Yet Another Heart Attack And Related Problems

[Mike_S]

Background

Vietnam 1968 - 1969

Huey Crewchief

Because it is relevant

B.S. in Physics (never totally completed Masters program)

enough credit hours in Math and Computer Science just because it was needed for the Masters

Thank you VA benefits

******

Quadruple heart bybass in 2006 on pump (heart lung machine) eight hours+ for surgery.

There is normally some cognitive impairment for a few months and even years but sometimes not.

There was no cardiac rehab after surgery, the VA did not have it available. I knew it was important for a good recovery and tried to get it on my own. The local hospital required a prescription for cardiac rehab… so out of pocket that was over $1000. The closest hospital wanted $200 per session 3 days a week for three months. I couldn't afford it. I did not improve very much.

The VA would do nuclear stress tests every 2 years which is a good thing to check progress. I look at that stress test as a challenge and have succeded each time because I joined a gym and "studied for the test". I hate the gym but I always go and work out.

Just two or three years ago I would have qualified for some percentage of disability, but now, the left ventrical is a normal size and ejection fraction is normal too. METS are 10 or more so 0% or maybe 10% for disability. I hope that keeps the door open for secondaries.

I need to SC the cognitive issues from the cardiac surgery Post perfusion syndrome (pumphead) from being on pump for 8 hours during surgery.

All my life I have worked as a programmer and systems developer. For the last 15 years I have been self employed and most of that time writing code. Until I had my bybass surgery. Now I can't even calculate a tip for a meal.

How do I include this in my claim? The psychiatrist at the Agent Orange exam said the brain issue in the MRI (I paid for it on the outside) should only affect vision and I can fix my brain by exercising it with online programs like Lumosity. Bullshit!

This site is great, I made a donation within the first eight hours of my first visit because it is so organized and the members help with all of their experience in these issues. I have also been preparing my initial claim using the ebooks Chris Attig has created as well as his latest package to create that claim. There is a small cost but well worth the shortcut to understand and prepare for the system quickly.

Thank you Hadit and every one here.

Mike

Edited February 5, 2015 by Mike_S

[Berta]

"I understand Nehmer would only apply if I had already filed in the past. "

That is correct.

"I didn't know I could file in 06 when I had the heart attack. Nobody at the VA has ever said anything."

They don't want vets to know what comp they might be eligible for.

"The psychiatrist at the Agent Orange exam said the brain issue in the MRI (I paid for it on the outside) should only affect vision and I can fix my brain by exercising it with online programs like Lumosity. Bullshit!"

The MRI possibly showed occipital lobe damage.Which may or may not be serious.But he was a shrink. Did a Neurologist write up the MRI narrative?

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? or high cholesterol? You did state you have HBP.

Did you have an ECHO (I am sure you had one prior to the heart surgery )and do you have the results of that?

Is your heart disease diagnosed as 'ischemic'?

Do you have copies of all of your medical records, VA and non VA?

AO was the horrible gift that keeps on giving.It can cause a prime disability (even mopre than one prime disability)as well as many secondarys.

What did the AO Psychiatrist ,or any other doctor , say was the cause of the brain trauma?.

Did this psychiatrist diagnose you with any MH issue like PTSD? I am surprised a psychiatrist was doing an AO registry exam.

You mentioned you were claiming several items.

VA has no idea how to, or any interest in, connecting dots.

It is best, if the heart disease is ischemic, to go from there ,and list as the prime disability ,with any potential secondaries to it and then add any other disabilities you feel could be service connected.

VA needs a medical 'nexus' for everything. Nexus means the inservice cause of the current problem. The nexus for AO presumptives, in most cases ,is established with proof of Vietnam -boots on ground- service.

It is amazing how much the brain can be affected by ischemic heart disease.And by DMII , another AO presumptive.

I know that because I studied both cardiology and neurology to win my initial claim.

Luckily I worded the initial claim I had ,20 years ago, the best way I could. It was to re-open my husband's pending claim, as he died before it went to a rater.

He was already getting paid part of the AO Settlement Fund which had nothing to do with VA.


Almost 20 years after that initial claim I filed , and the AO Settlement payments, to him and then to me, his widow,
the VA determined he had been an AO veteran and had died from 2 AO presumptives.

That all involved other claims I filed and I had to carefully word them,so that VA would finally get it. I couldn't do any of them properly until I had all of his medical records..

If we know exactly what you are claiming maybe we can help more.

[Mike_S]

The MRI showed occipital lobe damage and a Neurologist wrote up the MRI narrative which included,

1 - Old ischemic infarct with encephalomalalacia in the left occipital lobe

2 - Chronic supratentorial white matter changes, consistant with microanglopathic demyelination

The MRI was for Pituitary without and with contrast. I think the cause of my brain problem was being On Pump and showed up immediatly after heart surgery. I brought the results to the AO exam to see if it answered any of my questions.

I have high cholesterol controlled by a statin.

I have High Blood Pressure fairly controlled by several meds and much work with a PharmD.

I've had many ECHOs done and the results show a good EF and Left Ventrical is now a normal size.

Yes my heart disease is ischemic and my ticket into the system as presumptive.

I am in the process of getting copies of all of all medical records, VA and non VA.

My boots were on the ground and with the help of Chris Attigs ebooks and new claims guide I am trying to provide a nexus IHD, HBP, sleep apnea (diagnosed by the VA and a VA provided CPAP machine) and other less important issues that the VA has forms for.

I think there is also a PTSD issue but the shrink seemed to dismiss it.

Thank you for your help.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Mike_S

[Berta]

There can be many causes for demyelinating diseases

http://www.mayoclinic.org/demyelinating-disease/expert-answers/faq-20058521/

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis — inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
could be a possible cause

"Old ischemic infarct with encephalomalalacia in the left occipital lobe" This is damage done by a past Transcient ischemic attack.(TIA)

TIAs are caused often by high blood pressure or clotting from an ischemic heart.Other reasons too.such as atherosclerosis of the brain.

Do you have your full blood chemistry results and are your HBIAC values normal.

These would also be Glucose values if they never gave you an HBIAC test.

I am not a doctor, and this brain infarction might be due to the "Pump" but that is best left up to a real doctor to decide. And might not be at a ratable level.

I just feel that every veteran needs to have copies of their med recs and understand fully what they reveal.

HBP for example can cause atherosclerosis, (evident by measurements on an ECHO) as well as cholesterol plaque in the arteries.*

As our Cardio Guru Jbasser said recently on one of our last radio shows, the ECH0 is just an educated guess on the measurements..

And as heart disease progresses the ECHOs will be different over the years.

* http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/atherosclerosis

[Berta]

This article explains what I mean here better than I cou;ld.


http://www.medicinenet.com/transient_ischemic_attack_tia_mini-stroke/article.htm

This other article explains how embolisms (clots) can form in hearrt and then pass to the brain and cause infarcts.

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/TypesofStroke/IschemicClots/Ischemic-Strokes-Clots_UCM_310939_Article.jsp

Pacemakers have been know to create clots that cause strokes, as you suggested might be the cause.

I am not a doctor but you have the right to know what caused the ischemic infarct in your brain, and how it is being treated to prevent more ischemia.

It could also be post-perfusion syndrome causing this.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Berta

[Mike_S]

Thank you Berta,

I had found some of that information before but where was some new stuff like TIA's.

I don't know what kind of doctor or test to ask for that can help with my brain issue.

It seems the VA will do just about any test I ask for if it is a reasonable request but my primary care provider (a Nurse Practitioner) has not suggested anything.

For example, I had not been seen by a Dermatologist for decades. I have many moles all over my body and one day I just asked, "Shouldn't I see a dermatologist about these?". She said, she would put in for a consult. That confirmed a malignant melanoma which was several square centimeters. It was removed once by the VA but by then I had also gone to a good outside Dermatologist for another opinion about everything. That doctor got the pathology report from the VA surgery and went over it with another pathologist. The VA said they had good margins and the other guys said they were not .

In the end, it was up to me to decide to have the surgery done over on the outside at my expense. It was $6000 out of pocket and I had to do it.

Berta, you put a lot of work into your responses to me and to others. I appreciate the time you take to do this. I learn from your responses to questions other people post too.