Mom of a female Vet newly diagnosed- She received Anthrax vaccine from US military

[Megans Mom]

My daughter was just diagnosed Thursday. She is beautiful 35 yo single Mom. I feel so bad for her, I am not quite sure of how to help her. I am an RN, so I did lots of reading and helped her navigate the diagnostic process. I think she was fairly lucky to get prompt diagnosis upon the first exascerbation / symptoms. We think there may be a link to her having received the Anthrax Vaccine when she was in the Army in the 90's, as its listed as an Adverse Reaction in the Anthrax vaccine information sheet ( although it was a mandatory vaccine if you went to the middle east or south Korea and she went to both)
Has anyone else had it after that vaccine ?

[hunterd]

welcome megans mom!!!!! yay for you to take action i`ve never been enlisted in any branch of service, i just wanted to welcome you. good luck.

dave

[JenAM]

Hi Megan's Mom! My son just graduated from college and was commissioned in the Army in May. He's waiting to go to more training. I know he's going to be receiving a whole lot of vaccines. That really concerns me!

From what I've read there's a lot higher percentage of MS in people who have been in the military. There has to be some kind of a connection.

Thinking of you and wishing the best for your daughter.

Jen

[KoKo]

Hello Megans Mom

Welcome to the MS World Forums!

Your daughter is very fortunate to have a caring and concerned Mom such as yourself

I haven't been in the service, (and never had the Anthrax vaccine).

We think there may be a link to her having received the Anthrax Vaccine when she was in the Army in the 90's, as its listed as an Adverse Reaction in the Anthrax vaccine information sheet

Gosh, I wasn't aware of MS being an adverse reaction to a mandatory Anthrax vaccine. That's very unfortunate and sad to know that your daughter may have acquired it from the vaccine. Of course, it's unfortunate no matter what the cause.

You might want to post your question in the General Questions and Answers Forum. More members seem to be on that Forum, and you may get more responses.

Wishing you and your daughter the best

Take care,
KoKo

[poohb3ar]

welcome megans mom!
so sorry about your daughter. thank her from me for her service to our country. does she live nearby where you can help her. i know you'll do whatever you can. praying for both of you. it's so hard seeing your children sick. i worry about my girls getting MS since they don't know the cause.
that's horrible about the anthrax vaccine and MS!
you said you did research on the vaccine & MS connection can you start me in the right direction. if it's true why do they make them take it? are th
ey taking care of all her medical needs? not that it helps give her life back. ugh! that makes me mad & scared!
my youngest DD is at the naval academy and graduate next spring. that vacinne worries me. so far she's not be sent far off the coast on summer runs w/ the Navy.
if it's true about vaccine, which i believe since you did lots of research on it, we need to get their attention to protect others. maybe if those affected got together & sued. which i hate to sue but this sounds like a time to, it would get their attn.
i know when military says do it, most do it without question or second thought, that's what they're trained to do.
what a mess.
take care & GOd bless ya both!

[rocky282]

THank you

Thanks Megan's Mom! I am the wife of a disabled Vet and I was Diagnosed in January of this year with MS. Between the two of us we are very "gimpy" it is our running joke who will be in a wheelchair first. (we have to try and laugh about it or we would cry) My mother is also an RN and I think the best she did for us is to give us weekends now and then without the kiddos. With her being a single mom, perhaps you could help by doing the same thing. I am certain that she will need the breaks.

[notmyms]

To a great Mom

Megan's Mom,

So sorry for your daughter's diagnosis, and so glad she has a supportive Mom. Thank you for the service and sacrifice you've both given our country.

You'll find this is a great group for info and support. Keep reaching out.

[Bob698]

Welcome. Wow, talk about the 64 thousand dollar question!
I had my shots in Hawaii, never went into the theatre but I think the reasoning was "Well, just in case".
I have no other relatives going back at least three generations who had anything close to MS or immune system diseases.
I'm also on a non-service-connected pension (I filed outside the 7 year window) but the VA is treating me very well. Back when I started my VA claim, I noticed the LAST thing they wanted to talk about was Gulf War Syndrome. It made them downright nervous.
Tell your daughter about us, this is a great place to hang out.

[Bob698]

Just to elaborate (in case my post ever shows up)*, the 64 thousand dollar question stuff refers to the old TV game show.
Anyway, in case your daughter has any questions re: the VA there are several of us who can share our experiences.
There are also books out there dealing with things like squalline and GWS. Some are good, some are snakeoil and its hard to tell which to believe.
IMO, its better if she deals with getting a handle on MS first.





*- Just kidding, Mods.

[Militarymom34]

Ok now i know it wasn't just me. I started having symptoms right after my first shot and i kept telling them that i don't think i should be taking the shots anymore. But they said some people just have a bad reaction but not to worry my body will get used to it. Well seven shots later i now have PPMS. Tell your daughter to contact the VA and file for a service connected disability for MS.

[Bob698]

Tell your daughter to contact the VA and file for a service connected disability for MS.

Well, first things first.
The most important piece of paper in the known universe is her original DD214 that she got when she was discharged.
You'll know its the DD214 because it doesn't say DD214 on it. Its her actual discharge paper that listed her info like rank/rate and any medals and its usually the first page of a service jacket. Any photocopies of a DD 214 MUST be stamped by a notary if its the first time the VA sees them. Likewise, any correspondance to obtain important records should be notarized.
If she can't find it, you can apply for a copy online (which will take years) OR you can check with the VA in the state where she was inducted (I think all states have a policy where their VA gets a copy after a soldier hits EAOS).

Its also VERY VERY handy if she has a complete copy of her med records since these old records tend to burst into flame at inoppertune moments.

[Bob698]

(Danged cog fog)

Chapter 2, the stuff I forgot last night.

Its also very important to gather any medical records since she was discharged. Specifically, any doctor or ER visits for stuff that you later realized was linked to MS.
The dates for these visits can be critical!
Basically, you have a hard limit of 7 years from the date of EAOS to make a service-connected claim. Doctor visits within that 7 year window count even if you're filing outside the window but the VA will want documented proof (bills, letters, etc.).

Next is to figure out who to contact. The term VA can be misleading because there are, practically speaking, many VAs within your state. There's also the national VA who controls over-all access when you're first filing and also disbursement of direct funds (pension, etc.).
Initial contacts could be with a VA rep (recommended for the medical stuff) or a service org. rep (DAV, Legion, or other military service org, this seems to vary by state).
I would strongly stress going to the VA directly to get medical care and tests started ASAP and worry about the pension stuff later. Be careful of the "latrine lawyers" (an old military term cleaned up, these are not real lawyers but other vets who think they scammed the system or know someone who knows someone's brother) or actual "reps" (service group vollunteers or staffers) who claim everything is a slam-dunk and its just a matter of time before they lnow the specifics of your case. Who ever you choose, you'll probably need to sign them as power of attorney, so choose wisely.

[Bob698]

..and finally

The filing process can be daunting at times. For many of us the initial reaction is that we avoided the VA because we didn't want to take the spot of someone who deserved it more.
Please keep in mind that you quallified for and paid into these services the day you put on the uniform.
This stuff was set up (and budgeted) for all of us to use if needed.
Above all, be honest when you file. The VA isn't like winning the lottery but they will take care of you. Keep your expectations grounded an you'll be fine.

[epona]

Megans Mom

I just got my claim yesterday. I got 30% as my MS isn't that bad (yet). I was in Desert Storm. I was lucky as I went into the NG two years after Active Duty and was at school on active duty orders when I got Optic Neuritis. Otherwise, I was out of my time limit as Bob698 said. Actually, the doctor told me 10 years since last on duty, but he may have been wrong or it changed recently.

Bob gives you great advice. Get a Veteran's Service Officer to help with the claim. Your state may provide one or every Legion, VFW, etc has them at the VA just for helping vets get their disability claims. I actually worked 5 months in training as a VSO, so when I did my claim, I knew what I needed and how to do the forms. It is daunting. Just have your ducks in a row. Keep all paperwork. I saved all my sick call slips even from active duty to show how often I was sick (just in case my medical records disappeared or they didn't document everything).

I never got the anthrax vaccine that I know of. I did take one or two of those tablets (pregidistone?) they gave to "prevent nerve agent poisoning" while in Desert Storm, but I was uncomfortable taking them and faked it a while until they decided the guys further up in the bad stuff needed it more and took them away.

I wish you and her luck. She is in good shape to have you for a mom.

[twisterred]

Thank you for what your daughter has done for our country.

In regards to MS and a link to her having received the Anthrax Vaccine when she was in the Army and MS listed as an Adverse Reaction, I think what that means is MS can happen after the vaccine, not that the vaccine causes MS.

A long time ago, there was speculation that being around dogs caused MS. Some people believed that back then.

I do believe there are triggers that lead to MS, but everyone is different and everyone's genes and ways we deal with life are different.
It seems like there are certain switches that can turn on our immune system in addition to family history.

Any Scottish history in your family?
Scotland has the most cases of MS.

Had your daughter had any great stress lately?
Or has she been in some sort or trauma that resulted in trauma to the body? Some friends of mine were in car crashes just before the first symptoms appeared. I had a big blow to the head and had great stress for a number of months. Just after all of that, I had my first flare.

Did she have Mono? There is some thinking that the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes Mono get in the body and turns on the MS switch because of an overly active immune system.
I didn't officially have mono, but had plenty of yearly colds and strep throat.

Thank you for writing and sharing.
Even as an RN, you will learn so much about the disease.
There is lots docs don't know that can best be learned through experience.

Hope that helped some.