Vets Muster on the MS deck, Oct 3 2010

[gomer]

Time to FALL IN for our weekly... .........Muster on the MS deck.......

All veterans, active duty and family are ALL welcome here. As veterans we have some different situations and issues than most civilian MSers. We deal with the VA and some of us get our medical care thru VA medical Centers, issues of getting help with disability and pensions etc.

First a big THANKS to Sparky10 for giving us our own cubby hole here. Lets show our appreciation by making god use of our new home. Now don't be a Slacker or MIA.

Lately the VA seems to be trying harder to give us MS care, at least for me that seems to be the case at my local VA clinic and VAMC in Ann Arbor mi.

The VA web site..... (link below) list notice of free monthly educatinal conference calls.
http://www4.va.gov/MS/articles/Educa...ence_Calls.asp
What: Patient and Caregiver conference calls
When: Second Monday of each month
Time: 5-6pm PT, 6-7pm MT, 7-8pm CT, 8-9pm ET
How: call 1.800.767.1750, wait to hear the welcome
........ message then punch the code 43157#

If you have not done so yet, please post an into in the thread titled "Vets Master Muster & intros". Please post only your into there so it ONLY contains your into. You cna always start a new thread for questions or other issues.

How was YOUR week?

Anything new comming up at the VA or elsewhere? I get my MS care at the VA but use my medicare for my other health care needs.

Gomer

[Bob698]

Ny goal for this week is to finish and post the beginning of the all-inclusive Sticky Thread.
So far, its a lot of words that I need to pare down to the essencials and it covers everything from what the VA is and does to getting your claim filed to differences in claim types and pensions to the basic VA medical appointment.
Just because I'll post it doesn't mean its right and I'm hoping the rest of you (as well as my current service rep) will fold, spindle, and mutillate it to make sure its accurate.

[gomer]

Afternoon Bob........

As you know I had my (nightmare) MPOH VSO apt last week.

One Sx while on active duty was VISON related, but it was not an accuity issue. I was sent to the base hospital, was able to find that in my half-MIA med-files, but of course the actual hosp visit is totaly MIA. Whiel it back what I had said about having an hosp eye related Dr visit, no mention of WHY. Unless I can somehow get the Hosp visit rec, I am skrued, on that one.

I am debating on tying to get tested about wheather my hearing loss is MS related, IF (big 2 ltr word) I can get that, then I can prove the hearing loss was MS related and its already documented it was while on active duty.

The question now is do I try and get the testing done at VA or ouside, gut feeling is to go outside the VA for that, maybe?

On another vision issue was my diplopia DID get worse when I was stationed in Fla. Again problems documenting it, missing records, sloppy work etc.

Thanks for mustering... We NEED to gather here on a regular basis, makes for a better friendlier group and shows MS world, we appreciate having our one cubbyhole.

We used to have a catch-all code for malfunctions, forget the code but it was for, Binding, Stuck or Jambed.. got used a lot, maybe sometimes over-used.

Kinda hard to Stape or fold black-box E-tronics. (even tho they were Gray...lol), one could mutilate them tho. (actually happened).

Doc Gomer Doctor of, Been There, Done That.

[epona]

Upcoming

Well, it looks like I am getting a swallow test on 13 Oct. I've been having trouble with food getting stuck in the back of my throat and even liquids won't wash it down. I can clear my throat (in a very un-ladylike fashion) and it will come back up. If I try to swallow it again, it sticks.

At least it is not every bite I eat, just randomly. Fluids sometimes get in my airway more than it used to too and I cough. One time I inhaled a lot of saliva that I didn't even know was back there.

I got to see a new neuro last Wednesday. I told him about the wet/cool feeling on my left leg and he is concerned it is new activity and is supposed to be scheduling me for another MRI. I haven't seen it yet. VA is pretty slow about getting you in for those things. Especially VT as the MRI travels to all the hospitals in a big bus.

I had Drill this past weekend and it was hell. One would think that having ON in the eye you DON'T shoot with wouldn't be an issue, but I still seemed to have trouble seeing well enough to shoot at the range. Oh well.

Then we had a PT test. I failed the pushups and sit ups. I did the 2 1/2 mile walk and passed that in 37:58. First time ever doing the walk event. I've always done the run. Needless to say, I am a wreck physically. I can barely move. I woke up every time I tried to roll over last night as my abs and ribcage hurt so bad. I am such a crybaby, eh? Oh, and a migraine from it all too yesterday.

Hopefully I will be feeling better tomorrow. Boyfriend says I am just out of shape and need to keep working at it. I try to tell him that I don't get any improvement any more no matter how hard or often I try. My muscles just feel weak and I hurt the next day and get a headache from the knots the exercise creates. I really think he forgets I have a disease. I think he is in denial. What can one do.