Final drum roll please...

Greg's Medical Evaluation Board convened today and offered him 10% for his knee* with severance and separation from the Air Force. He accepted.** His next step is to go to the Veterans Administration Office locally and they rate him on all his current medical problems/disabilities occurring while in the service of the United States. This will determine how much he will get as a disabled Veteran from the VA. He had an appointment with them last month and they went over his medical history and came up with seven ratable items. His knee injury will carry over with 10%, Sleep Apnea brings in 50%, and then five other things that we don't know the rates yet. If the VA rates him at 100% then he is considered retired which is a good thing (not exactly sure how it all works out but I think it involves paying for additional schooling). HOWEVER, it takes the VA at least six months to get all the paper work done...so we will be glad for the severance package to help out during the upcoming months.

But it ain't over till the fat lady sings... they said not to be surprised if we are still in the Air Force until February because the paperwork from the ME Board still has one more stop to get an official stamp. If there is any one thing we have learned from all this: EVERYTHING in the military takes TIME. Hurry up and wait!! We just hope his commander will be kind enough to allow Greg to fill out the proper paperwork to allow him to work outside the military if a job comes up before he is "officially" separated.

Today has been a long day for both Greg and I, starting with a 4am phone call from him sharing some concerns before the board convened. Then after the decision was made he thought he would try his luck at getting back to Vegas earlier than planned. I'm not sure what lesson he is to learn from all this but his luck was not so good. He did get an earlier flight to Dallas but the connecting flight to Vegas was over booked with 30 people on standby. He got a ticket booked for the next flight which still would have been earlier than the original flight, but it got cancelled from the weather in Vegas***. Then the airport announced that all flights to Vegas had been cancelled until Thursday afternoon. The earliest they can get him home is 7 pm. But we have good news, his bags might have made it to Las Vegas!! Poor guy, what an ordeal.

* The military only rates the disability which causes separation from the military. Sleep Apnea no longer is a kickable disability, therefore there is no rate to offer the service man at separation.

** Greg is a gambling man, but sometimes a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush especially when those birds are already for flight and the mere glance from the hunter. Accepting is a better thing for our family at this time. It might have played out very badly for him if he re-enlisted and got separated without severance. I don't think I'd make it very far on "Deal or No Deal."

*** While we were enjoying the rarely seen beautiful snow falling we did not know it would delay the time we would see Daddy. No need to spoil all the fun!

Thanksgiving UPDATE

Although we have lots to be thankful for we will not be knowing the outcome of Greg's medical board hearing this Thanksgiving after all. They postponed his appearance till the week of December 15th. Hopefully by the end of that week we will have a decision. Until then we will plug through one day after the other, at least it's another known paycheck or two.

My mom sent me the following story and some kernels of corn for our children to have a visual of the history of Thanksgiving.

The Five Kernels of Corn

When the pilgrims came to America the merchants that had organized and funded the endeavor stipulated that they had to live a form of communism, every man working for the common good and food and clothing provided from the common stores. The land and houses were to be the joint property of the merchants and colonists for seven years (the biblical number that a man could be held in slavery) and then divided equally. If ever communism were to be possible, it would have been in this group who truly loved one another and were dedicated to each other's welfare. Then came a disastrous "starving time" when the daily ration from the common store was reduced to five kernels of corn a day. With the death of their good pastor, the new governor, William Bradford saw that bold decisive action was needed. As he wrote in his History:

... after much debate of things, the Governor gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular and in that regard trust in themselves. The experience that was had in this common course and condition tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity and conceit of Plato and other ancients...that the taking away of property and bringing in communism into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing as if they were wiser than God. For this communism was found to breed much confusion and discontentment, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort."

The new arrangement worked well. When it was their own property and they understood that they would benefit from their labors, even the little children went willingly with their parents to help set the corn and tend to it. The change in their circumstance was remarkable! The first thanksgiving was instituted to give thanks to the Lord for his bounteous blessings. With the trestles groaning with food, and savory aromas tickling their noses, for the first course the feasters found on each plate five kernels of corn. You may imagine the intense feelings of gratitude as they listened to the blessing on the food. May we be grateful, also.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day (a big deal at our house this year)!

Greg will be reporting to the Lackland AFB (Texas) for the Medical Board on the 21st of this month. Every thing is moving along slowly. I thought he would be reporting sooner than this, but as with most things in the military, it takes time. Now for the bad news, well not so bad as a little disappointing. He will be gone over a weekend (don't know why they would do this, it costs more for hotels and such). We are hoping he will get seen by Wednesday so he can get home for Thanksgiving dinner. They may have to fly him back to Las Vegas on the most traveled day of the year (probably pretty pricey too). I don't know why that bothers me, the military will pick up the tab on everything. Before he leaves the board will give their decision. At least we will know right away and not have to wait any longer for the decision (except for me, I'll have to wait for the phone call). Waiting is not fun for either of us. It wreaks havoc on our complexions.

He might also have a job interview in Elko, NV the week before. We still haven't been contacted with exact dates and times, just the possibilities. But, it would be good to have options before learning his fate with the military. We all feel better having back-up plans.

So, this Thanksgiving there may be much rejoicing and thanksgiving in the Porter house. Stay tuned (if waiting doesn't cause you complexion issues).

Long awaited news

Well, today Greg got the military medical board's decision. Not good. They are offering him a severance with a 10% rating for his knee. Nothing like the retirement he was expecting. He was seeing red once they offered it to him. He also said he felt like they had left him in the middle of a battle with no help or backup (true military man!). He has until Friday to accept or reject the offer, of course he will reject it. Then he will head to Air Force headquarters in Texas, next week, to appeal, then wait again for another offer. We hope it will drag out till he has been in the military 16 years (November 22nd).

The advice he has received so far is to fight it, take it as far as he can. They are not offering any compensation for his sleep apnea which we feel they should but they say is something the VA will deal with. We believe it is brought on from his knee injury and should be grouped with the decision.

I am still in shock myself. Even his commander feels they are not doing good by him. "Thanks for your service/commitment to your country, sorry you got hurt, here's some 'insult to injury' money, good luck in life, bye-bye."

I do have to say that he is way better off than some of the people who get really injured in the line of defense, I wonder what they have to go through to get what they get. The husband of a friend of mine died a week after the military finally admitted that the cancer he had was in fact from Agent Orange. There was no time to fill out the paperwork for any compensation before he passed away. She only get's 1/2 his retirement as his survivor and no compensation for the Agent Orange connection to his death. The military only payed 80% of his medical bills, and his treatment was very expensive.

Yeah, we'll appeal and see where that goes. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. God is good and will provide once we do all we can.

Rant: Something is seriously wrong with the current set-up where the guys who really keep this country safe for democracy get paid/compensated crap, while the politicians make sure their own future is well taken care of and most of them have never served in the military. It would be one thing if they (the politicians) fought to keep the country "free" from enemies foreign and domestic, but it just seem that they are lining their pocket books (and those of their friends) with tax payers hard earned money, or selling the country to the highest international banker.

Semi side note: Greg is a three time war veteran and has been deployed more than he cares to remember (once would be enough for most of us to have nightmares and a new found appreciation for what we have here in the safety of our homes). I know there are others who have similar or even worse stories, but the long term effect it has on their lives should be better compensated!

What's going on, What's going on?

So, it looks like this is becoming a once a monthly blog now.

Update: We are currently about three weeks out from knowing if Greg will be medically retired or just medically released from the Air Force. We really want to be retired. Greg's re-enlistment date as come and past (Sept - 29), we have been given a three month extension on our IDs and medical coverage. Greg is currently looking to line up work for when he is retired/released.

I have been trying to de-clutter the house (this is a really hard job for me!). I can now officially get rid of all little baby toys, but they are so cute... This is my problem with everything. What if I need it one day? I admire the home-maker who's house is in order with only a drawer/room of clutter.

I have been working on my kids to understand that if they bring something out, they need to put it away, in the designated spot so they can find it the next time. I had baskets for gathering, thinking that would make it easier on cleaning up time, but they ended up being for their storage. They seldom put things back where they are supposed to, and then I get the never ending question, "mom, where is ____"? To which my reply, "I don't really know, I didn't play with it, maybe if you would have put it away where it is supposed to go you'd be able to find it now". I feel like a broken record! I think this must be a never ending job, like dishes, laundry, and cleaning.

Funny how we find ourselves saying the very same thing our parents did when we were growing up.

That's it for now, "LIFE," maybe I'll come up with something fun to post soon.

Sleep?

My husband, Greg, is currently facing an M.E.B. (Medical Evaluation Board) and possible discharge from the military. This has actually been in the works for years since his last deployment where he was injured in a combat zone (not combat related). He has been working with his doctors to stay in the military but it doesn't look like he'll be able to say in much longer. He has been put on medical profile after profile limiting his exercise regime and ability for deployment. When the last tasking came down he was in a predicament. The deployment would be on an Army base and would include Army training which would be more physically demanding than his knee could handle. Any change in his profile/limitations would flag an M.E.B. He only needs four more years to complete his 20 year retirement requirement!

They must do a full physical before the board can decide the outcome of his career. I have been asking him to look into his difficulty in sleeping for almost a year now. He had been fearful of bring it up to a doctor because he wants to finish out his 20 and had heard once you've been tested with sleep apnea it was an immediate discharge. Since all medical concerns need to be addressed he agreed to mention it. Don't get me started on how he'd be better off all around if he'd listen more to his wife!! Just one word...Appendicitis. We are just glad to have him alive and with us now.

I found some information on Sleep Apnea from the Stanford education site and have changed the font to red for my comments or what symptoms he has exhibited with me.

The most common kind of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Sleep apnea means "cessation of breath." It is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. (Greg tested at 58% oxygen saturation during sleep!) The upper airway can be obstructed by excess tissue in the airway, large tonsils, a large tongue and usually includes the airway muscles relaxing and collapsing when asleep. Another site of obstruction can be the nasal passages. Sometimes the structure of the jaw and airway can be a factor in sleep apnea.

What are the symptoms?

• excessive daytime sleepiness (Greg NEEDED his 8 hrs of sleep or had difficulty functioning during the day and if he had time off would always find some extra time to sleep.)
• frequent episodes of obstructed breathing during sleep. (The patient may be unaware of this symptom -- usually the bed partner is extremely aware of this). (I've never timed Greg's obstructed time myself but my mom said she counted 45 seconds one night when she was in town...not that they were bed partners).
  

Associated features may include:

• loud snoring
• morning headaches
• unrefreshing sleep
• a dry mouth upon awakening
• chest retraction during sleep in young children (chest pulls in)
• high blood pressure
• overweight
• irritability
• change in personality
• depression
• difficulty concentrating
• excessive perspiring during sleep
• heartburn
• reduced libido
• insomnia
• frequent nocturnal urination (nocturia)
• restless sleep (Greg does the running man in his sleep)
  
• nocturnal snorting, gasping, choking (may wake self up) (and everyone else!)
• rapid weight gain
• confusion upon awakening

How serious is sleep apnea?
It is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. The risks of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea include heart attacks, strokes, impotence, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart disease. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness that can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems. The severity of the symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe. (Greg's Military Doctor mentioned in the 6 years she's been dealing with sleep apnea the highest score she's seen is 129, Greg's score was 144.)

How is Sleep Apnea treated?
Moderate to severe Sleep Apnea is usually treated with a C-PAP (continous positive airway pressure). C-PAP is a machine that blows air into your nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed. For more severe apnea, there is a Bi-level (Bi-PAP) machine. The Bi-level machine is different in that it blows air at two different pressures. When a person inhales, the pressure is higher and in exhaling, the pressure is lower. Your sleep doctor will "prescribe" your pressure and a home healthcare company will set it up and provide training in its use and maintenance. (At Greg's first visit to discuss being tested for the sleep disorder his doctor explained that depending on the severity of the case one could still have sleep apnea and stay in the military. If the C-PAP machine was needed but could be weened off of, one could still remain in the military. It would mean an M.E.B. and discharge if the disorder was severe and a person needed to be on the breathing machine for life. Although she never said anything about the M.E.B., which is already pending, the doctor did say from the looks of it he would be on the breathing machine for the REST OF HIS LIFE.)

We are waiting to hear more. More posts pending results.