PTSD

Sorry that I don't have a link, I briefly looked on msn but didn't see anything. I was just listening to the radio and it was saying something about an email within the VA that in some way wanted doctors to stop diagnosing vets with PTSD to keep claims cost down. Here is the issue. VA claims are out of control and I say this a few short months before I retire and will clog the system up a little more with my own claim. My problem is I could just as easily claim PTSD and milk the system for a little more but its just wrong. I don't agree with the email, however there has to be some way to clean up the b/s that is keeping vets that are deserving assistance from getting it. The number I think I heard was over 600k claims that are still awaiting some type of action and that is just sad. Guess I'm just on a rant. Thoughts?

 

Since I didn't retire from the Navy, I have no first hand dealings with the VA on medical issues, and I was never in combat, so I can't imagine what PTSD is like. I do wonder, though, if combat vets these days are "encouraged" to play up the effects of PTSD more than in the past. People always want to look at conflicts in the past and compare vets reactions then to those of today. Is this valid?

On one level, you could say being in combat has always been the same: someone's trying to kill you, while you're trying to kill someone else, and your buddies are getting killed around you. That in itself is surely enough to affect you for life. But as it was in Vietnam and currently in Iraq/Afghanistan, it is a very different set of circumstances, mainly in the fact that there really aren't any "safe" areas, and that you are not looking for soldiers in a different uniform. Basically anyone you encounter on a daily basis could be the person trying to kill you, so the stress levels must be tremendous.

We live in a "feelings" society today as opposed to a "suck it up and deal with it" world from 50 years ago. I believe that there are some valid reasons for this, as we know more about how the mind can physically affect the body, etc., but it is often taken to the extreme. Bottom line is, not having walked in their shoes, I don't see how anyone could make a determination on the mental trauma from being in combat in these environments, and I would be willing to give any vet the benefit of the doubt when it comes to how they feel they need to deal with such issues.

One think I think has always been obvious is that it is pitiful how we as a country have treated our combat vets who require medical assistance. Everyone loves to stand up and wave flags and talk about how they support the troops, but when reality sets in and these fine men and women need our real support (financial) to get the best medical care possible, where do the cheering crowds go then? As a country we need to put our money where our collective mouth is. :usaflagwa

 

Good post burles, and this isn't a "look at me" type of thing for me and I know you didn't suggest that. I can tell you that personally, I do not think I have any PTSD. My wife may tell you a different story but I have always been one of those "suck it up and drive on" types you mentioned. 20 years of service and my medical record is as thin as Catholic mass booklet. I see Soldiers that have 2 years of service and are on their 2nd volumes because the folder couldn't hold it all.

Not sure what the bottom line is. Are some "encouraged" to play it up. I don't think so. Do some know how to play the system to get a little more, absolutely they do. Had I went to see a Dr every time I tweaked my back, knee, ankle, had a headache or so on and so forth I might be getting out with a few more % pts who knows. There are for sure some vets that really do have problems dealing with things that happen in combat and they should get the best care possible. This whole VA thing is in such a mess and I wish they could clean it up.

 

Shane, I'm glad you took it as I meant it, my wording was not very clear. It is definitely a complicated issue, and the bottom line is that there are many people today who see absolutely nothing wrong with taking advantage of the system when possible. When it comes to combat vets I believe we should give them the benefit of the doubt as much as possible, but a line needs to be drawn somwhere. I'm just glad it isn't up to me to judge who deserves what, because I haven't walked a mile in their shoes.

 

Gulf War Syndrome has nothing to do with PTSD red. The other examples fit...but not GWS. Contrary to popular belief, GWS has nothing to do with exposure to chemical or biological weapons either. I'm what you would call a subject expert with this one....definitely not a PTSD type disorder.

 

I thought I had read that GWS had been linked to uranium lined shells. IS that accurate?

 

:hihi: Absolutely not.

GWS is a misleading term. It has been diagnosed to literally hundreds, maybe thousands, who never served in the gulf. There is undeniable proof that GWS symptoms are caused by an immune response to certain vaccines. Due to the vaccine, or rather what was in it, people with GWS symptoms have immune systems that are many, many times more powerful than the normal person. Their/Our extremely overactive immune systems is what causes the debilitating symptoms.