Guest,

The UPPP has a low success rate for decreasing apnea.  CPAP is the first line of therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.  Have you had a sleep study since your surgery?  You probably still need to be on CPAP therapy.

You might consider registering.  It is free and you get additional forum perks.

Vicki


_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Vos Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

bdsintx6 wrote:

Haku wrote:

I have been the the military 21 years.  My medical board just came back.  The Mediacal Board recommend that i be retained in the service but I can't go outside (PCS or TDY) the U.S. except for Alaska, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Except with a waiver ofcourse.  Your life is worth the risk, if they kick you out the VA told me 50% hands down for disabillity.  Then you would not even have to do 20 years to get your 50%, LOL.

Haku - sent you a PM...

Respects,
Bruce

I was just told that if yu are diagnosed with sleep apnea before retirement they now medically discharge you and you don't get a retirement check at all.  Before you could get 50% disability but I was told they changed that because too many people suddenly had sleep apnea just before retiring.

According to my ENT physisicans, the UP3 procedure is the most painful procedure related to sleep apnea treatment.  I concur.  I had the UP3 procedure back in the mid 90's.  I could only fall asleep for 20 minutes at a time due to the pain.  And when I woke up, the pain was insanely intense.  I lost over 18 pounds the 1st week.  The real back breaker was that the procedure worked for me for only 1 month before the sleep apnea condition returned.

My current ENT doc is very straight forward regarding treatments.  He said that the UP3 has less than a 50% chance of curing your condition.  Knowing this, I would strongly recommend you consider other procedures before undertaking this procedure.  As of right now, the three remaining treatments for me is a Traestomey (hole in your throut threw your neck to remove the upper airway pressure), CPAP or an experimatal procedure where they remove tissue from the base of your toung (potential for partial or full paralysis of the toung).  Needless to say, I'm on the CPAP.

The Pillar procedure may or may not help with my condition.  The problem is that the body will (after a period of time) expell the implants.  The problem is which direction they will be expelled (into your throut or nasal cavities).

As far as your dissability is concerned, sleep apnea alone does not give you 50%.  The dissability ratings are as follows:

6847 Sleep Apnea Syndromes (Obstructive, Central, Mixed):
    Chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention        100
     or cor pulmonale, or; requires tracheostomy...............
    Requires use of breathing assistance device such as               50
     continuous airway pressure (CPAP) machine.................
    Persistent day-time hypersomnolence........................       30
    Asymptomatic but with documented sleep disorder breathing..       0


JamesR


_________________
James R

My husband has sleep apnea and was just given a P3 profile. His doctor told him that the procedure now was to send his file to MEB to determine if they are going to keep him in and send him to MMRB or put him out on medical discharge. I was trying to find out how long the informal process took of them deciding which way it would go. I know that being medically discharged can take up to 6 mos. but I wasn't sure how long it took for them to decide which way they would send him. He has talked to several people that have Sleep Apnea and were given new jobs, but these people also knew people who were put out because of the sleep apnea. He said that it seemed like they were given the choice to stay in or get out. My husband has been in for 15 years and just reenlisted back in May. He doesn't want to get out. I just wanted more clarity on the process. Everything on line is so vague. We are based at Fort hood. His doctor also told him that they weren't putting anyone out for Sleep Apnea anymore. I'm guessing it's because people found out you could get out with it and they want you here. I would just like a better definition of the timelines. Thank you to all those who reply.

Michelle

My son has been in the Air Force for over 11 years.  He was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea.  He has also been having serious breathing problems and has not been able to pass his PT test.  Initially they diagnosed him with depression and gave him medication for that, then they tried to treat him as if he had asthma but that didn't work, now they are having him take allergy medication, which he says hasn't helped yet.  They are going to have him use the mask thing (sorry, don't know what it's called), but he's still waiting to get it.  In the meantime, he is scheduled to go to the medical board next month.  His doctor is saying that he should be able to pass his PT but I'm guessing between being tired all the time and having serious problems breathing he is not going to be able to pass his PT.  My question is, can sleep apnea cause breathing problems?

I ALSO HAVE SLEEP APEA AND I WAS OFFICALLT KICKED OUT OF MY UNIT AND PUT IN MED HOLD, I WAS REAL  BAD, I LOST MY E5 DUE TO SLEEP APEA. I PUSHED AND HIT THE CLINIC HARD. I FINALLY GOT MY RESULTS, I GOT THE C PAT MACHINE AND KNOW IM WAITING TO GET OUT, IM GOING TO FIGHT TO GET A GOOD PERCENT BUT IF NOT THE VA WILL TAKE OVER. IM SO HAPPY, GET OUT IF YOU GOT SLEEP APEA, I ALMOST DIED IN IRAQ CAUSE OF IT, IRAQ CAUSED IT,  BUT TAke my advice


SGT YOU WISH

FYI,
    Any GI's out there who think that they will get any kind of fair shake from the military BEFORE you get your 20-25 years in is sadly mistaken. The difference between someone who has there 20 plus in and someone who does not is that the career guy gets an "off-set" in his retirement pay which means he still gets the same income only part of it comes from the VA and the rest from his branch of service (retired from).

I ended up waiting 13 years to get a real diagnoses and real surgery for some damaged discs in my spine AFTER the Army MD's pulled the classic, blame it on something else that "could have happened" before the military and lose the x-rays and all that fun stuff.

If you are not blown in half by enemy fire you'll be lucky if you get a bunk at the nearest homeless shelter back home.

DO NOT leave active duty without speaking to a member of DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

As dumb luck would have it in my case I grew up in a neighborhood full of white collar professionals and finally saw justice when an MD friend reviewed my history and put his opinion in writing. The VA and military MD's are the last people on earth that will help you.

One case in point: It took Congress fifty years to "decide" that exposure to ionizing radiation from the detonation of an atomic bomb is linked to "some" cancers. In other words, most of the GI's who had been exposed were already dead and couldn't collect a penny.


_________________
I told you I was sick. $#@&%(&^)(!$%

I am a naval reservist who was diagnosed w/ sleep apnea 2 years ago and I have continued using CPAP machine. Does any know if there's any written instruction stating that members w/ sleep apnea are non-deployable. Thanks

dez wrote:

I ALSO HAVE SLEEP APEA AND I WAS OFFICALLT KICKED OUT OF MY UNIT AND PUT IN MED HOLD, I WAS REAL  BAD, I LOST MY E5 DUE TO SLEEP APEA. I PUSHED AND HIT THE CLINIC HARD. I FINALLY GOT MY RESULTS, I GOT THE C PAT MACHINE AND KNOW IM WAITING TO GET OUT, IM GOING TO FIGHT TO GET A GOOD PERCENT BUT IF NOT THE VA WILL TAKE OVER. IM SO HAPPY, GET OUT IF YOU GOT SLEEP APEA, I ALMOST DIED IN IRAQ CAUSE OF IT, IRAQ CAUSED IT,  BUT TAke my advice


SGT YOU WISH

May I ask how you think Iraq caused your sleep apnea.  The reason i'm asking because I have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea and I too think it is because I served in Iraq and I haven't been able to sleep good since I have been back and thats been over a year ago.  I'm 23 years old Im 180 pounds and I don't really fit with the group that usually has sleep apnea.  Dont have high blood pressure and of course not obese or older then 40 years old.  Your feed back will be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, well I am Retired with 23 plus years, retired as a chief warrant officer.  To make my story short stay if you can and get the retirement, if that is not a choice get out and make sure that your DD 214 goes to VA.  You will get some compensation from VA if you diagnosed with OSA in service.  VA will take very good care of you, have been great to me.  Problem is that off set, I do not get VA disability and retirement at the same time I do have other issues also.  Why I have no idea but there are groups on the net for support there.  The military is great for shafting veterans retired of just a veteran.  There are now and have been bills to change this, in 2004 both the house and senate passed a bill that would change all that and president Bush said that he could not sign that because it would break the bank.
It is too bad that they play politics with the military but it happens.

Wally

hey ive been in military 5 yrs 3 yrs in with sleep apnea i have the severe case i use a cpap machine ive been to the meb board and they let me stay in they just told me im not deployable yes u automatically get 50 % if u have it while using a machine va told me that.

Some recent updated info for USAF vets on the ALC "C" code.  I posted this in another thread, sorry so long but it might help.

Frodo

UNCLAS

311310Z AUG 06

FROM: HQ AFPC RANDOLPH AFB TX//DPA//

TO: AL 8106

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

SUBJECT: ASSIGNMENT LIMITATION CODE (ALC) "C" STRATIFICATION IMPACT ON PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS) ASSIGNMENTS AND TDY DEPLOYMENTS (NOT APPLICABLE TO THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD OR AIR FORCE RESERVE)

THIS MESSAGE IS IN FOUR PARTS.
 
PART I - GENERAL INFORMATION

1. IN MAR 06, THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY PUBLISHED AN INTERIM CHANGE (IC) TO AFI 41-210, PATIENT ADMINISTRATION FUNCTIONS, ANNOUNCING ASSIGNMENT LIMITATION CODE (ALC) "C," MEDICAL ASSIGNMENT LIMITATION STRATIFICATION.
THE INTENT OF THE STRATIFICATION WAS TO ALLOW AIRMEN TO SERVE ON EXTENDED ACTIVE DUTY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. ALC "C" AIRMEN ARE CURRENTLY BEING STRATIFIED INTO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:

C-1 - DEPLOYABLE/ASSIGNABLE TO GLOBAL DOD FIXED INSTALLATIONS WITH INTRINSIC MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES (MTF).
 
C-2 - DEPLOYABLE/ASSIGNABLE TO CONUS INSTALLATIONS WITH INTRINSIC FIXED MTFS (TRICARE NETWORK AVAILABILITY ASSUMED).
 
C-3 - NON-DEPLOYABLE/ASSIGNMENT LIMITED TO SPECIFIC CONUS INSTALLATIONS BASED ON MEDICAL NEEDS.
 
FOR MORE DETAILS PERTAINING TO EACH CODE, REFER TO AFI 41-210 AT WWW.E-PUBLISHING.AF.MIL/PUBFILES/AF/41/AFI41-210/AFI41-210.PDF.

2. DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF STRATIFICATION, AIRMEN MAY BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENT CONSIDERATION AND/OR DEPLOYMENT IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONAL ENDEAVORS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ADDRESSES HOW THE ALC "C" STRATIFICATION WILL IMPACT PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS) ASSIGNMENTS AND DEPLOYMENTS.


PART II - PCS ASSIGNMENTS:
 
1. EFFECTIVE 1 SEP 06, AFPC ASSIGNMENT OFFICERS/NCOS WILL CONSIDER AIRMEN WITH AN ALC "C" FOR PCS, PROVIDING THEY MEET ALL OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE AIRMEN WITH AN ALC "C" TO UPDATE THEIR ASSIGNMENT PREFERENCES AS SUGGESTED IN THE JUN 06, AIR FORCE PRINT NEWS ARTICLE, ASSIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND FOR CODE C AIRMEN, LOCATED AT . ASSIGNMENT OFFICERS/NCOS WILL IDENTIFY MEMBERS WITH AN ALC "C" WHO ARE VULNERABLE FOR A PCS AS EITHER THE MOST ELIGIBLE VOLUNTEER OR NON-VOLUNTEER AND COORDINATE WITH AFPC/DPAMM (MEDICAL
STANDARDS) FOR STRATIFICATION PRIOR TO ASSIGNMENT CYCLES FOR ENLISTED AND DURING FOR OFFICERS. DPAMM WILL CONDUCT A REVIEW IN LIEU OF (RILO) MEDICAL EVALUATION BOARD (MEB) WITHIN 10 - 30 CALENDAR DAYS TO DETERMINE STRATIFICATION. DPAMM WILL ADVISE THE ASSIGNMENT OFFICER/NCO OF STRATIFICATION OUTCOME AND QUALIFICATION FOR THE PCS.

    A. IF THE AIRMAN IS QUALIFIED FOR PCS SELECTION BASED ON THE ALC "C" STRATIFICATION, THE ASSIGNMENT OFFICER/NCO WILL LOAD THE PCS IN MILPDS. THE PCS NOTIFICATION WILL THEN BE PROCESSED IAW AFI 36-2110, PARA 2.32.
    
    B. IF THE AIRMAN IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR PCS SELECTION BASED ON THE ALC "C" STRATIFICATION, THE ASSIGNMENT OFFICER/NCO WILL NOT LOAD THE PCS. IN THIS INSTANCE, NOTIFICATION OF A PCS WILL NEVER OCCUR BECAUSE THE AIRMAN WAS NOT SELECTED. AIRMAN WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR SUBSEQUENT PCS' FOR WHICH HE OR SHE IS QUALIFIED
    
    C. IF DPAMM IS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE STRATIFICATION PRIOR TO COMMENCEMENT OF AN ASSIGNMENT CYCLE FOR ENLISTED OR DURING A CYCLE FOR OFFICERS, THE AIRMAN WILL BE BYPASSED UNTIL STRATIFICATION IS COMPLETE.
THE AIRMAN WILL BE PRIORITIZED AND CONSIDERED DURING THE SUBSEQUENT ASSIGNMENT CYCLE.

2. CURRENTLY, MILPDS RESTRICTS ALCS TO A ONE DIGIT, ALPHA CHARACTER FIELD. THEREFORE, IN THE INTERIM, THE ALC "C" WILL REMAIN AS AN OCCURRENCE IN MILPDS AND ANOTHER ALC OCCURRENCE WILL APPEAR AS X AND Y.
THIS ALLOWS AFPC/DPAMM TO PROPERLY IDENTIFY AND CODE AIRMEN WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN STRATIFIED UNDER THE ALC "C" STRATIFICATION INITITIVE. A SYSTEM CHANGE TO MILPDS HAS ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO INCORPORATE ADDITIONAL SYSTEM EDITS, BUT THE CHANGES WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL THE NEXT MILPDS RELEASE; PROJECTED MARCH 07. ONCE MILPDS IS MODIFIED, STRATIFIED AIRMEN WILL RECEIVE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ALCS IN MILPDS:
ALC X = C-1, ALC Y = C-2, ALC C = C-3.

3. IN THE FUTURE AND IN SOME CASES, WHEN AIRMEN ARE STRATIFIED WITH ONE OF THE ALCS MENTIONED ABOVE, ASSIGNMENT OFFICERS/NCOS WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT/LOAD PCS' WITHOUT PRIOR COORDINATION WITH AFPC/DPAMM.

PART III - DEPLOYMENTS

1. AIRMEN WILL ONLY BE SELECTED FOR DEPLOYMENT AFTER ALC "C"
STRATIFICATION IS COMPLETE. AIRMEN STRATIFIED WITH AN ALC X OR Y, WITH A DEPLOYMENT AVAILABLITY (DAV) CODE 41, MAY BE ABLE TO DEPLOY TO SOME LOCATIONS IF APPROVED BY APPROPRIATE WAIVER AUTHORITY. THESE AIRMEN MUST BE MEDICALLY CLEARED IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPLOYMENT, VERSUS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PROJECTED DEPARTURE DATE (PDD) AS NORMALLY REQUIRED. INDIVIDUALS WITH AN ALC "C," AND DAV CODE 48, WILL NOT BE DEPLOYABLE.

2. THE PERSONNEL READINESS FUNCTION (PRF) WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IDENTIFYING MEMBERS WITH AN ALC X OR Y SELECTED FOR DEPLOYMENT. PRFS WILL NOTIFY THE MEMBER'S UNIT DEPLOYMENT MANAGER (UDM) AND HAVE THEM CONTACT THE PHYSICAL EVALUATION BOARD LIASON OFFICER (PEBLO) AT THE LOCAL MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITY (MTF) FOR EVALUATION.

3. THE PEBLO WILL SUBMIT A RILO TO AFPC/DPAMM. AFPC/DPAMM WILL REVIEW THE RILO AND ADVICE IF MEMBER CAN PROCESS/PROCEED TO THE TDY LOCATION ALONG WITH ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AS DEEMED NECESSARY.

PART IV - POINTS OF CONTACT:

1. ALC "C" STRATIFICATION PROCEDURES: E-MAIL:
AFPC.DPAMM@RANDOLPH.AF.MIL; DSN: 665-2246.

2. PCS ASSIGNMENTS: E-MAIL: AFPC.DPAPP@RANDOLPH.AF.MIL
DSN: 665-3815.

3. TDY DEPLOYMENTS: E-MAIL: AFPC.DPFROM@RANDOLPH.AF.MIL
DSN: 665-2246.

I claimed sleep apnea as a disability and was turned down, and I had my nose broken while active duty.  I am wanting to appeal.  I am already 50% with knees and hearing.  I did not retire so I am looking for other disabled vets who did not retire that got compensation for sleep apnea.  I know I had the sleep apnea while active duty, but was not tested. I got out of the Army in 1988, so discharge procedures were alot different then than now.

well, my room mate here in the chus has awaken me several times a night due to i stop breathing while i sleep, plus he said i snore so loud, he cannot sleep, its the worst snoring he has ever heard, i dont get enough sleep at all, iam tired during the day, taking allergy meds to help, that does s#!@ for it.

I toss and turn all night, always going to the latrine for a piss, headaches in the morning, i keep a gatoraide by my bed, i get a real nasty tatste in my mouth during the night, and in the morning also. Fell like i never slept at all during the night when i wake up, i have a real hard time getting out of bed in the morning, seems like iam always pissed off due to no sleep.

What do you all suggest i do about this, ive woken my self from snoring so hard, and loud, should i even be here in Iraq with this condition, it seems like the Army does not give a s#!@ at all.

Like i said iam in Iraq right now, this is my 3rd deployment, and iam also having hearing issues also, iam wearing an hearing aide in my left ear, and need one for right ear also, ive failed the hearing test really bad, the audioligist in the BIAP has said that i should not even be here right now, due to its an safety thing, i have problems hearing people proper out past 20 feet or so, its all garble, the rocket attack the other day, i did not hear them come in and hit, nor did i hear the alarms go off.

 The Army has said that it safe for me to be here, they will not send me home  for it, iam a number and they need numbers right now, i was issued an permanent H-3 profile while i was at BIAP recently.

Iam also losing my balance and feel nasuea all the time, like iam going to throw up, i actually have fallen over from being off balance, the TMC  P.A. has said that my qulibrium is off due to me hearing

Like i said before, THE ARMY HAS SAID IAM BATTLE FIT, AND REFUSES TO SEND ME HOME. I cannot hear s#!@, and what about the safety of myself and other soldiers around me...

what is a person to do, cannot fight the Army, they are allways right, and the soldiers are allways wrong...

When i did the Mobe process back at Ft. Benning, i asked for an hearing test, they failed to give me one.

what should, or can i do about all of this

thank you
Brian


  ill be checking here for updates, send me your email, and ill respond that way...

oif3vet wrote:

well, my room mate here in the chus has awaken me several times a night due to i stop breathing while i sleep, plus he said i snore so loud, he cannot sleep, its the worst snoring he has ever heard, i dont get enough sleep at all, iam tired during the day, taking allergy meds to help, that does s#!@ for it.

I toss and turn all night, always going to the latrine for a piss, headaches in the morning, i keep a gatoraide by my bed, i get a real nasty tatste in my mouth during the night, and in the morning also. Fell like i never slept at all during the night when i wake up, i have a real hard time getting out of bed in the morning, seems like iam always pissed off due to no sleep.

What do you all suggest i do about this, ive woken my self from snoring so hard, and loud, should i even be here in Iraq with this condition, it seems like the Army does not give a s#!@ at all.

Like i said iam in Iraq right now, this is my 3rd deployment, and iam also having hearing issues also, iam wearing an hearing aide in my left ear, and need one for right ear also, ive failed the hearing test really bad, the audioligist in the BIAP has said that i should not even be here right now, due to its an safety thing, i have problems hearing people proper out past 20 feet or so, its all garble, the rocket attack the other day, i did not hear them come in and hit, nor did i hear the alarms go off.

 The Army has said that it safe for me to be here, they will not send me home  for it, iam a number and they need numbers right now, i was issued an permanent H-3 profile while i was at BIAP recently.

Iam also losing my balance and feel nasuea all the time, like iam going to throw up, i actually have fallen over from being off balance, the TMC  P.A. has said that my qulibrium is off due to me hearing

Like i said before, THE ARMY HAS SAID IAM BATTLE FIT, AND REFUSES TO SEND ME HOME. I cannot hear s#!@, and what about the safety of myself and other soldiers around me...

what is a person to do, cannot fight the Army, they are allways right, and the soldiers are allways wrong...

When i did the Mobe process back at Ft. Benning, i asked for an hearing test, they failed to give me one.

what should, or can i do about all of this

thank you
Brian


  ill be checking here for updates, send me your email, and ill respond that way...

Brian,
Have your blood sugars checked immediately, sounds like alot of symtoms of diabetes. I had all those you described, and found that I was type 1 diabetic, when fatigue was so bad i looked drunk and was close to coma they said. I drank about 6 gal of fluids a day, had dry mouth, irritibility, headaches, blurred vision etc, etc. Get checked out. Good luck.