle with severe back pain. I don't go to the doc because I now know the difference between the chronic pain I'll just have to live with and new "more serious" pain. More recently I've started suffering from c-spine pain. I believe I have a bulging disc between my shoulder blades. I have numbness in my 3 outside fingers on my right hand (not trigger finger, thank God, or I'd be in a pickle) and periodic shooting pains down my arm.
Realizing that I'm likely going to have to have yet another spinal surgery, I felt it was time to bite the bullet and file a VA claim. I can't afford surgeries for the rest of my life. I didn't wait for a denial, I immediately hired Dr. Craig Bash for an IME to seal up my nexus. He seems to be concentrating on the following:
1. Spinal degeneration in the lumbar region began either at the point of the accident or when I blew out my knee.
2. Car accident caused the c-spine issues and numbness in my hand and shooting pains.
3. Continued chronic pain in knee and shoulder region.
4. Numbness and nerve damage down my left leg from surgery.
I may have jumped the gun hiring Dr. Bash at the onset, but my VSO told me that it's better to woo the heck out of the VA from the start instead of waiting until the appeals process. You guys actually have experience with this sort of stuff, what are your thoughts on my chances for SC on my injuries?
Question
TexasCop
My military service record history:
1991 - Automobile accident where I was taken to the post hospital and treated for shoulder and c-spine injuries. Sent home with Motrin after Xrays were normal (did they have MRI's back then??). Went to Troop Medical Clinic the next day in pain. Sent home again and told it was normal. Gave up going to sick call after that.
1993 - Subluxation of the patella in my knee. I was running during a night exercise while wearing night vision goggles. That 3rd dimension (depth) is really important when running, huh? I was on a remote island out in the Pacific. Was flown to Hawaii for treatment at Trippler. Xrays showed negative, sent home with Motrin. Again, no MRI's??
1994 - Left the military and became a civilian police officer.
1998 - L-5 disc in my back ruptured. Diagnosed with DDD at the young age of 27. Laminectomy surgery. Resulted in nerve damage to my leg. I now live with daily muscle cramps and a much larger left calf than right due to the constant muscle spasms.
2002 - L-5 disc ruptured again. Laminectomy surgery.
2011 - Went through a spinal decompression regimen with a local chiropractor to relieve pain in my lumbar region.
To this day I struggle with severe back pain. I don't go to the doc because I now know the difference between the chronic pain I'll just have to live with and new "more serious" pain. More recently I've started suffering from c-spine pain. I believe I have a bulging disc between my shoulder blades. I have numbness in my 3 outside fingers on my right hand (not trigger finger, thank God, or I'd be in a pickle) and periodic shooting pains down my arm.
Realizing that I'm likely going to have to have yet another spinal surgery, I felt it was time to bite the bullet and file a VA claim. I can't afford surgeries for the rest of my life. I didn't wait for a denial, I immediately hired Dr. Craig Bash for an IME to seal up my nexus. He seems to be concentrating on the following:
1. Spinal degeneration in the lumbar region began either at the point of the accident or when I blew out my knee.
2. Car accident caused the c-spine issues and numbness in my hand and shooting pains.
3. Continued chronic pain in knee and shoulder region.
4. Numbness and nerve damage down my left leg from surgery.
I may have jumped the gun hiring Dr. Bash at the onset, but my VSO told me that it's better to woo the heck out of the VA from the start instead of waiting until the appeals process. You guys actually have experience with this sort of stuff, what are your thoughts on my chances for SC on my injuries?
Thanks,
Texascop
I'm not here to feed your ego.
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