HI,
I THOUGHT I WOULD WRITE MY THOUGHTS TO YOU AND SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOU..BACK IN JULY OF 93 MY HUSBAND WAS AND E-4 (USMC) IN WHERE HE WAS ADMITTED WITH AN UNKNOWN LIVER CONDITION.. HE PULLED OUT OF THAT AND RETURNED TO A NORMAL LIFE.. NORMAL FOR HIM WAS SHAKINESS IN ARMS, FATIGUED ALL OF THE TIME, NUMBNESS IN HANDS, JOINT PAIN, SEVERE HEADACHES. KEEP IN MIND THAT WE HAVE LIVED THIS WAY FOR NOW 9 YEARS. IN 93 WE RECEIVED A 10% DISABILITY FOR THE LIVER UNKNOWN LIVER DISEASE. HE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THIS NORMAL LIFESTYLE. AFTER HE WAS HONARABLY DISCHARGED, WE WERE TOLD TO CHECK INTO THE VA HOSPITIAL FOR THIS PROBLEM, WHERE HE RECEIVED TREATMENT FOR UNKNOWN ILLNESS..THE VA TREATED THE SYMPTOMS AND NOT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM..VERY FRUSTRATING.. SO YEARS WENT BY.. AND IN DECEMBER OF 2000 HE BECAME VERY SICK WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS BUT HAD BECOME UNBEARABLE.. WE LOST OUR BUSINESS AND NOW ARE IN TERRIBLE DEBT BECAUSE OF HIS INABILITY TO WORK. IT IS VERY SAD THAT WE HAD TO GO ON THE WELFARE SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THIS. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK HIM INTO HOSPITIALS, DOCTORS, SPECIALISTS OUTSIDE THE VA HOPING FOR NEW ANSWERS..NOT THE SAME OLD ONES THAT WE WERE DEALING WITH THROUGH THE VA..EVERY RECORD THAT WE RECEIVED WE KEPT..WE STARTED A NEW CLAIM THROUGHT THE VA AFFIARS IN JANUARY OF 2001..WE ALSO STARTED A SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY CLAIM..AND TIME WENT BY AGAIN...NOW KEEP IN MIND THAT WE STILL HAD NO DIAGNOSIS OF WHY HE IS SICK AND WHY HE IS GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS..WE WERE TOLD BY A VA DOCTOR THAT THERE IS "NO GULF WAR SYNDROME" STILL TO THIS DAY..ANYWAY,,IT IS NOW FEBRUARY OF 2002 AND WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR HIS DISABILITY CLAIM TO INCREASE FROM THE VA AFFAIRS AND WE WERE DENIED HIS SOCAIL SECURITY DISABILITY CLAIM..WE DID HIRE AN ATTORNEY FOR THAT ONE...YESTERDAY, THE VA HOSPITIAL FINALLY DIAGNOSED HIM WITH PTSD..HE WAS NEVER SO HAPPY TO SEE A CORRECT DIAGNOSIS COME THROUGH THE VA.. NOW THE TEST IS TO FIND OUT IF PTSD AND ALL OF THESE OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE LINKED OR SOME OF THEM ARE..I'M LOOKING AS A WIFE FOR PTSD SUPPORT GROUPS IT HAS BECOME UNBEARABLE TO LIVE WITH SOMEONE WITH THIS AND NOT KNOW WHY THEY ARE GOING THROUGH WHAT THEY ARE.
I WAS SO UPSET WHEN THIS HAPPENED FOR A SECOND TIME I WROTE EVERYONE FROM SENATORS,CONGRESS, THE HEAD OF VA AFFAIRS, TO THE INSPECTOR GENERALS OFFICE ABOUT THE VA..AND THE WAY THAT THE GULF WAR VETS WERE TREATED AND STILL ARE.. IT DID NO GOOD..THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM AND FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM. IT IS A VERY UPSETTING SITUATION THAT AS A FAMILY WE ALL HAVE TO GO THROUGH..PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE FOUND SUPPORT GROUPS, WEBSITES, ETC FOR US TO UNDERSTAND MORE ON WHAT IS GOING ON WITH HIM AND OUR LIVES..THANKS FOR READING.. I HAVE AOL.COM SCREEN NAME KABASTA30. THANKS.
BRANDI K.
PDST in PGW veterans.
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