Good morning. This is my first post, and the first time I have visited this forum. I'm glad it is here, I wouldn't know where to start or look otherwise.
I am a 10 year SSgt, currently on aviation orders and am awaiting the AF's decision on what my case is going to turn in to. I deployed to southern Afghanistan and have been back about six months. In this time I have been diagnosed with PTSD and migraines. I also have some hearing loss and very, very active sinuses (much more so than before I left). While doing an MRI the radiologist found a fluid sac on my spinal cord that was tiny. The Flight Medicine doctor told me not to worry about it. He said it may be from small trauma. I asked if landing in a 20 ton airplane so hard tires blew out counted but of course that answer was no. The neurologist I saw immediately ordered another spinal MRI for further evaluation. He said it may be an artifact of the test or a random anomaly that just happens, the point being it needs further evaluation to see if it is worth worrying about.
The official migraine diagnosis is on hold from the neurologist, he wants to see if I respond to anti-migraine pills. I've been keeping a headache journal but what people are calling "migraines" to me is not really a migraine. I haven't been to the ER. I have had photophobia, phonophobia and nausea. It hasn't been debilitating, but I also haven't been in situations where it would force me to stop working either. I imagine being near a jet engine with phonophobia wouldn't be fun. My wonderful wife actually has migraines, and they are horrific. She is out for days sometimes. I've seen her go through the entire process of getting and recovering from migraines and am fairly confident that what I feel, though painful, seems different. Given the MRI's that I've had and the lack of actual explosions on my person I haven't thought TBI was an issue. I had a couple of near misses with artillery but they were 40 meters away or so, not right next to me.
A few weeks ago I got a lot of water forced into my sinuses and got an instant, debilitating headache. After going home and using a nasal cleanser, allergy medicine, drinking lots of hot tea it got better. Almost completely 100% better. I'm sure there is a correlation here but I can't get any doctors to listen, even the neurologist seemed to disregard it out of hand.
I've been looking through this site, but it has a lot of information and I don't know where to start. Any help would be appreciated. Again, thanks for the forum, and for your time.
I am a 10 year SSgt, currently on aviation orders and am awaiting the AF's decision on what my case is going to turn in to. I deployed to southern Afghanistan and have been back about six months. In this time I have been diagnosed with PTSD and migraines. I also have some hearing loss and very, very active sinuses (much more so than before I left). While doing an MRI the radiologist found a fluid sac on my spinal cord that was tiny. The Flight Medicine doctor told me not to worry about it. He said it may be from small trauma. I asked if landing in a 20 ton airplane so hard tires blew out counted but of course that answer was no. The neurologist I saw immediately ordered another spinal MRI for further evaluation. He said it may be an artifact of the test or a random anomaly that just happens, the point being it needs further evaluation to see if it is worth worrying about.
The official migraine diagnosis is on hold from the neurologist, he wants to see if I respond to anti-migraine pills. I've been keeping a headache journal but what people are calling "migraines" to me is not really a migraine. I haven't been to the ER. I have had photophobia, phonophobia and nausea. It hasn't been debilitating, but I also haven't been in situations where it would force me to stop working either. I imagine being near a jet engine with phonophobia wouldn't be fun. My wonderful wife actually has migraines, and they are horrific. She is out for days sometimes. I've seen her go through the entire process of getting and recovering from migraines and am fairly confident that what I feel, though painful, seems different. Given the MRI's that I've had and the lack of actual explosions on my person I haven't thought TBI was an issue. I had a couple of near misses with artillery but they were 40 meters away or so, not right next to me.
A few weeks ago I got a lot of water forced into my sinuses and got an instant, debilitating headache. After going home and using a nasal cleanser, allergy medicine, drinking lots of hot tea it got better. Almost completely 100% better. I'm sure there is a correlation here but I can't get any doctors to listen, even the neurologist seemed to disregard it out of hand.
I've been looking through this site, but it has a lot of information and I don't know where to start. Any help would be appreciated. Again, thanks for the forum, and for your time.