My Life Changed

October 12, 2000

our medic and friends would bet on how high my blood pressure is.. I was bitten by something that caused me fever, lost of appetite and sweats. My body started to hurt like I had been beaten with a bat, it started with my hands. In CONUS they insisted it was carpel tunnel, even when I would say (no tingling, just pain).

A couple of people in my family has diabetes. I never had it. I was in excellent shape. I have forgetfulness, I still have sweats, body pains everyday, and more on a personal basis: almost immediately I started to have burning feelings after ejaculation, it would last for a while, it would give my wife continuous yeast infections. Little by little I have become almost impotent, still burn and my sperm is like rice grains at times. None of these have been acknowledged or related to desert storm...

WHY? it has ruined my life.. I was retired in a hurry from Walter Reed, back in 92 for back injuries (not related) and various pains which I have no doubt are related. I had a great REP from DAV that helped me. I'm been taking care of by the VA for treatment, but nothing from desert related is acknowledged. I can't seem to make anyone understand it's related. WHY? (forgot to mention) my gums bleed each time I brush, even though I have been under dental care, it still happens. There has been some tests which I wasn't able to participate because of all the MEDS I take.. Where is this GOING? I don't know. Just wanted to share my pain and sadness with someone or stranger

Joseph Esteves

healthboards.com/gulf-war-syndrome/index.htm

There are e-mails listed on many, but they don't seem to work 5 years later

This is an archived group of threads

You might find some current postings on healthboards.com However they do not allow any personal contact & very few web pages. I got on the wrong side of a moderator who I criticized for banning a gulf war vet on his first post ... & I will never be allowed on the site again

gulfwarvets.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi This is a gulf war vet discussion forum, I was interacting for 5 months but they don't want to hear about 2-butoxyethanol (Gale doesn't anyway) My first interactions on the board: http://www.valdezlink.com/gwv/1-5.htm

That site crashed - so much of the info is lost, though they saved some.

This is a good site

http://www.gulfweb.org/fusetalk/categories.cfm?catid=7

Some posts also on www.politicalplace.com

I don't think any one thing can be tied down to the gws. a friend of mine was probably the first to die from it. only then we didn't know it was from the war. he was a tank commander during the war and not 6 months after he had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. he was a very healthy man and could go all day. we were with L troop 3/2acr. The thing that sticks out in my mind is that he was the man on duty the night our alarms went off. it was so dark he could not mask himself right away he had to use his night vision device to alert everyone else. I truly feel this is what killed him. He gave his life for us. black 19

James D. Austin September 12, 2000