DESERT STORM DIARIES: THE WAR AFTER THE WAR

This is the diary of our second Gulf War Veteran, Denise Carlson, a Navy Desert Storm Veteran, female, Fleet Hospital 5/15, Saudi Arabia.  I asked her to write up her story and she agreed to have it published on VT to share her first hand experience with seeking care, the care she has received, and the problems she has experienced. 

In long telephone discussions at night she has expressed that she is learning not to just brush off her problems.  She also seems to have Fibromylagia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivies that have not been diagnosed.  These are further triggered from her exposures on the job in the Operating Room and in the hospital but she has to work to support her family.  She also has strange Calcium deposits in her ears that have not been explained.  She also is having significant spinal disc problems that need further medical treatment.  She also has neurocognitive problems and sleep apnea.

So I ask you is she being adequately diagnosed, treated, and compensated.  Is she getting the answers and help she needs?

I am a Gulf War 1 veteran. I was assigned to the Fleet Reserve Hospital 5/15 in Saudi Arabia from July 1990- January 1991. I was first diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in 1992.

I became active duty Navy in October of 1993. I was stationed at Naval Submarine Base Point Loma, CA. I was assigned to Environmental Services and worked in a Hazardous Materials Warehouse. I was demoted in rank and rate upon entering active duty when it was discovered I had not attended Hospital Corpsman A school.

After two years,  I was given special permission to take the HM3 exam and passed the exam. In 1994 I suffered a foot injury that resulted in having to have surgery. The bone dislodged and pressed against a nerve causing me numbness in my foot up to my knee after many tests including an MRI the extra bone was removed.

I was able to swim for my PRT test and remained on active duty.I continued to have issues with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and GERD throughout my years in the Navy. I had a rash on my back of unknown origin that did not respond to any treatment. It itched and was annoying. I saw a Dermatologist several times during my active duty time and none could identify what was causing it or seem to help it at all.

In 1997 shortly after becoming pregnant with my second child, I had bouts of dizziness and nausea which confined me to bed. The limited tests they could do while I was pregnant indicated some kind of inner ear disorder. Upon delivery of my child, I was able to have an ENG, MRI, and other diagnostic tests. I tested positive for Nystagmus. I was referred to a PEB board.

My initial physician was transferred and my initial diagnosis of Meniere’s disease was removed from the final findings. I was found fit for duty despite the fact I continued to have episodes of severe vertigo and nausea.

My evaluations were horrible due to the fact of continually missed work and general attitude that I was somehow faking it trying to get out of working. My EAOS was already past and I gave up trying to fight the ruling.

In 1999 I was discharged from the Navy. I filed an initial claim with the VA and was granted 20% disabled. My hearing was affected in the upper ranges. I had symptoms of tinnitus in ears, fullness and inability to equalize pressure. 

I went to work in a Physicians Laboratory in 1999I continued to have symptoms general fatigue, increasing headaches and dizziness. I went to see a ENT inner ear specialist in 2001. He told me basically there was nothing he could do to help me and eventually my hearing loss would worsen. He also identified calcium deposits in my inner ear on both sides.

In 2002 I went back to the VA to try and get my disability rating increased. This time I went to the DAV office and they filed my claim. At my VA clinic there is not any ENT specialist, in Amarillo, which is two hours away, there is Audiology but not ENT.

Every time I am seen it is by a general practitioner who does not know how to treat my illness. I have been given blood pressure medicine for  my headaches which made me sicker. I have been given birth control pills for my painful periods which didn’t help much.I have been given various decongestants and allergy medicines to help my ears which they don’t but they do help some with my sinusitis so I continue to take them.

I was told the hearing aids provided by the VA wouldn’t help my particular hearing loss.

I went through Voc Rehab and got a degree in Business Administration 2005In 2004 I was diagnosed with annulated tears on L4,L5 and S1 as well as thoracic strain T3-T6 class 4. My back stayed in spasm for several weeks and pain medicine did not alleviate the symptoms.

I went to physical therapy for six months seeing a general doctor none of the Orthopedic or Neuro doctors take worker’s compensation. I was off work for 3 weeks and on light duty for 6 months. I continue to have back pain but light duty is no longer an option for my employer so I suffer in silence.2004- 2008

I was employed as a surgical tech but I did not work in the clinical area I was assigned to a special project and mostly did computer type work, data entry and material management. I continued in this role until October of 2008 when the materials department was moved back downstairs and I was essentially out of a job.

In November of 2008 I was moved to a different hospital to help them get ready to transition to a Women’s and Children’s hospital. My hearing continued to deteriorate and was starting to cause me problems at work. Two months after I was moved over I lost my position as manager they felt that I lacked the skills necessary to do the job.

I was accused of lacking attention to detail and being argumentative as well as not paying attention and taking longer to do tasks . This was when I first noticed that my cognitive skills were impaired. I often wrote down numbers wrong or had trouble doing basic math. My short term memory is also very impaired I often forget to pay bills or keep payment arrangements.

I am currently in the clinical role again and I am still having difficulty. I have been counseled and written up and suspended.

I have trouble holding retractors and hearing the doctors, I have trouble maintaining my balance and standing still for long periods. Many doctors refuse to work with me because of my issues.I am always tired, but have trouble sleeping.

 I wake up an average of two to three times a night or more. My upper arms are losing strength and it is hard to hold and lift things. I am on a TENS unit for back pain and I have exercises that I try to do to increase the strength in my back and arms. I am seen by PT in the VA clinic. I am being fitted for hearing aids as soon as they come in. I have moderate and severe levels of hearing loss in both ears.

I have applied for an increase in disability rating. I really think my back issues and ears and GI and headaches are all related to my exposure in the Gulf War. Although I have not been formally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I have most of the issues associated with it.

I was told by the DAV representative that I could not claim service connection for the back pain because it did not happen on active duty. The short term memory loss and cognitive aspects are causing me the most trouble. I am not a stupid person but people tend to think I am. I want to continue to work but I am not sure how long I will able to. My husband is unable to work due to complications with diabetes. I have three children and not working is not an option for me.Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope it helps bring awareness to what it is like living with Gulf War Illness and the toll it has taken on my life and the life of my family.