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In virtually all wars there are a number of participants with unexplained symptoms. Such complaints usually involve fatigue, non-specific gastrointestinal complaints, and muscle and joint pain. With the Holidays fast upon us, it is a time to not only thank the men and women who serve, but...
What about exposure to Depleted Uranium, which is being used in a lot, if not all, of the U.S. munitions our soldiers are exposed to every day?
Oh, well, yeah... there's that. Go figure.
I have PTSD related to "cumulative on duty incidents," (Personally, I think it was related solely to the on-duty loss of a partner, but they write what they want to on the separation papers.) Either way, I retired after 14 years and that was in 2004 and I am just now getting a handle on the depression that is related to PTSD and common with fibromyalgia. My symptoms first manifested in disabling migraines, body aches and joint pain that were, to me, unexplainable... I could not understand that my body was not willing to go any further even though I felt fine from a mental health standpoint. (For me, the depression came later, with the constant pain and the eventual realization that fibromyalgia does not go away.)
My point, I suppose, is that Gulf War Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, PTSD, SSD, combat stress, battle fatigue, whatever you wish to call it... are all centrally related. I have done hours and hours of research in medical journals, medical and law libraries, etc. and found a 1998 DoD report that clearly outlines their recognition of and treatment for this collection of symptoms and conditions. (I found a doctor of osteopathy that is using almost the same treatment in that report with a few extras, but he was unaware of teh report and had done all of his own research and studies. It's working!)
I am not a doctor, but I do have opinions about what may cause these reactions... I think it is stress related, that there may be genetic markers that somehow trigger certain conditions like fibromyalgia when a person is under a great deal of stress for prolonged periods or the short bursts of adrenaline and being constantly alert that come with certain professions (and even in some other cases, like domestic violence and child abuse), and that it has to do with overuse of the adrenal system and levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and seratonin. (My seratonin is "below reportable levels" according to my lab reports.) I have heard many, many reports of soldiers who have been exposed, knowingly or otherwise, to chemicals that they feel triggered their symptoms. As far as I know, the only chemicals I was exposed to were chlorine gas, natural gas, CS gas, CN gas, mace and pepper spray.
I do think we all, from any profession or walk of life, need to stick together, be vocal, be pro-active in our own treatment, do our own research, reject medications that have unacceptable side-effects (like Lyrica) and stay the course until we get to an answer that can help. It may take time, but I think we'll see major breakthroughs in our lifetimes.
To all of you great people who served and now suffer:
My husband was a combat vet, Vietnam, Special Forces-A Team. He saw a lot of things, did a lot things, and was exposed to Agent Orange (the only thing we know for sure). When he started getting sick in his late 40s, he went to the VA and they diagnosed PTSD, somatic problems, malingering, etc. The one thing they didn't do was take him seriously for over 10 years. During that time, I watched him wither into a man who looked to be in his late 70s. Also, during that time because I knew he was dying (so did dogs and kids), I begged on my knees at the VA to get them to take a closer look--they would not. It turned out the extreme pain he felt came from two sources: ankylosing arthritis, which severely affects the entire back; and lung cancer due to Agent Orange exposure. Even though I told the VA he was dying for 10 years, they never bothered to look; it took an emergency room visit. By the time he was diagnosed the tumor was the size of a grapefruit and he lost a lung. He lived for five more years and only got pain relief, outside of the VA, in the last year of his life. He was a brave, tender, wonderful soul, who deserved better treatment.
Please learn from our mistakes:
1. Find a good doctor on the outside, no matter the cost.
2. Don't let your disability get to the point that you cannot function. There are great pain doctors out there (although hard to find). Moreover, the worse you look, the more doctors tend to presume alcoholism or other drug abuse--neither related to my husband, but no one would believe us because he looked so badly.
3. Don't let doctors write off your symptoms as purely mental. Of course you have experienced things that civilians never will, but you aren't crazy. PTSD is serious and you should treat it, but it does not preclude good, thorough medical exams outside of a system (the VA) that is in the business of denying claims and mistreating our vets--actually since the Korean War.
I had hoped that the public support behind the Gulf War would make a sea-change possible at the VA. From recent revelations, my hopes were in vain.
Believe in yourselves, rely on the ones you love and who love you, and don't simply settle for the explanations the VA gives you without outside clinical correalation. You are valuable members of our society; moreso than many of us who have never risked our lives for a greater cause. Walk proud and all my blessngs to you.
My point here