Class I Heart Disease

[Carl the Engineer]

OK,

Starting to gather info for my heart disease claim, and I find this in one of my progress notes from the VA;

"NYHA CLASSIFICATION OF HEART DISEASE: CLASS I"

Any help??

Thanks,

Hamslice

Edited July 26, 2015 by Hamslice

[Carl the Engineer]

NYHA Class Symptoms

I Cardiac disease, but no symptoms and no limitation in ordinary physical activity, e.g. no shortness of breath when walking, climbing stairs etc.

II Mild symptoms (mild shortness of breath and/or angina) and slight limitation during ordinary activity.

III Marked limitation in activity due to symptoms, even during less-than-ordinary activity, e.g. walking short distances (20–100 m).
Comfortable only at rest.

IV Severe limitations. Experiences symptoms even while at rest. Mostly bedbound patients.

Found it, will proceed,

Hamslice

Edited July 26, 2015 by Hamslice

[Carl the Engineer]

So, from what I see here, I should be SC'd for heart disease, however, at 0%, unless I have took a downturn since 2009.

Also, if I found this in my original C&P in 2009 after leaving active duty, shouldn't have the VA added this since one of my claims was for high blood pressure? CUE? Just throwing that out there..

Hamslice

[john999]

Get the VA to send you to all available heart testing. To establish a decent rating for heart disease you need evidence and opinion based on evidence. I went from 0% to 60% based on getting the VA to do testing they did not do before my first C&P exam. If you get 0% rating I would appeal and get more testing. I would discuss with my PCP your fears of heart disease and sudden death due to presumptives and to family history. I have presumptive and awful family history for heart disease and sudden death from IHD. I don't care what the VA says I am going to get all the testing I can if it is non-invasive. If I have any symptoms such as chest pain etc. I will be getting angiogram in a hurry.

[Buck52]

Hameslice

if they do a heart catheter test & check for blockage they can see if you might have left manes disease? especially if you have chest pains that radiate to your back after walking or exercise.

and yes as john 999 mention if you get a 0% rating appeal that decision.

I never have figured out when they give a 0%rating for something? it should be at least a 10%rating or more

jmo

....................Buck

Edited July 26, 2015 by Buck52

[john999]

The heart catheter test has risk of its own since they can rupture your main heart arteries when they are pushing that wire into your heart. If they find a blockage 99% sure they will do balloon angioplasty with a stent. What are you going to say when the cardiology surgeon tells you that your arteries are blocked and you will die if they are not opened up and kept open with a stent. The heart cath. is for those with symptoms, but what if you don't have symptoms like my father who was symptom free. He woke up one morning with pain in his arm (1956) and a few hours later he was dead. That calcium screening test is scorned by heart surgeons because they get paid to put in stents and do by-pass surgery. The calcium screen tells you how much disease you have now and what you need to do to keep it from not getting worse. That documentary called "The Widowmaker" I saw on Netflix woke me up. I would never base any surgery on some result I got from the VA. There is the process of winning claims and then there is your actual life and health.

John