Help with VA rating

[32blownhemi]

Ok, so they told you that you were service connected? So you must have already turned in a claim? They should have given you a % rating when they said you were service connected. Didn't they?

[Laos Film Director]

May I ask how sleep apnea is service related? I don't understand how it can be service connected. I don't understand why the government/taxpaper would pay for something not service connected. Perhaps there is a logical explanation for sleep apnea to be connected to military service that I haven't thought about. Can anybody please fill me in on how apnea is a service connected item?

[32blownhemi]

May I ask how sleep apnea is service related? I don't understand how it can be service connected. I don't understand why the government/taxpaper would pay for something not service connected. Perhaps there is a logical explanation for sleep apnea to be connected to military service that I haven't thought about. Can anybody please fill me in on how apnea is a service connected item?

I wondered too. So I Googled it & yes if you developed Sleep Apnea while in the service then it's service connected. You do need to prove it though....

[ChicagoGranny]

May I ask how sleep apnea is service related? I don't understand how it can be service connected. I don't understand why the government/taxpaper would pay for something not service connected. Perhaps there is a logical explanation for sleep apnea to be connected to military service that I haven't thought about. Can anybody please fill me in on how apnea is a service connected item?

I guess certain injuries to the jaw or airway could make it service related. Or maybe, TBI could cause central sleep apnea. Or, you could argue that treatment of sleep apnea is part of treatment for PTSD. But otherwise, sleep apnea being service related is a scam.

Or, as Josh mentions below,

I don't understand it fully myself, but my understanding is that the meds they put these guys on causes weight gain...and you know the rest.

[josh]

Regarding agent orange...my dad also served in Vietnam, and got service connection for agent orange a few years ago. Sadly he passed away. So I do not know anything about agent orange, I'm sorry you have to go through that, and I thank you for your service.

Many veterans get service connected for sleep apnea, appears as secondary to PTSD. I don't understand it fully myself, but my understanding is that the meds they put these guys on causes weight gain...and you know the rest.

I did not get sleep apnea form service. It was aggravated by service. I was granted service connection for sleep apnea a short while ago after a lengthy battle with the VA due to clear and unmistakable error. I have not received a rating for it yet, and I don't know where I fall into the cookie cutter shape of the VA, which was the point of my question. I unknowingly had sleep apnea before service, they gave me a clean bill of health, then extreme sleeping conditions brought out all of the symptoms of sleep apnea (depression, anxiety, sleepiness, so on). They did not do a sleep study, they threw me by the wayside. My airway was 2 millimeters wide, I am anatomically doomed. Also, I was 120 pounds soaking wet when I was diagnosed 4 years after I got out, so tell me why do I have sleep apnea? Why is it so severe? Why does CPAP not work for me? Why am I the perfect candidate for every dangum medical procedure?

CPAP is not the only recognized treatment. There is tons of research into surgical options to treat it. And consider this, my doctor said that of those that are 100% compliant with cpap, 50% feel better. I was one of the other 50%. CPAP has been around since 1980, sleep apnea has been around forever. And while CPAP does wonders for a majority of the population, it is NOT a one-size-fits all solution. You blow air down a large pipe, you have a low pressure. You blow air down a small pipe, you have high pressure. What if the pipe is too small?

I could not live without my CPAP, but I was not feeling better with it.

[palerider]

It was aggravated by service.

While I suppose that's possible, it's more likely that it was simply aggravated by age like it was with most of the rest of us, you just happened to be in the service.

My airway was 2 millimeters wide, I am anatomically doomed. Also, I was 120 pounds soaking wet when I was diagnosed 4 years after I got out, so tell me why do I have sleep apnea? Why is it so severe? Why does CPAP not work for me? Why am I the perfect candidate for every dangum medical procedure?

You answered all your questions in your first sentence. As to being the perfect candidate? Surgeons exist to cut.

CPAP is not the only recognized treatment. There is tons of research into surgical options to treat it. And consider this, my doctor said that of those that are 100% compliant with cpap, 50% feel better. I was one of the other 50%. CPAP has been around since 1980, sleep apnea has been around forever. And while CPAP does wonders for a majority of the population, it is NOT a one-size-fits all solution. You blow air down a large pipe, you have a low pressure. You blow air down a small pipe, you have high pressure. What if the pipe is too small?

Your comments show a lot of misunderstandings.

For one thing, compliance has nothing at all to do with effectiveness. Compliance is usage, nothing more. You can be 100% "complaint" and 0% effective. Like wearing the wrong glasses.. wear 'em all day, still can't see..

CPAP doesn't blow air down a pipe, small or large, it just provides a TINY pressure (a fraction of what it takes to blow up a balloon, a fraction of one PSI) to enlarge that pipe... so that your lungs can do what they do during the day, pull in and push out air. if the pipe is too small, then you need more pressure to open it up. This is the most common failure, machines set too low, effectiveness too low, no matter how many hours of "compliance" there are.

[RedWarrior87]

How did military service cause your airway to collapse. I was poisoned by Agent Orange, something that can never be corrected, I also have Sleep Apnea, I never applied for a disability for it because !. It's not the Armys or Governments fault I have it, however them ruining my health by Spraying Agent Orange, with human poisons in it to save money, and make more profit for the companies selling it to them is.

I get 25% from them for Agent Orange Poisoning, something that gets worse daily, I 'd give back the money double if they would take back the health damage it causes daily. I wouldn't take a dime for Sleep Apnea, I'd use the treatment that works and correct the problem. Jim

Ok Jim let me give you a little bit of my background. I was an Infantry grunt, I deployed during the surge in 2009 to Kandahar province. Nearly 10 months into my tour, as my unit was pushing out to build another COP to accommodate the whole brigade of the 101st was coming for the summer of 2010. I was the lead vehicle that day when my MRAP thankfully which had a mine-roller on it detonated a huge IED before our MRAP was over it. I was knocked unconscious for I’m not sure how long, but I was the first one to wake up and realize what happened. I got to home and was MEDEVAC, had a broken heel and lumbar 3 compression. Needless the say I am pretty lucky with relatively minor injuries at least physically.

Fast forward to later 2010, I began dating my girlfriend at the time who told me I was snoring and quit breathing in my sleep. It was bad that she moved to the living room. I eventually got my sleep study done while I was in the WTU transitioning out of the military. I was 192lbs at the time at 5’10, with my PTSD I ended up ballooning to 220lbs. I was diagnosed OSA when I was 22 years old. Fast forward to now I am much healthier, i weigh about 170lbs exactly and still suffer from sleep apnea at 31 one years old. If you looked at me, you wouldn’t imagine I suffer from sleep apnea. I suffer from insomnia too, the last 9 years of my life dating back to summer 2009 my sleep is very fragmented, even using my CPAP.

I average about 4-5 hours roughly this past decade. Don’t get me wrong, there are times I will crash for 7-8 hours but it’s very rare. And when I do nap it’s no more than 15-20 mins. Five people in my unit who I keep in contact with and consider my closest military friends, 3 who were exposed by an IED via a suicide bomber on foot, and myself and another were in a vehicle. I’m not saying just IEDs alone cause sleep apnea it could be a variety of factors. They all have sleep apnea, and have been given a CPAP. Do some research, (some) NFL players have sleep apnea from blows to the head and many develop sleep disorders, Reggie White one of the greatest all time players died from sleep apnea. Being a defensive linemen I am sure he’s had some blows to the head. If you look in some sexual trauma cases of women being raped some of them develop sleep apnea or sleep disorders, and some police officers suffer from sleep apnea and or sleep disorders as well.

Whether or not you believe it’s service related, it puzzles me how I would develop it otherwise. None of my girlfriends in my past told me I quit breathing, or even in basic training for that matter. I slept 8 hours no problem, and even more if I was sleep deprived. Don’t tell me I don’t deserve, or condescend on veterans who have sleep apnea related to service. I fought for my country, and thankfully it’s kept its word on taking care of me. I couldn’t ask for more, it’s given me a second chance to get my life back in order.

[ChicagoGranny]

So sorry for what you suffered through on behalf of our government.

i weigh about 170lbs exactly and still suffer from sleep apnea at 31 one years old. If you looked at me, you wouldn’t imagine I suffer from sleep apnea.

This is the old thinking from the medical profession. I wouldn't look at your height and weight. I would look at the jaw structure - underdeveloped jaw? crooked, crowded teeth? - indications of a narrow airway. Skinny people have obstructive sleep apnea.

"It's not the size of the neck, it's the size of the airway in the neck." - Dr. Mack Jones

Do some research, (some) NFL players have sleep apnea from blows to the head and many develop sleep disorders, Reggie White one of the greatest all time players died from sleep apnea. Being a defensive linemen I am sure he’s had some blows to the head.

Reggie White had obstructive sleep apnea. It was caused by an airway that collapsed easily. Look at some photos of Reggie - he had a very gummy smile. A gummy smile is an indication of malformed facial structure which causes a narrow airway. Reggie was heavy enough that he may also have had obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

some police officers suffer from sleep apnea and or sleep disorders as well.

A large part of our population has obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. Most of them are not police officers and have never been in the military.

blows to the head

Blows to the head do not cause obstructive sleep apnea. It's possible they would cause central sleep apnea. Read about the difference between obstructive and central sleep apnea. Which type do you have?

My prayers that you get relief and healing.

[RedWarrior87]

ChicagoGranny, sorry if my answers are all around I am typing on my smartphone and it’s hard to fix up the quotes. I attached a few pictures of myself below, I don’t think at least for me it has anything to do with my neck size or dimensions that’s causing my OSA. I quit my CPAP therapy for years until the last year when my psychiatrist told me I need to use it to help alleviate some of my PTSD symptoms.

But my sleep study was done by a civilian company off-post and was diagnosed with OSA and my machine is set at 9 for pressure. I have heard a bit about central sleep apnea, it’s when your brain doesn’t send the signals to breathe right? There seems to be a big split down the middle when it comes to OSA and military service. But it’s becoming a big problem with younger veterans, and as you said could be a very underdiagnosed condition among many Americans in general.

Prior to my deployment to Afghanistan, as I said I was pretty healthy. I slept normal, even state side, I had no problems sleeping as aforementioned. I’m not really a big guy— my teeth are straight as well. None of my family has it either or has had a history of sleep apnea(OSA or CSA). What’s going on with younger veterans being diagnosed with OSA or central sleep apnea? I was 22 years old when I was diagnosed and given a CPAP. Something is certainly going on. My military friends who have sleep apnea we all had some things in common— exposed to IED blasts, combat, exposure to trauma, and fragmented sleeping patterns. None of my friends are older than 35 and one is slightly obese, and rather just a “bigger” person in general— thick neck, kind of stocky build, lifts weights etc.

[RedWarrior87]

ChicagoGranny, when you mentioned the central sleep apnea and trauma, I have noticed I don’t snore as much as I use to. When I was 192lbs when I had my sleep study in 2012 I was snoring pretty loud. I have recorded myself through a sleep app, and I do hear my self quit breathing quite a bit but not snoring particularly. As I’ve said I am pretty healthy, 170lbs currently well within my BMI for my age. I’ll have the gasping for air recorded but really light snoring. My sleep study said I had OSA but is it hard to distinguish unless they look a little closer?

I was exposed to a pretty big blast— the picture of my vehicle looks worse than it really was. I don’t have a lot of pictures of my vehicle but the front was connected with the mine roller. That was my vehicle when it was brought back to FOB Wilson. It knocked our 50 cal off it’s mount and landed behind our vehicle, when they pulled me out I saw it with my own two eyes I was pretty astonished. If it wasn’t for that mine roller triggering th IED, we’d probably be dead from the blast force itself. My other friends were on foot when they were exposed to a suicide bomber on patrol, and the close ones I keep in contact have sleep apnea of some kind.

Interesting though, something is most certainly going on. I wonder if I do have central sleep apnea, all I know is it’s still hard to even feel rested after using my CPAP, but I suffer from insomnia too. My sleeping is really bad, and back in 2011 I was 200lbs+ and used my CPAP and still felt tired in the morning, but I also wasn’t taking my medications either. I became lethargic, and it has helped now that I am at a healthier weight, but I still don’t feel very rested.

And thank you, my generation has been fortunate to say the least. A lot of medical advancements, helped even OIF/OEF were relatively low intensity conflicts, compared to Vietnam and Korea for example. There have also been more troops who survived injuries from the war than ever before who would have died from those injuries back in the previous wars the US has been involved in the past century. The Iraqis and Afghans can’t commit large conventional units to go toe-to-toe with the overwhelming firepower the US and it’s allies possess on the battlefield. It’s a shame previous veterans were treated the way they were, and ignored by the VA, after fulfilling their end of the bargain.

Whatever it is one thing is certain— the VA really doesn’t like to give out money, I know this whole sleep apnea issue has been something Congress has been very vocal about since it’s brought up the VA’s budget. It operates on a tight budget, and has to simultaneously balance taking care of aging Veterans population, and also treating veterans from the current conflict(s). I really hope you older generation of veterans get what you’re entitled.

[chunkyfrog]

Regardless of service connection or not, the fact remains that we OWE most of
our veterans decent medical care--without being forced to fight for every little thing.
They EARNED at least that, through their service and sacrifice.

[RedWarrior87]

Regardless of service connection or not, the fact remains that we OWE most of
our veterans decent medical care--without being forced to fight for every little thing.
They EARNED at least that, through their service and sacrifice.

I’m not disagreeing with you about that. There is a lot of
bureaucracy in the VA, and I am aware that there are many veterans from previous generations who are fighting for benefits they rightfully earned and deserved, after the VA shrugged and gave them the cold shoulder. Whether or not it was service connected, the purpose of the VA was to provide medical care for all veterans, and for some their only source of “quality” medical care is the VA.

[chunkyfrog]

Imagine how much more CARE they could give if they cut the HEAD off the snake.
(((Reduce/eliminate the bureaucracy)

[ChicagoGranny]

My sleep study said I had OSA but is it hard to distinguish unless they look a little closer?

With an in-lab sleep study, it's clear whether apneas are obstructive or central. Was your study done by the VA? In any case, we always recommend getting a copy of the summary of your sleep study. It's usually one or two pages long. It might be helpful in understanding your problem and treating it. It's your right to have a copy.

I have recorded myself through a sleep app, and I do hear my self quit breathing quite a bit but not snoring particularly. ... all I know is it’s still hard to even feel rested after using my CPAP, but I suffer from insomnia too.

Here is what we always recommend. You should do this in a new thread of your own. First, fill out your equipment profile - https://www.cpaptalk.com/ucp.php?i=prof ... pment_info In your new post, note that you have done this. Then, let's work on getting your CPAP therapy optimized. A good bit of what you have written indicates your therapy is not optimized. Optimization of machine settings and mask is not easy for a sleep lab to do. They only have a short time in one night. With the right tools and help from experienced forum members, the patient can work on optimization over many nights.

BTW, your teeth look great and the front view of your jaw is good. I hope you also have a high jaw line from the side. You might want to count your teeth. If you have 32 straight and uncrowded teeth, you are at lower risk for obstructive sleep apnea. If you have 28 teeth and they are crooked and/or crowded, you are at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

[ChicagoGranny]

Regardless of service connection or not, the fact remains that we OWE most of
our veterans decent medical care--without being forced to fight for every little thing.
They EARNED at least that, through their service and sacrifice.

If our government is going to send military members into places where they get physically or mentally harmed, they should provide excellent medical care for life.