I served with HHB 1st AD Artillery during the Gulf War

I served with HHB 1st AD Artillery during the Gulf War. I have been real sick since the war, and I'm getting worse every day. The majority of DU rounds fired at Iraqi vehicles, no matter what the type, penetrated all the way through. And even if the round hit a tank, T-55, T-72, etc. and did not go completely through the other side, the turrets were almost ALWAYS blown completely off by secondary explosions from ammunition stored inside the vehicle. And the few tanks that did not have their turrets blown off by the round that killed it, the engineers came along and blew them off anyway during moping up operations. No matter what the means, the final results is that the residual particles from the more than 700,000 DU rounds fired during the war, by both U.S. and U.K. armored units, were released to the environment. Once deposited into the sand, it was picked up by the untold number of sand storms, and thousands of vehicles that traveled through the area kicking up enormous dust clouds, and inhaled by probably just about every person in the region. In fact, I seriously doubt that there was one single person there that didn't receive some level of contamination. Anyway, that's just my two cents. If anyone would like to e-mail me and exchange ideas and info, please feel free to do so. G.H. November 12, 2000

a Gulf war syndrome vet, "Since there is no one specific disease, infection, etc, which can be associated with this wide range of symptoms, I tend to lean more towards accepting the theory that what has happened to us is that our immune system were somehow damaged...and are now compromised, leaving us vulnerable to opportunistic diseases and the like.

When such a thing happens, then we find that the number and range of illnesses which can occur are wide open.

There are several compelling theories about what caused GWS...some of them do seem to fit nicely into the damaged immune system theory.

Anyway...given the facts that are known about GWS, I don't believe we are making to large of a leap in presuming it is quite probable that your friends illnesses are a direct result from GWS...or more precisely, whatever it is causing GWS.

I would encourage him to go to the VA...or at least get himself officially on record as suffering these illnesses, and believing some connection to the gulf war.

No, I don't personally know any other vets who've developed cancer or tumors...at least, I'm not aware of any other gulf war vets from my unit who've experienced such....but I've definitely read stories of various forms of tumors and cancers in young, gulf war vets.

The depleted uranium....Yeah, that's some scary stuff, isn't it? Being exposed to a nuclear radiation can certainly cause cancer. I don't know a lot of in depth information on this subject, but I do know it is deadly stuff, with dire consequences, if you get exposed to enough of it.

What to do?...Well, there's a number posted on this board somewhere in one of Freda's' posts (perhaps she'll post it again, I don't have it right here with me) to a place in Virginia...They collect information from gulf war vets who believe they have GWS. This is done for the purpose of compiling information, to be able to make determinations about most frequent experiences in the gulf war, most frequent symptoms, etc...

They also give you information and support, pointing you in the right direction, to get the vet through the process of getting examined/tested, and hopefully securing disability benefits.

Lastly, I believe it is a very bad idea for a gulf war vet suffering from GWS to even be sexually active with another person, let alone reproducing.

There has been enough reports of GWS being contagious, even with those whom the vet is not sexually active with, but merely around a lot.

A GWS vet having children...well, I would never do it...not as things stand right now.

I hope things work out for your friend...There's always hope."

Steve Knight, 2000 'Steve's Intro'

Dear, Steve

I find your story weight gain and lose almost similar to mine; however I believe my slow weight gain is do to my love of food. I have had in the past put great effort into losing it, and it was a mission!

Needless to say; it is all back plus more. Have you looked into getting your thyroid checked? You might want blood fasting test for diabetes. It sounds like a metabolic problem of some sort. Hang in there! Sept, 2000 gulf war vet

Hi Gulf War Veteran,

...My mother is a diabetic, too...so it does run in the family bloodline.

Though I've long felt that there were to many different symptoms which match GWS for it to be 'just' diabetes, I guess I should not rule that out.

My mother's case of the disease is very mild, though. I don't know if that matters or not. It barely even effects her.

Steve Knight

It has occurred to me a lot of times, that perhaps the weight gaining had to do with my low appetite.

...That's another one of those things that came along with the depression, and the other symptoms. I just am not motivated to eat like I used to be.

I'm not starving or anything, don't get me wrong here...but I have wondered if my metabolism hasn't slowed down during certain periods when my appetite has slacked off.

That still would not explain the rapid weight loss though.

Thanks again, Steve Knight

Liver?

even though I did come up with a fairly long list of symptoms I was/am experiencing, I certainly was not remembering each and every single symptom.

Here's something that I neglected to mention...About nine months after returning home from the gulf war, I started having problems with fatigue, dizziness, depression, migraine headaches and various other stuff, which ultimately lead to me being a fairly inactive person.

My appetite really plummeted. I don't know exactly when, but within a years time, I found myself suddenly ballooning up in weight by ten pounds over the period of about one week. I went for a year with no change, carrying the extra weight around (which was no problem at the time), and then, BAM!...the exact same thing happened again...ten more pounds of fat appeared on me 'out of nowhere'...this happened one more time, about a year later, as well...

I know that these quick gains in weight stopped after the third time, though I did continue to gain...it was just more of a gradual thing. At my heaviest, I was a good two hundred ten pounds...probably a little over that.

I lost a lot of weight (about 30 pounds) do to a job I had briefly, but ended up loosing... I gained most of it back over several months.

There is nothing suspicious about that, but then, about a year ago I was back up around 200 pounds...when about last summer, I just started dropping it rapidly, without any clear reason.

Over roughly 4 months, I dropped down to about 150 pounds...which is light for me...I haven't been that small since before I joined the military.

I've been very gradually gaining weight, yet again...I'm somewhere in the 160 to 170 range (which is a very comfortable range for me). I seem to be fairly stable right now...

I was just wondering if anybody else with GWS has experienced this rapid weight gaining/loss, for no apparent reason?

On the weight gain/loss. I know my husband is experiencing a weight gain at a steady pace in the last couple of yrs. Nothings changed as far as his diet or his job, in fact they are so over worked at his job, I would think he would be losing weight if anything but he (to me) looks bloated as if retaining fluid and that concerns me and it's got him worried too. He's always been so thin until we got married. He gained weight slowly but that was because he finally had enough food to eat for once in a very long time. This is different and I know it's not right and he's still gaining. Sometimes he'll lose a few lbs. but soon will gain it back and he now is watching what he eats but it doesn't seem to be changing anything. I guess the best thing we can do is keep an eye out for these things and more or less treat ourselves. I hope all those things I sent you helped and I wanted to tell you how proud of you I am for talking about yourself and your problems. You know NOW that someone cares. Your Friend!
Freda

I've had so many screwy symptoms appear in my own health since the gulf war, it's scary.

Most of them are (seemingly) minor, when looked at alone...but when adding them all up, and realizing that most of them fall into the list of GWS related symptoms, I know there is something more to them.

I didn't experience some of the more common symptoms, though...like the aching joints and muscles...or burning seamen (though it seems this may have happened a few times to me).

I was impotent, as well, for about two years straight...which might well explain why I didn't notice 'burning seamen' but once or twice.

My sex drive has returned to some level of sporadic normalcy, now.

I'm not going to go into the long list of symptoms I've had, and continue to have, to some degree...but the really bad one was the fatigue and the depression.

...Yes, I relate completely when you say that it has devastated your life. My own future has been damaged badly, because of this...There were times when I just wanted to die and be done with it all.

But...regardless of the disabilities rained down upon us as 'reward' for our faithful, patriotic service, there is life after GWS.

I'm finally finding some level of normalcy now...Well, it's about as close to normal as I can get, right now. I'm actually holding down a job, again...all be it, a part time one.

Keep faith in yourself, get proper rest (how ever much you need), and keep yourself well nourished, with all the proper vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc...You just might be able to overcome your ills, or lessen them.

Some amount of natural healing is possible.

Take care,
Steve Knight, 2000