At the time I was having problems with weakness in my left arm, (MRI's showed a herniated disc in my neck and a couple, out of many, nerve tests showed some pinching of a nerve) at the same time I was seeing a rheumatologist for joint/muscle aches, headaches and what they called DIMS ( Diminished ability to Induce and Maintain Sleep). Mind you I had been hiding the joint and muscle pain for years in fear of getting a medical retirement. During the course of the exams I was having the doctor was having a hard time locating reflexes in my left arm so he sent me to Bethesda to see a neuro surgeon so off my wife and I went. During the exam in Bethesda the doctor told me he was unable to get any reflexes anywhere in my body to react at all. He believed I had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and should go back to my doctor in Mayport. I went back to FL and my Doctor did a spinal tap ( man talk about the mother of all head aches) and ruled out MS, in the mean time I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I was sent to Charleston on 9 month TAD orders to be close to my family, went back to Florida for 3 months, finished out my 20 and retired, no retirement ceremony or party, no end of service award, no thank you for your service, no transition assistance program, no benefits briefing , nothing, just one day I wore a uniform and the next day I didn't.

After I retired I approached civilian life just like I did military I worked hard to be successful. But things were getting harder and harder. When I first got out I applied for benefits for my neck and I had bad knees as well as sinus surgery, knee surgery and a rebuilt ankle. I continued to work hard (as a Realtor). Being a successful Realtor takes long hours, working 60+ hour weeks and never having a day off. You have to be there when your clients are ready, day night or afternoon, weekday or weekend. So please all of you appreciate what your Realtor does for you. Any way after a while the body aches became to much and I was not able to put in the hours I once was able to. The fatigue was getting to me and there began to be days that I just could not function. I asked fro an increase in my compensation fro fibromyalgia (which at the time was only 10%) and I began to go to Voc Rehab training because I knew I would not be able to continue the long hours Real Estate required to earn a living.

In In Jan 2003 I became ill and was having severe pain when breathing, my doctors took some x-rays and decided I had pneumonia and treated me with 10 days of antibiotics, a follow up appointment showed no improvement, they then started another course of stronger antibiotics. Another follow up with no improvements. The x-ray showed a large amount of fluid on my left lung. My doctor took me aside and explained to me what was going on. He had consulted with another doctor and I was going to have to go into the hospital for some test to rule out TB and cancer. I went in, they drained 900ml off my left lung. Spent 10 days in hospital. Tets were neg for TB and cancer. Was out of hospital for 10 days when it all started to happen again. This time fluid was too thick to drain and I ended up with having my chest spread open and having lung surgery to remove the mess. I spent 4 days in ICU and 10 more days in hospital. I now have only about 50% lung capacity. Subsequent follow up with the consulting rheumatologist shows it was an autoimmune attack due to unspecified rheumatoid disease. I had a similar episode in 1985 but the doctor ( an internist) was never able to figure out what happened. I applied for benefits based on that and of course the VA denied my claim. They say there is no service connection and it is probably related to the fibromyalgia for which I already receive compensation. I asked my doctor to review my active duty service record which he did and he pointed out several things that were over looked and why my current illness was undiagnosed while on active duty, that there were signs of it going all the way back to 1979 and that it was completely separate from my fibromyalgia. I filled an appeal and have another C&P exam with the VA in a week. I am currently rated at 70% ( they dropped me from 80 to 70 because they said that even though I now have 2 more herniated discs in my neck and one more in my back my degenerative disc disease is getting better). I am hoping to finally get a 100% rating because due to my illness and the side effect of the meds I take I have been unable to work since May of 03. I now suffer from near constant muscle/joint pain, fatigue, depression, headaches ( that can last as long as a month at a time), have trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, and fogginess. I tried for Social Security ( on my own) with out knowing the system and was turned down. hey told me to go back to Real Estate. So much for the government you protected supporting you. I was too embarrassed to appeal. I guess I should try again.

How does all this tie into the Gulf War? I was over there aboard ship but I never figured I was effected by GWS. I was over there long after the peak of hostilities were over ( first half of 93). Of course we got an array of shots and pills prior to deployment but I don't know where my shot record is and there is nothing in my medical record. As a Fire Controlman I worked on the Navy's Close In Weapons System (CIWS) which fired 20mm DU rounds. We fired the rounds all the time and of course had to clean the gun and police up the deck for the sabots and debris as well as daily exposure to the magazine. This of course meant exposure to solvents when cleaning the gun and its systems. Shipboard life naturally meant some exposure to pesticides because the corpsman would have to routinely spray for pests. How much if any of this can or has attributed to where I am today I don't know but is it worth going to the VA and having them poke and probe me even more then they have? Is it worth them trying to discredit what I have already fought so hard for? It seems to me the people who would have the most exposure were the ground troops involved in the actual ground war. Believe I could be wrong as I am as far from being a knowledge source as one can be. It just seems that the VA should be there to support the Veterans not to make their lives a nightmare. The worst part is is that it seems like no one cares. We are yesterdays garbage set out to the curb for collection and disposal. brokendown&old Jan, 2005 Source