Apparently the conection between deployed and non-deployed vets is the vaccines. the vaccines contained a preservative called thimerosal. this is mecury.Start looking for "adult mercury toxicology" and see if the symptoms are familiar. Im not saying its all mercury poisoning but add that to the whole "cocktail theory"
and maybe this does some explaining of its own. Now the problem is getting anyone to listen.Mercury is best detected in the hair so don't let anyone just do a blood test and "we'll go from there" that is just a run around.
I'm so glad to hear from others in my shoes. Dealing with people even family who dont understand can bo so depressing.
My neurologist told me after my symptoms did not line up with his idea of things that I needed a psych
consult.Its funny that as a nurse working for the VA
I didn't need a psych consult 7months ago.I could be very bitter if I let it but Im gonna keep trying to find out why I have these weird symptoms.
God bless and don't lose faith.
caseynonie

Casey
How it goin.Yes the message I had posted before was for you But it has also reached other people looking for help as well.I do remember all the shots but there is one shot that i recieved that is not in any record and it is the one I believe that has made me so ill.This shot would make me have High fever followed with joint pain and flu like symptoms.It would last for three days and then go away.I would be feelin ok afterwards.Now this shot they gave to me every six months.I had also ask the Doc if this was normal to feel all these symptoms I had explained to you,He said yes so Left it at that due to the fact he knew more then what I did.Now Six months after I was discharge I began to get these flu like syptoms but I never thought about them to much since you do get the flu So I blew it off three months down the road I would get the flu again I still blew it off then and never thought much about it.Well this went on through out the years every three to four months I would have the flu .Except something else started to happen My feet would swell up and the swelling would migrate though out my body.This developed with the flu like symptoms .I then started to go to the regular doctors and they all started to tell me that I should go to the Va well I did .When I started going to the va all my symptoms would happen .well that swelling in my feet they called it celluitis so now I had a name for what was happening and they began to treat me for it with antibiotics.This is when knew stuff started to develop I started to have alergic reactions to all my antibiotics.Stuff I was never alergic too when I joined.Well they treated my celluitis with predisone kit that you take so many in a week and they also used steroids which did help me with that.I was still being sick with the flu like symptoms except now they were more frequent and much longer time period.Well I finally went to a doctor who could perform that Mycoplasma inconitis exam It came back neg wich was good in one way but now I still did not have an answer.At this time I had given up on the Va and all Doctors.I was now stuck with pain in all my joints my knees sound like popcorn when I climb stairs and they also grind.My muscle would also burn and hurt as well all the time. This was all in 99 so I filed for social security and placed in a claim for all my symptoms I stared going to the va and getting everything documented from the Va doctors.My Va claim has been dinide my ss has also been denide and I am now filing a letter of disagreement to the va stating that I my be able to claim a nonservice connected illness and am going on my third time with social security.I have now been dx with fibromyalgia,IBS,Gerd Sinustitis,chonic migrains,Carpel tunnel in both wrist.I get numbness,Dizzy spells ,I pass out with no recolection.The passing out is like being real tired except I pass out and cannot remember what happen IT may last five miniuts or an hour,and I ussaully know when it will hit me,I also have cocentration prob memory probs,heat flashes.skin burning feeling, little bumps that look like pimples that pop open.Cysts on my neck and in my nose.They have done cat scans mri's with no luck except for my brain mri's show up with slight asymmetry of my lower ventricles that they say might be normal,low-lying cerebellar tonsils without evedence for herniation through the foramen magnum.Which states that this is most likely of no clinical.Polyp or retention cyst in the left maxillary sinus and at the bottom of this page it states "other wise unremarkable study " what ever that means.Well this is just some of my illness and there is a posible chance i have reighters syndrom.Well i have been keeping my spirits up and now I have been trying to help others keep thier hopes up as well.So just that you know You are not alone but are among a fertunity that no one wants to be a part of.
Now If I think about those shots all mll of my flu like crap is in the same time frame that I have recieved them.Did not put the two together until now. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/blob_fire.gif well take care and i hope i can help in some way.
Mark A
USN