Finally got my 16 month post-FVFG follow-up yesterday in NYC. I had an MRI done last week and brought it to my appointment. My surgeon said the MRI doesn’t look terrible, and the hip’s head isn’t completely collapsed. He said my hip is still has pockets of avascularity, but there is a tunnel of life going through the hip, if it were completely dead and collapsed, I wouldn’t be able to stand. The increase in joint/arthritis pain is due to the fact that I’m using it so much more. He said “unfortunately we’ve seen what the biology can due, and since it’s not adequate, we have to think about other things,” and referred me to a hip reconstruction specialist.
Author: Openbah
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Rating received
Finally got a letter from the VA regarding my service connected compensation claim. I’ve been assigned a 30% rating, which I’m not too happy about. It’s like they ignored everything that was happening with my leg, and simply looked up what rating was next to “hip fracture.” I’m going to meet with the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) this week and file an appeal.
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VA is currently assigning my rating
Just got off the phone with the VA. I called to check the status of my claim, and to see if there was anything they needed from me. It’s been 4 months since I started the claim, and I haven’t heard from them in quite a while. The man I spoke to told me that my claim had just been transferred to ratings. All the paperwork and evaluations supporting my claim will be looked at, and I will be assigned a rating. He said it could be another 1-2 months, but hopefully won’t be too much longer.
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First two appointments with the VA
I just got home from my second appointment with the VA. I had my first appointment last Wednesday. I was right, it turned out to be just a basic medical appointment. I met with a nurse practitioner, and we did a full medical history, starting from my initial injury. She checked my vitals (blood pressure, lung sounds, etc), and then sent me to get my blood drawn. After that I was free to go.
Today’s appointment was with an orthopedic physician’s assistant. Again, we went over my medical history starting with the injury. This appointment however focused on my leg. She measured all the ranges of motion, and wrote down the degrees. For those of you that don’t know, I lost quite a bit of length in my right leg when I injured it, but never really knew exactly how much. Well, she measured, and it came out to a 2.5cm difference. So basically my right leg is an entire inch shorter than my left. It’s no wonder I limp so bad. Next, I had to rate how my injury affects everyday tasks, such as shopping, bathing, and driving (the degrees were none, mild, moderate, severe, & prevents). Once that was finished I was all set. The whole appointment took a little over an hour.
I guess now I just wait to hear from the VA.
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Two appointments scheduled with the VA
My first two appointments with the VA have been scheduled. The first is at the Boston Outpatient Clinic on Causeway Street, the second is at the Jamaica Plain VA. It is my understanding that the first appointment is a medical appointment, while the second is an orthopedic appointment, though I’m not really sure.