Sleep Apnea should be a Presumptive Condition for Gulf War Vets
Sleep Apnea should be made a Presumptive Condition for All Gulf War Veterans! Every Gulf War Vet I know has Sleep Apnea, including myself. Currently, "Undiagnosed Sleep Disturbances" are considered a presumptive for us, but good luck getting a VA Doc to diagnose you with an "Undiagnosed" condition. Diagnosed Sleep Apnea is prevalant in the Gulf War Vet population, and should be service connectable on a presumptive basis.
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Craig commented
Every Gulf war 1 vet I talk to, has the same thing. We sleep for three hours, then lay awake the rest of the night. We go to the VA for help, and what do they do? Give us an "at home sleep monitor" thats only purpose is to test for sleep apnea. Then They give us a CPAP, and say adios. If you still complain of no sleep, they send you to a shrink. After three years now, I have tried every sleep med he can think of, with no success. Now he is saying Adios.
VA is conducting a study, so they know there is a problem. Only thing, is they limit the participants to those that live within 30 miles of Salt Lake city. So before they even start, the results are not statistically significant to be of any good.
Our problems are more then sleep apnea, but they do include sleep apnea.
Maybe if the VA would pay for some real sleep studies, they could figure out whats not working right. Several studies now have proven we have brain problems. It should not take a rocket scientist to see there is a connection. -
JT commented
We kicked butt and were drawn down so fast many of us were never given follow up exams for our complaints (Gulf war examinations) or they were in the beginning phases, we were still in shock about how bad our health had deteriorated from pre-war to post war as indicated in our daily Physical training runs and test.
In my case, I could not hardly gain weight, suddenly I had gained 25 pounds in 2yrs after combat surpassing the 40 I gained in 13 years. I did not even know there was such a thing as sleep apnea, 10 years of chronic fatigue until a sleep study and eventually a CPAP, still fatigued but much better with the machine. If we all suffer with this and our exposures to the various toxins confirm what we already know, Why VA do you treat us so disrespectfull?
Honor our service making OSA a presumptive Condition for veterans of the Persian Gulf,
backdating to any reference of sleep disturbances noted.To all those suffering with GWI, thank you for your service, I ask for justice and your continued prayers on finding out the truth about our suffering, so one day we can prevent this from ever happening to our fellow comrades. GOD Bless.
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Ezjay commented
I concur fully with the below. I have had sleep apnea for many years...denied, told no such word as "Gulf War Illness", insulted and made to feel it was all in my head. The equipment it takes to get a good nite sleep is expensive. We need help, we need swift decissions, not the 4-5 years it takes for a claim to move from one phase to the next. Heaven forbid your claim goes to the "Board of Appeals"...That's the last you will see it...I filed for sleep apnea (Gulf War related) in 2008..so go figure...I have no regreats for the Service I gave to my Country, and if asked I would do it again unconditionally...just need some assistance with my sleep apnea.
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Robert Preston commented
Yes, I agree but, they denied my claim for compensation for my Sleep Apnea. We put our lives on the line and now we get nothing but red tape!! US Navy Seabees Can Do!!
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Tammy commented
1/2 the statistics are there. It would not take much for someone to Pull up the Desert Storm vets, and printout the ones that have sleep apnea, insomnia,or other sleep issues, on the vets problem list. (Yes, there is lots more DS vets that are not receiving VA health care, some of that data can be had through the gulf war registry, but since that has been a joke for the last ten years, it is not much value). Take that number, and compare it to the normal statistics for sleep apnea.
With the VA and CDMRP research results, that show that the vast majority of us have brain damage, and symptom related to brain damage, should service connected as a residual of GWI.
Brain damage symptoms include.
There are numerous symptoms of brain damage, whether traumatic or acquired. They fall into four major categories:
Cognitive
Perceptual
Physical
Behavioral/emotionalCognitive symptoms of brain damage include:
Difficulty processing information
Difficulty in expressing thoughts
Difficulty understanding others
Shortened attention span
Inability to understand abstract concepts
Impaired decision-making ability
Memory lossPerceptual symptoms of brain damage include:
Change in vision, hearing, or sense of touch
Spatial disorientation
Inability to sense time
Disorders of smell and taste
Balance issues
Heightened sensitivity to painPhysical symptoms of brain damage include:
Persistent headaches
Extreme mental fatigue
Extreme physical fatigue
Paralysis
Tremors
Seizures
Sensitivity to light
Sleep disorders
Slurred speech
Loss of consciousnessBehavioral/emotional symptoms of brain damage include:
Irritability and impatience
Reduced tolerance for stress
Sluggishness
Flattened or heightened emotions or reactions
Denial of disability
Increased aggressiveness -
Steven Russell commented
I agree 100%. I know a lot of Gulf War Veterans that have sleep apnea. It should be a presumptive condition.