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Gulf War Registry Results-Got A Letter From Va-What Next?

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semperfam

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Hey folks-

New to the forum, here. USMC retiree, currently at 70% disability, 60% for compensation. I have not had much difficulty with claims and such after reading all the posts-it's been pretty cut and dry for me and I've gotten fantastic service @ VA.

However, I have been struggling with chronic fatigue, joint pain, rash, memory loss, etc since Persian Gulf (also did OIF). I told the Gulf War rep @ my VA, and he said I needed to do a GW Registry Exam. I did. I just got a letter back from the VA that states:

"The examination is complete. Based on this exam we found:

Following conditions which have been found to be presumptively secondary to Gulf War Service: Undiagnosed illnesses to possibly include fatigue, joint pain, rash, and shortness of breath."

My question is, what does this mean? I understand a bit about the presumptive conditions listed by the VA and I guess this falls under chronic, multisymptom undiagnosed illness (I don't have a diagnosis and have been to so many Dr's I lose count). I am assuming I need to file a claim for these presumptive conditions-but do I have to prove service connection now, or did this letter just do it for me? What happens next?

Appreciate any advice you can throw my way. I just don't want my claim to be screwed up. Thanks.

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Interesting evet note from the nurse. She wrote that I shouldn't worry about the hypo inflation of the left lung and that its a result of me being overweight. She instructed me to loose 50 lbs and if I was concerned to get another chest X-ray at that time. That kind of upset me a bit, considering my back injury has caused a significant curve to that side and the resultant trauma has caused some problems with my deep breathing. In any case, the best thing to do for me and anyone else that receives results from these exams is to visit with your primary care provider, whether private or VA, and discuss the results.

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Think how RVN vets feel about Agent Orange Registry. When I took the registry exam about 15 years ago the doctor identified a couple of AO conditions. He did encourage me to file claims. He was soon GONE! My feeling is like yours in that I believe the VA is just tracking a cohort of young men over the years controlling for certain things to see the health outcomes. What they have found out over the decades is that just about all of us have, or will have some potentially fatal AO related disease. They will probably find the same thing 20 years from now for Gulf Vets. Then the burn pit issue will emerge. The first thing I smelled arriving in Vietnam was the smell of burning human waste and diesel fuel. OIF and OEF vets smelled burn pits from what I hear. What was in that smoke and does it have harmful effects. It will take years to know. Meanwhile the Surgeon General gets great statistical information and the vets get sick. We lost one here just the other day.

John

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Think how RVN vets feel about Agent Orange Registry. When I took the registry exam about 15 years ago the doctor identified a couple of AO conditions. He did encourage me to file claims. He was soon GONE! My feeling is like yours in that I believe the VA is just tracking a cohort of young men over the years controlling for certain things to see the health outcomes. What they have found out over the decades is that just about all of us have, or will have some potentially fatal AO related disease. They will probably find the same thing 20 years from now for Gulf Vets. Then the burn pit issue will emerge. The first thing I smelled arriving in Vietnam was the smell of burning human waste and diesel fuel. OIF and OEF vets smelled burn pits from what I hear. What was in that smoke and does it have harmful effects. It will take years to know. Meanwhile the Surgeon General gets great statistical information and the vets get sick. We lost one here just the other day.

John

Yeah the burn pits where about 1000m away. I didn't really pay that much attention as mission requirements dictated the pace and focus. I am getting a bit concerned about it. Luckily I am still employed and have health care other than what the VA is providing me and have been taking care of issues as they arise but I can't help not be realistic and be concerned about what health problems will surface. I have been on the downslope for a few years now and it is not getting better. Im up to 12 pills a day now with different medications of all sorts and I have to say I'm a little more than troubled. :unsure: But not much that I can do other than treat what I can, make the best of what I have, and press on.

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I just did the GW Reg Exam in Indy, and by the time I was done... I was so upset that I could barely drive myself home.

It was performed by a fancy dressed nurse, and from get go she was not pleasant to deal with as she was obviously not interested in anything I had to say. As soon as I sat down next to her desk, she slammed a few folders on her desk and sat down and immediately started "pecking" on the keyboard. I was not briefed on how the exam was going to be and was not prepared for the first few questions. And, they was simple questions, but I DO have memory problems. As simple as it is for most, I have problems with remembering dates. I was asked about my different times of my service, and since I can barely remember if I take my meds when I am supposed to I had difficulties answering her question; this upset her further.

During the exam portion which she did without any confidence of what she was doing she seemed to acknowledge and accept I had numerous medical issues, some obvious some not so obvious such as my skin rashes.

At one point she turned to me and started stating that all my issues (including IBS) could be explained in way or another and in her opinion was not related to the Gulf War. At this point I realized that she was about to call the exam over and I "flipped" because she apparently had no intentions of indicating that any issue I had was related to Gulf War.

IBS

Gerd

Headaches

Rashes

colon removal with in 6 months of leaving service

appendex removal with in 4 months of leaving service

joint pain

back pain

pain that moves through out body randomly, burning

eye problems, have had to have cataract removed, have lens and still can not see out of that same eye

nausea

the list goes on..

But since the key wording is "undiagnosed" and every one of the items can be given a diagnoses then they are not Gulf War related. Its a catch all and loop hole for them to do what ever they please. The exam was nothing more but a quick physical exam with nothing to back up what THEY claim. I can only provide so much proof, and I have. Its up to them to put the pieces together and say their is something more going on... but they wont.. period.

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You are probably right, however, don't give up. If you have private insurance, or even if you get care from the VA, go to the doc, get the care by whatever means is necessary, get it documented, and take it day by day. It's gonna be a fight to get them to admit anything to the extent that it's military related but press on, besides getting treatment and the care you need, you'll be getting the evidence you need to defend your claim.

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