Physical Evaluation Board Forum

Hello everyone, I am new to the site and stumbled upon while doing research for migraines. I'm a female active duty army member stationed in germany. I have been in the army almost 10 yrs. I decided to join because I have two medical issues that I've come to the point that I might as well start requesting a MMRB/MEB/PEB for. So on to the first one.

I suffer from severe migraines, I get on average 1-2 a WEEK. I have been on so many different medications for preventive measures I can't count. Thanks to the lovely Army system it took me almost 8 yrs to get refereed to a neurologist (have i mentioned how much the army cares about medical issues) sorry yes I'm a little disgruntle. I've been seeing the neurologist for about 6 months now, and at first I was doing better, went down to 3-4 migraines a month in a 2 month span, then well, once again my body over came the profolatfic medications. Right now I'm on Elavil and Pamalor and Flexoral as preventives. Think I need something new, I'm taking 50mg of each a day and still getting the migraines.

I can't take Imitrex for when the migraines appear as I am the one in a billion that is allergic to it. I took Midrin for 7yrs and it worked 75% of the time, now the Army can't get it anymore so I have to try something new, so I tried Zomig, neuro said give it a try, but because you had a reaction to Imatrex you may have a reaction to this. I was okay the first few times I took it, I thin because it was only 2.5mg (working up to 10mg if needed) following on with taking the amount that finally kicked it. My next step was to see if my 45 day tdy/leave (that I'm still on) would help with the symptoms as some are due to stress, or so I thought. Everything is still the same.

Now I know that the DOD guidelines state something about having to stop wok and be seen for medical attention, well here's where I think it's b.s. only because I can't count the amount of times I should have gone, I do end up going in every 2-3 months when I get the ones that I can't see anything (those are always fun). But the truth really is that if you do go in when you need to Commands, what they really think is that you are malingering. So how many soldiers really want to go in to the doc and get poor medical care when they get a "headache".

Okay next problem

Back in 2002 I had the troop seat to a long bed 5 ton dropped on me, causing my right scapula to wing. Little did I know then that the winging was caused by damage to the long thoracic nerve, and if diagnosed and treated early enough (within the first 18 months) that it could have been repaired by surgery. On top of that it took me 5yrs to get a permeant profile for it against running which caused the most pain because of an unstable motion, push ups still hurt, but being a female, one good thing for me is that I don't have to do that many. This injury also brings me into why I am going to have to look into the MMRB/MEB/PEB. With the units I work in I have never had to wear a ruck sack and do any road marches. This past June I had to go to a school where those events were part of pt. Needless to say, the pain i felt from wearing a ruck was worse than the original injury. The winging has also only gotten worse over the years, and because of that I have to remind people for the PT test that the shoulders are not to be level with the elbow, that arms are parallel to the ground, yes people are that dumb.

I had my P2 profile reevaluated so that I can't do any overhead activities (pull-up) and I can only carry 20lbs, at the moment I am still in a type of unit that we only wear our gear for training events and firing ranges, but that can change at any moment). There were several other things added I just can't remember them. But it's sad when you HAVE to get a profile (or have one reevaluated) because you cannot physical do something. I've had senior people to me try and force me to do pull ups, and then get upset because I won't do it. But when you can barley get your arm to a 45 degree angle, how do they really expect you to do pull ups. I tried once, and my shoulder winged so bad that the people in line behind me could see it through a loose t-shirt.

Okay sorry I've rambled a lot. I have asked my neurologist about my shoulder and being the army trained docs they are they only want to treat one thing at a time, so he said lets get the migraines under control first. Another note, I had migraines before having the troop seat dropped on me, that just got worse after.

Hi WBL and welcome to the family.

Believe me when I say this, I sympathize with you on the migraines. I am going through the process right now migraines. I was diagnosed with cluster headaches and classic migraine w/aura. I can go on and on about migraines but needless to say I am in bed almost 4 days a week now-a-days.

One pieces of advice I will give you, if you haven't already start a migraine log (you can google it and lots will come up) this will help you and you neuro try to pinpoint triggers, medicaion side effects, diet etc....

Send me a PM and I will explain all the meds I have tried and all I have gone through so far with medical and the process you will starting in regards to migraines, I am currently eating vicodin like candy, just so I can bare to live and sometimes vicodin don't even work. I had one so bad aout a week ago that lasted 4 days and went to the ER and they gave me morphine in my IV and that didn't even work....

I am currently taking elavil as well @50mg a night and imitrex at onsset but neither are working. Ask your neuro about Topomax or zomig, they didn't work for me but maybe they will for you. All the neuro does is make sure there are no underlying issues with your brain (tumors, etc...) and if nothing is discovered they try to find the "magic" combinaton of drugs to stop your migraines.. From my research on migraines they have no cure and the cause of migraines is still not fully understood by doctors these days

Like I said shoot me an PM and I can explain more situation in more detail, maybe everything I have gone through might help you with your migraines. I know how bad they are and feel for you, be thankful you don't have cluster headaches...wow I would rather be dead when my cluster episodes occur...


The smart seasones vets will be on here and help you with the technical stuff about the MEB/PEB

Best of luck and welcome to the family

__________________
Thank you and Semper Fi.......
Tony

"Some people go their entire lives wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem."
Ronald Reagan 40th US President

WBL,

First off, Welcome! I saw your other post and will respond tomorrow. I am travelling and would otherwise be able to write more, but would rather give you a longer reply than I can right now.

As Tony said, sorry that you are suffering with these migraines. I hope you can find some relief.

__________________
Jason

Physical Evaluation Board Forum Administrator
New Members- Read OVERVIEW OF MEB/PEB PROCESS

WBL, welcome to the forum!

Being single minded about treating one thing before taking care of the rest isn't just for the Army. I had to wait 7 months before they'd fix my broken wrist because they were going to do surgery on my knee first. Fun times.

This is a great place to come to when the stress of the whole damn thing starts to mount up. The amount of information here is amazing, and you'll always find some kinds words when you need them.

Best of luck getting that ball rolling.

WBA,
WAB.....(Welcome-A-Board)
this is a gerat resource. feel free to ask away here. there are so many great people here and we r all pretty much in the same situation. good luck!

__________________
"you are your only advocate". stay strong!!!

out,
tucci


"Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender. They will."
John McCain

Thank you everyone for the welcome, sorry I rambled a bit with my intro, it takes a little to explain and I'm just a little disgruntle LOL

Tony- I have a migraine record book and I do take it in with me when I see the doc. The worst thing is that I don't really have a set trigger, I wish there was one and then I could avoid it. I can't take Imitrex as I had an allergic reaction to it. I have tried Zomig, but now thats out too, not sure if it was a severe adverse reaction or allergic reaction but I got tightness in my chest and my heart rate went really high. I'll PM you for more about what treatments you've gone through. My neuro has suggested that I try botox for them, might go that route with my next appointment. As for the cluster headaches, I do get those too, but thankfully it's not that often.

As for the MEB/PEB process I am pretty familiar with it as my husband just went through it, good thing for him was he was able to have the formal PEB Administratively Terminated because in short, the doctor that initiated it didn't do his job.

~Maya~

__________________

The things you fear
are undefeatable
not by their nature
but by your approach

Just replied to your PM....

Thats great you have a log, thats what I do as well, I take my log to my neuro and he documents them for me.

Yeah I only get the cluster headaches 1 week out of the every months, like clockwork for the past 3 months.

One thing that I find that "dulls" my migraine pain is oxygen. On my severe attacks I go to the ER just so I can get on a oxygen mask to drop the pain to a bearable sledgehammer to my head instead of the hot railroad track pins punching through my right eye....makin me get goosebumps just thinkin of the pain I get sometimes...
Yeah topomax made me go numb in my right arm and get flush red with a spacey feeling so I couldn't even tolerate topomax.

I know as fellow migraineur that your willing to try anything to stop the pain, stop it from coming back or even just dull the pain but I am hesitant on the botox treatment, my neuro mentioned the botox but he also said you have a risk of permanetly numbing nerves.

Have you ever heard of a "nerve block"?

Any way, I will be chatting with you through the PM's...

__________________
Thank you and Semper Fi.......
Tony

"Some people go their entire lives wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem."
Ronald Reagan 40th US President