Back to the VA Hospital

[dmp]

I went to the VA yesterday for a re-eval of my disability rating. Everything went pretty well, I suppose - I sat down and he started asking questions like these:

• How far can you walk - measured in feet, would you say, before the pain starts?
  Uh...200-300? It depends...there are days when I've callin in sick to work because the pain was severe enough to keep me in bed
• You say squatting or kneeling causes pain?
  I'd say so, although I tend to avoid those activities. It's not so much squating, as it is the motion of bending my legs
• How many times can you squat before the pain starts?
  I have no idea - 10?
• How many minutes can you kneel before the pain hurts?
  just long enough to get a promotion...
• How many minutes per day, would you say, the pain lasts when the flair ups happen?
  I've had pain, at times, from the minute I got out of bed, until I went to sleep that night. I'd say my usual pain level is 6 out of 10 - 10 being worst. More frequently, however, i've had days where I'd rate the pain as 8 or 9 out of 10 which lasts for hours, multiple times per day
• What do you do to stop the pain?
  Acetaminophen (300mg) + Codeine (8mg) Tables - 2 or 3 pills, three times a day. If' I'm walking somewhere without the pills, I usually stop and rest
• How many minutes of rest before they go away?
  15? No idea...I just sit until I feel I can stomach walking again
• Do you jog or run?
  I am unable to do either. I've even tried ultra-low, or even NO impact machines - even swimming. Every activitiy which causes me to bend and flex my knees leads to sever pain.
• Wow..even swimming eh?
  Even swimming

What surprised me was the level of detail in his questions - a level of detail I was unprepared to answer. I've never kept track of things like 'how far' or 'how long'...he told me I'd have an answer in 1 to 8 months, give or take.

 

[no1tovote4]

I went to the VA yesterday for a re-eval of my disability rating. Everything went pretty well, I suppose - I sat down and he started asking questions like these:

• How far can you walk - measured in feet, would you say, before the pain starts?
  Uh...200-300? It depends...there are days when I've callin in sick to work because the pain was severe enough to keep me in bed
• You say squatting or kneeling causes pain?
  I'd say so, although I tend to avoid those activities. It's not so much squating, as it is the motion of bending my legs
• How many times can you squat before the pain starts?
  I have no idea - 10?
• How many minutes can you kneel before the pain hurts?
  just long enough to get a promotion...
• How many minutes per day, would you say, the pain lasts when the flair ups happen?
  I've had pain, at times, from the minute I got out of bed, until I went to sleep that night. I'd say my usual pain level is 6 out of 10 - 10 being worst. More frequently, however, i've had days where I'd rate the pain as 8 or 9 out of 10 which lasts for hours, multiple times per day
• What do you do to stop the pain?
  Acetaminophen (300mg) + Codeine (8mg) Tables - 2 or 3 pills, three times a day. If' I'm walking somewhere without the pills, I usually stop and rest
• How many minutes of rest before they go away?
  15? No idea...I just sit until I feel I can stomach walking again
• Do you jog or run?
  I am unable to do either. I've even tried ultra-low, or even NO impact machines - even swimming. Every activitiy which causes me to bend and flex my knees leads to sever pain.
• Wow..even swimming eh?
  Even swimming

What surprised me was the level of detail in his questions - a level of detail I was unprepared to answer. I've never kept track of things like 'how far' or 'how long'...he told me I'd have an answer in 1 to 8 months, give or take.

What they are looking for is whether you are lying about the pain. They'll touch places they know will not hurt and ask if it hurts, if you say yes they will know you are lying, etc. People who have this type of pain know the severity goes up and down and that some days it will be better than others. You described it well and are likely not to get caught in lies as you truly have the pain. Just don't try to add to the severity (I don't think you need to, nor want to).

When my father went in for evaluation (his pain was in his back) they pushed down on his head and asked if it caused pain. We found out later that was one of those tests, good thing Dad said no.

 

[dmp]

What they are looking for is whether you are lying about the pain. They'll touch places they know will not hurt and ask if it hurts, if you say yes they will know you are lying, etc. People who have this type of pain know the severity goes up and down and that some days it will be better than others. You described it well and are likely not to get caught in lies as you truly have the pain. Just don't try to add to the severity (I don't think you need to, nor want to).

When my father went in for evaluation (his pain was in his back) they pushed down on his head and asked if it caused pain. We found out later that was one of those tests, good thing Dad said no.

The doctor told me he understood, and he laughed a bit when I mumbled "wow..I should pay more attention to when and how the pain happens...I'm a horrible note taker..."

"The officials who make the decisions about these things know people don't pay exact attention; most are too distracted due to the pain. They simply are looking for a decent word-picture of how the pain is affecting your life and work" - he said something like that...

 

[sagegirl]

I went to the VA yesterday for a re-eval of my disability rating. Everything went pretty well, I suppose - I sat down and he started asking questions like these:

• How far can you walk - measured in feet, would you say, before the pain starts?
  Uh...200-300? It depends...there are days when I've callin in sick to work because the pain was severe enough to keep me in bed
• You say squatting or kneeling causes pain?
  I'd say so, although I tend to avoid those activities. It's not so much squating, as it is the motion of bending my legs
• How many times can you squat before the pain starts?
  I have no idea - 10?
• How many minutes can you kneel before the pain hurts?
  just long enough to get a promotion...
• How many minutes per day, would you say, the pain lasts when the flair ups happen?
  I've had pain, at times, from the minute I got out of bed, until I went to sleep that night. I'd say my usual pain level is 6 out of 10 - 10 being worst. More frequently, however, i've had days where I'd rate the pain as 8 or 9 out of 10 which lasts for hours, multiple times per day
• What do you do to stop the pain?
  Acetaminophen (300mg) + Codeine (8mg) Tables - 2 or 3 pills, three times a day. If' I'm walking somewhere without the pills, I usually stop and rest
• How many minutes of rest before they go away?
  15? No idea...I just sit until I feel I can stomach walking again
• Do you jog or run?
  I am unable to do either. I've even tried ultra-low, or even NO impact machines - even swimming. Every activitiy which causes me to bend and flex my knees leads to sever pain.
• Wow..even swimming eh?
  Even swimming

What surprised me was the level of detail in his questions - a level of detail I was unprepared to answer. I've never kept track of things like 'how far' or 'how long'...he told me I'd have an answer in 1 to 8 months, give or take.

Pain is so subjective, it really sounds like you were expected to explain it too clearly and definitively. I hope you find some relief.
I had a doctor giving me a series of shots in my foot and he told me he had never seen anyone take it so well. Well he warned me (like I needed to be told) that it was gonna hurt. He told me if anyone ever asked, to tell them I had a extremely high tolerance for pain.
Makes me wonder, why they even ask on a scale of one to ten...... everyone has their own scale and if a person is experiencing enough pain to prevent them from functioning normally, like walking, isnt that enough. Like I said, hope you find some treatment, that acetaminophine and codiene will eat up your liver and stomach eventually.

 

[Johnney]

they told me that it would take about that long also. but it turned out to be about 6 months after that eval.
ive all but stopped taking my pills (ibuprophin, (400mg 2x a day), or how ever the hell you spell it). i take it on the days that im not so good. but for the most part i dont remember the last day i was pain free. just some days are better than others.