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I got my updated MRI from VA yesterday....

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    #1

    I got my updated MRI from VA yesterday....

    I fell several feet with a rucksack on in the Army in 2001 and ruptured my l5-S1 during a field exercise. It was a month before I got an MRI (in AIT) and by that time Id been feeling numbness in my toes and they had started talking about an MEB/PEB.

    Fast forward to now, after discharge in 2002. Im rated 40% disabled for my L5-S1 herniation by the VA and 10% in 1 leg (rt) for radiculopathy. I am also service connected for ED because of parasympathetic nerve impingement.I've been complaining for years about my left leg radiating pain/tingles, etc, and Ive been denied service connection for it, despite connection for the other extremity, on the basis of "no clinical demonstration of radiculopathy in my left extremity". Im appealing again, maybe, based on this MRI.

    My old MRI from 8 years ago says" “MRI of the lumber spine demonstrations significant degenerative disc disease at L5-S1. There is a right para central herniated nucleus pulposus that extend inferior behind the bodyof S1 with some displacement of the right S1 nerve root”"

    So, I got a new MRI yesterday morning from the VA and, while I havent seen the NarSumm yet, it *looks* to me like the disc above l5-s1 is ruptured (or something) now as well. Am I looking at this correctly? I've included 1 Sagittal image. I have the axials, but I the digital images I have on the disc are all layered and I don't now how to read the axial images yet.

    L 3-4 (I think)
    Is this one pushing out the other direction (towards the front)?


    Here are the two that worry me, well, the higher one. The lower one I knew about already and have been dealing with for years.
    L4-5 and L5-S1


    Here is a shot from my old films (actual films, not digital images-wow) in 2001
    Last edited by Broken_Soldier244th; 12 May 2011, 4:06 PM.
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    #2
    Maybe Dr. young will see this and comment on it?
    Anything worth doing, is worth doing to excess

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      #3
      bump, please
      Anything worth doing, is worth doing to excess

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        #4
        Thanks Skippy,

        I don't want a complete diagnostic workup, I just want to know if the 2 discs above are herniated as well. L4-5 looks like it is (based on that my old MRI says L5-S1 is) and L 2-3 (?) further up looks weird to me, but maybe that one is nothing.

        Mainly im fighting with VA over how they can service connect 1 leg over the other and tell me now that there is no clinical basis or nexus that would indicate that I should be having pains/numbness in my other leg. I have ED because of this, and I have radicular pain in my right leg...seems to me that it's at least plausible that my left leg and foot could have some issues.

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          #5
          Best of luck buddy! I was in AIT and had a guy that was 6ft 3 sit right on my ankle while doing mount training, twisted my knee and to this day I have pain. I was never discharged but it is mentioned in my medical file of the incident.

          I hope they take care of you!

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            #6
            Well, I can't complain about the VA so much. They have been great.

            Once I left Basic and went to AIT I had a heck of a time getting my cadre to let me get it looked at it-dodging the 'Sick Call' soldier classification all the way. Finally one day I talked to my Top and I said, "Look, Im 22, married, with a child, and supporting my house and my mother who has cancer. Would I be MALINGERING? Ive aced everything you have other than being not quite as good physically as the former athletes and i'm college educated almost to a BS degree. I KNOW when something is wrong with my body. " Once I got myself in there as a person instead of a sick call slip, it worked itself out. Unfortunately, by this time it was August and my initial injury happened at the end of June during our final week long exercise.

            Ultimately, yeah, I was discharged as promotable to E-4 and I wanted to go for CPL so I could try to find a SGT spot. Eventually the plan was to do "Green to Gold". My 4 year plan kind of went out the window after the MEB/PEB, though.

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              #7
              Damn , I hope they get you fixed they really gave you the short end of the stick on that one!

              I'm currently E5 promotable, been an E4 just under 2yrs now, working on an associates degree. Are you able to collect unemployment or disability?

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                #8
                I work now, doing IT geek stuff. I get some stuff from VA for other service connected things, too so that helps. Got my BS in 2008 and im working on an MS in Info Sec right now. Down the road that should pay off pretty well.

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