Namvet Medical Journal

stats? by: docdave

...MedReport. stats or numbers are funny things,like they say 55 some odd thousand people died in the vietnam war,yet more people here in the usa died over the same ten year period from drunk driving than did in the war. Also, they are saying now that our WW11 vets are dying off at a rate of 1400 per day.And that vietnam vets are dying at a rate of 348 per day. another little number heard lately is that over 2and 1/2 million men and women served in vietnam,while now over 9 million claim to have served there. don't ya think numbers are funny?

compassion fatigue by: docdave

...MedReport. a new symptom for the list of ptsd behaviors;"compassion fatigue". this applies to care givers.those people that spend hours and hours of listening to others and their grief and pain, become symptomatic of their very patients they are trying to help. That is they start to take on symptoms of grief and pain, and sleeplessness,and worry, and anxiety over their patients problems themselves.They are no longer able to disengage themselves from their work.They in fact start to have their own ptsd of sorts.These people need others(peers) to talk to, breaks from work,get away for periods,music, distractions of mind,possible brief therapy themselves.This is quite different and not to be confused with nurse"burnout".Other sersources may be found at wikepedia.com and other medic websites, glamonyun has available upon request. www.glamonyun@aol.com

medics ptsd /groups by: docdave pfeifer

...MedReport. re:forming groups for medics at the VA HOSPITALS. In the recent past we have started trying to get groups up and running just for medics.trying to get the system to recognize medics have unique problems to talk out; away from the general population is difficult.slowly we have begun, to get the message across,and have gotten a few groups off the ground.doc guy lamonyun and I docdave, got one started here in long beach ca.however due to his mothers health he had to move to prescott arizona,after a while he was able to start another medics group there at the VA in prescot,and is doing well with 6 members.Back at home my good friend here; Tony Esperanza, took the service officers course and started that, and was just asked to transfer over to Loma Linda hospital last month, where he has started another medics group based on our same ideas here.he also started with 6 members.Meanwhile as I reported earlier the support medics here in calif. have dominated this group by numbers, and cinsistently complained about the combat medics telling their stories as too gory, too gruesome, too down, too negaqtrive for the group to listen thru. My combat medics report back to me, they are driving them out of the group, and the therapist has changed the name from cambat medics; to medics and corpsman to make it more positive.Also they report sher has told them no swearing when retelling their stories as there are women in the room, not to use that language of the day beacause it is no longer polically correct and not to get so emotionally carried away when retelling their combat stories. my vets say"whats the point doc"; I understand their frustation. The group is suppose to be a safe place for vets to go to tell the most darkest and compelling events in their lives that bother them the most;in a open and non-judgmental peer group.one that is there to accept and listen and support them.what is said in the group, stays in the group; and forms bonds between the members, of mutual trust and shared experiences. THIS IS WRONG AND i FEEL FOR THEM. So I have gone to work and on weds at 2pm; over in the pier bldg, I myself, will be starting my own ptsd group for combat medics and corpsmen. I have gathered support from suprising drs.psycs. counselrs,etc. and have been approved already by the board chairman and go before them for thursday for demostration only,of my program plan what I intend to do. they all know full well I have been retired for several years and all my nursing credentials have expired and am at 100% at the VA.yet its still a go. doc dave---hoooya!

xmass by: docdav e

...MedReport. have a mery christmass and happy new year to all vets and their loved ones.

thanks day by: DOCDAVE

...MedReport. we all take a break this week coming up; and give thanks for all the blessings we have in this country; and say thanks for all veterans, for helping us to have them. Just think, if our forefathers gave out donkeys on thanksgiving day instead of turkeys;we;d all be eating asses instead of turkey.

remarks by: docdave

...MedReport. remarks made here in the journal are not meant to demean nor belittle any one vet over another. please do not take offense at anything said in here and remember it's all someone's opinion which is only as valid as the next person's. anyone serving in any armed service under honerable conditions is respected for their service here.all jobs came with there particular hardships,and some were by their nature harder than others.also some called for more sacrifice ans suffering,as well as danger and risk. the chain of support for each and all was necessary to get very tough jobs done.teamwork, made that happened from the smallest effort to the largest. beans and boots,ammo and meds, among the many many items it took to sustain an army during fighting.remember everyone gave something, some gave all.

the VA and numbers by: docdave

...MedReport. The VA system is all about numbers.for instance they buy drugs according to prices-numbers. they deal with patients according to numbers.Not enough interest(numbers)no groups are formed or docs are available. money is available by numbers.pts are scheduled by numbers.we are lumped into groups by numbers.Our records are all listed by numbers. here are some commonly known numbers:only ten percent of the nation have ever served in the armed forces.only ten percent of the armed services who did serve ever saw combat.they say it takes ten men in the rear to field one combat vet.A little over two million people served in one capacity or another in vietnam.over 9 million today claimed to have served. when it comes to numbers the remf"s will always outnumber the actual combat veterans at the VA hospitals asking for benefits.stands to reason right. then who is pushing who out of the way for treatment? gas fillers, clerks, typists,supplyclerks,truck drivers, maintence people, carpenters,drivers,cooks,aides,mp's,myriad others to include aidmen, surgeons, nurses hospital techs, navy medics,flight medic crews to states,shipborne medical, hopital medics, rear staeside hospital like japan medicalpersonaelwhich rightfully should be called vietnam era not vietnam vets and many others are being treated as equals at the VA FACILITIES AND GETTING BENEFITS AT THE SAME RATING AMOUNTS. Is that fair, they have the numbers after all.

stapf infections by: docdave

...MedReport. old hospitals become stapf ridden with airborne infections.they don't want the public to know these4 facts because of law suits. in surgery at the entrance you grt a bath of ultra violet light to keep down most germs and airborn e ac tivity.plus the surgical scrub up is thorough. sterile techniques ARE MOSTLY DONE EXCELLENTLY AT GOOD HOSPITALS. on the floors is a different matyter. nurses come into work with colds and infections.many nurses don't wash between handling of patients. if a patient has an infection in one room it can often jump to another room. staph infections are usually hushed up at most hospitals fo fear of malpractice suits. many infections are air borne.when you are lying there after surtgery and put on a floor with others recovering from surgery you are at your most vulnerqable for infection. your immune system is already working fulltime on healing from the surgery.you have an open wound as are others on the floor. nurses are going from room to room as are doctors and housekeepers. nurses aides and candystripers and sometimes flower deliverers.so its a busy place when you add visiters.anything can trvel in from a variety of sources.

medics prayer by: docdave

...MedReport. ran accross a copy the other day thought some of you might like a copy. OH,LORD,I ASK FOR YOUR DIVINE STRENGTH TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF MY PROFESSION. HELP ME TO BE THE FINEST MEDIC,BOTH TECHNICALLY AND TACTICALLY.IF I AM CALLED TO THE BATTLEFIELD,GIVE ME THE COURAGE TO CONSERVE THE FIGHTING FORCES BY PROVIDING MEDICAL CARE TO ALL WHO ARE IN NEED.IF I AM CALLED TO A MISSION OF PEACE, GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO LEAD BY CARING FOR THOSE WHO NEED MY ASSISTANCE.FINALLY,LORD HELP ME TO TAKE CARE OF MY OWN SPIRITUAL,PHYSICAL,AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS.TEACH ME TO TRUST IN YOUR PRESENCE AND NEVER-FAILING LOVE. AMEN

claims by: docdave

...MedReport. I am hearing that a high rate of claims are being filed right now.due to returning vets from afganistan and iraq,and also viet vets discovering delayed stress.claims are higher than ever, and averaging at least 162 days to process and, even longer on some.those waiting don't get stressed out its the system at work.reports are that vets waiting on claims are calling the suicide hotline and expressing their anxiety over this.find a way to stay calm, it isn't you personally,its the bloody system.when you give up they win.stay tough and hang in there thru the end its worth it and so are you brother.

diabetes by: docdave

...MedReport. seems to me an unusual amount of veterans lately have been diagnosed with diabetes.,more than in the population percentage .this is another disease added to the list of agent orange for claims benefits at the va. but why did so man vets suddenly come down with it?too much alcohol builds up sugar in your pancreas and liver.junk food does the same.watch your cholestrol. when your sugar goes up, you are storing too much and not burning it off like when you were young.diabetes insipidus,is childhood or born with it, where as diabetes mellitis is adult onset.there is a sticky coating manufactured to hold in the sugar in the system long enough for the body to burn it.when this substance is lost in the urine(we chck it by test tape),its called hypo- glycemia.coined by dr.carl jung.where the sugar goes out in the urine and not retained long enough to burn.opposite of diabeted. the body needs to be in balance to be in harmon.so moderation is the key. drink in moderation and eat the same way.live loger and enjoy the life we have survived.we deserve it guy and certainly weall deserve it. doc out.

vets benefits by: docdave

...MedReport. A note of info to all who ma be interested. we had a medic go for C&P interview yesterday.And today in our combat medics group in long beach,ca. he announced his experienc.he stated that the dr. told him ptsd benefits were for medics that traveled in the field with the grunts and infintry not any medics who worked in the rear hospitals,medivacs or mash units. and that he got an orderly job right after discharge and stayed employed at that for several years estalishing normal return,then he did not qualify and why did he wait so long to come in for help? any on have aproblem with that? this particular medic worked the 326 med detach. where the wounded were rushed for emergency support then stailized and moved on along the chain to better facilities.he didn't get a CMB but discharged his duties for one year and still reemembers the blood and broken bodies ne worked on along with the nitemares he has now.what say docs?

medics work by: docdave

...MedReport. was thinknig the other day of some of the duties of a field medic in the army as oppossed to medics on other stations. for instance,remember stopping the bleeding with a pressure bandage and starting an iv --in the rain? remeber having several guys yell medic at the same time only ten or so meters apart each. oo remember the screaming elling swearing when the rpgs were coming in ans all hell broke loose so you didn't know where to duck.then MEDIC UP!~ remember running down the hill at firebase kathy when the rto in the rear didn't tell anyone the op's team was coming in from being out the nite before. andthey fired claymores in to two good men;point blank. remember checking all your clothes for leeches after coming out of the water. no supply no choppers are flying no visiablity in this weather. squaaak,no radio commo either. how about only fourteen klicks to go for a pick up,get there asap? infantry had unique opportunities to see what you were made of. I wanna be an sirborne trooper live a life of danger and kill me a comie with my m-16.onlky in the nam. doc out. just musings.

AO at Ascom Depot by: Randy Watson

...MedReport. I was stationed at Ascom Depot from Dec 68 to Feb 70. I was with Company B Supply and Transportation Division. We stored,shipped and transported Agent Orange to the DMZ. We were the main supply division for all of Korea. There were times these barrels would get punctured by the forks on the forklifts and spill out causing us to get skin contact with AO. I also served in Viet Nam from April 70 to July 70. I suffer from hypertension, heart disease and other illnesses. It's documented in my military medical records that I had high blood pressure in 1975, 5 years after leaving Korea and Viet Nam. I'm getting ready to file yet another claim with the VA for Hypertension and Heart Disease. I've had open heart surgery in 1991 and since then I've had six heart attacks. Anyone with more information about Ascom Depot please email me at aboogger@swbell.net

Robert Zendejas by: Vet 12

...MedReport. Robert, I was stationed at Ascom, South Korea in 68-69. I have a claim in for exposure to AO. I had non-hodgkins lymphoma. I would like to talk with you concerning AO being stored at Ascom.

nite sweats by: a.o.lancaster nz 14110

...MedReport. I think you should invest in a cpap mchine for sleep apnea ,you risk stroke and or heart attack

flue shots by: docdave

...MedReport. they say older people should get there shots.well now thats us.they also say people get the flue from the shots.well that means someones immine system is so low they would have gotten the flue anyway but a lot worse. the shot is the flue germ injected under the layer of skin.then our immune system is turned on and signals are sent to send white cells to kill the germs.the build up of new white cells should keep us preety well immune to the flue bug.I nsome cases people still get the flue, but not nearly so severe due to the fact they alreay have anti-bodies in their system.we all(vets) can get them free this month (oct) at any va facility.

nite sweats by: docdave

...MedReport. I personally think the reason varies in many of us.And is more wide spread than the va admits to.I know I have it all the time, and many of my vet friends here in long beach va have it too.the only thing we have in common is ptsd.It goes away for a sort time and then it comes back.I sweat thru my pillows every nite.I usually end up buying new ones all the time.Another thing is sleep apnea, where we stop breathing for short times.Have you been told you do that too.Many of us also have that as well.Why I don't know.thats the reason they won't give me sleeping pills at nite.So I wake up every two hours or so. makes for rough dragged out am's.then the cycle repeats.

night sweats in men by: ray cuff

...MedReport. what are some causes for men sweating at night?

shingles by: docdave

...MedReport. one of my vet friends here in long beach VA came down with them.He went thru quite a depressive time,has many ptsd symptoms along my M.S. so his auto-immune system is down and very week,allowing the shingles to take hold on the right side of his body.this comes from the events I described, and stress related too,a person who has had chicken pox in his past, can happen to.the docs treated it aggresssively with both oral meds and a medicated pack to the infected areas, and in ten days he only had scarring on his leg to show for it.be careful about letting yourselves to get so far down as to allow infections to take hold.

vitamins by: docdave

...MedReport. sometimes vitamins can be a help if you are careful and don't over do it. name brands are usually safe. some that I believe in are; saw palmetto,for prostrate;vitamin E helps clean the blood,a good daily multi-vitamin,helps make up for not eating correctly? Alfalfa tablets,clears the lungs for like emphasyma pts,or fluids,a real good one now is Omegs-3,help with digestive tract and other stuff.Beta-Carotene is a good blood cleaner and thinnerfor better circulation.there are others but all I can think of right now.

vaso-vegal syncope by: docdave-medtech

...MedReport. a condition of feinting due to low blood volume to the brain perhaps, two pints or so ,in the feet.The vegas nerve accross the heart and leading to the brain is suspected to be involved here.this condition is rare.these symptoms are identical to many other conditions like low blood sugar, cardio insufficient blood volume in the chambers to pump out, before the signal the brain gives it.Most all of this is called auto-nomic; that is we don't control it , our auto -nomic or central nervous system (cns) does. syncope ,means feinting, and dizziness,from the greek word to cut off.that is cut off blood supply in this case.Vaso , meaning blood system, and vegas nerve, the largest nerve accross the heart for the return of blood to restart its return to the body again when insufficient blood volume desn't fill the chambers of the heart properly;and the signal from the brain tells it to pump,then it sets up tachtchardia,or irregular rythm, which leads to convulsions,feinting, dizziness and passing out.when the heart restarts, it is back into normal rythm again.Lasts from 30 seconds to 2 minutes.episodes are much like seizures and are treated whith anti-seizure medications.

hepititus by: docdave

...MedReport. If that is the word the below entry is looking for. there are two basic types.1.the one we were concerned about hep. from bad water.to counteract that we(medics) gave out those little rusty looking pills that were basically iodine tablets.to kill the bactria in the watr we drank. we also got those bnad ass gamma globulin shots to prevent hep c. Later after we came home we lerned of another type hepititus B.by getting bad blood products.sharing needles,bad blood transfusions,drugs, needle pricks,bad handling of blood products all brought on a scare of hep b. many of us are still struggling with the aftermath of our generations mistakes . from, agent orange to hep c, to hep b, chloroacne rashes,lymphoma,just to name a few.

reply to crotch rot by: docdave

...MedReport. many guys got both crotch and foot rot in the jungle,many things bring it back. heat and humidity and stress are two things come to mind. My MD is giving me both hydracortizone for itch and clotrimazole cream. he says to mix the two togethr and apply.the hydacorti--doesn't treat the infection only the itch, and he says we need the clotrimazole to treat the infection.It seems to help me.but it never goes away permanently.

Crotch Rot Korea by: Robert Zendejas

...MedReport. I am a 66-67 vet of Korea. We saw barrels of Agent Orange stored at a place called Ascom Depot. Spraying was done as early as the summer of 1967 according to news reports from Korea newspapers. I now have Type II Diabites. I was also exposed in Panama where Agent Orange was also sprayed on a regular basis. I first had an expisode of Crotch Rot in the summer of 1967 when we were chasing Gooks through the rice paddies, etc. I still suffed when the humidity get real high here in Tennessee. When I go to places with very low humidity it gets better and goes into remission. But when I go back home it starts acting up again. If you have never had it you cannot believe how much you want to scratch until you can bleed. I live with hydrocortisone ointment in my drawer. The VA treatments do not do very well. So I suffer in frustration.

HYPOCHRATES by: docdaave

...MedReport. The fater of medicine was unique.Back in a time the was no official medicine of any written type to study and pass on. He wrote, that he had discovered 4 body humors. the white of lymph, the re of blood, the yellow of urine and the black of bile. He passed that on to the next doctor and official medicine system began. We honor him as the first one; by echoing his words,Doctor ,do no harm.

jungle rot by: docdave

...MedReport. many of us got it.It can reccur anytime.Usually when you are stressed. the VA name for it is;Chloracne rash.they have some salves and such but not very good.Also they don't recognize it on the disability claim.As far as I know. There is a guy listed below who wants people to talk to him about the rot.You might give him a shot?jefferychow@aclo.com give him a try he may know something.If he does come back and tell usa all about it.doc

jungle rot by: Ernest Mitchell

...MedReport. contracted jungle rot in vietnam

headaches by: docdave

...MedReport. many viet vets have reported major headaches.But headaches are not on the list for rating at the VA.Too many possible causes to link them to military service. Immitrix is one of the best meds I have found to help with mine.The VA here in long beach has stopped ordering them because they can't get a cheap enough deal to purchase them,So they are putting us all on other meds,one that melts under the tongue(no good), and another that is a squirt up the nose(also no good).So the thing s that work we can't get due to price and the the things (meds) that don't work they send plenty of.Thats our VA at work again.p.s. So the docs who have tried to help me asked if I could try geting them thru civilian pharmacies. They are $80.00 for a card of eight pills, I need two cards per month.Now if you oreder them canada where they are half price, that constitutes a felony and I could lose all my benefits if caught.

Jungle Rot by: jefferychow@aol.com

...MedReport. Anyone interested in possible help with Jungle Rot email me