tinnitus How Can I Connect An Illness To An Existing Sc Disability?

[tdak]

Good afternoon!!

How can I connect a condition to an already SC disability? I have Chiari I Malformation and a host of other conditions. As the RO stated it in my award letter, they bulked all of my conditions as symptoms to the Chiari and listed it as a benign growth of the brain @ 60%,which is fine for now, but I have medical documentation that some of the conditions are listed as symptoms, such as Hypothyroidism and Fibromyalgia are stand alone conditions(yet listed as symptoms). Due to the fact that Chiari is pretty rare there is no real medical documentation that provides an absolute connection. Some of my Chiari symptoms are migraines, tinnitus, blurred vision, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, nystagmus (irregular eye movement), gag reflex, hearing loss and the list goes on. I have about 95% of all the symptoms ever seen listed. My hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, nystagmus and tinnitus are of the worst. I was told by they claim rep. from the American Legion that I neded something to state that the Chiari caused/created the condition and was bad enough to be able to be SC as their own condition. How can I get this info if it is a rare condition and all of these other illnesses are listed as symptoms and not stand alone conditions?

Please help!!

Edited January 19, 2007 by tdak

[tdak]

Rick,

Thanks for the info. I have been reading all of that info for a while now. I think I dream it too! I have asked my dr., actually I asked my neurologist and neurosurgeon, and I am yet to get any type of reply. This is most likely because there is not a lot of information about Chiari. Believe me I have been researching it for over a year and it is all the same. They say its possible. I was just trying to see if anyone knew of a different route I coould go in case the doctor doesnt write me a letter. It is really hard for me, because it is a rare condition. Geez, why me, I think sometimes, but I will never give up. I am a fighter, probably should have been a lawyer...lol.

In any case if anyone has any ideas, I open to all of them.

Thanks so much,

Tamara

[tdak]

Rick or any HadIt! member,

Do you think it would be hard to have a condition (medically documented and proven on MRI's)that is directly caused by my SC condition added as a secondary condition if I only had a few documents proving it (but medical documents) and no letter from a doctor (just in case they won't write me a letter due to the rarity of my condition)?

I do know that this is a hard question to answer, but any input would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,

Tamara

[Vike17]

Tamara,

As Rickb54 said you'll need an IMO from a doctor making the connection. The VA cannot just go by general medical literature concerning the overall population. They need something from a medical professional stating that your such and such disability is as likely as not the cause of your secondary condition.

Since there isn't very much medical literature out there on your condition to either prove or disprove your contentions, then doctor should use the phrase "at least as likely as not." this means 50/50 chance that what he is saying could in fact be the case. This statement is enough for VA to award the "Benefit of the Doubt" in favor of the claimant. Make sure the doctor gives his rational as to why he has come to that particular conclusion. This is where he should reference the medical literature in the IMO.

Vike 17

[LarryJ]

Tamara,

This is an "article" that I found on Chiari I, from the "Conquer Chiari" group on the 'net. The reason I post it is because it gives you the names of two individuals who are deeply involved in Chiari research. These are two people whom I would contact to see if they could offer an IMO concerning the wide range of conditions you are obviously experiencing.

http://www.conquerchiari.org/subs%20only/V...toms%202(5).asp

[tdak]

LarryJ,

Thanks for the info. I have been to the site along with several others. My good news is that I got a letter written yesterday from a doctor connecting my hypothyroidism to my Chiari, which is 100% true, due to the fact that the chiari flattened my pituitary gland, which inturn created hypothyroidism. phew! That took quite a bit. Now to my surprise the doctor who wrote me the letter told me she used to do the work for the VA rating boards and she had a blind secretary. It was weird to find this out, 3 years after having her as a doctor.

So I have another question. Does it matter what speciality the doctor has when they are writing you a letter to sc you? EX. She is my pulmonologist and she wrote it for hypothyroidism (speciality is endocronologist).

Tamara

Edited January 26, 2007 by tdak

[LarryJ]

Tamara,

Are you saying that the doc that wrote the IMO for your Hypothyroidism is an Endocronologist?

If so, there is no better specialist on the thryoid than an Endo.

I, myself, suffer/suffered from HYPERthryoidism. An over-active thryoid (hot all the time, hyper-active, couldn't sleep, couldn't "turn my motor off", losing weight, couldn't get enough to eat......) and my Endo "ablated" my thryoid with U-235 or somesuch stuff (killed it, essentially, by overdosing it with radiation). So, now, I must take synthetic Thryoid hormone (Synthroid) for the rest of my life. My oldest son also has the same problem, with the same results.