Were you ever seriously misdiagnosed while in the military? The problem is often more complex than you think.

SFC Mark Merino — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 23:36:10 -0400

They are called medical practitioners, not God. In no way am I trying to take away from our dedicated, hard-working providers. Many times, even the physician's hands are tied by the administrators who limit their options. Limited facilities, budget constraints, SOP's, epic caseloads, deployments, and over a decade of war on 2 fronts. Do you have any horror stories or close calls that are worth sharing (without pointing fingers)?

I walked around with a severely damaged C3/4 vertebra for 15 months before the Army rotated the MRI image and found it. I couldn't move my neck, and if I sneezed or coughed I thought I was going to die. Once they found the problem I was in surgery within 24 hours. I still have nerve damage to both arms. Sometimes a second opinion can save your life.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2014 11:47 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 23:47:48 -0400

Yes. There are a few of my Soldiers who had some. Some were told they had something bad but actually was something mild. However, most are given an advil and a bag of ice and told to go back to work. I mean if you weren't carried in on a stretcher then you should be able to go back to work. That is the thought of some. However, I have had good luck with my doctors overall. Though not many know what to do with some issues and that is why they refer to specialists. We just need to work within the system we have and fight to make it better.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2014 11:51 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 23:51:22 -0400

Back. right after 9/11, the Army had a catch-all diagnosis for soldiers seeing a mental health professional: personality disorder. Today, many of those soldiers would be considered a PTSD case.
Husband was discharged with it. RE code 3. Been re-diagnosed several times with no such disorder.A great soldier with multiple awards, prior Spec Ops selection, and dropped like a hot potato. No chance of reentry because he must appeal directly to the Board in D.C for change of code.
*sigh* A second opinion can save your life. Yes. And sometimes, it comes too late.
Glad somebody caught your issue in time. Spinal problems are nothing to play "hit and miss" about!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2014 12:22 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:22:25 -0400

I was thrown from a gamma goat about 60' in 80 in the Corps. I have had headaches and more severe migraines all my life since then. I've also have had severe to moderate back pain. After four or five MRI's through that time on my skull they have found nothing. So I live with the headaches/migraines and ringing in the ear. The good I guess is the VA excepts responsibility for the head injury (40 %) but not the back. Finally had a doctor do an MRI on the back in 08. Told me I have Degenerative Disc Disease and protruding disk at L-3/L4, L4/L5 & L5/S1 but they say not much they can do. Guess I'll just work on my VA appeal on the back.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2014 12:44 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 00:44:18 -0400

I fully understand all and agree there is nothing wrong with a second opinion. Remember this, just like anything else not all Providers are created equal and not all medics know what they think they know. Your MD's/DO's that come in to practice are 99% straight out of school and have had no residency yet, which means they are just GP's (general practitioners). Don't expect much, but the smart ones will realize their scope of practice and punt you to a specialist.

I have been in medicine for a long time now, I have learned a great deal and truly care about my Marines/Sailors and anybody else that walks into my office.

A good Practitioner will take the time a listen to and treat the patient as a whole. That is why I am applying to DO school when I get back, I love their Philosophy on medicine and how they work with their patients as a team. Not that Allopathic (MD's) are bad by any means I just prefer the Osteopathic approach to medicine.

Response by SFC Stephen P. made Sep 2 at 2014 1:15 AM

SFC Stephen P. — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 01:15:54 -0400

Middle of the afternoon, chatting with the BN master gunner, started feeling light headed, short of breath, and an odd pain in my chest.

Aid station couldn't help, so I went to the ER.

ER immediately hooked me up to a heart monitor, and found nothing wrong.

They took an X-ray of my chest and found nothing wrong.

Grasping at straws, they had me drink a nasty concoction to numb my throat (thinking acid reflux). Didn't work.

Send me home with a 3 day no PT profile.

The next afternoon the hospital called me at the motor pool and asked me to come back in. Turns out a SPC medic noticed a collapsed lung (they are not as obvious as you might suspect) on the X-ray that the doc had missed.

Response by CW2 Jonathan Kantor made Sep 2 at 2014 4:13 AM

CW2 Jonathan Kantor — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 04:13:18 -0400

Over the years, I have received the following misdiagnoses:

Lyme Disease
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Radial Tunnel Syndrome
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Osteoarthritis
Lupus
You're Faking It
Tendonitis
Lupus (2nd diagnosis)

All of that and it finally turned out that I have Fibromyalgia. Because I was treated for everything listed above, I took a lot of pain medication I didn't need to take (It never helped) and as a result, I have kidney damage and acid reflux disease.

Additionally, I have something called Plica Syndrome. I had surgery to remove it (It's basically extra tissue on the outside of my knee that snaps like a guitar string when I put pressure on it, usually when I run). The surgeon did the wrong surgery and made my knee worse. I went from being able to run at my own pace and distance while still being able to make my time on the 2 mile run, to not being able to run at all. The tissue is still in there since the surgeon did the wrong procedure, and now I have problems on the other side of the knee.

I am reticent to go to the doctors on post anymore... for anything. After 17+ years in the military and so many misdiagnoses, I am much worse now than I would be if they just figured it out when the symptoms started. I would still be able to run, do push-ups, and sit-ups. Now, all I can do is the walk. That's it. Now, I only go to the hospital if it's an emergency.

Speaking of emergencies, I had a cyst develop in my left forearm above the elbow. I went in for treatment and it wasn't treated properly, became horribly infected, and I was hospitalized for 2 days as a result. So... yeah, my experiences with military medicine have been pretty bad. I did get LASIK back in 2001 and it was done very well. No complaints there.

Response by COL Roger Lintz made Sep 2 at 2014 11:42 AM

COL Roger Lintz — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:42:52 -0400

I was MediVac'd out of Iraq in Dec of 2009 for a ruptured disc in my lower back. I went to Landstuhl for initial eval and then sent on to Brooke Army Med Center (BAMC) for further eval. On the 5th of Jan 2010 the neurosurgeon performed a discectomy, laminectomy, and an Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) fusing my L4-L5 vertebrae. This next part is a little hazy but when I awoke in the recovery room it felt like my right leg was going to explode. I was in the 7th level of Hell and screaming did no good. The nursing staff responded by giving me massive doses of morphine. I would drift in and out of consciousness waking only to scream while writhing in indescribable pain. I eventually went into acute respiratory failure and aspirated my own stomach fluids. I awoke to a crash team working to revive me. I had checked out of the net and only the quick thinking of a young 2LT nurse saved my life. He shot me up with Narcan which cancelled all the opiates out of my body. I remember this part very clearly. Two doctors were trying to determine if I'd had a heart attack, I was screaming and choking on my own puke, and an older woman nurse was whispering in my ear that everything would be alright. I asked for my wife and they said they'd sent her back to the hotel. I figured they didn't want her to see me die. Then someone pushed me forward to slide a film tray behind my back so they could take a chest x-ray and I felt a white hot stab of pain that went thru my entire body and I screamed so loud that I passed out. I next awoke 5 days later intubated in the ICU. The neurosurgeon had cork-screwed and crushed my L5 nerve root with a pedicle screw you'd have to see to believe. I would go on to have an additional 3 fusion surgeries (L4-S1) both Posterior and Anterior (back and front) and I have a spinal cord stimulator and an intrathecal pain pump to help me deal with lower back pain. I was eventually medically retired at 100% and I will face a lifelong challenge with basic activities of daily living.

Response by SSG Genaro Negrete made Sep 3 at 2014 9:49 AM

SSG Genaro Negrete — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 09:49:24 -0400

I heard of one PA that failed to reconcile all the medications one of her patients was on before adding more. The patient was on some medication for post traumatic stress. Long story short, the patient died from a fatal drug interaction.

Another story involved a medic that saw a patient for persistent foot pain. She wrote him off as having a sprained ankle and sent him on his merry way with some ibuprofen. The patient went to the ER later that day and was found to have a fracture on his metatarsal. I chalk that one up to a poor initial physical exam.

The problem I've seen is in the BCT's. You're unit is assigned one PA and he or she becomes the choke point for follow on care. If that provider doesn't think you need to see a specialist, it becomes a huge road block. This is a problem that some times happens, not the rule.

The patient is then left to find some other PA (usually another with in the same BCT) who will make time on their schedule to see them and hopefully agree to refer to a specialist.

Most soldiers usually run to the ER when they get an answer that is less than satisfactory. The ER providers aren't primary care managers (PCM) for that soldier. The best they can do is manage the symptoms and refer back to that PA. The ER doc (assuming it's an MD. Some posts have PA or MD students working the ER under supervision) can add their two cents to the patient's electronic record, but it is still up to the PCM.

There are good doctors in the Army medical system. The toughest part of it is that the Army can't often compete with the private sector to retain the most talented.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2014 7:53 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 19:53:19 -0400

My story is not as severe as yours, however I found myself in the same situation. I have spent years with lower back pain and was taking pills and seeing a chiro to ease the pain. After years of seeing my PCM, it took me complaining about my physical therapist just to get referred to ortho. The first visit with my ortho diagnosed me with facet syndrome (arthritis) in my lower back in several vertebrate. I now have pain management for the rest of my life as this cannot be fixed. I literally spent about 16 months on temporary profiles because they couldn't find anything wrong, until the ortho got involved. I have missed out on NCOES schools and other various professional development schools on numerous occasions because of it (bouncing around from temp to temp profiles). I have still yet to be seen for constant knee pain and serious headaches about 8x a month. I annotated those same issues on my PHA last year, and I was told I had to reschedule for an appointment like 1-2 months later because my blood pressure was a little higher during the PHA appointment and that took priority.

I even remember a time about 8 years ago when I got sudden severe abdominal pain and it literally hurt to breathe. I got X-rays and a mammogram done and they couldn't find anything wrong. When they finally got done the doc told me that he didn't know what was wrong and just wrote "abdominal wall strain" on my records. The pain was still present for about 3 weeks afterwards.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2014 11:03 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 23:03:20 -0400

SFC Mark Merino My brother retired from the Army as a Medic and because of the jolting around in heavy equipment (jeeps, tanks, etc) he suffered from a congenital condition that nearly cost him his life. They had to remove a part of his skull to relieve the pressure. Now he has full medical retirement and disability rated at 100%.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2014 12:01 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 00:01:04 -0400

LIttle back ground - 2002 in Kosovo I managed to partially dislocate my hip climping up to an OP. Little bit of ranger candy and a shrt profile and I was cleared to go. A few months after we get back I fell out of a BN run with severe pain radiating from my hip and groin area. After X-rays and a little poking and proding I am told that I have a torn Piriformis muscle and went through 4 months of physical therapy for that. Pain was still there so they sent me to get a MRI. I was then diagnosed with a pinched sciatic nerve. I then go through another 4 months of physical therapy to no avail. I end up deploying to Iraq at this point and go through 12 months of hell with constant pain. I get back and have to be reevaluated and I am told that I have bursitis of the greater trochanteric and receive several injections over the next few months for that. Immediately after the shots I felt great but the pain always came back. I finally get an offpost referal (I was stationed in Germany) and go see a German doctor. After a series of X-rays that made me feel like a pretzel afterwards and a 10 minute consultation, he points out the abnormal bone growth on my femorial head. So after 3 years of misdiagnoses it takes a 2nd doctor 10 mins to find out the problem. Scheduled the surgery and have been doing much better ever since.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2014 3:14 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 15:14:31 -0400

I had a TSgt who worked for me and then he transferred to our HQ. He got sick and they diagnosed as Lupus. They wanted to medically retire him and he fought it. Our general got involved to no avail. The medically retired him. About four years later they examined him and said he didn't have Lupus after all. They told him he had to go back on active duty or take a lump sum (small lump sum). By that time he had of course excepted the medical retirement and had a good civilian career going for him so he decided to just take the money. He died about 8 years after that, with guess what? Lupus!

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Sep 19 at 2014 3:19 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:19:16 -0400

Medical errors are the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States...and guess who is signing off on the other two?

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Sep 19 at 2014 4:36 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:36:34 -0400

My most interesting interactions with the military medicine…at least from the patient standpoint…for me was a little incident where I was not hooked in correctly rappelling for a helicopter. Came in a ‘little’ hot and learned directly about de-acceleration syndrome (it is not the fall that hurts, it is the sudden stop). Messed up my back and burned my hand pretty good as well. I was able to visit the Harmony Church TMC and Martin Army Community Hospital. The medical personnel were mainly focused on my back injury, which I was good with at the time...but later when everything was good with my back…or so they said…I asked if someone could look at my burned hand. I was told that it was too late in the day, that I was only there for my back and I was finally told, that I would have to return to the TMC, have the PA look at it…the next day because the TMC was closed…and then someone at the hospital could look at my hand? In the long run, I lived and have all my limbs and digits but they could have helped me avoid infection and swollen fingers, and a couple months not being able to bend my fingers?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 24 at 2014 7:07 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:07:35 -0400

1 APR 08 – We’re at Ft. Dix, NJ for Pre-Mob training, headed to Iraq in Jul 08. That day, we’re schedule to do MOUT drills, clear rooms, etc. I was #1 – point for my team; I peeked around a corner to see if the alleyway was clear so we could cross. I popped out and instantly felt as if I got shot (FYI – I’ve never been shot but this is the closest thing I can describe what the pain was like) in my lower right leg. Immediately, I couldn’t walk, couldn’t flex my foot up or down; I was completely immobilized within 30 minutes. It was late in the day, I told my 1SG and Commander that it would okay if I waited and then just went to sick call in the morning.
By the next morning, I was barely able to walk, or put pressure on my leg/foot. Now, besides not being able to flex my ankle up and down, now there was no right or left movement possible either. I managed, very slowly to go to sick call. I was a PA at McGuire AFB, adjacent to Dix. I was given crutches and of course, lots of 800mg Motrin, some Flexeril as a muscle relaxer. I was diagnosed with “muscle cramps.” I ended up on the crutches for almost a month, before I could walk properly. I was not allowed to get an MRI done because I am a Reservist and we were only at Ft. Dix for 21 days, not over 30 days. The only thing I got was an ultrasound to check for DVT (a blood clot in my vein, seriously?)
I went to physical therapy at Ft. Bragg, NC; that’s where we were to actually fly out of to go to Iraq. I had a civilian physical therapist in government employ, but I was too afraid of re-injury to really try and recover at that point.
I did another round of physical therapy when we first got to Iraq, except I quit going because I don’t feel he treated me well, because I was not “combat” wounded in theater. He was an AF LTC and he made me feel like shit because I was in pain and needed therapy, thanks dude. Later on I discovered we had a therapist on our own camp and I went to him, he was good, but it was almost time to go home and I could have benefitted from seeing him more/longer.
Now it’s a year later, I’m home from deployment, back at my civilian job, I’ve put in the VA, of course, to add my injury to my previous claim from when I got off active duty. I lived near Ft. Hood, saw a new PCM there. In May 10, I ended up with the permanent profile (P2) as I can no longer run, or jump, or do any kind of high intensity, high repetitions of any type exercise. Well, I can, but then I’m not able to walk for 3-5 days after that, which sucks and is painful.
I PCS to California, and 4 years later, I finally am allowed to get my MRI. Guess what, all they can see 4 years later is scar tissue. No shit, really? What were you expecting? I was able to go back for round 4 of physical therapy. The difference is this time; it was a civilian agency, with civilian therapists, the whole civilian thing. My therapist was excellent; he said that he could feel the scar tissue in my leg as well. He feels, and I completely agree, that I suffered a partial rupture of my Achilles tendon. I got the most out of this time at physical therapy than any of the 3 previous times. I finally got the confidence to trust that I was not going to reinjure myself; I had been terrified of that happening ever since the initial injury. I started being able to do more walking, farther and faster. I still can’t do the Army 2.5 mile walk on my PT test though. I can walk far, very far; but cannot go at the pace/time the Army requires me to do 2.5 miles in. I do the 800 yardd swim for my PT test (I kick that swim’s butt too). No biking (repetitive motion) and no walking (difficult pace) are even on my profile.
So muscle cramps is what the VA has me for, and I have a big fat 0% on that, even though my quality of life has suffered since my injury. While I have much more confidence since the therapist, I’m still fearful of a re-injuring myself. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt and I never, ever want to go through that pain again.
Anyone have a clue or a tip or suggestion on how I can get that diagnosis changed?

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Sep 24 at 2014 7:46 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 07:46:48 -0400

*** The names and branches have been changed to protect the idiots ***

I got to be the patient in the live version of Milton Bradley's operation. Back at GTMO in 92 I started having severe abdominal cramps so (branch 1) doctor takes out my appendix. no red nose light so we're cool, but oops, stayed in the hospital a week because they can't get my fever down appendix comes back negative - nothing was wrong with it.

A month later I'm back in with the same severe cramps. Same Doc, Different Day. My colon is perforated so immediate surgery is needed to "fix" the problem. Call my wife and undergo the procedure. 6 Inches of "suspect" colon is removed and I now have a colostomy bag. They ship me off to Brooks Army Medical center to recuperate a.k.a. I'm now someone else problem. Results on the chunk of colon removed - the colon was irritated but not perforated. No red nose light, no problem as I leave 2 body parts behind in GTMO.

Fast forward 3 weeks, past the pancreatitis and the shipment to Walter Reed. Am now at WR suffer a pulmonary embolism, get shipped to the ICU for a few days, and am now recovering (branch 2) Doc & (branch 3) Doc decide my gall bladder needs to come out, as a, wait for it, precautionary measure. So back under the knife I go to get rid of the colostomy and the call bladder - a medical "2-fer". No nose light, everything's cool.

I get home with a stack of paperwork for my personal "real' doctors to look at and after telling me I'm lucky to be alive, they tell me that based on the all the medical data, The gall bladder was probably the cause of the initial pain and had it been caught on my first hospital visit and removed, would have saved me all the other stuff. And the big bonus - the initial symptoms were not service connected.

Response by LT Jessica Kellogg made Sep 24 at 2014 8:59 AM

LT Jessica Kellogg — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:59:02 -0400

"You're just dehydrated, drink more water" - ER doc.
A week later I had back surgery...

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Dec 6 at 2014 4:46 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 16:46:46 -0500

Yes, just prior to retiring. At that point I was deemed rational and sane then RallyPoint came along and undid my whole persona :-) Now that LTC Private RallyPoint Member has met me face to face he can attest to my craziness! It's not quite Klinger in a dress section 8 stuff, but close.

Response by TSgt Phillip L. made Dec 6 at 2014 6:56 PM

TSgt Phillip L. — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 18:56:22 -0500

Yes. Every time by a PA. Sent for surgical consult, and the surgeon thankfully sorted it out prior to surgery. Happened twice to me for two different things.

Response by Sgt Packy Flickinger made Dec 6 at 2014 9:12 PM

Sgt Packy Flickinger — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 21:12:36 -0500

Oh hell yea!! Navy medical borders on incompetency. I have serious knee problems and right wrist because they didn't want to deal with it. My record is an inch thick. After two years of treatment under the squid force I finally went to a civilian to have a planters wart removed. They wanted to press charges for that one. The Navy also said they HAD to remove my nice composite fillings before I got out and replace them with the amalgam junk. Which started to fall out a year later costing me $1,200 to replace again. Personally, I think it was some hack who wanted a ginea pig to experiment on. People talk highly of corpsman, to this day if I go to the doc and find out he was a navy doc, I go elelsewhere. I could go on and on and on. My neibor growing up was turned down from every medical school in the country, Navy made him a doc. As a civilian, he is not a doctor, only a PA.

Response by PO2 Jonathan Scharff made Dec 6 at 2014 11:06 PM

PO2 Jonathan Scharff — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 23:06:15 -0500

Over 30 years ago I was simply leaning over my rack attempting to open a window on Governors Island, NY and the old window pain broke and my whole palm went through it. Almost severed my left hand. Went to the ER and a corpsman sewed it up. Saw an MD for about 10 seconds and he said all was fine. About a month later as the bandages were being removed I noticed that I couldn't move my fingers the way I used to be able to. Attempted to get further diagnosis to no avail. Actually took leave and drove to Walter Reed Medical Center and saw an Army Lt. Col who was a hand surgeon. He told me there wasn't much he could do at that point and if the Coast Guard wanted your hand fixed they should have sent you down here a month ago! Apparently there are multiple tendons in the hand and I managed to cut the ones that control individual finger movement.

Did all of ET A School with one hand and graduated first in my class. The instructors told me that they would forever use me as an example whenever anyone was complaining about physical limitations..."You know we had a guy graduate first in his class with one hand!" lol So I have that going for me.

Was offered disability but I turned it down. I manage just fine.

Response by PO2 Corey Ferretti made Dec 16 at 2014 4:43 PM

PO2 Corey Ferretti — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 16:43:14 -0500

Yes i dislocated my right shoulder and the Navy said after 3 months it was completely healed with not damage. Well 5 years later of popping an clicking and pain ohh and it locked out for the 50th time i went and got it looked at off base. 2 surgery's later and still popping and clicking it is no better. The tendon that holds your shoulder in joint was hanging by a thread, they had to shave down bone, repair the rotatory cuff, and a bicep tendon was severed and needed to be repaired. Thank goodness it was completely healed.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2014 6:16 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 18:16:51 -0500

Define "seriously".

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2014 9:07 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 21:07:29 -0500

After reading through some of these responses, I have a very profound statement to make. WOW!!!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 16 at 2014 9:46 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 21:46:40 -0500

I hope this does not sound like a pat on the back for me, or a my profession is the best post, but, as an Army Physical Therapist, I have revised many orthopedic diagnoses that were sent to me from the Medical side. The biggest thing that I have seen in my 20 years as a PT (civilian and military) is that if you listen and ask the right questions you can have your problem answered before you touch a patient. Then, you can fine-tune your tests for a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan, which in my case has been immediate referral out of my clinic for more definitive care because the problem was out of my scope of practice.

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2014 11:35 PM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 23:35:16 -0500

I found out I was pregnant when I were inprocessing in Korea. I told my commander of the WRC building that I felt like was pregnant and she told me that I wasn't and in fact I had to be dehydrated then sent me on my way. Well, to make the long story short in the morning since I couldn't stand the smell of Korea plus morning sickness I was standing in formation getting ready to salute the flag when I felt the strongest urge ever to throw up. What made matters even worse since I was an E-4 I was in the first line in the front of the platoon in the middle. Only thing I could do was to about face into the person behind me and run through the biggest platoon of my life. There had to be about every rank in the Army at that formation including a two star general. So the whole time everybody was saluting they could here me in the back of the formation retching loudly. How embarrassing.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2014 11:58 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:58:47 -0500

More like never diagnosed at all.

Documentation existed from my doctor that issues existed. X-rays had been done. But, for some reason, there was a refusal to do an MRI to get down to the real issues.

It took 4 years after I separated for the VA to have the MRI done to diagnose my back issues.

Response by PV2 Abbott Shaull made Dec 30 at 2014 12:11 PM

PV2 Abbott Shaull — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 12:11:09 -0500

You know I can't really say I misdiagnosed, but back in 1989 when I sent to the Mental Ward at Fort Bragg, because my Company Command element thought I was just sandbagging it after my injuring, I was diagnose with Depression and Anxiety. Now fast forward in 2014, I was finally 2 years after my son was diagnosed with Asperger's, and Graduating from Lake Superior State University in Sault Sainte Marie, MI with Bachelor Degree in Computer Degree in Computer Science with GPA of 3.496 which still bother me to this day. That I have Asperger's, which Anxiety and mild Depression go along with common, and to add to it, I ADHD another part of Asperger's regular so bad, that is it own diagnose too. So in actually I have Asperger's, Anxiety, and ADHD due to the severity of the Anxiety attacks, and the inability to really pay attention and concentrate. Still have claim the Depression because it was previous miss diagnosed and lot of the issues symptoms that led to it, are fall under the other three. Err, and people wonder why people hate titles...lol

Response by PV2 Abbott Shaull made Dec 30 at 2014 1:01 PM

PV2 Abbott Shaull — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 13:01:53 -0500

There was the time when I went back to have my cast remove, after breaking my right ankle. To get the stitches out. Well sitting through waiting for the technician cut through the cast. To his surprise and mine, we guess what we find over my incision? No stitches, no staples, but surgical tape! The technician had look of horror on his face at first which was quickly returned to professional face.

One of the sad things, is the Surgeon was Department chief and Major. You would think he would of check on such things. Then again this was Brigade size exercise in the 82nd Airborne, and I wasn't the only brought in from Camp Blanding after waiting over 36 hours after initial exit from the aircraft. So the entire Department and the OR and at Womack was quite busy that day-night. Sad thing of it is, if this had happen in the civilian world, just leave it at that.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2014 2:23 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 14:23:41 -0500

Air force doctor told me I had herpes...I didn't. Navy doc two weeks later have me a totally different diagnosis.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2014 9:00 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 21:00:36 -0500

No, but I've only been in for a year, still plenty of time for that.

Response by SFC Vernon McNabb made Dec 30 at 2014 9:35 PM

SFC Vernon McNabb — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 21:35:05 -0500

Yes. One time I was diagnosed as being completely sane. Took some fighting, but I showed them.

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2014 12:16 AM

1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:16:30 -0500

Not a misdiagnosis, but when I went through medical at FT Benning they told me my blood type's A+. However, I'd already donated blood for a few years and knew I'm O+. Of course the drills at 30th AG would hear none of it. So I wore A+ dog tags through OSUT. As soon as I graduated I ditched them for new tags with O+ and went though my records to make sure their error was removed. I still donate blood often and of course the blood center still says I'm O+.

To my benefit a PA a FT Bragg in the 90's wrote that I've scoliosis. Didn't have it when I joined, so I got it jumpin' & humpin' fer Uncle Sugar. But it's there in my record. That and the mathematic fact that I lost an inch of height in four years. A chiro who used to help out my old rugby team says my spine's straight as an arrow. Disability? Only time and the VA will tell.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2014 12:39 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 00:39:00 -0500

Every day....they think I'm normal

Response by PO1 Chris Crawley made Dec 31 at 2014 9:39 AM

PO1 Chris Crawley — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:39:10 -0500

My wife missed a combat deployment (which cost her at least 1 promotion) because of a female doc at BMC Ft Worth. She was on multiple meds for over a year that are not to be talen for more than 3 months.She was also on meds that were dangerous to be used in combination. That doc finally got replaced by a new Ensign. He sent my wife to a chiropracter, and 2 months later she was back in good shape.

Response by PO1 Chris Crawley made Dec 31 at 2014 9:46 AM

PO1 Chris Crawley — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:46:30 -0500

I had ankle problems while at NAS JRB Willow Grove, and was sent multiple times to National Naval Medical Center Bethesda. Since I was not an officer, the docs just glanced at x-rays (which are useless for tendon and ligament damage) and gave me motrin horsepills. Once, they had a LOOSE cast put on for a month, which did nothing.
When I got to NAS JRB Ft Worth, they sent me to a sports medicine doc, who scoped the ankle, cleared out a LOT of scar tissue, and said I had obviously had quite a few minor tears over the years, but the removal of the scar tissue would help greatly.
No pain for a few years after that!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2014 10:01 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 10:01:49 -0500

I was going through my medical records since I'm filing a VA disability claim, and I shit you not, I have a diagnosis of "vaginal bleeding" in my file.

When I really stopped and thought about it, it really kinda summed up my 12 years of service ;)

Response by SFC Mark Bailey made Dec 31 at 2014 1:56 PM

SFC Mark Bailey — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 13:56:27 -0500

Yes,
...several times as a matter of fact...

Part of the 'Culture' is that too many tried everything possible to "get out of the 5-mile run".
This in turn de-sensitized some of the medics towards real injuries and issues.

In my case, as an E-7, I suffered a fractured ankle in 1994 which was misdiagnosed as 'nothing but a leg cramp'. This was probably due to the fact that I had broken it 6 days earlier and just 'toughed it out' until we re-deployed. If it had not been for the X-Ray Technician speaking up, the diagnosis would have stood. A higher ranking Doctor stepped in and had a cast put on the foot for the next two weeks.

As I prepared to retire from the Army in 2001, I was diagnosed with 'tennis elbow' and underwent physical therapy for 9 months in an effort to 'fix the problem'. At my retirement physical, the civilian Doctor noticed something in the medical files and sent me to get a few extra tests nearby. Turned out that my 'tennis elbow' was actually an 80% nerve loss in my Ulnar nerve in my right arm.

A second opinion is often what is needed but is not something you believe can be requested...

Response by PO2 Kimberly Miller made Dec 31 at 2014 4:41 PM

PO2 Kimberly Miller — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:41:18 -0500

Three times it happened to me. One of them being the cause of my medical discharge because it went on for 2 years with multiple HMC's seeing me.

First time, I was shipboard and got very ill. The doc gave me a prescription of Erythromycin, but wrote the wrong dosage - this was back in the day before the computers spit out the proper information, and they referred to a book for dosages. Basically, he doubled my dosage. I was barely 100lbs and by that first night, I thought I was literally going to die, the pressure in my chest had me barely breathing and crying at the same time from the intense pain. My AOIC stepped in and got involved, took me down to medical, found out the problem and told the doc he had to watch me overnight to make sure I didn't OD. The Doc to cover his rear put in my medical record I was allergic to the drug. That followed me for years till I got pink eye one year and the topical ointment they give for that is Erythromycin. I explained what had happened shipboard, the doc took a gamble and prescribed it, then later crossed it off of my record.

Second time I injured my foot. I was an avid runner. Was in ASF training and somehow did something where my foot stung initially and the pain receded. Thinking nothing was wrong I maintained running. Over the course of a couple of weeks the ball of my foot began to feel very bruised. Went to medical - they advised it was just a stressed tendon or muscle, possibly just a bruise from stepping on a rock while running. Sent me on my way. About a month later, I was back at medical with the same issue. They finally did an xray, found nothing. Told me nothing was wrong to lay off the running for a bit. PRT came around, I finished the run and then could barely stand for the pain and went back to medical. They again said nothing was wrong, that I was just trying to get out of the PRT. See the pattern here? This went on for TWO years. A back and forth. After that PRT they put me LIMDU for small stretches of times, hoping the issue would resolve itself. In Rota, Spain the doc there saw the problem and told me I had an extra bone in my foot. It was not an extra bone, it was my bone split in two pieces. For two years I kept going in requesting to be sent to a Podiatrist or Orthopedic Surgeon and they all thought they knew best and refused to send me to them. One HMC told me he was going to send me to Psychiatry because it was all in my head. It took a LT Reservist serving his two weeks duty to review my record and ask why in two years no one had sent me to a Specialist. He was livid. That awesome man finally sent me to a Podiatrist and with an Army base no less, since he said they care more about the feet than the Navy apparently did. In 5 minutes the Podiatrist diagnosed the problem. I had caused a minor fracture when I initially injured my foot. The running compounded the issue and split the bone. After an MRI, it was determined the bone was dead, since it was left untreated for 2 years. Plus, since I was LIMDU for 2 years - automatic medical discharge. I had the bone removed by the Navy though just prior to my discharge. It was the first time in 2 years that I did not limp. Got 10% and told me I was lucky to get that. 2 years with my gait thrown off messed up my knee and back too. I can no longer run. That one small bone being removed misaligned all the others. Even with custom orthodic inserts, running is too much and I will get multiple fractures in the other bones within my foot. I have tried many times, always ending up in a walking boot. haha Can't say I haven't tried.

The third one was in the middle of the second. I was getting my last in the series for the Anthrax vaccine. Was asked if I were pregnant. I was always told I could never have children so I automatically answered no. I was 2 wks pregnant. Carried my son full term. Was terrified about what that vaccine was going to do to him.

I am not all that willing to trust a doctor and they don't understand why. lol.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 31 at 2014 4:58 PM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:58:51 -0500

SFC Mark Merino a travesty of medical justice. Perhaps if you had seen a chiropractor with those symptoms they would of insisted on another MRI with contrast. That is call Dejarines Triad, your symptoms were textbook herniated disc. See picture, number one for a reason. Sorry buddy, happy to hear you're on the mend.

Response by SMSgt Judy Hickman made Jan 1 at 2015 12:42 AM

SMSgt Judy Hickman — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:42:22 -0500

Compared to everyone else's misdiagnosis mine was nothing. Picture this a young Airman wearing hospital whites thinking she just has a cold. The doctor says she has a sinus infection and gives her Amoxicillin.

Unfortunately I actually had Mononucleosis and wouldn't you know Amoxicillin gives some with Mono a very nasty rash, so there I am in my Whites looking like a sunburned beet.

My husband on the other hand hurt his back, after seeing Physical Therapy for 6 months and being given every narcotic known to man, surprisingly he wasn't getting better. I told him to get a MRI and not leave the doctor's office until he got one ordered (by this point this healthy young man could no longer walk up stairs with out his legs going out and being numb from the waist down). He got the MRI, saw a spine surgeon and had surgery the next day. He was medically retired at 18 years, has permanent nerve damage with a spinal cord stimulator to help with his pain. He's 85% VA disable and 100% Disabled through Social Security. I deployed and came back to a civilian husband.

Response by SGT Steve Vincent made Jan 1 at 2015 11:54 AM

SGT Steve Vincent — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 11:54:49 -0500

So no shit, there I was, East Baghdad, Route Gold, part of a QRF that rolled out of our COP on Predators to recover an enginner company hum vee that got hit by an EFP. We got ambushed as we wereceive moving into the area and my humvee wound up crashing into the back of a Bradley when we started taking fire and my driver lost control. I was unresponsive when they pulled me out and carries me to another Bradley to evac me to FOB Liberty. They then threw me into a Blackhawk and sent me to the CSH on a backboard. When I got there they put me in a CT scanner. After I yhr w up on the nurse and damn near aspirated on my own vomit from the imaging flyid, they got my film. Told me I had a birth defect in my neck. Fast forward 16 months to me having surgery to fuse my C4-5-6 together. Birth defect my ass! And to top that all off I just finally got an MRI taken at the VA hospital to figure out why my lower back hurts so bad; turns out I have 2 herniated disks. Birth defect my ass!

Response by SA Donald Brown made Jan 1 at 2015 12:25 PM

SA Donald Brown — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 12:25:28 -0500

Does being discharges for a mental condition that even after 20 years no doctor can even explain count?

Response by PO1 Omar Alvarez made Jan 1 at 2015 3:55 PM

PO1 Omar Alvarez — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 15:55:08 -0500

I was in a 10k run when my head felt like it was going to explode. I went to sick call telling the PA that I need to see the Dr. I told him I never had a headache this bad. The PA kicked me out of the office telling me every one gets headaches.

A couple of days later I woke up in the hospital.

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made Jan 1 at 2015 4:25 PM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 16:25:27 -0500

I was diagnosed as being able to tolerate large amounts of bovine fecal matter, when in reality I have a severe anaphylactic reaction to it.

Turns out it's a Med DQ. ;)

Response by PO3 Aaron Hassay made Jan 2 at 2015 3:36 PM

PO3 Aaron Hassay — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:36:51 -0500

I am sure you did get service connected before discharge. Sorry about what happened on your end. I have been doing a lot of yoga type therapy and inversion spine stretching. Muscoskeletal and PSYCH problems identified during MEPS processing between my parent service the NAVY and the sponsoring service the ARMY kept me a failure code for both Muscoskeletal and PSYCH 1998. Both were not treated. The Army recruiter told me over 1 phone call that I failed PSYCH after I had a 1 hour private PSYCH interview, but never got any medial attention for me, and I just thought I failed a math test or something in my head at 22, and it did make me sick and sad and confused definitely knowing I thought I was a shoe in, since I had no bad marks in the NAVY(by then I definitely had PTSD anxiety stress problems hence I was trying to transfer branches).

The muscoskeletal was hidden from me until I was able to retrieve an email from DOD database stating as clear as the days sun PSYCH muscoskeletal and spine DQ failure interservice transfer 1998. I had 4 yrs to go in the NAVY and finished honorably. But I was homeless and broke and confused by the time enlistment ended.

SO anyways 2011 applied for, not even talking or bringing up military and what I am typing here, for SSDI, and was awarded just on civilian records alone, SSDI for anxiety and mood disorders.

2013 not able to walk well, as I am tough guy, those achy joints really started to get to me, and an MRI proved I had DDD and 2 xlarge herniation's L5 S1.

MUSCOskeletal is a spine muscle joint issue not caused by 1 serious injury, but small repetitive strenuous things just like I would be doing in the NAVY!!!!!!

How does the service and VA handle something being notated in DOD databases, covered by hippa, still in an enlistment serving honorably that went untreated and undiagnosed(because simply saying PSYCH and SPINE or Muscoskeletal in a physical at MEPSCOM is not a diagnosis ? or is it? )

I have 16 years of HELL since 1998. I could use assistance to try to bring me back.

Response by MSG Daniel Talley made Jan 2 at 2015 3:51 PM

MSG Daniel Talley — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:51:24 -0500

Fort Bragg NC, 1992-1995 i consistently had ankle pain. "Diagnoses" was strain, bruise, bad running shoes, lazyness etc. repeatedly I was placed on run-at-your-own-pace profiles. Useless as much of this time I ran our remedial PT program for thisw who fell out of brigade runs. We ran my pace, daily, mile after mile.
On leaving Bragg we learned I had 4 and 5 stress fractures in each ankle.

Response by Sgt Jennifer Mohler made Jan 2 at 2015 10:40 PM

Sgt Jennifer Mohler — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 22:40:03 -0500

I can't remember what they called it, but medical gave me a round of antibiotics. It didn't work and I was still puking up a storm. Turns out I managed to get pregnant on birth control. I am NEVER taking the pill again. That sh*t doesn't work! Lol.

I also got told by the VA they almost everything in my file wasn't "clinically diagnosed" so I got disability for like one thing when I claimed twelve. The VA will get ya on the back end too.

Response by Sgt Adam Jennings made Jan 3 at 2015 10:50 AM

Sgt Adam Jennings — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 10:50:17 -0500

Yep, the Navy docs misdiagnosed me with severe depression and anxiety and had me on meds that made me miserable until I got a referral to a civilian psych and he figured out I have Hoshimoto's Hypothyroidism. Imagine that, lol. The entire time I was telling them it was something other than depression, the meds just didn't feel right.

Response by SPC Stephanie Oanes made Jan 3 at 2015 1:57 PM

SPC Stephanie Oanes — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 13:57:29 -0500

Reading some of ya'lls horror stories make my ordeal sound petty but at 26 years old I feel like an old woman lol. I was involved in a motor vehicle accident at the age of 22 before my first deployment and by the time we got back from 15 months in Iraq, I started going to our MTF because of the pain in my neck and back. They did usual xrays, mri's, treatment with muscle relaxers, those lidocaine patches, physical therapy, the usual. It wasn't until I got to Fort Bragg when my pain started to escalate and I was having days where I felt like I was going to die. Turns out my C3/4/5/6 vertebra and T spine are severely damaged so I was thrown around between different pain clinics, was told I'm too young for surgery, and now I'm finally at a pain management clinic where I can still function. But yeah, 26 years old screwed up back for the rest of my life.....lovely. Anyone else have chronic back pain?

Response by SGT Charles Vernier made Jan 3 at 2015 3:37 PM

SGT Charles Vernier — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 15:37:12 -0500

Thankfully no, but I remember a young specialist in my detachment going in to have surgery on a torn ACL. When he woke up the surgeon had cut on the wrong knee! Vaiid diagnosis, invalid treatment.

Response by Sgt Jason West made Jan 3 at 2015 3:52 PM

Sgt Jason West — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 15:52:37 -0500

I was never seriously misdiagnosed, only on somewhat minor issues (torn ligaments and some stomach issues) but there was a Marine in my shop the Navy drs almost killed. For quite some time he was having serious headaches, sight going blurry, and other issues. He went to the Drs over and over and they kept blowing him off. Then he noticed one of his eyes was protruding from the socket a little. He went to the eye dr and a regular dr on base and both told him it had probably always been like that and he just hadn't noticed. He went home on leave, had a civilian Dr check it out and sure enough, massive tumor behind his eye. The civilian dr and the specialists they sent him to told the guy had he waited another few weeks he would have most likely been dead. The surgery (civilian specialists up in PA or something like that) went ok, but he was told he will never regain full vision and will always have problems from it because it went so long and did so much damage, that and with all they had to do to remove it.

Response by SGT Frank Leonardo made Jan 3 at 2015 4:02 PM

SGT Frank Leonardo — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:02:19 -0500

When i was first treated for my PTSD the put me on the wrong anti depression pill and it made all of my issues worse then they were which sucked til I got them to get me off the pills and to something else that worked better

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 3 at 2015 4:24 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:24:58 -0500

Again, I really want to thank all our medical providers for everything they do. The success rates are FAR higher than the misdiagnoses. I am only trying to bring to light the fact that no one is perfect, and second opinions can be instrumental in getting relief. Until Star Trek Tricorders come out, we are at the mercy of the technology we have available and the experience of the practitioners. It is like fixing anything mechanical. Some operators can switch out engines faster...some make sure all the cannon plugs are hooked up before considering replacing the engine. Uncle Mark

Response by SSG Tim Everett made Jan 4 at 2015 3:08 AM

SSG Tim Everett — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 03:08:02 -0500

I had a lower back injury that I sustained early in my initial enlistment. I lived with it for nearly ten years. Eventually I got tired of the debilitating, often crippling pain -- sometimes I could barely get out of bed, literally -- I had to roll off my bed, lay on the floor, and "dig deep" to actually push myself into a standing position. Getting dressed for PT was a nightmare.

I went to "Killabro" Army Medical on Ft Meade, formally known as Kimbrough. For the record, I believe over 75% of the doctors and nurses employed there are civilians. Anyway, the practitioner there set me up for x-rays. Nothing discovered. I said "if this is a lower back thing, and it's muscular, is that going to show up on an X-ray? I thought that was for bones and foreign objects."

She huffed and puffed and said an x-ray was all I needed. I again asked, "So you're telling me you can see muscular issues on an x-ray?" More huffing and puffing. I requested a different nurse/doctor whatever after I walked away. I was basically told the same thing.

So this time, I said "I'd like to request an MRI. And I'm going to continue coming to sick call and asking for an MRI every morning until my CO and 1SG take an interest in why their soldier is down here every day. And when they ask me, I'll ask them to get the BC and Sergeant Major involved. So can I have an MRI?"

The response I was given, verbatim, was "*SIGH* fine, I'll schedule you for an MRI down at Walter Reed if it will shut you up and get you out of here."

Fast forward to the day my MRI results were in. Surprise surprise, problem was found, treated, and I'm much better, but will never be 100% right as rain.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2015 2:14 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 02:14:39 -0500

I believe the original question was benign, but it quickly turned into spiteful storytelling. As a career Army provider I am a bit taken back by the amount of badmouthing of military providers. Active Duty providers typically make fewer mistakes, graduate higher in their classes, have to be board certified, and have a unique relationship with their patients when compared to their civilian counterparts. It is always in the best interest of the provider to make the right diagnosis, and get you back to the fight. They may be in the foxhole with you. While mistakes are made and we take it to heart when we make them, there are times when there is poor follow up, leading to reinjury. I do not blame any one thing for bad outcomes. Each has their own story. But you are delusional to think you are gong to get better care by a civilian.

Pardon grammatical errors, typed on iPhone.

Response by SGM Robin Johnson made Jan 6 at 2015 3:06 AM

SGM Robin Johnson — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 03:06:37 -0500

Here is a cautionary tale for those of you still on active duty.

I was not quite diagnosed, but the extent of my injury wasn't fully realized. Shame on me once, because I was in the AMEDD. Shame on me twice, because it was partly because I put things off to try to keep up a front. You know, suck it up, ruck up, and carry on. Especially as a 1SG and SGM. Although when the very worst injury to my spine happened, I was finally forced to break down and stop running, I didn't follow up and get it treated properly. As it turns out, the part of the vertebrae that protects the spinal cord from the rear broke apart. And two vertebrae in my neck started slipping, occasionally cutting off blood flow to my brain momentarily, causing cervicogenic vertigo. But I didn't push for those diagnoses because I didn't want any cause for an MEB. I just embraced the suck.

When I finally retired, 8 years after the worst injury, I had a very hard time finding a doctor who would even consider operating on 'the Jenga that is your C-spine'. I had to do a lot of research and find a specialist in a specialty hospital (luckily within our network.) He is the one who discovered all the mess in my back and did the surgery to protect my spinal cord. But because I waited so long, the pain will NEVER go away. And because I waited so long on my neck, I now have a lot of other issues which make the necessary surgery much more complicated so I am waiting as long as possible and hoping they start that 3D-printing process for replacement vertebrae here before I absolutely have to have it done. And, the real kicker is that since I put up with the pain and injury/recovery/reinjury cycle for so long, I developed fibromyalgia (which they now know is a central nervous system disorder where your body recruits additional nerve fibers to act as pain receptors, and also alters other chemical reactions in the body, as a result of intense traumatic or chronic long-term severe pain that isn't adequately controlled (very simplified explanation.))

So...if you are still on active duty, don't put it off. It may seem like you can't leave your job to take care of yourself, but believe me - this was NOT how I had my retirement planned out.

Response by SGM Robin Johnson made Jan 6 at 2015 3:25 AM

SGM Robin Johnson — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 03:25:28 -0500

For those of you still on active duty: As someone who worked in the AMEDD, I strongly advise that you be your own strongest advocate. The doctor may not remember that he or she has treated you eight times for the same ailment, or that it has been going on for ten months. They only get 20 minutes per patient, and each has a panel of over a thousand patients (and this is roughly the same for ALL services), so they don't have time to read your entire chart. Remind them, and let them know you need the issue resolved. Be frank about dispelling the idea that you are looking for a profile or to get out of a run if you think that is what is in the back of their mind. And if you think they aren't taking you seriously enough, let them know that they are your only source for healthcare and that you need your concerns addressed.

If you have any issue with the way your care is handled, you can contact the patient advocate. In Army facilities, the patient advocate is often the Clinic OIC or NCOIC, but if you want to take the matter to someone outside the clinic you can look online for the hospital patient advocate. The matter will still be sent down to the Clinic OIC or NCOIC for resolution, but the hospital patient advocate will have visibility of it, and will report the matter to the hospital commander (and other appropriate personnel) as needed to ensure the matter is completely resolved. All clinics are REQUIRED to have signs posted with the patient advocate information on them.

For each issue, they should be able to tell you what the differential diagnosis (the possibilities of what it could be) is, and what they will do to rule each thing out or in. They are all taught that "When you hear hoof beats look for horses, not zebras." (I swear, they must make doctors tattoo that someplace.) Meaning that they will look for the most obvious and common answers. But if they keep trying all of that and striking out, remind them that zebras do have hooves, too! In any case, it should be a dialogue between the two of you - make it one.

And if you have an issue where you think you are getting the wrong diagnosis or where you have a serious decision to make and need more information from another source - you CAN ask for a second opinion! Most physicians will be understanding, but even if they aren't it is your right - just be respectful about it. It may be from another physician inside the same clinic, but they do not automatically agree with each other.

Response by TSgt Pennie Snyder made Jan 6 at 2015 7:49 AM

TSgt Pennie Snyder — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 07:49:56 -0500

Yes, I fractured my left ankle in the 1990's. Due to swelling the x'rays didn't show the fracture. When I retired from the Air Force and went to the VA for my exit physical they discovered my ankle did not heal properly. In 2003, I was bowling my left ankle shattered after I stuck on the lane. After the ankle shattered it caused a fracture of one of the bones in my lower left leg also. Needless to say took 2 plates and 12 screws to fix the problem. The surgeon said the shatter and breaking of my ankle was directly related to the first fracture that didn't heal properly. I don't blame the Dr who missed it the first time and I'm fine now after a few surgeries. The military surgeon who put me back together was awesome!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 6 at 2015 1:03 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 13:03:14 -0500

Another issue that may be the cause for misdiagnosis is "Sick call". Somehow, there is an idea in the Army, that anyone and everyone that may be ill and cannot do PT needs to evaluated by a provider. I would challenge all NCOs to take responsibility and have the intestinal fortitude to either tell you soldiers that they will do PT or tell them to take the day off and come back the next day. When I am seeing 30-40 patients a day for problems that are usually take care of by mom, how much time to I have to spend with the more ill and injured patients. The NCOs have clogged the system to the point where I cannot adequately take care of people. Why are people afraid to say to their soldier, take a break for a week or two? Where did this idea start that every person that may have some sort of illness or injury for a week needs a profile? Bureaucracy is the root of poor medicine, not the provider.

The contempt for actual military providers is astounding. I can understand the frustration with the VA, but the military providers care for your health and well-being. If you do not like your healthcare on AD, you can blame the system that forces the provider to work in socialized medicine. Most providers would prefer to send you where you need to go when they recognize it. However, when non-clinical people make decision, we get stuck.

Response by SPC Susan Brown made Jan 6 at 2015 2:18 PM

SPC Susan Brown — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:18:09 -0500

I received a hysterectomy due to the negligence of the military "doctors" who failed to send me to other clinics. Apparently complaining of extreme pain in/around my lady parts was annoying/malingering. As a result, I had an awful surgery with complications at the age of 23 and got out medically for a few reasons not just the loss of an anatomical organ. To be told by civilian doctors you have something completely different which causes the same pain that would warrant a hysterectomy, why were you not seen by Urology or a GI specialist? My response was I was a Soldier and did what I was told even after trying to fight for my medical issues and was dismissed as being a malingerer.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 6 at 2015 2:37 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:37:57 -0500

I apologize to our providers if this thread has generated some ill will. I have changed the description after receiving some excellent feedback from some providers. Again, I never intended this as a bashing forum. One of the common responses was that an MRI saved the day.....The providers are under restraints just like every other entity. An MRI given to everyone in pain would mean that there would not be enough money for their budget to even pay for a bandaid after performing surgeries. It isn't anything personal, it is socialized medicine.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 6 at 2015 2:42 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:42:39 -0500

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 6 at 2015 2:38 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:38:49 -0500

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 6 at 2015 2:43 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:43:25 -0500

Response by PO3 Aaron Hassay made Jan 8 at 2015 4:50 AM

PO3 Aaron Hassay — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:50:01 -0500

I just say this openly. Thanks for letting me VENT a bit, in ateempts to process imperfectly and grow, and heal in the way that feels appropriate although roughly , I know, compared what one expects at times. Emotions run high like a locker room before a game here. I-We signed documents-trained-organized-gave our all-whatever part it was to fulfill the requirements handed to us by our Government in defense of our Great Nations attempt and desire at being Great. It can be humbling this adventure. And no adventure is not without adversity. At least the journeys I have been part of.

Upon reviewing enlistment papers accurately archived since 1994 when I signed up a skinny little wide eyed high school athlete looking to take life by the horns with the highest ambitions raised by a really nice mom, I read great large statements that stop me and make me things WOW that is a statement FEW humans will ever put there NAME ON and WEAR PROUDLY and DEDICATE for regardless even giving the ultimate your life if called upon.

And I do not say that lightly. I know those brave among us who did sacrifice it all. And I SALUTE them ALL SOLEMNLY the SACRIFICE that I know I hold in my heart a DEPTH I can not really fathom completely with words and the sadness may be far to deep for me to contemplate really the complexity.

So let me continue this digression and attempt at making a statement point.

I -WE signed this at some point.

DD FORM 4/2 MAY 88
E. Confirmation of ENLISTMENT or REENLISTMENT
15. I ..........., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform of Military Justice. So help me God.

It uses enemies foreign and domestic and I never really thought about that as a kid until as an adult with more seasoning. And may I say this. The more I read the UCMJ the More I read UCCODE etc...I see the attempts at greatness and desire of the best IDEALS and I am prouder to be AMERICAN. With seasoning in life I know nothing is perfect. It is imperfect perfection. And no matter where I go in the world, no matter what religion I accept or discover, No matter what tribe I contemplate and study, NO matter what Country I know about and think about, No matter what skin color, No matter what sex, No Matter what age, No Matter what wealth or supposed poor, No matter what there is good and bad, great and evil, and no perfection in all, unless imperfection is indeed perfection.

With seasoning and looking back on the chapters of life lived and that MASTER CHIEF that literally threatened my life and career physically and mentally on that ship in the middle of th ocean, me 21 not feeling well with some issue with hygiene clean uniform and HIM new to the SHIP OLD SCHOOL and maybe that is how he handled things the OLD SCHOOL WAY..and I froze inside and literally did not tell anyone for the next 16 years in my life and since homeless violent unable to maintain employment chaotic homeless etc...all from a kid who won the best recruit award in boot and who also finished full term honorably discharged but sick in the head.

When Humans are mixed together even humans in the same family sharing the same last name even mothers brothers daughters and fathers and even the 1 you and me that looks in the mirror at ourselves and there is imperfection and things go wrong and hate and anger can happen, and even the worst of the worst happens in this close circle. It does not even have to be quote unquote the enemy everyone is worried about. It was your own family, the ones closest that can do the most damage. What a humbling part of life sadly or not so sadly. Depending on how you journey and learn from such events.

But what am I getting at?

I believe letting out the bad with the good and not just being overly positive YES SIR "always" kind of guy who would not admit pain...as it seems to be a weakness and weakness is a germ..and a germ is not something you should resemble or keep around...

But this germ is actually a part of you that needs release and clearing or it an destroy in other ways.

So that is what the site the internet and reconnecting with the other side of the Military and the problems I was never able to digest and process is for me.

Since being 18 I never really grew that much mentally I think. Now 38, I went right into the Military. I was taught manhood and glory in bootcamp and felt at home, not having a dad(who I found out later in life was a VIETNAM COMBAT VET) etc etc etc. I agree it is a great place at times but lacking the complete circle where I was with the enlistment I had.

I finish with this part. Maybe this is the complete circle to let out the other part I never showed. I took it on the chin a lot of things as a young kid with a uniform on.

I internalized it.

I did not process things. Now I am attempting without a ton of precision to open that paradigm and come full circle.

And again thanks for not making me feel like a fool and being there.

Response by SN Keefer Macy made May 13 at 2016 4:22 AM

SN Keefer Macy — Fri, 13 May 2016 04:22:24 -0400

If anyone knows how to get medical decisions fixed after getting out of the military I would really appreciat the help. Please read. In the Navy I was diagnosed with Hypersomnolence with findings of Narcolepsy with Cataplexy. I would constantly fall asleep while working on my Submarine Warfare qualifications. I would easily get 8-10 hours of sleep at night and never make it to work on time. I would sleep through my alarms. If I did wake up, I would wake up again hours later on the floor with my shipmates banging on my barracks room. My Chief of the Boat finally sent me to see a doc. He said to me after being sent to his office countless times for this issue, that "No one just doesn't give a Fuck like this. No one joins the Navy, and goes subs to just piss it away on purpose." So I was sent to the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA. I did a sleep test and with that I was diagnosed. I was transferred off my boat that day. When I was transferred to my limited duty command, I did not report for 2 weeks. I was asleep. I honestly have no recollection of that time. My wife says that was like a zombie. I just slept, ate, wanted to have sex all the time and never made any sense when she tried to talk to me. When I finally reported to my new command, it seemed like nobody really noticed, or even cared that I was AWOL for 2 weeks. That is until I started oversleeping again. Then everything came up and I was sent to Captain's Mast. I tried to get help from my Dr. to see if he would tell them that it was part of my illness, but he looked at me like I was crazy. He said that he had never heard of anyone sleeping for 2 weeks straight. I felt like dying. I was sent to restriction for 3 months and was awarded half months pay for 3 months. While in restriction my command forced me to break my apartment lease and made my 6-7 month pregnant wife move into base housing. My apartment was 5 minutes from base ( I was at Little Creek JEB) the only housing available in the area was for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. That drive was normally about an hour. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Anyway, long story short, I was separated General Under Honorable. No medical. I was only in for 2 years and 3 months. So no G.I. Bill. I basically wasted 2 and a half years of my life! The only good thing, which I don't want to downplay is that I met my beautiful wife in the Navy. Other than that I was just screwed over and over. I still have sleep issues, bipolar disorder and ADD (my EOAS was back in 2011). I have been doing a ton of research lately and I have discovered Kleine-Levin Syndrome. AKA Sleeping Beauty Symdrome. I fit the age bracket (I was 19 at the time of my 2 week absense) and what i told the doc is almost exactly what i read on this website. http://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/6-strange-and-terrifying-sleep-disorders. I would love some input on fixing my Discharge Character, getting my G.I. bill or getting medical assistance. There are treatments for all of these disorders. But they are expensive. anyway if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Thank you

Response by Teri Hatch made Mar 5 at 2019 3:08 PM

Teri Hatch — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 15:08:37 -0500

I just found out that my Fuchs corneal dystrophy is not correct. I was given this diagnosis over five years ago, had multiple follow up appointments with the same provider who told me it was progressing. First civilian ophthalmologist I’ve seen said he sees no evidence of that disease. Happy to know that. Also, at Landsthul I was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis again, years after annual bone scans with supposedly showing disease progression I was told I do not have it. That’s great but what should I believe ?