TLDR: Medboarded out the of Navy Dec 2019 for MH, got better, transitioned out of meds and therapy but back to seeing therapist w/o medication. Coming up on 3 year mark and want to know what to anticipate with eventual TDRL re-eval (nothing scheduled yet).
Hi folks, thank you for all of your great support and advice. I've pushed a lot of people to this board and know you've had a positive impact on a lot of us struggling with this process.
I was put on TDRL in December 2019 for BP2 diagnosis at 70% DOD. I moved internationally to rejoin family and be with my support network, and then COVID hit. For about the first year of my PDRL, I saw a local therapist biweekly in addition to continuing meds. My Navy doc had left me with a massive med supply due to me moving to an area where obtaining new medications would be hard. I've still been unable to get a regular psychiatrist, and gradually stopped taking meds due to side effects that were just as bad as the BP itself and I was getting more confident that I could start managing my condition without. After about a year, I moved again for unrelated reasons, and I stopped seeing my therapist. I actually felt okay, and started taking college-level classes.
Since then, I have had a resurgence of many symptoms and have started seeing a therapist to help. I had an awful experience in general with medication, and think that I am better off continuing therapy without new meds. I am definitely "better" than my initial 70% rating, and I don't want to mislead anyone or get compensated for something I don't have. That said, I do want to continue seeing my therapist because I get a lot of benefit from that. I was able to take college-level courses and I'm set to graduate soon! I still have symptoms, but I am "managing" my condition pretty well all around.
I did recently decide to give away my firearms that were in relatively inaccessible storage due to brief episodes of hypomania and suicidal ideation, but actually felt really responsible/good that I could do that myself.
Question: How might the reevaluation board respond to stopping meds and therapy during TDRL, and now being only back to regular therapy? I'm not back to 100% and don't think I'll ever be, but I'm healthier than I was in the service and want to be honest about my condition. I haven't heard anything from the VA or the Navy since separation and want to get my ducks in a row for my eventual future re-eval.
Sorry for the book. I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on my situation. Am I going to be found fit for RTD? I'd really prefer not to go down that route. I don't know that I meet the requirements for PDRL (30%), but I'm more concerned about being honest than I am about "getting the money".
Hi folks, thank you for all of your great support and advice. I've pushed a lot of people to this board and know you've had a positive impact on a lot of us struggling with this process.
I was put on TDRL in December 2019 for BP2 diagnosis at 70% DOD. I moved internationally to rejoin family and be with my support network, and then COVID hit. For about the first year of my PDRL, I saw a local therapist biweekly in addition to continuing meds. My Navy doc had left me with a massive med supply due to me moving to an area where obtaining new medications would be hard. I've still been unable to get a regular psychiatrist, and gradually stopped taking meds due to side effects that were just as bad as the BP itself and I was getting more confident that I could start managing my condition without. After about a year, I moved again for unrelated reasons, and I stopped seeing my therapist. I actually felt okay, and started taking college-level classes.
Since then, I have had a resurgence of many symptoms and have started seeing a therapist to help. I had an awful experience in general with medication, and think that I am better off continuing therapy without new meds. I am definitely "better" than my initial 70% rating, and I don't want to mislead anyone or get compensated for something I don't have. That said, I do want to continue seeing my therapist because I get a lot of benefit from that. I was able to take college-level courses and I'm set to graduate soon! I still have symptoms, but I am "managing" my condition pretty well all around.
I did recently decide to give away my firearms that were in relatively inaccessible storage due to brief episodes of hypomania and suicidal ideation, but actually felt really responsible/good that I could do that myself.
Question: How might the reevaluation board respond to stopping meds and therapy during TDRL, and now being only back to regular therapy? I'm not back to 100% and don't think I'll ever be, but I'm healthier than I was in the service and want to be honest about my condition. I haven't heard anything from the VA or the Navy since separation and want to get my ducks in a row for my eventual future re-eval.
Sorry for the book. I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on my situation. Am I going to be found fit for RTD? I'd really prefer not to go down that route. I don't know that I meet the requirements for PDRL (30%), but I'm more concerned about being honest than I am about "getting the money".
