Other Injuries

[Jimmy1]

I was just thinking about this section 'Therapy / Medications' and I thought, maybe we need a section on 'Other Injuries' because a lot of us veterans have lots of other ailments caused by years of abuse in the military.

For instance, back injuries are common due to heavy weight being carried. The last body armour I wore, the kevlar vest weighed 21 kg and the kevlar helmet weighed 7 kg. Throw on top of that your water, ammo and everything else look at the punishment placed on knee's, ankles, and the spine.

Anyway, what got me thinking about this thread was a man I see regularly down at the gym I go to.
It is run by exercise physiologists and DVA will pay if because they can design workouts based around your injuries. A great idea. We have guys with missing limbs etc, etc. Lately I have been wearing my knee brace and yesterday I saw the surgeon. He said that too many people wear braces all the time and their muscles waste away because the brace is doing all the support work.
He said that our bodies will tell us when we have done too much, and that is when we have to rest.
The problem us veterans have is we suck up pain because otherwise we are branded malingerers or weak and that is where injuries occur.

Thoughts??

 

[Ted Moen]

In the US VA system there is a claims process for any injury the veteran considers to be service related. I know many veterans who are compensated in excess of 100% due to injuries like you mention in addition to their primary claim. I have never bothered to file for compensation beyond the 100% I receive for PTSD, but I have received treatment for a number of the kinds of injuries you mention for free at the VA. I was in a massage therapy program for several years for the back pain, during which the therapists taught me the specific stretches and exercises I needed to continue to keep my back functioning. I have had rehab and prosthetic support for plantar facitis (sp), a common condition for aging Infantry people.

I think discussion of other injuries from things we did as part of our military involvement that develop as we age is a good thing. They are real and sharing info and experiences is a good thing.

Ted

 

[Jimmy1]

Thanks Ted, the problem with all veterans though is getting the injuries recognised in the first place. Over here, once you have a 'Gold Card', above 100%, you don't have to file a claim anymore, you just go to the GP.

Over here, (sp) is common in every ageing soldier who did over 20 years, but they have reduced that now with the OH&S policies. Apart from SF, soldiers are not allowed to run too far with their packs on. Infantry still do their mandatory 50 km marches, but they are only twice a year now. Modern day infantry now have armoured vehicles that can take them most places, so there is not that much humping in the boonies unless they want to be tactical or its jungle.

Over here the most common problems with soldiers are knee's and shoulders.

One disease I would like to question you guys about is diverticulitis. Ration packs have changed over the years, but I reckon in the early days they put something in the rations to decrease the amount of 'crapping', then when you came home and got fresh rations, out it came.

Waffling now

 

[JarHed]

I think a section on 'other injuries' would be great. As I've mentioned before I was wounded twice while in country so I've got some issues with those. And I can identify with you Jimmy, as a grunt there were many times my gear weighed out to almost what I weighed at the time. toting a 100lb pack may have kept me in shape over there; but I'm paying the price for it now. As we all are.

Quick question: how can you get a rating over 100%? I'm not sure if I'm understanding that or not. Just curious. I know is I take each thing that I have a rating for and add them up, they come to like 180% but my VA rating is below 100%. It has to do with how they plug those rating into some formula they use to come up with your final rating. I'm great at math, but I'd have to say I find it confusing.

Jar

 

[medic5]

Jar, the VA has a wierd grading system on disabilities. I had it figured out one time, but I can't remember how I did it. I know each body part has a different rating system. A few veterans that I know actually have a rating of 180-195%.

It would be interesting to see how many of us suffer from arthritis because of our time in service. I have it in my back, knees, ankles, left shoulder ( it was dislocated during survival training). I never had to carry 100 lbs the most was 65lbs. I was one of the youngest veterans to need a knee replacement because of the injuries. My dad still claims he gave his daughter to the military in prime health and got a old lady in return. I think it is tougher on my dad than me. You know daddys are suppose to protect thier little girls. Because of that I can't really talk to my dad about what happened, it really hurts him to see me suffer.

Diverticulitis, IBS and other gastro problems are common among the military. I feel that the field rations we were fed contributed to a lot of the gastro problems veterans have. Also many of the situations we were placed into contributed to the problems. How many times have we had to hold it while out in the field. Part of that good ole military training other's needs come before yours, or who wants to get shot with their pants down or captured. Plus the smell could give us away.

 

[Lee C]

Im up for it, you thought my head was battered, wait to you get a load of this ! :eek:

 

[Ned]

I think a place where we can share the fixes that work for the wear & tear niggles is a very good idea, pool the cures.

 

[Anglesachse]

I think a place where we can share the fixes that work for the wear & tear niggles is a very good idea, pool the cures.

Best brown paper , and parfin oil in your neck of the woods isn`t it Ned. or at least "Up North".

 

[Jimmy1]

Chew on a clove for a tooth ache, never understood that one. The last thing you would want to do was chew something.

 

[Ned]

There's nowt can't be fixed with a dab of lard.

 

[tho9900]

ya Eugenol which is what they soak the gauze in to stuff the cavities when you have your wisdom teeth out is nothing but clove oil... odd isnt it...

other injuries... bunions from having to wear boots a half size too small for a month because they couldn't get the right ones out to where I was??? knees hurting? Imma shut up I could go on and on...

 

[JarHed]

Actually a poltice made of ginger root is great for a lot of painful knees, feet, ect.

Here's the recipe: get a fresh ginger root. grate it up and put it in a piece of cheesecloth, tie the end so the gratings don't fall out. Put the bundle in boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes till it changes color slightly.

When the water in the pot cools slightly, put a wash cloth or something like it in and then ring it out. Place on affected area. It should be warm, not hot so it burns the skin. When it cools; repeat till the water isn't warm any more. Do that a couple times a day for a few days and you should notice some improvement.

Jar