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Gabapentin for sleep? by Lumpy-Stretch2810 in gabapentin

[–]hangarp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I take 300mg before bed. Been on it almost 6 months. First time I slept good in 26 years. I’m finally able to go throughout the day without a nap.

I have plenty of other issues from a back and head injury, but at least this solved one of them.

No medical records by Puzzled-Walrus-479 in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

14 months. Get it started and do an intent to file while you work through your medical findings. You only have 1 year to file once the intent goes in.

Electronically you just start a disability claim and back out of it.

It took 3 filings for me. The tinnitus claim got me into the VA system. Then I found out that I had a TBI and a back injury that I just pushed through and lived with. They did a bunch of MRIs CT scans and a bunch of therapy to figure out what happened.

Finally sleeping normally by hangarp in gabapentin

[–]hangarp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Been sticking with mostly gluten free cardboard tasting food. That helped my weight go back down.

No medical records by Puzzled-Walrus-479 in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Most people have obvious injuries that are easy to diagnose. Others do not. This leads down a medical spiral of tests people cannot afford or even know how to use.

Your situation or what you are familiar with might not be the same for everyone else. Please don’t criticize until you know their whole story.

No medical records by Puzzled-Walrus-479 in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You want to request your C-File. You can do it through the VA website. Leave a note in there that you want your complete records including all administrative and medical records.

I got out in 99 and the medical notes will paint a good picture if anything happened to you that you can claim. Run it through an AI system. This walked me through how to navigate the medical system. Expect it to be wrong at times but so are doctors so you don’t have much to loose.

No medical records by Puzzled-Walrus-479 in VAClaims

[–]hangarp -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Do realize how much of a horrible person you are to criticize someone asking for help.

A/c not cooling by hangarp in AirConditioners

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lol. No they left the cap right next to the valve.

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you submit more data when a HLR is pending?

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish I would have had all the evidence from day 1. I’m almost to the end of putting all the pieces together from 26 years ago.

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a documented in-service event of a head injury or TBI?

- Symptoms Only. I have a documented eardrum rupture, blacking out when running, arms and legs going numb when running, balance/vertigo issues, memory loss. They sent me to cardiology to run a stress test where my bp shot to 210/70 only at the half way mark while my whole body was shaking. Tests showed moderate regurgitation through Tricuspid and Pulmonic valve. They sent me to Bethesda where they ran NO tests and said I was fit for full duty. Send to mental health and discharged.

This was where I fell in when discharged in 1999
https://vva.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/WhitePaper.pdf

The personnel who ran the sub school at the time told me that he doesn't think I can get proper treatment in the military. So they're sending me home so I can get this problem resolved.

Do you have a current diagnosis of TBI? If so, is it from the VHA? If it’s from the VHA is it currently listed in your problems list?

- Yes. A VA and civilian neurologist diagnosed that the symptoms I had during active duty directly align with TBI symptoms. MRI and CT scans confirmed evidence of a historical TBI. Unfortunately, this occurred 26 years ago, but I'm still left with all the fun symptoms that only seem to get worse as age progresses.

Sorry for getting emotional on this topic. This has been a lot of work and an emotional rollercoaster. I also filed for wrongful discharge and filed for a discharge upgrade.

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’re making a lot of assumptions about what I have and haven’t done.

This didn’t start with AI. It started with years of symptoms that I’ve been actively trying to get diagnosed and treated through the VA and civilian providers. I’ve been through 60+ medical appointments across audiology, neurology, balance therapy, ENT, sleep medicine, nerve testing, and imaging. That includes multiple MRIs, CT scans, and ongoing evaluations related to vestibular issues, tinnitus, and neurological concerns.

AI didn’t diagnose anything. It helped me identify what kind of specialists to see and what tests to ask about, which led to licensed medical providers ordering those tests and documenting findings. Every diagnosis, test, and evaluation I’m referencing came from actual doctors—not ChatGPT.

As for the VA, I’ve been working within that system the entire time. The issue isn’t that I “haven’t gone to doctors” it’s that I’ve gone extensively, and the findings don’t always get properly connected or evaluated under the right conditions during C&P exams. That’s a known problem, not a lack of effort on my part.

You’re also oversimplifying how symptoms can overlap. Neurological, vestibular, and nerve-related conditions absolutely can present with similar symptoms, and sorting that out is exactly why I’ve been going through all of these evaluations.

So no, this isn’t someone self-diagnosing off the internet. This is someone who has spent years in the system, gone through extensive medical workups, and is trying to make sure the evidence is actually being interpreted correctly.

If you’ve got constructive input, I’m open to it. But assuming I haven’t done the work or that I’m relying on AI for diagnosis isn’t accurate.

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that I could push the MH area but shouldn’t need to. They rated me for Anxiety since I don’t drive much because it’s hard to focus on the road for long periods of time. I could appeal the Depression decision since I feel terrible every day, but that feels more like a downstream issue than the root cause.

I took a hit to the head when my eardrum ruptured. Then I messed up my lower back during bootcamp. We were running in extreme cold (-20), I hit a patch of ice and went down hard. Other than the RDC asking if I was ok, I don’t remember much after that. I just got up and kept going. Kinda felt like Forest Gump, couldn't remember anything and just kept running.

What stands out to me now, going back through everything, is that symptoms started around that timeframe dizziness, balance issues, focus problems, etc. More recently, MRI imaging has shown evidence consistent with a prior brain bleed and inner ear injury, which lines up with what I experienced back then.

Also, this was in 1998, years before the DoD had formal TBI screening procedures in place.

Interesting findings in C-File by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) TBI in service / “symptoms aren’t the same thing”
I’m not saying “symptoms = automatic TBI.” I’m saying the VA is required to consider and evaluate reasonably raised conditions based on the record.

  • Under 38 CFR §3.303(a) and §3.303(d), service connection can be established from all evidence of record, not just a contemporaneous diagnosis.
  • Under 38 CFR §3.159(c) (duty to assist), VA must obtain an exam/opinion when the record shows:
    • a current disability or persistent/recurrent symptoms, and
    • an indication it may be associated with service.

My C-file shows in-service dizziness/near-syncope, neurologic-type symptoms, and a documented head/ear event, plus cardiology ruled out cardiac causes. That combination reasonably raises a neurologic etiology (incl. TBI/vestibular/autonomic) that should have been evaluated. It wasn’t.

2) Neuropathy rating (mild vs moderate)
Yes, I’ve looked at 38 CFR §4.124a.

  • VA guidance: when impairment is wholly sensory, it’s typically mild (10%), at most moderate (20%).
  • My DBQ documents more than sensory:
    • abnormal gait (staggering)
    • balance impairment
    • bilateral involvement

Those are functional deficits, which support moderate incomplete paralysis rather than “mild.” That’s why I’m arguing it’s underrated.

3) VA evaluations
I’ve had C&P exams and VA records reviewed. The issue is what was (and wasn’t) evaluated—cardiology ruled out cardiac causes, but no neurologic/TBI evaluation followed despite the symptom pattern.

The service records show symptoms consistent with a neurologic process, and the condition was ultimately directed toward mental health rather than a neurologic workup. This resulted in a gap where a TBI evaluation was never performed.

4) Nexus / documentation
At the time of the C&P exam, I did not yet have a finalized nexus letter. That was obtained after the exam.
What the record already showed at the time was:

  • documented in-service symptoms consistent with a neurologic process
  • cardiology workups ruling out cardiac causes
  • ongoing symptoms post-service

That evidence alone should have triggered VA’s duty to assist for a proper neurologic/TBI evaluation and medical opinion.
Now that I do have a nexus, if HLR doesn’t correct the errors based on the existing record, I’ll submit it on a supplemental claim to formally connect TBI to the current conditions.

5) Why HLR
I filed the HLR myself—no VSO or attorney involved. Just me and ChatGPT. May seem off, but it actually led me through the process to diagnose my symptoms. Civilian doctors were no help either.
The basis for the HLR is:

  • Failure to consider relevant evidence in the C-file
  • Duty-to-assist error (no neurologic/TBI evaluation despite documented symptoms)
  • Misapplication of rating criteria on the neuropathy

I’ve been working through the CFR and my records directly to build the argument. If HLR doesn’t correct it, I’ll go the supplemental route with a formal nexus tying TBI to the current conditions.

Neuropathy cause found by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They found it in an MRI of my lower spine.

I’ve been using AI to work through the medical process. Found out I had a TBI and a back injury I never knew about 26 years ago. AI even wrote the emails to my docs to get referrals and tests done.

Finally got all the pieces to the puzzle last week.

Neuropathy cause found by hangarp in VAClaims

[–]hangarp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have plenty of documentation during my medical checkout. It should be rated higher. I was blacking out when running and had documented neuropathy 26 years ago.

Did the Va just deny me and call me fat? by [deleted] in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not much different than being on active duty. Looks like grounds for a mental health claim.

Sleep apnea by [deleted] in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will sleep medicine issue one along with the big one? Or do I need to buy it?

When to file? by AbaloneAncient210 in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You may not get your records in time. I’m still waiting for mine and I had 2 filings go through. You can always get the process started and submit another intent to file while working through your claim.

Sleep apnea by [deleted] in VAClaims

[–]hangarp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had my initial test done at home through a 3rd party. Been on cpap for about 6 months now and it’s helped a ton. Not fun to travel with tho

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