This is to all veterans and their families. I am a disabled veteran. If you have
A. L. S.,( Lou Gehrig's disease) I would like to help with your being able to procure the services you have earned. I will
be happy to share my experiences with my diagnosis through the help I eventually recived. If you have any questions I will
be more than happy to answer by e-mail. In 1997 I awoke in the morning,( Easter weekend) with the room spinning violently.
Looking back I feel this was the beginning of my neurological problems with symptoms that I could put my finger on. I believe
also that Lou Gehrig's disease is brought on by continued stress from time of war to current day stresses including the V.
A. ducking their responsibility to take care of the veterans. Well, back to my story. My wife was extremely worried said I
was going to the V. A. clinic the next day. The next morning she drove me to the clinic an over worked female Dr. took one
look at me and said go home and have some tea. I asked if she was going to even examine me and she said what for I looked
fine go home. Needless to say this did not help. I wanted some care and wasn't getting it. We decided to go home by a different
route. On the way home I pointed out where the new clinic was going to be at the old Mather AFB in Sacramento, California.
Because the base was still under USAF control the clinic was not fully open yet, We then decided to stop to get a part for
the car. I went to get the part and they asked me a question about the car so I went to check the car. As I bent over to see
the part I fell over on the ground and began to have a siezure. I was banging around on the ground and finally was able to
get up. When I did the siezure started again. So my put my rag of a body in the car and asked me if I wanted to go home or
what? I said take me to the AFB hospital and quickly. It was the closest and I knew they would let me in. On the trip there,
I had 13 siezures one after another in the two miles there. When we got to the gate my wife flashed my V. A. card and they
could tell by looking that I needed help so they let us in. I proceeded to have more siezures in front of the emergency Dr.
and he finally gave me a valium shot. That helped and they sent us home and said to follow up at clinic the next week. Now
they could not say nothing was wrong so I thought. The following week I was lucky, no blessed to get the Dr. who cared. They
did a lot of tests over the next months and finally put me on neurontin to control the siezures. I continued to work in our
business until May of 2000 when we decided that I did not have the stamina to continue and we sold our deli. Little did we
or the Dr. think that this was more than fatigue from years of hard work. I then went to work for a mortgage company and was
having problems staying awake at work. One day I became so dizzy I had to wait to drive home. I continued to go to the clinic
for answers but none came. Because I was scheduled for a knee replacement by the V. A. I decided to let my job go since they
would put my pay at 100% for year. I then had my surgery and did so well I decided to take a job as a bank loan officer. I
was working about six months when I was hit broadside by a car that ran a stop sign. This seemed to set off my previous symptoms.
I began to have some more problems with slurred speech so I went to the V. A. clinic to see if they could tell me what the
problem was. I got a Dr. that said he could not hear any problem go home. Because I had been to the V. A. clinic for a long
time I had built a relationship with the administrator of the hospital and the head Dr. I decided to report this Dr. to them.
When I greeted them they said Doug what is wrong with your speech. They immediately took care of the problem. This was a key
to my eventual diagnosis and care. Workman compensation was also involved because of the accident. I was going to see the
neurologist at V. A. again when I got another Dr. that said nothing was wrong so I let the head Dr. know that they were fired
from my care. He felt bad for my treatment and has bent over backwards since then and I get whatever I need now. The V. A.
along with medicare has provided a $6,000 computer, a $20,000 wheelchair, a $2,000 head mouse, a hospital bed, bipap breathing
machine and various other equipment as needed. They also provided all my medicines free. Thank you God for a Dr. that cared
enough to do what was right. My wife can call anytime and now get whatever is needed with out my having to go into the clinic.
This is the greatest key to get what you need is relationship with the heads of departments or the hospital itself. I can
even e-mail the Dr. and he will take care of me. That is the bulk of my story, if I can answer any questions or help with
a plan of action I would be more than happy to do so Please visit all my links pages and surf the links to learn more.
I am available to help until a cure is found or the Lord takes me home.
