Thread: spinal spondylosis informal results

I have been a browser of this site for the past year and a half since i found out i may be getting an meb after my return from iraq and finally have some news to report for anyone who may have a similar case.

I was injured back in early 2008 while deployed to iraq, i am active duty in AGE(maintenance) and was doing my job while deployed when i hurt my back, after visiting doctors everyday for about 2 weeks i was slated to get on the medivac to Germany. i was assured that this was probably just a back strain and they would just send me to make sure of that. However i felt a little better after a few weeks and decided to finish out my deployment and 3 months later i returned to my home station.

When i returned home i found out the i had spinal spondylosis, bulging discs between L4,L5 and L5,S1, a torn disc, spinal fusion and some nerve damage because of these injuries. After receiving 3 mri's over the next year my back became worse every time, I now have learned that i have an additional bulging disc and slight scoliosis, and the torn disc i had is also becoming much worse and is likely to require surgery in the next few months.

After going through the whole meb process i received my results today after about a year of waiting for something besides the new waiver. I was deemed to be unfit for duty which was expected from what all my docs told me, and i also received TDRL and a 40% rating. I am disappointed just in the fact that there isnt any job that i could hold in the air force with this condition but i also understand that in the military these days you are useless to them if you cant deploy on a constant basis. I tried to talk the CC into allowing me to crosstrain but got shotdown multiple times. however the good news is that my 1 year old daughter will receive tricare for at least another 12-18 months until i go for a TDRL physical.

if anyone has any insight on what to expect over the next few years with dealing with TDRL for this injury i would appreciate it.

thanks for any help and THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

1. Apply for CRSC as it occured in a warzone doing your job.
2. Watch your range of motion and play up how it affects you going to work, that somedays you have to take off because of the pain etc.

If you are like me, I pressed through mine and went to work and not the doctor. This screwed me in the end. I needed documentation that my pain caused "incapacitating episodes" to increase rating with retirement pay and VA.

Don't get screwed. Not saying to lie, but err on the side of "hurt more".

I completely agree with cokeroker. While you don’t want to lie, you do want to describe the worst days you have even though that day might not be the day of your appointment. You may have better days than others but your condition is degenerative and will never get better, only worse. It sounds like you have done some research on the subject, and what you should have picked up is the importance of the range of motion studies. Pain is another factor; make sure to indicate when it hurts during the bending, especially any radiating pain. Keep copies of any and all records and make sure any prevalent info is in your reports. I am in a similar same boat as you (even same AFSC) although I have not been rated yet. If you would not mind answering the following questions it would be appreciated and might help me through my process easier.
1. What were your ROM numbers?
2. How did they rate you (ROM only or was pain a factor)?
3. Did you have any procedures done, if so what?
4. Are your discs contacting the nerves? Or is your spondylosis (arthritis) narrowing your neural foraminal areas? Osteophte formations…
5. What symptoms are you having as a result of the nerve damage?
6. What did they use to determine nerve damage (ie. EMG)?
7. What was your time line from narrative summery completion to final results?
I hope I helped you in some way and thanks in advance for answering any of the listed questions