This is a long one, so I apologize in advance!
I joined May 2019 and I’ve had chronic back pain since tech school ~Oct 2019. I haven’t performed a pt test since I completed BMT, so for over 4 years now. I was stretching in class and had sharp pain all of a sudden that made it very difficult to do pretty much anything. It got slightly better (less sharp and stabbing) for awhile. I did PT at tech school and then moved to my first duty station right around when COVID restrictions hit, early 2020.
My PCM referred me off base for a second round of PT that ended up making my back pain worse. PCM referred me to Ortho mid 2020 and it was found that I had a couple of congenital issues, neither of which should be causing the amount of pain I was in. Did some injections and then more digging and even more injections, nothing helps, blah blah blah time passes, then I get orders to deploy in January 2022.
Surprised my PCM cleared me to deploy, I went with it because I wasn’t aware I was even able to dispute it. So I deployed, unable to carry all of my own bags and gear and had to get help from a couple friends. I was in so much pain that during our layovers in the hotels, I was pretty much bed bound the whole time, in agonizing pain.
Luckily, I didn’t have much work to do on the deployment (I’m in maintenance btw). When I get back to home station and see Ortho again, they decide to do a CT scan. Find that I had 3 fractures that weren’t new, but couldn’t be seen on the xray and MRI. Dr said that they didn’t heal properly and that’s likely what causes my pain. Likely from the incident in tech school. Did more injections, no relief. So Ortho suggests spinal fusion L5-S1, I get it done Oct 2022.
Keep in mind, all this time I have been unable to perform many of my AFSC duties without significant pain. PCM keeps saying “this will likely trigger an MEB” for years now. Fast forward to this year, my unit is divesting because my jet is no longer flying. I haven’t worked on the flightline since my deployment in 2022. My surgery did not relieve any pain for me and Ortho says they should remove my hardware, since they think it’s rubbing on my scar tissue and causing the continued pain. I get an assignment in July 2023 and orders a month or two later, so I decide to wait to schedule hardware removal surgery until I get to new base. However, my PCM FINALLY refers me to MEB Oct 2023. I decided to go ahead and schedule my hardware removal sx for January 9th (soonest avail).
It’s now almost Christmas and I just got a call today saying my profile was kicked back due to my PCM not having duty restrictions listed (because I haven’t had to do work due to divestment, so issue was never pressed). So, I have a RNLTD of 31 Jan 2024, a sx scheduled for 9 Jan, and am still in the very first stage of the medboard process with NO clue as to how any of this is supposed to work.
Leadership is telling me that I’m going to be discharged and not to worry about this PCS. PCM is telling me that AFPC could decide to reclass me and wait 6 months post op to see if I get better before discharging me OR they could decide to return me to duty and then I’d have to PCS asap. I don’t know what to do or who to talk to about this, everyone I talk to has no clue about anything. I’m stressing like crazy over here. What should I be expecting to come from this????
I joined May 2019 and I’ve had chronic back pain since tech school ~Oct 2019. I haven’t performed a pt test since I completed BMT, so for over 4 years now. I was stretching in class and had sharp pain all of a sudden that made it very difficult to do pretty much anything. It got slightly better (less sharp and stabbing) for awhile. I did PT at tech school and then moved to my first duty station right around when COVID restrictions hit, early 2020.
My PCM referred me off base for a second round of PT that ended up making my back pain worse. PCM referred me to Ortho mid 2020 and it was found that I had a couple of congenital issues, neither of which should be causing the amount of pain I was in. Did some injections and then more digging and even more injections, nothing helps, blah blah blah time passes, then I get orders to deploy in January 2022.
Surprised my PCM cleared me to deploy, I went with it because I wasn’t aware I was even able to dispute it. So I deployed, unable to carry all of my own bags and gear and had to get help from a couple friends. I was in so much pain that during our layovers in the hotels, I was pretty much bed bound the whole time, in agonizing pain.
Luckily, I didn’t have much work to do on the deployment (I’m in maintenance btw). When I get back to home station and see Ortho again, they decide to do a CT scan. Find that I had 3 fractures that weren’t new, but couldn’t be seen on the xray and MRI. Dr said that they didn’t heal properly and that’s likely what causes my pain. Likely from the incident in tech school. Did more injections, no relief. So Ortho suggests spinal fusion L5-S1, I get it done Oct 2022.
Keep in mind, all this time I have been unable to perform many of my AFSC duties without significant pain. PCM keeps saying “this will likely trigger an MEB” for years now. Fast forward to this year, my unit is divesting because my jet is no longer flying. I haven’t worked on the flightline since my deployment in 2022. My surgery did not relieve any pain for me and Ortho says they should remove my hardware, since they think it’s rubbing on my scar tissue and causing the continued pain. I get an assignment in July 2023 and orders a month or two later, so I decide to wait to schedule hardware removal surgery until I get to new base. However, my PCM FINALLY refers me to MEB Oct 2023. I decided to go ahead and schedule my hardware removal sx for January 9th (soonest avail).
It’s now almost Christmas and I just got a call today saying my profile was kicked back due to my PCM not having duty restrictions listed (because I haven’t had to do work due to divestment, so issue was never pressed). So, I have a RNLTD of 31 Jan 2024, a sx scheduled for 9 Jan, and am still in the very first stage of the medboard process with NO clue as to how any of this is supposed to work.
Leadership is telling me that I’m going to be discharged and not to worry about this PCS. PCM is telling me that AFPC could decide to reclass me and wait 6 months post op to see if I get better before discharging me OR they could decide to return me to duty and then I’d have to PCS asap. I don’t know what to do or who to talk to about this, everyone I talk to has no clue about anything. I’m stressing like crazy over here. What should I be expecting to come from this????
