Not sure what to do, or really what I am asking for

T

Tstarke0209

New Member
Registered Member
Heyo, apologize if I am on the wrong thread currently, please direct me where I belong. I am here way sooner than I ever expected. AD O2 USN. Currently being treated for Vestibular Migraines. I was 100% healthy and selected for aviation joining the Navy. The Navy diagnosed me with Keratoconus, no longer a flight student. Had Corneal cross-linking done. Current Intel type. The last 8 weeks have been hell. Randomly one day, I drove to work and had a wild episode of pre-syncope. Since then, it has been 3 visits to the ER and incurable vertigo. Several tests, Tricare referrals, and specialists later, Neurologist and ENT are treating me for vestibular migraines. She won't diagnose me officially until she finds that the treatment is working or it will be considered Meniere's Disease. I would be lying if I said I don't think this is complimented by anxiety of an attack coming on. The second episode/attack/instance happened while I was driving and I almost wrecked. My understanding is this will immediately prompt a med board. I am new to the process myself.

I broke my ankle the month before this all started, full tear of two ligaments, and was immobile for a few weeks. I haven't been able to complete any PT for this because I cannot seem to walk straight or operate with these random vertigo episodes. I was having tinnitus post OCS from a particular instance which I never reported but I just figured ear ringing was normal. Now with these "migraines," it's worse than ever before. My wife and coworkers drive me to work and I missed 12 days of work last month. No one understood until I came in walking like I was drunk from 12 hours of binge drinking and couldn't hold my head straight. I get sent home 3 times a week because I try to go in. When they are gone? I am a normal human. I feel fine. When they are on? It is literally debilitating, the cranial and eye pressure. I can't even read.

While in the Navy I have had:
Keratoconus
Chronic Dry Eyes post-surgery
Broken Ankle/Torn ligaments
Limited ROM in the ankle
Tinnitus
Anxiety (caused by these migraines)

My questions to you are if this becomes manageable with medication as Vestibular migraines will I still be found unfit?
If I am found fit, will I be undeployable to sea?
I had zero intention of staying in the Navy doing my current job, however, I at least wanted to make it to 36 months for 100% of my GI bill benefits. I am at 28 months currently. Do you think this process, let's say it started tomorrow, will take at least 8 months before a med separation?
With all of those conditions listed above, what rating would I be looking at? Would they likely combine the Ankle break and limited ROM or the Keratoconus/Chronic Dry Eye or the Tinnitus/Vestibular migraines/anxiety together?
I wanted to get out of the navy but this has really thrown my trajectory off course. I have found in my career I am my only advocate in the DOD and I want to make sure I am doing this all as correct as I can from the beginning.
Do I want to waive my DOD benefits and go with VA? Why?
Do I want to go with the NAVY VA rating or wait until after?
 
Tstarke0209 said:
Heyo, apologize if I am on the wrong thread currently, please direct me where I belong. I am here way sooner than I ever expected. AD O2 USN. Currently being treated for Vestibular Migraines. I was 100% healthy and selected for aviation joining the Navy. The Navy diagnosed me with Keratoconus, no longer a flight student. Had Corneal cross-linking done. Current Intel type. The last 8 weeks have been hell. Randomly one day, I drove to work and had a wild episode of pre-syncope. Since then, it has been 3 visits to the ER and incurable vertigo. Several tests, Tricare referrals, and specialists later, Neurologist and ENT are treating me for vestibular migraines. She won't diagnose me officially until she finds that the treatment is working or it will be considered Meniere's Disease. I would be lying if I said I don't think this is complimented by anxiety of an attack coming on. The second episode/attack/instance happened while I was driving and I almost wrecked. My understanding is this will immediately prompt a med board. I am new to the process myself.

I broke my ankle the month before this all started, full tear of two ligaments, and was immobile for a few weeks. I haven't been able to complete any PT for this because I cannot seem to walk straight or operate with these random vertigo episodes. I was having tinnitus post OCS from a particular instance which I never reported but I just figured ear ringing was normal. Now with these "migraines," it's worse than ever before. My wife and coworkers drive me to work and I missed 12 days of work last month. No one understood until I came in walking like I was drunk from 12 hours of binge drinking and couldn't hold my head straight. I get sent home 3 times a week because I try to go in. When they are gone? I am a normal human. I feel fine. When they are on? It is literally debilitating, the cranial and eye pressure. I can't even read.

While in the Navy I have had:
Keratoconus
Chronic Dry Eyes post-surgery
Broken Ankle/Torn ligaments
Limited ROM in the ankle
Tinnitus
Anxiety (caused by these migraines)

My questions to you are if this becomes manageable with medication as Vestibular migraines will I still be found unfit?
If I am found fit, will I be undeployable to sea?
I had zero intention of staying in the Navy doing my current job, however, I at least wanted to make it to 36 months for 100% of my GI bill benefits. I am at 28 months currently. Do you think this process, let's say it started tomorrow, will take at least 8 months before a med separation?
With all of those conditions listed above, what rating would I be looking at? Would they likely combine the Ankle break and limited ROM or the Keratoconus/Chronic Dry Eye or the Tinnitus/Vestibular migraines/anxiety together?
I wanted to get out of the navy but this has really thrown my trajectory off course. I have found in my career I am my only advocate in the DOD and I want to make sure I am doing this all as correct as I can from the beginning.
Do I want to waive my DOD benefits and go with VA? Why?
Do I want to go with the NAVY VA rating or wait until after?
Click to expand...
Navy's average MEB/PEB has been 7 - 12 months with a lot of different things that could delay it longer, to include location, personnel assigned to your case doing their job, how many exams you need, and you sitting on documents that need to be turned in. if you're at 28 months, you should reach 36 months with no issues. If you go through the MEB/PEB, you'll be assigned a lawyer and they can best advise you how to delay if necessary.

I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease after chasing vestibular migraines. I know exactly the pain you are going through. In terms of treatment, today, I take a valium when an attack comes on and that's about the only relief I get from him. It reduces what is normally a 6-8 hour attack down to an hour or less.

1) Even if your condition is manageable with medication, they will look at a holistic view of your condition and how it affects your ability to do your job. You will have the option to right a statement advocating for your self. For mine, I explained the multiple occasions that came on while at work, to include the two drop attacks I had.
2) If you are found fit (unlikely based on what i just went through), then they are saying you meet retention and deployment standards. When you get selected for sea duty, you'll do a screening and if you fail there, the process may start all over (again unlikely as Meniere's or random vertigo is not compatible for sea duty. You can look up navy retention standards and there is a blurb in there about vertigo, Meniere's, and the like.
3)I think, based on others and my own timeline, you will meet the 36 months. Even if it starts tomorrow, its not instant, there are time tables and things that have to happen before you start.
4) What you are rated will be determined but what is documented in your treatment records. Look up the 38 CFR VASRD and look at migraines, vertigo, and meniere's. You will see the criteria for each and what constitutes the different percentages of disabilities. If you can only be rated for one system. Anxiety and migraines are rated separately. You ankle should be rated likely on ROM/Pain. Again the 38 CFR will show you how they rate the ankle.
5) why waive DOD benefits if the condition occurred while in service?
6) Not sure what you mean by Navy VA rating. The VA is the VA, they will provide a rating which the PEB then uses for your unfitting condition. The DOD rating is simply for the referred condition while the VA rating is for all conditions.

Its a lot to process, feel free to DM me if I can amplify things especially with regards to the Meniere's since i chased that rabbit hole for the last year.
 
FatherTime39 said:
Navy's average MEB/PEB has been 7 - 12 months with a lot of different things that could delay it longer, to include location, personnel assigned to your case doing their job, how many exams you need, and you sitting on documents that need to be turned in. if you're at 28 months, you should reach 36 months with no issues. If you go through the MEB/PEB, you'll be assigned a lawyer and they can best advise you how to delay if necessary.

I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease after chasing vestibular migraines. I know exactly the pain you are going through. In terms of treatment, today, I take a valium when an attack comes on and that's about the only relief I get from him. It reduces what is normally a 6-8 hour attack down to an hour or less.

1) Even if your condition is manageable with medication, they will look at a holistic view of your condition and how it affects your ability to do your job. You will have the option to right a statement advocating for your self. For mine, I explained the multiple occasions that came on while at work, to include the two drop attacks I had.
2) If you are found fit (unlikely based on what i just went through), then they are saying you meet retention and deployment standards. When you get selected for sea duty, you'll do a screening and if you fail there, the process may start all over (again unlikely as Meniere's or random vertigo is not compatible for sea duty. You can look up navy retention standards and there is a blurb in there about vertigo, Meniere's, and the like.
3)I think, based on others and my own timeline, you will meet the 36 months. Even if it starts tomorrow, its not instant, there are time tables and things that have to happen before you start.
4) What you are rated will be determined but what is documented in your treatment records. Look up the 38 CFR VASRD and look at migraines, vertigo, and meniere's. You will see the criteria for each and what constitutes the different percentages of disabilities. If you can only be rated for one system. Anxiety and migraines are rated separately. You ankle should be rated likely on ROM/Pain. Again the 38 CFR will show you how they rate the ankle.
5) why waive DOD benefits if the condition occurred while in service?
6) Not sure what you mean by Navy VA rating. The VA is the VA, they will provide a rating which the PEB then uses for your unfitting condition. The DOD rating is simply for the referred condition while the VA rating is for all conditions.

Its a lot to process, feel free to DM me if I can amplify things especially with regards to the Meniere's since i chased that rabbit hole for the last year.
Click to expand...
How did they figure out it was Menieres over VM? I’ve been diagnosed with VM, PPPD and POTS.
 
For me, I am station in SoCal. UCLA's medical department has a specific MRI they do for Meniere's that detects endolymphatic hydrops. Through that they were able to prove that I likely have meniere's and I was diagnosed from there. I ran the gambit with the PCM of trying to label it everything but. She finally gave me a referral to see a neurologist so I searched for a neurologist that had experience with Meniere's. Turns out, the Doc at UCLA has done some of his life's work on Meniere's. I guess I got lucky in finding a doctor like that. Dr. Ishiyama is name, out of UCLA. I did the MRI, vestibular testing, vestibular therapy.
 
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