V.A. / DOD and Multiple Sclerosis?

The VA and the Department Of Defense must possess information that they're not sharing with the rest of us and certainly not with the new enlistees. I know the Sergeant isn't telling new recruits that they should look out for MS, as they do with AIDS or syphilis. If there is a chance that MS might be contracted or complicated by their time in military service, then why aren't enlistees told this? Would this complicate the recruitment process? Probably, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it would complicate something far more important to the modern Armed Forces: vaccinations. This is the one factor, aside from the traditional haircut, that all service folks have in common. If, as some believe, the causative agent is a mycoplasma, vaccinations could conceivably be the mode of transmission.

What bothers me most is that I'm sure the VA and the DOD have research that justifies granting this disability to thousands of veterans. If they have information that connects MS to military service, then we should all know what that information is. Multiple Sclerosis is a serious and growing disorder that afflicts millions of persons. To purposefully withhold information that would better our understanding of this disease is unjustified.

Nearing the end for me?

I was so proud 29 years ago when I became a U.S. Marine. Now that I am a quadriplegic from my service its amazing how they, the "@DeptVetAffairs" and "@DeptofDefense" just turn a blind eye and deaf ears to me?  I was told my condition was service related and approved until a V.A. Dr. Lied about my medical condition. "He will be sued"  The OKC V.A. even offered my daughter payment for taking care of me "Tax Free" we were told.  Now 4 years later we are told that she owes back taxes on that money? She gave up her career for me to keep me out of a nursing home, what a kick in the guts. What will become of us?....Would not claim #PTSD but over the 8 years my case has been in appeal,  the @DeptVetAffairs rating evaluation doctor and my @PVA1946 officer has made me sick with untruths and delays.

VA is killing me!

Aid and Assistance

This was transferred from Okc VA to Muskogee, when this was started in Okc we were told "Three of us" it was non-taxable and was told nothing about it being monitored. Now Val, my daughter/caregiver  is in tax trouble, I had a doctor lie to the board of appeals about me, have my social security garnished for my meds and I proved my case years ago and even had a witness.

The Marine Corps caused and or exposed this illness, now I sit here, a bag of bones no therapy feeling like I've been put on hospice care and forgotten. Is this the end for me?

Now it looks like I'm going to have to sell everything I own/have left to hire an attorney to help us with this  mess.

More Appeal time with @DeptVetAffairs

Shot down by @DeptVetAffairs again. Its not over, ive got 8 more years and plenty of pain meds.  lets roll!
Unless of course I die first, (that's what they would like to see), then my family takes over :-)

My case was approved until a V.A. doctor examined me and fabricated a false report. I have 2 witnesses to the visit, so why keep wasting my time and theirs?

Courage

"Don't let others label you; they will definitely try! Have the courage to create and live your own reality."

Its just that simple!

“It is the established policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs that all veterans who are unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation by reason of service-connected disabilities shall be rated totally disabled.”  I've proved it, docs and witness statements. 8 years and counting...

Why

@DeptVetAffairs  Why do 3 vets I know play golf, go to casinos and do what normal men do while they are 100% disabled when I sit in a wheel chair unable to feed, dress or even drive my chair.  Yet my case sits in appeal for 8 years with plenty of proof while I slowly rot and survive on pain medication losing every thing I have?

New hope?

Scientists at Purdue University have found that an experimental drug may be able to restore function in people who have experienced spinal cord injury, and may be beneficial for those with multiple sclerosis as well. The medication prevents short circuits in the damaged nerves.

A type of spinal cord trauma called compression injury is the type of injury responsible for many spinal cord injuries. In a compression injury, the nerves are not severed, so they are easier to work with. The compound is called 4-aminopyridine-3-methyl hydroxide, and in guinea pig spinal cord tissue, it showed restored function to damaged axons.

Riyi Shi, a professor in Purdue University said the findings were made possible because of the cooperation at Purdue. The research was completed by many scientists from the medicinal chemistry, physical pharmacy, biomedical engineering, chemistry, and neurology departments.

The researchers stressed the spinal cord tissue to duplicate what happens in a compression injury that often results in paralysis. After, they treated the damaged cells with 4-aminopyridine-3-methyl hydroxide. The axons, which are covered in myelin, which is a fatty insulation that is damaged in spinal cord trauma, shrinks when injured. The experimental drug prevents the uninsulated nerves from leaking electrical current. This improves the conduction of electricity around the spinal cord.
The new drug is much more potent than previous medications used to treat MS.

“The compound could make it possible to sidestep spinal cord damage by enabling axons to transmit signals as though they were still sheathed in myelin. As a result, the damaged nerves perform more like healthy nerves than those treated with other drugs,” Shi said.

The research, which was featured in the November issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology, was funded by the Purdue Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Disabled Marine veteran designs Sprint Cup car.

By Seth Livingstone, USA TODAY

November 12, 2011

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Although confined to a wheelchair and unable to use his arms, Marine veteran Scott Bates will be very much in Sunday's 
Kobalt Tools 500.

His Veterans Day design, created with a head-controlled, reflection-operated mouse, rides with J.J. Yeley on Front Row Motorsports' 
Vampt-sponsored No. 38 Ford Fusion.

In addition, Sunday will be proclaimed Scott Bates Day in the state of Arizona, honoring the inspiration of Bates, 48, who suffers from 
multiple sclerosis.

"This is what I've always wanted to do — design a car for the Cup level," says Bates, who saw his paint scheme after competition for the 
first time on Saturday when Yeley turned a lap at 128.98 mph in qualifying. "It's incredible. I can't believe it's happened."

Bates, from Muskogee, Okla., not only learned graphic design, he's learned to do it by operating a sensor attached to his computer which 
reacts to his head movements. The system permits Bates to choose shapes, colors, shades and strokes.

"You have to have determination to get ahead in this crazy world," Yeley said. "Here's Scott, a normal guy who had no issues, served with 
the Marines for a couple different stints, then ends up with M.S. in a wheelchair. Yet he still has the fight not to give up. It's a huge 
inspiration to me."

Passionate about auto racing, Bates started by designing templates for video games and produced a paint scheme for an ARCA car that 
wrecked in a practice run and never made it to race day.

"God took away one of my abilities to show me a new way," said Bates, who was joined at the track Saturday by wife, Kathy, daughter 
Valerie her husband Tim and two of his six grandchildren. "I never would have taken the time to learn (graphic design) if I hadn't been 
sitting in this chair and had to retrain myself to do something to occupy my time. I couldn't bear just sitting and watching TV or surfing the 
Internet. I wanted to do something."

Vampt founder and chairman Ian Toews heard Bates' story and enlisted him to design his Veterans Day weekend car.

"Not only are we recognizing him for his military service, but the design itself is a patriotic one that pays tribute to all veterans," Toews 
said. "We will all be very proud to stand beside it on Sunday."

Bates' design features and American flag and the message "Vampt Nation Salutes Our Nations' Veterans" on the deck lid.

"It's one thing to see the design on a computer or printed out, but in-person it resonates very well and shows up well on the track," Yeley 
says. "My plan is to try to run as fast as I can, try not to put any scratches in it and make Scott proud on Sunday."