Labatory Neede?

[Aletta]

Does anyone know of a lab that will test specimens from an autopsy done on a VN Vet for AO pending claims?

[john999]

Where are you? What was cause of death according to autopsy? Didn't the facility that did the autopsy do all the tests you asked for?

[Berta]

Aletta ,perhaps this link could give you some direction.Their contact info is right in the end of the site page.

http://www.americanautopsy.com/for-families.html

I am familiar with the Medical Examiner here in this part of NY. The autopsys they do usually involve specimins of heart blood, Urine, liver,Brain ,Bile, Gastric contents, and there are a few other analyses they do,only if specified.such as alcohol in blood and urine and Vitreous humor, unless something causes them to check further..such as if the deceased might have overdosed on something.

There is no way to test for dioxin in a deceased Vietnam vet and specimens they used are always noted right in the autopsy narrative. Some women years ago on the net was making a fortune suggesting she could test vets for dioxin. She is serving time now I think.

On my husband's autopsy was the name of the pathologist as well as the Medical Examiner. The toxicology report was finished 7 months after he died. These days tox reports are much faster.

They had enough info from the ME right away at the Donor bank however, to use his donated stuff as nothing in his blood compromised the organ donations.

I found the ME and the Coroner and the pathology lab to be easy to converse with over something I had questioned in the autopsy, many years after the fact .It didnt make a difference however as ,once I learned how to read the heart slides, I had what I needed for my 2003 claim anyhow.

Most autopsies follow a specific format. There sure might be a way to get an independent medical opinion on autopsy results.

If needed you might want to contact Pete here at:

http://www.legalmed1.com/ I thought I would need a forensic cardio doc for my 2003 claim and won it before the IMO I paid for was even prepared.

I liked dealing with Pete and knew the IMO would have been great.He had suggested the IMO be done by a Dr. Campos in Texas, a forensic cardiologist.

It is possible the autopsy you mentioned has everything in it needed for an AO claim.Or perhaps the coroner has to change the death certificate in some way? Here in NY they dont like to change these certificates but I helped 2 widows here get death certificates changed in other states.

The coroner might be persuaded to do that with the autopsy results if something showed up in that which would warrant a change to the death certificate.

I think this is a possible IHD claim? If so the word ischemia will be found on the death certificate. The heart slides and narrative might well expand that.

For an AO death due to heart disease from diabetes mellitus, the heart narration will be different with heart slides revealing fibrous tissue and other signs of diabetic cardiomegaly.

I proved my husband's death was from AO IHD as well as contributed to by AO DMII. DMII was not on his death certificate and had never been diagnosed by the VA.

Nothing is impossible but not all deaths in Vietnam vets with heart disease are AO deaths under the IHD regulations.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Berta

[Aletta]

John, It is for a widow in SC. Her hubby passed earlier this month. I don't think she will have much problems with the death certificate because of his already SC. He had pending claims at his death and the friend just wants to be sure she has covered everything in the tissue specimens for the autopsy she is paying for herself. The place, as I understand it, doesn't know what lab does private testing on these.

Berta, This is for the lady we discussed via private email. His services was Wednesday, I think, so she still is numb. She asked when he passed about an autopsy, the hospital said they didn't do autopsy but for homicides. So she had a private place do the autospy. I will send her your infomation above. She is a member here, but due to her caregiving she said she had not been here in a long long time.

He was SC for some type of heart issue secondary to his PTSD.. the plimary death certificate did meantion something about his heart. Apperently when his heart stopped it took them 17 mins to get it going again and the death certificate meantion something about brian damage that we THINK might be due to that. He held on two days after that incident. It was not at a VAMC.

[Berta]

I imagine she is in no shape to deal with a VA claim yet.

"He had pending claims at his death "

As long as she substitutes herself as the claimant (info here at hadit on how to do that ) and also files the DIC claim within one year after his death, she will preserve her earliest entitlement dates.

Please do not give out my email addy Aletta, that was from the olden days before I closed my contact stuff here.

I just don't have time for emails and triage them every day----- many important ones never even get read.

[Aletta]

I feel bad about emailing you privately. Forgive me and I won't anymore nor will I give out your email address to anyone. I'm not sure how I happened to have it. I copied and pasted your above reply to her and emailed her. Thanks for everything.. I just don't have the experiance in DIC and other widow stuff. I only know what I read from others widows.

[Berta]

Aletta, please dont feel bad at all...it is good when we get posts like this here....they help others out there probably more than we at hadit will ever know.....

I think you sure do know a lot about DIC and are concerned for her and that is wonderful.....when she is ready ,everything regarding DIC is here in the DIC forum and many here will help her too. You are being a good friend to this widow....and we widows sure need good,trustworthy friends like you.

My first DIC claim was in 1981 when my Army husband died and someone from the VVA told me to file a claim.I was the absolutely dumbest person in the world and could have appealed the denial but Knowledge is Power ,as our hadit motto says, and I never dreamed I would lose another Vet husband too.

I got smart on DIC and try to pass on what I learned and fortunately it is all here at hadit too.