This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Veteran Health Care

  • FDA approves new ALS drug

    CNN reports that the Federal Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The drug, Radicava, also known as edaravone, is the first to be approved since riluzole, which was approved for use in the United States in 1995.

    Tests conducted in Japan found that ALS sufferers who received edaravone experienced a smaller decline in their level of daily functioning compared to those who received a placebo. MT Pharma, the maker of edaravone, said the drug slowed the decline of physical function by 33%.

    “After learning about the use of edaravone to treat ALS in Japan, we rapidly engaged with the drug developer about filing a marketing application in the United States,” Eric Bastings, the deputy director of the FDA’s neurology products division, said in a statement. “This is the first new treatment approved by the FDA for ALS in many years, and we are pleased that people with ALS will now have an additional option.”

    From Fox6;

    The CDC estimates that 12,000 to 15,000 people have ALS in the United States. People usually find out they have it between 55 and 75 years of age. On average, sufferers live two to five years after symptoms develop.

    ALS is slightly more common in men than women. No one knows what causes the disease, but 5% to 10% of all ALS cases occur within families. People with familial ALS live an average of only one to two years after symptoms appear.

    ALS is quickly becoming a veteran issue since the disease is twice as likely to appear in veterans than in the general population, although neurologists can’t explain why. From the ALS Association;

    Scientists have yet to find a cause for why America’s military veterans are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS than other segments of our population. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes ALS as a service-connected disease and provides financial and medical support to those with at least 90 continuous days of military service.

    Study after study continues to demonstrate this to be true: If you serve in the military, regardless of the branch of service, regardless of whether you served in the Persian Gulf War, Vietnam, Korea, or World War II, and regardless of whether you served during a time of peace or a time of war, you are at a greater risk of dying from ALS than if you had not served in the military.

    Factors that might contribute to the increased risk of ALS in veterans include exposure to lead, pesticides or other environmental contacts.

  • Me, the VA and the PVA

    Me, the VA and the PVA

    I feel guilty when I have to write stories about the VA that put them in a bad light. The Veterans’ Affairs Department has been very, very good to me. The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) represent me in my dealings with them, and they’ve been stellar, too. They got my disability claim approved in 45 days.

    For those of you who may not know, I have Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a motor neurone disease, which causes the destruction of neurons, which control voluntary muscles. In most cases, there is no known cause of ALS with 90% of 95% cases being a mystery. Doctors at Walter Reed first diagnosed my condition back in 2010, but I didn’t apply to increase my disability claim with the VA until 2013.

    Within weeks after my claim was approved, the local clinic in Cumberland, Maryland (a satellite of the Martinsburg WV, VA Medical Center) began making appoints with me for my general health care. They reached out to me. All of my dealings with the clinic have been great. It’s almost as if I’m the only patient assigned to the clinic. You know, the way health care should be.

    Now, the Martinsburg hospital is an absolute shithole. It’s like going to a hospital in the 1950s, but the care there is pretty good, though, despite the working conditions. I spent a year there one week last February.

    My condition makes it harder for me to get around, so my doctor recommended that I get on their “Home Care Team” program – the nurses and doctors come to my house and gather their bloodwork and check on me every three months or so. They decided that I needed to talk to an ALS team. The nearest teams were in DC (about 2 1/2 hours away), so last week, we set up a telelink by computer so that I got to “see” my team as they paraded across my computer screen. It was the first time they had done anything like that. So, I’m like a pioneer, I guess.

    I know my story may not be typical of the treatment many of you have received from the VA, but what happens in my part of the country is what should be happening in every VA facility in the country. I know that its popular to advocate for a privatization of the VA health care system, but my experience here proves that the system can work for veterans and the other facilities should be learning from the systems that are working.

  • Durham VA Medical Center; No Pillow For You!

    Durham VA Medical Center; No Pillow For You!

    Photos of elderly veterans in extreme pain waiting for treatment at a VA hospital in Durham, North Carolina, are going viral.

    Retired Marine Stephen McMenamin and his wife, Hannah, were waiting at the Durham VA Medical Center when they noticed two veterans who were struggling in the waiting room.

    McMenamin told WSB-TV that his wife found the scene “upsetting,” so she took pictures and posted them to Facebook.

    The Facebook post has been shared more than 118,000 times, and McMenamin said other veterans who have had bad experiences at VA hospitals across the U.S. have reached out to them.

    DeAnne Seekins, Medical Center Director at the VA facility, released the following statement:

    We take seriously any allegation of poor service. I was made aware of a regrettable incident that occurred in our Emergency Department over the weekend and am thankful someone cared enough to share the incident with us. Our mission is to provide the highest level of health care to Veterans, so upon learning of the incident, I took swift action. The employee was immediately removed from patient care pending the results of an internal review.

    It is an honor to serve America’s heroes and actions that do not align with our core values will not be tolerated. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality care to the Veterans we serve and being responsive to our patient’s needs. Veterans deserve nothing less.

    Heartbreaking Photos of Vets Being Neglected at VA Spark Outrage

    He said a veteran on the ground was using his bag of medication for a pillow after being denied an available reclining chair.

    “The nurse started yelling at him, telling him he can’t do that. He’s like, ‘I can’t get up and I won’t get up. I will be here until you can see me. Can I please have a blanket?’” McMenamin said.

    The hospital’s chief executive nurse responded and told McMenamin that the matter is being investigated.

    Rep. Robert Pittenger said this just reaffirms his push to hold VA employees more accountable.

    “It’s absolutely tragic,” he said. “It’s frankly reflective of what we’ve seen from the VA, and that’s why I sponsored last year and this year, the VA Accountability Act.”

    Commander of the North Carolina VFW said things in the state have improved drastically, but he said if an investigation confirms what is depicted in these photos, then the staff responsible should be fired.

    “There’s no question about it, I mean, there’s no acceptable reason why this should have happened,” Commander Doug Blevins said.

    Photo depicts veteran lying on ground while waiting at VA

    The nurse responsible will more than likely be sent to the corner for making an oopsie and Deanne Seekins will still collect her VA Executive Bonus Pay. Nothing to see here, move along and die, thanks for your service. David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs recently said “I am empowering our leaders to start taking swift and immediate actions when the evidence warrants a removal. VA recently fired the San Juan Medical Center Director after an investigation revealed unethical behavior that ran contrary to our VA values.” Next stop should be the Durham VA Medical Center.

    VA Secretary David Shulkin: Our plan to deliver greater accountability to America’s veterans

    UPDATE: Below are a few additional links covering this story.

    Durham VA says viral photos showing veterans are misleading

    Durham VA ensures best treatment for veterans

    VA Attacks Couple Who Posted Photo Of Veteran Neglect At VA Emergency Room

  • Tricare cost-saving

    Army active-Reservist Captain Shane Morgan, an Afghanistan veteran, felt funny while he was taking his PT test last year, so he went to the doctor to check it out, according to CBS News;

    “As we were doing the push-ups I got 15 in, and I noticed that it was a lot harder for me to do push-ups than it has ever been,” Shane said.

    “So he hooked me up to the EKG and said ‘I’m 99.9 percent certain you’re having a heart attack.’”

    One artery was completely blocked, but there was another problem, the Army determined the heart attack did not happen in the line of duty, so its been withholding medical payments.

    I’ve been jerking around with Tricare myself lately. They get real picky – a few years ago they sent me to an ALS clinic, now they want to bitch about paying for it. So I guess that’s how they’re going to save money on health care that they promised – they just won’t pay for it. But back to Captain Morgan;

    With bills piling up, the Morgan’s credit rating suffered, but the Army has just reopened the case. A spokesman told WBZ: “The physical and financial well-being of our soldiers and their families is a top concern for Army and Army Reserve leaders at all levels.”

    “I am cautiously optimistic,” Shane said.

    Yeah, if the well-being of servicemembers is a concern, the Pentagon wouldn’t be screwing them at every corner.

    Thanks to Top Kone for the link.

  • The Distraction from Needs

    My biggest issue through out my life has been my ability to focus and concentrate on one path or goal. Whatever it is that I pursue I go all in on it…at first. I have a hard time seeing things through to the finish line, either because I get scared (fear of success and failure simultaneously), or I just get bored.

    Once I’ve mastered something or it no longer becomes challenging I lose interest. On the opposite end; once it gets too challenging and I’m unable to master it, I’ve done the worst thing and that’s quitting.

    This all or nothing mentality has been a huge limiting factor for me in the most important of things; personal relationships.

    It’s hard for people to trust you if you don’t deliver on your promises. Even your most sincere efforts may be viewed as dishonest, since there’s no trust available to put faith into.

    My biggest mistakes in life and the ones that led me to a point where I was willing to quit on the most important thing (life); was my selfishness in expending my time and effort into the things I WANTed to do and not the things I NEEDed to do.

    These self imposed failures ultimately made me feel that that was what defined me. I lose sight often of the good things I’ve done; I married the best woman I’ve ever met and became a father, the rehabilitation of two suicidal troops and the emotional support to a third following a miscarriage. Each one of them has told me several years later how much impact I had on their lives but…somehow even those things couldn’t make me happy. I was ready to quit for good. But that’s the permanent solution to temporary problems and contrary to common sense.

    Going forward I’m looking to bolster my strengths with achieving goals. Starting with every day making a list of goals and sticking to them. If I struggle with interpersonal skills; my goal will become being a good co-worker that day, or sitting quietly in a meeting even if I know my input is valid but because it may not be the right time.

    But ultimately I hope these daily goals will contribute to my overall goal; being a good father.

    My path now is to learn as much about sleep, diet, exercise and neuroscience as I can. I want to help people live longer and have more time on this earth with their loved ones. I’ve wasted enough of people’s time talking about myself so I’ll try to write about the things I’ve learned along the way and what I’m learning now. I’ve met some amazing people in this life and I can write about them and give them credit for how they’ve influenced me. By playing to my strengths and turning my wants into my needs, I aim to create a constructive cycle of positivity and happier times.

    The biggest obstacle that stands in my way is how easily I get distracted and how much I care. I care so much about the mistreatment of other people and have spent a lot of time reflecting on the ways that I’ve mistreated others in the past. It made me feel guilty and depressed and it’s something I struggle with daily. I can’t care enough for someone else and I can’t make anyone care about me. I can try to be better and will do my best to acknowledge my failures a bit more privately than I have been. Hopefully this will lead to more positive outcomes and impact my ability to be a happier person. Endorphins are great for that so I’ll stick with the exercising.

    The goal I have for my writing now is to write about common problems and common sense solutions. I’ll inevitably draw parallels to my own life but I view that as a way I can teach others from my mistakes and also what works. I’m not a doctor or a health care provider but I will be consulting with professionals and referencing my sources appropriately. In no way should my advice be taken in favor of a more competent professional. These are mainly just competent hypotheses that make sense to me.

    I’ve tried to search for the quote to avoid plagiarism, but this is something that is keeping me motivated: “I may not have the strength at the moment; but if it is within the compass of man it is within me.” -Unknown

    More to follow. – Kilo

  • Insomnia

    I haven’t had a sober or non-medicated full 8 hour night of sleep since 2007.

    Supposedly the way we’re supposed to sleep when we’re locked underground for several months is from 2000-0000 and then up for a few hours of productive thought and then sleep for another few hours until sunrise. I fell asleep at around 1920 and woke at around 2240. Going to try to fall back asleep soon and hopefully be productive at work tomorrow.

    More to follow. -Kilo (more…)

  • Never Say never

    Never Say Never

    Two things I used to teach my subordinates working in Intel; never say never and never say always. If you avoid making absolute declarations it makes it more difficult for you to be proven wrong. Nothing always or never happens on the battlefield or in life, because of change. Change is constant and ever present and really one of the few things that you can say honestly, is always happening.

    Our knowledge of what occurs on the battlefield is based solely off of our own perception and what we know, what we hear, see, and read about. Our perception is our reality, our reality is our truth.

    Spirituality came up a lot in the comments of my suicide post so I’ll take the time to acknowledge and share about my personal experiences and current status on the topic since I’m mainly writing to focus on the story of my recovery in hopes that it will inspire others. Maybe it will save a life and give someone the gift of time. Time being our most precious resource as it cannot be replaced and our lives are recorded by how we spend and invest our time.

    After my parents divorce we moved in with my grandparents John and Ruth (they say you die twice, when you exhale your last breath and the last time someone says your name. I won’t let them die in my lifetime; I will say their names). They were truly exceptional people; devout catholics and active in all things church and religion. I idolized my grandfather, he was my paternal influence and I wish I could seek his guidance and advice daily. Two of my aunts are sisters in the catholic church and phenomenal people as they are 2 of 17 of my grandparents children. That’s right, 17 kids. One was adopted as my mother is the eldest of the last three girls. There was an age gap between her and her older brother so, not wanting her to grow up without female companionship, they adopted my aunt Deb (another great person). Shortly after they were blessed with my aunt Suzie (the namesake of my daughter’s middle name who passed when I was 5). We lived with my grandparents from the age of 4 until he suffered a simultaneous stroke and heart attack (he had arrhythmia and could not serve unfortunately) when I was 7.

    I was home schooled by my grandmother for a year and a lot of my development and academic success is likely because of that year. Some of my fondest memories as a boy are from riding in the truck with my grandfather doing newspaper vending machine deliveries and listening to NPR and classical music.

    So; devout Spanish, Irish and Finish Catholics tend to have large families and we have a huge one (no reality show though thank goodness). Catechism classes were taught in our house and I dominated the prayer memorization competition in my own Catechism class. I was raised to be an altar boy and was baptized catholic. Fast forward to high school and I start running track and cross country meeting a great friend named Jimmy. Dude was awesome; we had similar tastes in music, cars, and faith. He drove a BMW 318is that was lowered and had a stereo and wheels. Awesome car with a lot of great memories made. We went to church together and I found a place for my musical ear. I got into doing audio mixing and set up and tear down of the band equipment. I’d show up to practice on Wednesdays and church on Sundays (usually after a sleepless night at the street races or skating) and worship and pray. It got me through some of the toughest times of my teenage years and kept me focused on my future and out of trouble (I always seem to find trouble regardless). I went to Christian Camp at Hume Lake after my senior year and even considered applying for a position doing audio mixing and set up and tear down of band equipment there.

    I joined the military 6 months after high school and went to church a few times and even a prayer group with my former supervisor and mentor Grayson (Veteran, Suicide).

    I just can’t stand the tainted image of the lord in the eyes and words of man. I’m not really an atheist, just often confused and ashamed of the conduct of mankind and the way he uses god, religion, and faith as an excuse for deplorable actions towards our fellow man. I don’t care for miracle mongering and the preaching of fear of eternal hellfire and damnation.

    I currently prefer a mixture of eastern and western philosophy and find stoicism quite appealing. My reading list is quite full at the moment but I have read the bible (King James NIV). I have a tattoo of a cross on my back and my dog tags list Christian as my denomination.

    From Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed

    Book by William O. Stephens

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    I’m not the biggest fan of memes but this one raises some pretty important questions about Christianity:

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    I’m not going to say I’ll NEVER be religious or more spiritual than I currently am or have been in the past. I’m just learning and listening to dissenting points of view and thinking critically about what I believe in. I’m evaluating the sources of the information and I value the virtue of truth.

    I am not and will try at all costs to avoid belittling people of faith or their religious preference, as it’s simply too incendiary and I don’t know enough to be considered a credible source on the topic.

    Whether this is directly attributable to Marcus or not is irrelevant to me, I like it:

    “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but…will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

    The closest thing to that in my copy of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is this:

    “Now departure from the world of men is nothing to fear, if gods exist: because they would not involve you in any harm. If they do not exist, or if they have no care for humankind, then what is life to me in a world devoid of gods, or devoid of providence? But they do exist, and they do care for humankind: and they have put it absolutely in man’s power to avoid falling into the true kinds of harm.” 

    —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.11

    Source: http://undeniably-atheist.blogspot.com/2011/10/fabricated-marcus-aurelius-quote.html

    If god created man in the image of himself, are we all not then fallible gods capable of godliness but stopped by our own fears and manlike vices and behavior? Can we not all be god like?

    I was taught by my grandfather that can’t mean’s won’t. Many of you have been taught this same tenet. I believe we can be who we want to be (and possibly destined to be) if we eliminate irrational fears and selfish ego driven behaviors.

    More to follow. -Kilo

  • Guilt vs. Regret

    Guilt Vs. Regret

    Dictionary.com definitions:

    Guilt: a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong,etc., whether real or imagined.

    Regret: to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.)

    Many of us struggle with survivors guilt in the wake of a loss of a brother or sister in arms. We may question ourselves, our actions, or our lack of actions. This can manifest it’s way into depression if not addressed.

    So let’s address it shall we?

    Personally, I struggle with guilt all the time. I compulsively and constantly apologize. I’m at times ashamed of myself and my actions and this can quickly evolve into self loathing and a lot more pain and depression than it’s worth, or the actual guilt should cause.

    One of the ways I’ve been able to assuage my guilt is to consciously categorize it as regret. I’m regretful of my decisions and lack of action in specific situations. What if I had spoke up and cautioned an EOD tech about a secondary power source and victim operated switch being inside a command wire IED? What if I reminded him that we’ve ran a few hoax calls in the last few weeks and the enemy is watching us at all times? Would he and Doc still be alive? What if I was there that day on call and not my roommate through training and an all around great role model to me? What if I had been tougher and not been at a doctor’s appointment in the green zone instead of in Ramadi with my team? Would his career not have ended prematurely because of his wounds? Mine did anyway, might as well have been on that day… I digress.

    I can sit here and allow this guilt to manifest into depression or I can turn it into regret. I can allow myself to be guilty; if and only if, I fail to modify my behavior. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result then why should I allow myself to become depressed because of guilt? Those guys don’t want me to feel guilty. They knew what they were doing and I’m creating this shit myself and letting it drag me down. I can be regretful instead.

    More to follow. -Kilo