MEB=>TDRL=>Active duty=>MEB ( 2nd MEB Questions)

[nick11429]

Hello, in 2004 I was severely wounded in Ramadi Iraq, and I was placed on TDRL in Feb 2006 with 40% rating from the Army. I understood the process, and that it was a chance for me to heal and return to service which is what I wanted. After 18 months I got through my fist reevaluation and was found fit for duty. I reenlisted in 2009 for the Reserves Officer Training Corps, and I commissioned and returned to active duty in 2011. Well, my good luck streaks have ended. Ever since my return to active duty, it has been a downhill slope for my health. I've been dodging the threats of an MEB since 2012, and I have now accepted the fact that my body can no longer take it. I am now an Army Captain and an MEB is a looming cloud over my Army career. I am somewhat disappointed that I basically have to start all over, since coming back in, there is no continuity for wounded warriors.

So my questions are will the Army try to screw me over and say that my combat related injuries are pre-existing? Additionally, my injuries have affected other aspects of my health, how do I ensure that my health is assessed in its entirety?

If someone has ever been on the TDRL, went back to active duty and got MEBed again, I would love to hear from you. Thanks!

 

[chaplaincharlie]

You should be in good shape. I have had members go through the same cycle and they came out being treated fairly. When you meet with the VA rep to file your claim, you get to claim anything legit. It is expected that certain things created additional issues. That will not surprise the VA rep nor will surprise the C&P examiner.

 

[tony292]

Do you have good medical records from everything? Without more details of your conditions it's hard for us to speculate. As long as everything is documented well you should be fine.

 

[nick11429]

Thanks, chaplaincharlie and tony292, for the quick responses. To answer your question @chaplaincharlie, I've kept exellent records. In fact, I've even digitized all of them. When I came back into active duty, it was a complete reset of my entire army carreer except for pay. One of my biggest concern is that many things I didn't claim because I knew I wanted to come back in and afetr I did come back I tried everything to evade an MEB. Now that I am aware that It's going to happen regardless, there's no holding back.

I was shot several times by small arms fire, mostly within my lower extremities.

- Gunshot wounds in my left thigh and buttocks resulting in frequent muscle spasm. My left thigh area is sensitive with an area that all I can feel is pressure. During ejaculation, the muscle in that area can either spasm or tighten up (very painful). Also I suffer from frequent pain from the left testies area to the buttocks and thigh.

- Gunshot wounds to my right leg. The tibia and fibula are now one, and fragments of the bullet are still in my leg. I get spasms in the calf of that leg with severe swelling. Because I caught Pseudomonas in that leg, I now have partially dead or degenerating bones from the tibia going down to the foot. I have a drop foot and minimal feeling on top of my right foot.

- IED Blast, Xray shows that I have a leftward curvature in my spine from L1-L5. L3 and L4 have also shifted. I have something that is fused at L4, but probably due to a defect. The pain shoots from lower back to my left buttocks (It seems that most alignment pains that I have come from the left side). Also, my right leg is now shorter than my left.

- PTSD or whatever it is: I suffer from anxiety based hyperhidrosis ever since the incident. I've become a worrier and always sweating. It is total body hyperhidrosis ( Head, Palm, feet). Shaking hands is something I dread and as an officer it is inevitable.

- Right shoulder, I 'm not sure what happened there and possibly from the same IED blast. It just hurts, and my range of motion is out of whack, and I can no longer throw a ball without pain or stand at ease for too long.

There are a few lingering issues, but these are the main ones of concern at the moment.

 

[nick11429]

My latest right leg x-ray from last year.

 

[FatHawkDown]

Thanks, chaplaincharlie and tony292, for the quick responses. To answer your question @chaplaincharlie, I've kept exellent records. In fact, I've even digitized all of them. When I came back into active duty, it was a complete reset of my entire army carreer except for pay. One of my biggest concern is that many things I didn't claim because I knew I wanted to come back in and afetr I did come back I tried everything to evade an MEB. Now that I am aware that It's going to happen regardless, there's no holding back.

I was shot several times by small arms fire, mostly within my lower extremities.

- Gunshot wounds in my left thigh and buttocks resulting in frequent muscle spasm. My left thigh area is sensitive with an area that all I can feel is pressure. During ejaculation, the muscle in that area can either spasm or tighten up (very painful). Also I suffer from frequent pain from the left testies area to the buttocks and thigh.

- Gunshot wounds to my right leg. The tibia and fibula are now one, and fragments of the bullet are still in my leg. I get spasms in the calf of that leg with severe swelling. Because I caught Pseudomonas in that leg, I now have partially dead or degenerating bones from the tibia going down to the foot. I have a drop foot and minimal feeling on top of my right foot.

- IED Blast, Xray shows that I have a leftward curvature in my spine from L1-L5. L3 and L4 have also shifted. I have something that is fused at L4, but probably due to a defect. The pain shoots from lower back to my left buttocks (It seems that most alignment pains that I have come from the left side). Also, my right leg is now shorter than my left.

- PTSD or whatever it is: I suffer from anxiety based hyperhidrosis ever since the incident. I've become a worrier and always sweating. It is total body hyperhidrosis ( Head, Palm, feet). Shaking hands is something I dread and as an officer it is inevitable.

- Right shoulder, I 'm not sure what happened there and possibly from the same IED blast. It just hurts, and my range of motion is out of whack, and I can no longer throw a ball without pain or stand at ease for too long.

There are a few lingering issues, but these are the main ones of concern at the moment.

See, I told ya Reddit was a waste of time.

 

[chaplaincharlie]

@nick11429

When you meet with the VA rep you want to take a copy of everything you have digitized.

Additionally, start writing down each condition/symptom. If you look through ALL the VA's DBQs it may help you remember a few more.