Early issues

[embalmerswife]

Jason,
My husband's definitely unfit, but we are having some problems deciding what's fair and what's unfair as far as a rating is concerned. He has had 3 hospitalizations for his PTSD (totalling six weeks), digestive problems from our base clinic giving him a permanent prescription for a medicine that is not supposed to be taken for more than seven days at a time, a knee problem, a cyst in the brain, inactive TB that was at one time active and was acquired while in service, and severe sleep apnea. Right before his info went up for a rating, the MEB physician discounted his knee. He had knee surgery in April and was told the only way it can be fixed if this didn't work was a knee replacement. His ortho gave him a T3, but said it would probably become a P3 in July when he could look at the knee and the maximum amount of benefit from surgery would have been achieved. The ortho doc did not hold out much hope, and told us to mentally prepare for surgery within the next year. None of this information went up for a rating. Also his psychiatrist rewrote his NARSUM after his hospitalization at the beginning of April, but the January NARSUM went up not the April NARSUM. The April NARSUM documents the repeated hospitalizations. Since all of this information is missing could this really change anything? We know the rating should comeback anyday now, and we are trying to decide what is acceptable and what's not. He doesn't want to appeal and then have a formal reduce his rating, but I don't think the ratings board has the full information with which to make a decision.
One additional question-- which commander should have written his command evaluation? They had his old commander do it even though she had no idea he was sick until he was hospitalized. He was in WTU for four months before his board went up. Who should have written it or is there no strict rule?
Thanks!

[jim1960]

I wish I had some advice for you, but I am sure Jason will. I would like to find out about your husbands severe sleep apnea, is it central or obstructive? Was he involved in an IED? I have severe central sleep apnea after returning from Iraq and was involved in an IED.

Thanks

[embalmerswife]

Jim1960,
I had typed a longer response but I made it disappear somehow. He has obstructive sleep apnea, but it was diagnosed through a sleep study done to measure the amount of REM sleep he was getting to help determine the sleep problems associated with his PTSD. They woke him up extremely early in the study and fixed him with a mask and CPAP.
When you were involved in the IED, did they administer a MACE? You can do this screening test at anytime, even months later. If you get a certain score, they can then do more extensive testing. If they recommend more extensive testing, make sure you demand a SPECT which is the best diagnostic tool for determining and documenting an mTBI which may not cause problems for years. A regular MRI will not show all past mTBI's, a SPECT will. Plus mTBI's and PTSD are linked. PTSD can strike years later also, but that was not the case for my husband.
What is central sleep apnea? Will a CPAP work for this condition? Is it curable or treatable? I'll be interested to hear.

[jim1960]

My IED was in Jan 2005 so not sure anything will tell that it happened so long ago.

Central sleep apnea is when the brain does not tell the body to breath, mine AHI is 129. A CPAP does nothing but make it worse, I have a VPAP that works like a hospital ventilator but has a computer in it that measures my breaths before I go to sleep then breaths for me if I don't. It is a $7,000 machine compared to a $1500 CPAP. The Army just told me I am still fit and can just take my VPAP along with me as reliable power is in most places, I guess where these is no reliable power I just should not sleep.

Make sure your hubby uses his CPAP as SA is a very bad problem and can lead to many other problems. Sleep Apnea Support Forum Index is a great SA forum

Good Luck

[gimax]

i can help with this my buddy got found fit for duty with the same problem , what the army will do is give give trail of duty, The trial of duty lasts 1 year if after the trial of duty(1year) the sleep apena is the same or worse then you can go back through the MEB/PEB and chances are you will get a rating.

[cvma544]

Few years back I had obstructive SA. The CPAP did nothing but make my throat sore no matter how well humidified the air was. SO, I didn't use it.

After a couple years of the affects on my sleep and general health I went to a ENT surgeon and had the surgery to correct the following,

Straightened my nose (septum?) inside
removed my tonsils
removed the uvula (sp?)
general clean up in the sinus areas
elctro shocked the back of the tongue to kill the high spot so the dead cells would be removed by the body,
and trimmed my palette.

At 40 getting my tonsils out..........OUCH!

7 days couldn't swallow anything but water, liquid hydrocodone, and pudding.

Was it worth it? YES, apenea gone, oxygen levels back up, andhave felt great as far as the sleep improvement went.....until Iraq and i got a little dose of PTSD, but thats another story.

IF offered, I would do it, in my case it worked.

Stu

PS I was out of the Army when I developed this and then had this done and paid for by insurance, then few years later the Army let me re-enlist (Guard) I showed them the surgical report and improved sleep study, let me right in. Don't know if this helps or really applies but hope it did.