Well lets see - What are the Gulf War Syndrome Symptoms?

Well lets see. everyone that has gws list your symptoms on this forum. We shall see just how many of us have the same symptoms. (alternate discussion forum) & (Gulf War Vets - EVOS) fatigue nausea bloody stools chronic headaches bloody gums rashes lumps and spots on body chronic kidney and liver pain and inflammation blurred vision bloody noses memory loss funny tastes or smells These are just a few, my VA docs tell me not many vets have these same symptoms I say that's bull crockey!	Fatigue * www.valdezlink.com/why_fatigue.htm chronic headaches bloody gums - teeth fall out - (bone marrow problem advancing) Lumps and spots on body - have someone help you keep an eye on the spots - or point them out to your doctor to see that they aren't pre-melanoma Blurred vision - There is concern for eyesight - Have ophthalmologist check for holes in retina - Could eventually be declared 'legally blind" Bloody noses - Skin damage in mucous membranes? Funny tastes or smells - is known to occur with 2-butoxyethanol exposure
#2:
okay here is the list, short term memory loss rashes joint pain bloody stools short fuse/ easily irritated night sweats difficulty concentrating also but not sure if gws related or not due to family history high blood pressure diabetic additional concerns but not sure no family history gallbladder removed kidney stones Another	okay here is the list, short term memory loss CNS rashes - SKIN joint pain - JOINT CONNECTING TISSUE? * bloody stools EVERYTHING OK in the COLON? How much? How often? Sporadic? short fuse/ easily iritated CNS night sweats Do you have an absolute cell count? can get in reg. blood test www.valdezlink.com/check_blood.htm difficulty concentrating CNS also but not sure if gws related or not due to family history high blood pressure (would be worse than otherwise) or could be endocrine disruption - start earlier than for family? diabetic (Would be worse than otherwise) or could be endocrine disruption additional concerns but not sure no family history gallbladder removed (I hear of this frequently - enlarged and ulcerated?) kidney stones (Kidney function?) Not sure about the kidney stones - what does that mean
#3:	Difficulty sleeping? CNS
X means I have this... Same as #1 fatigue X nausea X bloody stools chronic headaches X bloody gums "I lost all my teeth they nearly fellout" rashes X lumps and spots on body XXXX Didn't see this quick enough!!! chronic kidney and liver pain and inflammation X blurred vision "At Times" bloody noses memory loss X Short Term funny tastes or smells I agree with #2 on these: short term memory loss X rashes X joint pain XXX bloody stools short fuse/ easily iritated XX night sweats XX difficulty concentrating XX high blood pressure X gallbladder removed kidney stones The fatigue to me is sheer/shear exhaustion. I'm in so much pain that if I stay in bed I don't hurt so badly and therefore take fewer pills saving my kidneys as long as I can. Exhaustion makes me sleep an awful lot. When I have to go somewhere in a hurry I'm usually out of luck. I have to plan usually 1 to 3 days in advance to go somewhere and this requires 7 pills minimum to keep me from yelling my head off when the pain hits me. I thought I'd throw this in. SGPT is 7 (normal range 30-65) I am 60 What does that mean? (another lab says 7-56 is normal)
AND * *
knees swelling up to double normal size (Did this Vietnam soldier crawl thru the agent orange sprayed jungle?) enlarged heart (3 of 4 heart chambers double their normal size), enlarged, ulcerated gall bladder, enlarged spleen, enlarged testes, uterus ... enlarged thyroid pancreas? www.valdezlink.com/complete.htm#endocrine	*
Endocrine Disruption Growth gland upset - gain weight - or abnormal growth Low thyroid - can cause extreme fatigue all by itself abnormal blood sugar levels (high or low) change from 'normal' blood pressure possible Abscess on pancreas Cysts on ovaries adrenals (get involved even with relatively light exercise - true?)
Reproductive Damage? * * *
Immune System Suppression? Surgery risky *
I seem to notice that most vets are divorced....... Mike, medic Spouses with same symptoms? 2nd hand solvent exposure	*
If you have many of the 'gulf war syndrome' symptoms - I believe there is a strong probability that you could have red blood cell damage, (also take care with cleaning products; paint, etc) Blood counts don't look bad in much of anything that would indicate this, and that is typical of harm from either 2-butoxyethanol &/or diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. They are in lots and lots of home, hobby, cleaning, painting products ... probably hundreds of products and the harm they do is so serious. Check this website http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm and put in the CAS numbers of 111-76-2 and then try 112-34-5 & you will see what I mean. Are the red blood cells odd shaped? What does the lab technician say? Are the red blood cells ragged and beat up? Maybe MDs should check the RETIC ratio in all patients with unexplainable fatigue, especially in the exhaustion that no rest seems to help. Are you able to go to sleep most nights? (This is a function of the nervous system & the nervous system is damaged by this chemical along with the blood, and kidneys and liver eventually, endocrine system, skin, etc.) There are 8 symptoms of hemolytic anemia Here are some helps to check the blood for - the chronic, all-the-time tired fatigue: Check for fragility of red blood cells Check for Hematuria Does blood present an abnormal picture showing: Erythropenia Reticulocytosis Granulocytosis Leukocytosis These symptoms of Hemolytic anemia: Chills Fatigue Pale color Shortness of breath Rapid heart rate (like 250 beats/min) Yellow skin color (jaundice) Dark urine (indicative of blood in urine - never dismiss this! Stop exposure immediately!) Enlarged spleen I learned about this topic by studying 2-butoxyethanol - the chemical of harm to the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup workers: especially the bioremediation workers and the US Coast Guard monitors and the US Navy should have input, especially those on the USS Deluth or USS Cleveland in 1989. Then I noticed that the Gulf War troops had the same symptoms AND they were exposed to not only that chemical, but also 2(2-butoxyethanol) aka diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Of course, today's troops can also be exposed to the same. (In gun cleaner? In some Jet fuels? In some pesticides? - such as are used to spray the general living/work areas) These chemicals are everywhere, but troops seem to get more exposure in various known & unknown ways. If you have evidence of enough of these 'odd symptoms' www.valdezlink.com/scenario.htm then I would certainly look into the blood more in depth. I think the calcium and iron being low are also very important. (How are liver and kidney function levels?) One of the oil spill workers couldn't store enough iron - it was a very low count. Less than 50 percent of the iron in your body is in your red blood cells. Most is in your iron reserves in your liver, spleen and other tissues. Your body needs iron to make red blood cells. If your red blood cells have been damaged by this chemical, there would be 'fragility of the red blood cells" Seeing a hematologists would be a very good idea. I believe the key to finding out if this chemical has harmed you is locked away in the 'secrets' of the blood ... odd as that may seem, since the central nervous system damage yells louder and has been diverting attention away from the blood - almost always! I would think that Calcium would work into that, too, as it is essential for proper development of bones and teeth and is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions that aid energy production, nerve and muscle function. It is also thought to have an effect on the bile ducts; proper calcium in one's body may prevent colorectal cancer. I have talked with some of the 'Gulf War Syndrome' vets and EVOS workers; and current people affected by this chemical, and I have heard of bones not healing for many months, even years; I have heard of teeth falling out after about 12 years of first severe exposure; and of course, these ethylene glycol ethers are considered pesticides and do cause endocrine disruption. Send ahead this short list First you have to get your doctor's attention. The MDs in this nation have been led to believe that 2-butoxyethanol and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether are not harmful. * Use this as a worksheet Cross out things that don't apply; circle those that do; add your own - Make this YOUR history - Add jobs you've had in the past, etc. Help you doctor get the BIG picture More If your doctor can help figure this out, please share. 'Mother Margaret' - Who am I?