Avoiding MEB/PEB

R

Randalls6

PEB Forum Regular Member
Greetings.

BLUF: I do not want another MEB but would like to stay in the Army for 20 years. Currently have 15 years of Active Federal Serice.

My story: Went to the doc in 2003 for Low Back Pain (LBP) that had been persistant for a couple of years. They prescribed Celebrex which caused my guts to feel as though they were ripping apart. I stopped taking it after a few months. Deployed to Middle East, returned, and PCS'd to the Pentagon. LBP was still ongoing so I went to the Doc in MDW area. They had me to Physical Therapy, no success. Went back after having 12+ months of temporary profile since they needed to evaluate me for a permanent profile. Had another x-ray that showed deteriation of two disks (low back, don't remember the numbers - something like L4 and L5??) and an MRI that confirmed DDD. PCM gave me a "3" for lower body, triggering a MEB. I fought hard on this for a few months and successfully got the MEB to deem me retainable and upgrade me to a "2" on my profile.

Current Situation: Since then, I've avoided the medical facilities like the plague because I do not want them to put me back into the board process. I've just dealt with back spasms and joint pain with motrin for the past few years never visiting the medical folks. Well, that all stopped because for the past week I've had a new pain that feels like my lower vertabrae are grinding together and it scares me. Sitting and walking are a challenge. So I went into the Pentagon clinic and they ordered up an x-ray this am. Tomorrow I go see my new PCM for the first time on this.

My Questions:

1. What do I tell him? I simply must stay on AD. I love my job and I love serving. Do I downplay the pain or shoot straight?

2. If the x-ray shows an further problems with my back like a deteriation since the 2006 x-rays and MRI, will I end up back in the MEB process? Is there any way to avoid it?

Thanks for any of you smart folks who can help an old Infantryman out...
 
Sitting and walking are a challenge.
Click to expand...

Downplaying the pain may buy you some time, but in the long run may hurt you. It seems like a chicken or the egg problem...if you don't explain what is going on, you may not be able to get help you need to recover. If you don't recover, then they are going to eventually find out you can't do your job (not many 11B jobs that don't require walking). On the other hand, if you tell them, you may well trigger a new MEB. Tough options.

Have you thought about an MMRB and trying to change MOS's? Other than recovering and not having any significant duty limitations, this may be the best route for you to stay in the Army. There is Continuation on Active Duty after an unfit finding, but given your MOS and the severity of your symptoms (from what you said), this may be a stretch.
 
Thanks, Jason, for the quick advice. I did fail to point out that I am now a FA59, Strat Planner. All desk work though I may need to go to theater every now and again - - it is desk work there as well. I'm hoping that my symptoms fade a bit soon! Regardless, I've gotten the x-ray which is what I have been avoiding. The Continuation on Active Duty is a good thought. I've heard of this, but had forgotten about the option. Being a non-practicing Infantryman, it may work out with this in mind.
 
I agree with Jason that a COAD would be your best course of action now that you have over 15 years of service. You can talk to the PEBLO about that option when the time arises. Good luck and best wishes.
 
Hi all,

SITREP: The appointment with Dr. went well, x-rays show nothing significant so I won't be MEB'd again at this time. No diagnosis of the current bout of LBP but I did get a physical therepy consult. So, I guess I'm just fine. Hopefully that means I can walk pain free soon!
 
Update:

No change in the pain levels. I was prescribed a pack of steroids for the swelling, they helped a bit. Today I did my PT appointment. The PT doc(?) was good. Based on my symptoms and the myriad of manipulations he did to me to evoke pain, he is convinced that I have a bulge/herniated disk. Does anyone have experiences with this? I can probably avoid getting an MRI to confirm. I am unsure if this is a major problem or not, just now starting to look into it. Thoughts?
 
Get the MRI and find out what the problem is. If you do have a herniated or buldging disk - get MOBIC - excellent anti inflamatory. You say you are a 59A? In transit to become one myslef. Have you been deployed as a 59A with your back problems? How was it?
 
Hi Dave. Just got the MRI on Friday, actually... we'll see! I've deployed twice as a 59A - no problems at all. Even buggering around IZ when it was the wild west was not an issue for me - though 98% staff/office work, even while overseas.

Enjoy the career field - it's a good one!
 
Hi all,

Hoping someone who knows what this stuff means can give me a rundown of what my new MRI results can say regarding if this may meet the 30% requirement or not. My PCM is not recommending a "3" profile, so that's good! I am not interested in being medically discharged, but wonder where I will stand if this comes to pass.

L1-L2-L3 No significant spondyloarthropty.

L3-L4: Broad based dis bulge with superimposed small subligamentous central dis protrusion with mild subarticular recess stenosis bilaterally. Mild facet arthrosis with T1-T2 increased facet synovitis bilaterally without inflammatory changes in the adjacent soft tissues.

L5-S1: Mild broad-based disk protrusion without significant neural foraminal stenosis. On the sagittal images there is disk desiccation. THe vertebral body heights and disk spaces are maintained. Alignment is normal. The bone marrow signal is normal. The conus medullaris terminates at a normal anatomic level.

Impression: the patient has multilevel lumbar spondyloarthropathy.
 
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