Blue Water Navy

I am blue water Vietnam veteran with peripherial neuropathy in both feet and both lower legs. The VA denied my claim for compensation becaused I did not set foot on dry land inside Vietman and even if I could prove I was exposed to agent orange they said I should be cured by now. I was discharged in Oct. 1969. I have had this disease for over 20 years and I have yet to fine a doctor who knows of any cure. I was just wondering if anyone else has this same problem?

James

James ,
I have it too , the info. you have is correct as far as I know . I got out in Aug. 1968 , just went to C&P this morning and was diagnoised by VA . They denied my claim for it last August and tested me today ! Is your PN secondary to another ilness ? Like diabetes ? Mine is they say , but that don't count because I did'nt have boots on the ground either according to 38 CFR .
I talked to my VSO while I was there and he thinks something my happen soon to change the way we (Blue Water Navy ) are being treated , of course he did'nt say what.
Some of these guys may have a better answer for you , just wanted to let you know we recognize your post.

Once the nerves are damaged there is only a very slim chance they will rejuvenate and if they do it takes years.
My toes feel numb but I can still feel some things including the damned needles they stick me to test them with and it always feels like I'm walking barefoot on gravel but that hasn't meant squat.
The fingers aren't quite as bad but still cause problems. Fortunately I don't have too much of an issue with the larger limbs, yet.

Regardless it's going to be secondary to something, in the VA's opinion, and that is probably diabetes but can also be secondary to treatments for cancer, particularly if those treatments included steroids. That's not to mention the Neuropathy caused by the vast majority of chemo treatments.

Thanks for the replys. I do not have any secondary cause that they can find. I am not being treated for cancer. It is just a big mystery. I don't know for sure how long I have had this condition. I do know I first talked to a doctor about it in 1995, he had no clue. I nexted talked to a doctor in 2000, he ran test and fond nothing. He sent me to a foot doctor and the fun began. I got shots in me toes, I got inserts in my shoes, and then after 3 years I got a chance to have the nerves between my toes cut, I said no. Finally in 2003 I went to a neurologist and he diagnosed the PN. But he found no cause and no cure. When me insurance ran out in 2008 I went to a VA doctor and he diagnosed it as PN allso but still no cause and no cure and that is where I am today.

I believe what has been said, once the nerves are damaged they may never heal. I also believe that once they are damaged, it might take many years to notice and once you notice it might take many more years before you need help. After that you just have to live with the pain as best you can. That is why I filed a claim, which was denied, first because I am a BWV and secondly because they don't think PN can still be with me this long. Because of my condition, I also believe that maybe, just maybe, BWVs might be more exposed then ground troups becuse of the distilled water we were forced to injest. I have read about reports that say that the effects of agent orange are magnified by distilling sea water that is contaminated with agent orange. I wish the government would wake up and bail us out.

James
de1023 1967
ca73 1969

I have peripherial neuropathy in my hands and feet. I have been diabetic for the past eight years and neuropathic for the past six years. The pain in my hands is sometimes excruciating and my feet are absolutely numb. My balance and walking ability are affected by my feet. Also there is significant edema in my feet. These two conditions are not the only two afflictions. I also have asbestosis, high blood pressure and arthritis. Though under VA care for most of these ills, no claims have been approved to date. In talking to other shipmates, I find that I am not alone in these illnesses and the more of them I find and talk to, the more frequency I find. Perhaps a thread of commonality? Joe Rosso

Welcome James,
I don't have PN but just wanted to welcome you and give you some good news and some bad news. The good news is that there is an immense amount of info to be found on this site that may help, the bad news is that there is an immense amount of info on this site that may help you.... if you haven't already, you have a lot of reading to do. You will find info on PN and info on addressing the "boots-on-ground" issue. Once again Welcome,
Frank

jrosso wrote:I have peripherial neuropathy in my hands and feet. I have been diabetic for the past eight years and neuropathic for the past six years. The pain in my hands is sometimes excruciating and my feet are absolutely numb. My balance and walking ability are affected by my feet. Also there is significant edema in my feet. These two conditions are not the only two afflictions. I also have asbestosis, high blood pressure and arthritis. Though under VA care for most of these ills, no claims have been approved to date. In talking to other shipmates, I find that I am not alone in these illnesses and the more of them I find and talk to, the more frequency I find. Perhaps a thread of commonality? Joe Rosso

Take a gander here. They may well have so good information about getting help for Asbestosis, the do for other Asbestos related issues. Keep in mind the vast majority of the ships we were on had lots of asbestos on them so we were all exposed to it.

There's a very common set of symptoms that the VA has yet to acknowledge. Many of us have arthritis and also Chronic fatigue. Some of us have stomach/intestinal/sexual functional problems. Although it is fairly easy to understand, the IOM has not accepted any of the several foreign studies that show dioxin is a neural disruptor. If the peripheral nerves from the lower back were damaged, the G/I symptoms would be explained as caused by this "peripheral neuropathy" that affects the internal organs. From there, it is very easy to conclude it is more likely than not that the peripheral neuropathy of the lower limbs are associated with or secondary to the problems with the neuropaths that are affecting the internal organs. If you've been diagnosed with "spastic bladder" or Irritable Bowen Syndrome (or any of several other names that essentially say "we don't know what's causing this, but it appears to be a FUNCTIONAL problem." That means, 'too bad, there's nothing we can do, because you were just wired wrong or differently than "the rest of us." ' If you have these diagnoses in your background, you more likely than not suffering from a dioxin poisoning.
When these common traits occur among a population that has dioxin as a universal part of their past, it gets a little too obvious. But these and other symptoms have not received the blessing of the Institute of Medicine, which the VA relies on for its data.... which by the way, is a misinterpretation of the Act of 1991 that the IOM be an exclusive source for medical and scientific input for VA decisions. But no one has ever challenged that. Within the VA is an Environmental Hazard team who know about all this stuff and who have limited their expertise to instructing the VA on all the possibilities for NOT accepting the scientific and medical research currently being done globally. Agent Orange/dioxin is an issue that will soon bite Uncle Sam in the ass and take much more than a pound of flesh in retribution.

James,
Were you ever exposed to heavy metals where you could possibly injested some of it?? heavy metal poisoning is one of the causes of PN, Another is Diabetes. The AO variety which the VA says is a transient condition (Bullschitt) and mysteriously cures itself within two years. I was diagnosed with Neuropathy of the ulnar nerve in both arms in 1975 which was while I was still in the Navy; it hasn't gotten any better 34 years later. Fortunately the VA classified it as Tardy Ulnar Nerve Palsey and I get some DIC for it. I also have PN of the lower extremities , my feet are numb from the ankles down. My claim for it being secondary to diabetes type 2 was being held in limbo pending the outcome of Haas. PN can take a more dramatic form where the victim has difficuilty swallowing and the digestive functions are impaired. The DVA doesn't acknowledge that these conditions are caused by AO exposure.

No I don't believe I was ever exposed to heavy metal posion and I don't have diabeties. I guess I have the mystery type. If these condition is going to heal itself It is sure taking its sweet time about it. Like everyone else I believe those of us that have PN are going to die, unlike everyone esle I believe we are going to live in pain until we die and I don't believe there is anything anyone can do about it. And that's the way it is, it just bites my butt to see the government spending Billions in bail-out money for fat banks so fat cats can get Millions in bonus money while all we want is a few bucks in compensation money so we can have new pair of shoes. But that is another topic.

Thanks for all of your replies
James

No I don't believe I was ever exposed to heavy metal posion and I don't have diabeties. I guess I have the mystery type. If these condition is going to heal itself It is sure taking its sweet time about it. Like everyone else I believe those of us that have PN are going to die, unlike everyone esle I believe we are going to live in pain until we die and I don't believe there is anything anyone can do about it. And that's the way it is, it just bites my butt to see the government spending Billions in bail-out money for fat banks so fat cats can get Millions in bonus money while all we want is a few bucks in compensation money so we can have new pair of shoes. But that is another topic.

James,
Brother I know where you are coming from. They did all kind of test when it showed yp in my hands and never did they find a cause. Some of the other things that they mentioned that didn't apply were nerve scarring and repititious compression, Alcoholism and people of Semitic ancestry sometimes get it. They didn't know about AO. I couldn't believe that something like this could happen to you and they couldn't find out why. After they operated on both elbows it never got any worse but it never got any better either. When my feet started to develop the same symptoms that my hands had 20 years earlier I went directly to my doctor and he diagnosed my feet as Diabetic Neuropathy. My the pain and burning sensation in my feet got so bad that I finally had to go on Neurontin and later Lyrica.
It looks like the crooks in Congress can give away the farm to the crooks on Wall Street but they can't spare a little change for Veterans who victims of circumstances beyond their control. It sucks, I say send all the sorry bastards home.

Here is the official diagnosis for all of us as of now. It is called "ISHEMIC BS Crapola....!!!!"