shares a gulf war vet ... how to get help & avoid the red tape?

I was in 2nd ACR during Desert Storm, Spent most of my time in Dharan (Khobar Towers 'scud city'), with regular runs to the desert chasing down 2nd ACR running parts and supplies to the front. I had taken the Nerve Agent pills, and had the full barrage of shots before we left Germany. crawled in and out of iraqi equipment, and had to pull over numerous times to clean the windshield of my truck from all the soot from the oil fires. I would blow my nose and it would be black soot in my nose. Also, I was directly under more than a few scud explosions. we drove past herds of dead sheep and camels.

I got some really BAD intestinal problem while over there. Uncontrollable diarrhea, nausea, sweating, weakness, mild fever. This went on for about a week. Nobody could stand to be around me because my sweat smelled like sewage, and I had to wear my gas mask when using the latrine, others would hold their nose and walk out, telling me I needed to get checked out. That seemed to have cleared up, and a few times in later years, I had a few recurring bouts, but not in the last few years.

About a week before leaving, my eyes began to itch and ache. I thought it might have been the sand, irritation from the oil fires, or somehow my eyes got 'sun burnt' from the intense Saudi sun. Within a week after I got back to Germany, my eyes were completely swelled shut, with a discharge, and it felt like ice picks behind my eyes. I was sent to the hospital in Nurnberg, and was told i had some sort of chemical burns to my eyes. They asked me if I had gotten sprayed with battery acid. I told them I had just gotten back from the desert, then all of a sudden my diagnosis was changed to severe reaction to the pollen in Germany. I was stationed there for 9 years and never had a problem....

Not long after that, I had bad skin rashes on all the exposed parts of my body (neck and lower arms), itching to the point of scratching until I bleed. Among the grocery list of problems are: SEVERE recurring headaches, Glaucoma AND cataracts, Astigmatism, Degenerative spinal disease, tinnitus, and restless leg syndrome, (VERY severe), I have to take Valium on a nightly basis. I have not had a decent non-drug induced sleep * in years. Severe degenerative arthritis in my feet. When I am in intense sunlight, my skin feels like it is on fire. I have hypertension. I had been told told seek psychological help because of severe panic attacks when around fireworks. Have not seen fireworks since crawling under a truck on the 4th of July while back home immediately after Desert Storm. I had no idea it would happen and it was very embarrassing. This affects my job since I work on Sydney harbor, and they have fireworks every Friday night in the summer. I work on the boat and have to hide in the engine room. Also, hearing air raid sirens (even on TV) fills me with dread, and brings on panic attacks. Thinking about it makes me shake.

There was a unit in Jubail, not far from where I was that had some really bad documented problems after the war. From what I heard, most are dead now.

After retiring from the army, I got 10% disability for my headaches. Since then, I have been trying to get re-evaluated without much success. I have been told now that the VA hospitals are flooded with Iraqi Freedom vets who are doing rehab from traumatic injuries, and have been told by a few VA hospitals that it could be years before I can get evaluated. I am currently living in Australia, and you can't believe the red tape involved in dealing with TWO bureaucracies. I feel the only reason I am alive today is my aussie wife works at a medical center and has me constantly poked and prodded, and pumped up with drugs.

Gulf War Syndrome wasn't even a term when I started having medical problems, so I dismissed it. Is there anyone else that has had multiple symptoms like this? This is the first time I have mentioned this online, as I was worried I would be dismissed as just another loon.

If you have the same problems, or have any idea on how to defeat all the bureaucratic crap and get real HELP, please let me know. fortheimperium2003 http://www.gulfweb.org/fusetalk/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=494

SPINAL TAP? ouch! I had one of those (for my headaches). they suspected spinal meningitis (severe headache and neck pain). 3 days in the hospital ( i think you might have to stay overnight), and I was released and told that I had a severe headache (DUH)!! You might want to get a second opinion about the spinal tap. I knows things have advanced a lot in ten years, but it was still a dangerous procedure, and from what I understand, you don't regenerate spinal fluid. Just a thought about the second opinion. I WOULD NOT want to go through that again.

PS CARC Painting Sorry about the lengthy post. another issue i was thinking about was CARC paint. Used on combat vehicles to help protect against chemical agents. I remember reading the MSDS sheet, and seems to cause EVERYTHING

Cancer, liver disease, renal failure, heart disease, etc. If anyone had been using this stuff without respiration/protection, then the flood gates could be opened. I was assigned to prepping All the armor in the regiment for painting once in jubail. We would mask off the tank, get it to the maintenance tent, park it, get out and RUN. before the tanks were parked, civilians dressed like darth vader were spraying down the vehicle. they were in positive pressure breathers with full protection. I had BDU pants and a t-shirt. once they were done painting (about 45 minutes per tank), they would yell for us to move it. i would climb up on the still wet CARC paint fire it up and drive off. Is there any research on the effects of CARC paint and reactions with other drugs, chemicals? Also, u r right about the toxic components of burning scud/patriot missiles. Patriots were designed to disintegrate on impact to avoid hurting friendly troops on the ground. Scud missiles are 13 tons each and even without chemical agents, the components of the missile burning were toxic. The area would be cordoned off for 24 hours because of toxic fumes. 12-1-08

You are exactly right about CARC painting... it is a strong version of the chemical I am talking about/

So, you are spraying and even if you had breathing aparatus ... you most probably don't have air tight goggles

Then the mist of paint drifts down the sand, and others are being exposed, too

Then you sleep in crowded quarters (?)

and others in the bunk house are being exposed second hand

a wicked, wicked chemical

What I would share with Patrick Swayze & his doctor team ... if I could *

I wonder if Patrick Swayze had a parent who was in the military ....

and that what he is dealing with is a late to show up birth defect (?)

Regardless ... I strongly suspect BUTYL ... anything with butyl ether .... or 2-butoxyethanol as the primary chemical exposure to suspect for his cancer/s

CARC Painting CARC Painting - back up

12-3-08

I have enlarged your post, so I can easily read it ... and highlight health issues that I would suspect exposure to the chemical in explosions ... in cleaning products ... in jet fuel (& there are many other sources of it, too)

I can only reply to one of the solvent/pesticide exposures of gulf war vets: 2-butoxyethanol. I think that or some type of BUTYL component shows up when there are explosions such as Scuds and Patriot Missiles collide. *

The harm of 2-butoxyethanol is unrecognized How to Recognize it *

I think the most noticeable things about this chemical
is the short term memory loss (autoimmune nervous system issue)

and

ANEMIA clues of 'the chills' rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath

and 'the headaches!'

Comments to those with brain tumors *

The Proper View of CFIDS, CFS, FM, ME

more helps to find the fatigue - the anemia

Cold to the Core