Ben,

 

The VA will ask about any diabetis in the family.  I know of none on either side and that was from any elders left to pick their brains.  Yeah, I'm borderline Type 2 and can control with diet, don't need the needle yet. One thing I found is the VA does not rate adverse medical discoveries after a Vet gets the 100% Individual Unemployable (IU) or other 100% ratings. They then don't have to go through a rating adjuticator,  just added on ones record and treated.  I'm thinking the stats they show of illnesses are way low as they look at the disability rating and they may not show after a Vet is 100%.  Intentional?  Hell yes.

 

Once my PTSD( somnambulism) and injuries got my 100% IU, them weening me from carbs, (ethanol) to meds did the trick to get my blood sugar to at least border line. Every time I was in a ward, every other Nam vet in my room used insulin.  I woke up one time when the nurse was about to inject an insulin bead in me, and made her double scan my wrist band.  Told her I still have an aversion to any metal things entering my body.

 

Definately get to the VA and start a claim so you can get the treatments free at least. Bring your civey med records too. With a family history and if any were diabetic, find the type and dose they were using. If no family histroy you should get a rating, which is only related to your ability to work, but will cover the diabetis treatments 100% at least. You'll get a blood test kit, insulin and follow up appointments. Here, the VA just assumes if you were in country, anywhere, you were exposed one way or another and don't mess with that issue.

 

Good Luck and SF,

 

Dick

 

 

 

 

 

Originally they told me that I was pre-diabetic and it was controlled with diet.  Then it was switched to Type II and I've been on oral medication and have not had to do the insulin thing. 

 

I know that the AO studies determined that there were a lot of problems related to exposure.  There was another study related to someof the antimaleria pills that were given in I Corps.  I saw a few articles about it and then it just went away.  I tried to get more information but nobody seems to know anything about it.  The pill was a little white one, not the big orange horse pill, and I think that it was dapsone or something like that.  Has anybody heard or know anything about it?

 

SF,

 

Ben

Ben,

 

Boy,  you're pushing my memory envelope, mostly empty, on those pills.  I do recall a couple white small ones, some darker ones in the canteen for decon,  and some bigger purple pellets the Corpsman gave us to soak our shriveled up wet feet in a solution in our helmets to slow down the jungle root.  I think that was just iodine and had purple feet for a day or two after that.

 

Dawgs been on that for quite a long time, so I'm lucky to just be borderline so far.  All in ones make up on how bad the AO screws thing up. I too have had about 3 people I know pass from AO complications, not a way to go and feel the VA needs to be nailed good for it, anyway we can.  This adds to the "cost" list that should be considered for any future conflicts.

 

SF,

 

Dick

Ben...this is Bob Yount, I was diagnosed with type II about nine years ago...The disability is that if you are insulin dependent, you get 40%...if it can be controlled orally, or by other then insulin, you get 20%... 

 Mine is different though then the "regular" diabetes...my blood sugar normally runs in the 200 range...220 to 260 seems to be about the best for me...I've had all the tests and they say I'm an annomally, because my body reacts just the opposite of what it should do...so the VA docs have told me to manage it to how I feel the best, and they're still scratching their heads...only problem is when I get a new doc...he wants to 'fix' me, and I've finally said no...read the computer notes...I take 5 mg of gliberide a day...any more and I get sick...other meds get me under 200, but the farther below that I go, the sicker I get, the less I function and big time depression sets in...Bob

One reason that I have stayed away from the VA goes back to when I got out in January of '70.  I went in to establish service connected status for a few itmes that I thought were important.  My mother had retired from the VA and had been in charge of the medical records for both hospitals in Augusta, GA so the doctors knew her.  The examining physician asked how the family was donig and promptly accused me of trying to draw disability rather than just establish the status in case anything came up in the future.  He then proceeded to question surgery that had been performed one the Repose even though he had my medical records in front of him.  He claimed that he could not find enough scar tissue.  I swore that I would never set foot in another VA facility. 

 

Oh well, things change.  We get older and the health issues begin to take their toll.

 

SF,

 

B en

Yep, the rule of thumb I found out the hard way when dealing with ANYONE from the VA is say nothing positive.  They are a tricky lot and loyal to their paycheck signer.  You are there for something not positive going on so keeping focused on that keeps me from getting any "cures" on my med record.  They succeded in running you off the first time in '70, but that's where a VA rep (VFW, Am Legion, DAV, State etc.,) on your behalf has somthing to then shoot holes in for appeals.   Policy has changed a lot since '70, but still be leary of any positive comm to them.

 

Any civy med records to dispute his bi-assed opinion takes precedence most times.  Otherwise they have to challenge (Card)  that docs credentials. In court, the VA docs credentials would then be fair game also, so that's where the civy docs precedence usually holds.

 

One incident of interest I can relay is one ol Corpsman, 9th Marines, '67,  in our PTSD Vet group taped a VA Doc who repeatedly would not scrip or refer Vets to a psyc for meds because he didn't believe in shell shock, PTSD or whatever the tag is.  A number of us complained to the VA psyc dept and they didn't believe it.  So he had a little pocket recorder that did the trick. After 28 years in the VA, that doc "retired".  Of course it wasn't legal, like we gave a shit,  but the psyc dept hearing it then believed the docs contempt for the psyc industry, and gone he is.  I've considered just placing a tape recorder on the desk of any VA care giver I thought was hostile, but didn't have to ...so far. I should do that anyhow as most times if they don't write shit down I'm to do, I forget in short order and taped notes would help a bunch.

 

I'd bet after 9/11 and now even Congress recognizes PTSD as a big factor, the VA is pretty much purged from the old docs like we ran into. The only ones left to hagel with are the VA Claims Adjuticators, they must be CEO rejects from coprorate scammers as they know every trick in the book to shut a claim down,  but appeal after appeal shut's them up too.

 

SF,

 

Dick