Non Combat Medic

[diver]

Hello all. I have been reading this sight for years now and this is my first post. I have been diagnosed with PTSD by the VA. I was a medical specialist 91B10 at Ft Hood in the early 90s. I was assigned to a forward support battalion and spent around 6 months out of the year pulling medical coverage for the tankers. I also had rotations at a troop medical clinic and I have worked on a lot of people. I have many nightmares of these people constantly. Just to give you an idea of what I have seen. I had a cook that was refueling one of the field stoves and she ended up catching herself on fire in front of me. She ended up with some small injuries and smoke inhalation. It is the fire ball that still bothers me today. I have also had a patient that ran under stairs and hit his head causing him to split his scalp from ear to ear and pull the scalp behind his head. I had a helicopter loose power on me at night as I was with a patient heading back to post from a field problem. The emergency red lights flashing and the pilots panicking before they were able to start the engines again. I also had a patient come in that had his eye slashed open from a cable that snapped as he was pulling an engine out of a tank. I do not have any dates for these issues. I worked on so many people that I don’t remember all of them.

I am always depressed, Panicked, stressed, avoid people and places, I avoid my own family and I see my friend from before my service time maybe once a year. I do work because I cant let my kids suffer with loosing there home. I am not worth them having to loose things because of me. My psyche has insisted to me that they do not need to verify them anymore. Also my DAV rep seems to not be interested in adding this to me existing depression and anxiety claim.

My question is. I have put in for disability for this because my psyche told me that I needed to but is there really a possibility of receiving it with no dates for the stressor verification.

[Mikemmlj]

My mo. Did a letter for me. I say better to do it than not.

[diver]

Thank you for your replys I think I will submit my wife's letter because it couldn't hurt even if they toss it it just caused me a little time.

[diver]

Hello all I have been scheduled for my C&P both for PTSD/MDD and a C&P for chronic bilateral ankle pain, heel spurs, chronic bilateral hip pain, sciatic and left shoulder pain. I am hoping that it is a better sign for me that the VA has set me up for the PTSD/MDD C&P at the Seattle VA instead of through a subcontractor. I am also hoping that for the other C&P sense I seem to be scheduled with a privet Dr that has regular patients that I may have a better chance at receiving service connection for my problems. I have been denied service connection for my hips before claiming that they are not service connected. That never made any sense to me because they gave me 20% for lumbar strain caused by my service connected knee problems. And they gave me 0% for my ankles now. I have been out sense 95 so I am not very hopeful that I will receive anything for my heel spurs and I have normal to high arches so I will probably not get anything for plantar fasciitis even with having pain on my feet from the heel around to the front of my feet. My appointments on Friday November 21^st and Monday November 24^th.

My question is with the PTSD/MDD exam being at the VA is this better for me or worse or for that matter neutral. Also my VA social worker told me that I needed to tell the Dr that I feel that I should not work because I get so stressed out being around people that when I get home I just tend to yell at my 12 and 13 year old kids. I have not spent much time with my kids over the past couple of years because I tend to hid so I don’t yell. I am VERY nervous of stating this because I am afraid that the DR may take it wrong and determine that I am nuts. Should I tell the DR this? I plan to be comply honest with them and tell them everything even though I am a standard grunt and shut my mouth.

[DDuck]

My two cents is try to stay away from leading the doctors to a diagnosis (telling them you think XXXXX about any diagnosis). You will run into asshat C&P examiners and sympathetic ones. Be completely honest and do not hide how you act even if you think it may put you in a bad light in others eyes.

Here is the part that no one can answer on with a vet commenting on "I feel I can't XXXXXX" is that it can help sometimes or it can hurt. It can help if the examiner is just to busy to connect the dots if the evidence is there. Or if the C&P examiner does not feel the evidence is there is can hurt you.

What are the percentages on positive vs negative? Who knows just do what you feel is right for you, it will be apparent when you are face to face on what you should do in that regard.

[Guest D�i�v�e�r�2]

Thank you DDuck for you reply. I have my PTSD C&P tomorrow and I am very nervous. I think that my C&P for my back, hips, sciatic and ankles went ok. I have no idea on what the report will say but I felt that the dr did a fair and impartial exam. he went question by question and filled out each one as he saw it. at the end I asked him "off the record what do you think?" all he would say is that he believes that I am in pain. so I think that that seems promising to me. I hope that the mental health exam goes as well as that one did.

Diver

[Guest D�i�v�e�r�2]

Hello all I have an update on my claim. I had my C&P today for depression and on last Friday I had my C&P for my pain. It took a total of 15 minutes for my depression appointment. The Dr asked me a couple of questions and stated that I had a lot of pain. He wanted to know what the Drs have said about the pain. At the end he said that he wanted to get me out of there and that he would make sure that I would get service connected secondary to my pain. I hope that this is a good indication. I hope that I don’t got low balled with 10% or something stupid like that. The Dr that saw me for my C&P for hips ankles and back said he could tell that I was in a lot of pain so with all of that I am hoping for the best. Does this sound promising to you all as it does me?