What methods work to locate old civilian medical records?

[ToxicSgt73]

Situation: 
I am trying to locate my old civilian doctors and hospitals for records of care (of which I had tons of)

1. My old pharmacy has records for 5 years.
2. My old internist old practice is gone, multiple ones actually.
3. My old allergist has destroyed records, should I travel to my old state and make an appointment to see him?
4. One of my old internists still practices (don't you love that word?)....should I make an appointment to see him? his records also with old practice....destroyed....
5. I did contact one of my old surgeons,  of course records destroyed, he retired 2 years ago, we were both boy scout leaders.....he remembered carrying me down the mountain when I dehydrated and other pertinent things in the scout arena......as soon as I switched to the surgery......'I know nothing' about 5 times then 'I have to go' click.....

I believe it is too convenient to have all these medical record destruction laws.....I sure didn't know this was the case.....

I am seeing now my ongoing depression and anger and hostility that existed since I was railroaded out and then compounded by the avalanche of symptoms and issues only drove away everyone who could have been helpful in helping me recreate my timeline......

I had a lot of problems in the first 8 years, but I am not finding much of anything on paper, or many of the people from then that are even alive, and then even willing to talk to me....about anything....

I have plenty of records from 8 years post service forward......

How does one do this? 
What am I missing? 
How have you successfully pulled a rabbit out of this hat? 

This one looks insurmountable, and looks to be purposeful......
What am I missing?

[vetquest]

I agree that you are trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat.  I tried to get old medical records for some civilian work that the VA "lost".  I kept running into the same problem you are seeing. 

Focus on the current records that you have and your SMR's.  Try to find a basis for service connection and then relate it to your current chronic conditions.  Next you need a nexus, relating the SMR to your current chronic condition.  Sometimes you need to hire a specialist because most doctors do not want to get involved in litigation. 

I also understand the anger and resentment after a railroad job.  I was injured on active duty and I became a dead man walking as far as my unit was concerned.  Please do not let this anger and resentment eat you up.  It is understandable but you must get over it and use your head, not emotions, to fight the VA.  Start with what you have and then see what direction it takes you.

[ToxicSgt73]

I can see after 3 days now getting nothing but no's its time to move on to greener pastures...

its time to determine that 10 year window going backward, and get everything I can that falls within it...

and then build on what I have.....thanks for the confirmation of what I am experiencing, looks like a legal wall...nothing beyond its time required, even if it exists, or I can imagine some doctors having the equivalent of mortage burning parties every year at rollover time....whatever their state requires for retention, in some cases as little as 5 years....sometimes you gotta hate google.

I just aggravated myself and NPRC with a phone call....and that torturous routine of repeating 'don't you want the instructions of how to check your status of record request online'? 

NO.....I want my money's worth.....get a person on the line....boy, was she ever miffed that I had the audacity to wait .....what did she say ' 3 to 6 months'......is normal.....but your estimated time is sept 24.

So, I don't even know if I have any medical records in service.....I will be shocked if I do.....at least they admit I served 3 yr, 8 m, 29, d active.....3yr, 10m, 11d total. 1 yr, 10 d, foreign (wrong side of the globe), good conduct, honorable, but fat.....and no we don't want to come back, not convenient at this time......at least I have that...

I am settled in for the long haul...what else do I have to do? I am getting so sick that I hardly go outside anymore, summertime is housebound time for me, so nothing else for me to do.

I had no clue it was like this....any of this, I could have done this a lot sooner.

So, I have a DD214, 

waiting on medical records.  (I wish I would have come on here before I requested them....I was very specific in my request for certain things? don't know if that is good or not? )

I have plenty of medical records with just about a little of almost everything one can have seems an impossibility to have all of this without being poisoned somewhere......

I have a few weeks of EPA, ATSDR, Superfund, NWF? a bunch of studies of chemicals and medical studies that scare me silly....have to laugh with all the growths I have.....I just discovered this morning I had a nasal polyp back in 1992....yea, I have that MRI report, and the valium and inderal receipts from the pharmacy, for the essential tremor......but not the diagnosis from the dead doctor......

the tremor started in service.....but, I didn't advertise it then.....

[GBArmy]

Excellent advise from Vetquest. About everything. Many of us have experienced the same issues; doc retired or something and no records. Forget about the law that says they are supposed to have available for (8yrs.?) The current medical organization doesn't want to spend time and effort pulling records from archives. So do what you can matching what you have today with what occurred in service and get a medical expert (doc) to confirm. Read up on what is involved in getting a IMO (Independent Medical Opinion).If you have no current doc to do it, if you want to pursue the claim, you have to pay for it. Is it fair, nope. No one said it was fair, but that is what you sometimes are faced with.

[Buck52]

Hello

Just wanted to say you have got some great advise from Vetquest and 

GB Army  and  Shrektank1  Volunteering there time away from their family's   they all are doing a wonderful job here on hadit helping these Veterans .

Keep up the good work guys. & God Bless

Edited August 28, 2019 by Buck52
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[GBArmy]

Very kind words, Buck. I for one am just trying to help in my limited way just as you have for all these years. Thank you brother.