Greetings Disability Warriors!
Glad to know I'm not alone in this. Here's my story/timeline;
2010 - Joined the Navy
I've had an amazing 6 years in the US Navy (hooyah). After careful review of my medical records and recollections, I realized that I've had repeated issues with bouts of "dizziness", "eustachian tube dysfunction", "sensorneural hearing loss" and "tinnitus". Over the years, I've always attributed my dizzy spells, anxiety and discomfort to the fact that I made a living on a floating vessel. I sucked it up and carried on. (Never mentioned it to ANYONE to avoid the possibility of being viewed as a weak link.) I had vertigo attacks once every two-three months and they were short lived so they weren't too bothersome.
2013 - I came back from deployment December 2013 and began experiencing more frequent vertigo attacks, but did not press the issue with my PCM, thought I just needed time to get my sea legs back.
2014 - I PCS'd in Spring of 2014, started waking up in my sleep spinning. (Scared the living daylights out of me, so I let the cat out of the bag to my PCM and was referred to an ENT.) After VNG and numerous hearing and vestibular testing, I was diagnosed with bilateral meniere's disease in November 2014 and have been treated ever since. My vertigo attacks were at 2-3 times per week. Treatment included Vestibular rehab, water pills, diet change
March 2015 - tympanotomy (tube in ear) meniette device. Drop attacks have decreased to 1-2 times per week since treatment began. (Paid $3,600 out of pocket for my meniette device, as Tricare does not cover "experimental equipment")
October 2015
CDP and Vestibular PT Eval complete at NMC Bethesda
November - December 2016
Aggressive, daily VRT, improvement in vestibular function between attacks, but no change in frequecy of vertigo attacks
January 2016
Placed on LIMDU and simultaneously referred for
MEB/IDES, assigned a PEBLO
Conditions referred: 1. Meniere's disease 2. Vertigo 3. Sensonural Hearing Loss
February 2016
Assigned a Lawyer and VA Rep, NARSUM message sent to command for CO action w/approval for Informal PEB.
Currently awaiting C&P exams at VA
To be continued...
Glad to know I'm not alone in this. Here's my story/timeline;
2010 - Joined the Navy
I've had an amazing 6 years in the US Navy (hooyah). After careful review of my medical records and recollections, I realized that I've had repeated issues with bouts of "dizziness", "eustachian tube dysfunction", "sensorneural hearing loss" and "tinnitus". Over the years, I've always attributed my dizzy spells, anxiety and discomfort to the fact that I made a living on a floating vessel. I sucked it up and carried on. (Never mentioned it to ANYONE to avoid the possibility of being viewed as a weak link.) I had vertigo attacks once every two-three months and they were short lived so they weren't too bothersome.
2013 - I came back from deployment December 2013 and began experiencing more frequent vertigo attacks, but did not press the issue with my PCM, thought I just needed time to get my sea legs back.
2014 - I PCS'd in Spring of 2014, started waking up in my sleep spinning. (Scared the living daylights out of me, so I let the cat out of the bag to my PCM and was referred to an ENT.) After VNG and numerous hearing and vestibular testing, I was diagnosed with bilateral meniere's disease in November 2014 and have been treated ever since. My vertigo attacks were at 2-3 times per week. Treatment included Vestibular rehab, water pills, diet change
March 2015 - tympanotomy (tube in ear) meniette device. Drop attacks have decreased to 1-2 times per week since treatment began. (Paid $3,600 out of pocket for my meniette device, as Tricare does not cover "experimental equipment")
October 2015
CDP and Vestibular PT Eval complete at NMC Bethesda
November - December 2016
Aggressive, daily VRT, improvement in vestibular function between attacks, but no change in frequecy of vertigo attacks
January 2016
Placed on LIMDU and simultaneously referred for
MEB/IDES, assigned a PEBLO
Conditions referred: 1. Meniere's disease 2. Vertigo 3. Sensonural Hearing Loss
February 2016
Assigned a Lawyer and VA Rep, NARSUM message sent to command for CO action w/approval for Informal PEB.
Currently awaiting C&P exams at VA
To be continued...