[Shwan]

Operation Iraqi Freedom vet with myeloma

by Shwan on Thu Jan 09, 2014 3:39 am

Well I am a veteran and was awarded my compensation for Multiple Myeloma but I am not a Vietnam veteran.

I'm 27 (Diagnosed at 25) and an Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veteran. During my deployment I was working at the Bayji Oil refinery where I was probably exposed to every carcinogen known. I was deployed from '09 to '10. I got my Honorable Discharge Sept '11, and in Feb '12 I was hospitalized for severe empyema. During recovery my renal function was very slow to return to normal, and a few tests later and at the end of April '12 I was officially diagnosed with stage 1.

My health insurance denied my empyema coverage and was threatening denying the cancer so I enrolled for my 5 years of VA healthcare I get for being an OIF/OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom] veteran. I also submitted my claim at the end of September.

The Phoenix VA has been pretty decent if not very hectic. With help from a patient advocate I was able to get an accelerated initial appointment and began treatment August with Velcade-Cyclophosphamide-Dexamethasone. At the same time they immediately started my packet for a Bone Marrow Transplant. I finished my initial treatment in Feb '13 and it was highly effective. I was then accepted for my transplant and got a slot at the Audie Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio for mid-may. Knocked out the procedure and got home in a little over a month, and have been recovering since.

Had a test in late June, August and December, with everything looking good. Exactly a year after I put my claim in, I was awarded my disability and rating. That was HUGE load off my back, because I spent a year worrying and getting ready for my appeal case because while they added regs on Myeloma for AO, it's still unclear on OIF/OEF veterans and god knows what they're being exposed to and the regs still just saying "Ionizing Radiation".

I have a Bone Marrow biopsy on the 17th to get a definitive say on the response. Fingers are crossed so I can go on a few years and focus on my college without having to worry about this stuff!

Moderator Note: This posting was split off from the thread where it was originally posted, which was this thread on agent orange on myeloma.

[Joy]

Re: Operation Iraqi Freedom vet with myeloma

by Joy on Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:34 am

Best wishes for good results and thank you for your service!

[usmcvet]

Re: Operation Iraqi Freedom vet with myeloma

by usmcvet on Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:36 pm

Hi shwan.

I, too, am an OIF vet, deployed in 03, and been diagnosed with multiple myeloma as well as another cancer, nasopharyhgeal carcinoma, this year end of July, both within weeks of each other. I shared more details about my story in my first post here in the forum.

[cm23]

Re: Operation Iraqi Freedom vet with myeloma

by cm23 on Sat Sep 16, 2017 1:39 pm

My husband is a vet of OIF from 03-05, and again in 08-09. He was diagnosed this past June with multiple myeloma.

It's been a whirlwind. He has enrolled on the burn pit registry. Since he is still active, we are unsure of what the future holds for us. Trying to stay positive that he can retire in three years and get his twenty years in.