Mark
See full story
Mark is a retired Marine after 22 years of service. He was infantry for the first eight years, and then moved over to a counterintelligence specialist, retiring from Japan. He was in this position for four years at the time of deployment to the first Gulf War as a part of the surveillance liaison reconnaissance team. Mark is the type of person that does not go to the doctor or consider something an issue until he is told from those closest to him that the impact is not normal, which happened while pursuing his Master’s degree.
Two days after returning home, he noticed swelling in his ankle, and was admitted to the hospital, where they had to express fluid. This has continued with several joints ever since. Later that week, he experienced irritable bowel symptoms, but just dealt with them and did not feel comfortable talking about them or seeking help for it. Over time, he noticed that he must pull over on the side of the road during a trip, just to relieve himself. That he would have issues of having to run to the bathroom at the most inconvenient times. This is when his wife and son had mentioned that he needs an evaluation because it is now impacting his life.
He has found help by continuing to keep contact with at least ten crew members and sharing stories and symptoms. This has helped him identify that his health issues have the possibility of being caused from his time in service. His wife began to research and speak with other wives. After 15 years, Mark decided to seek help from the VA. He now participates in research hoping to help other Veterans and attends his annual exams.
Mark is service connected for disability and is continuing to work with the VA and DAV. He wishes that the VA would be better about sharing information, as it is one of the perks to utilizing the VA. However, there have been roadblocks in one VA accessing a previous VA’s records. This puts undue stress on the caregiver and service member to have to physically print and transport records so that their care can advance and not be repeated with care that did not previously work. Mark would like to express that the VA cannot provide information or have you on their radar if you do not register, so please- reach out, get in the system, get registered.
Mark suggests the military do a pre-service “mental” evaluation as well as physical to help target appropriate services after the military.
Mark suggests the military do a pre-service “mental” evaluation as well as physical to help target appropriate services after the military.
The active duty, military, Reserves, they need to do a better job preparing the guys to go. We don’t think about the mental. We do a physical. You know? Are you physically capable? Have I taught you everything you need to know? Okay, you can go with and kill, but we don’t come back and do the other side of it. How do you deal with that? So I guess VA and Department of Defense being able to mesh together, and actually be a team. They don’t seem like that. Once you’re with the VA? Again, I think it still starts on active duty. Getting them to talk before we leave. I mean, I went 15 years after I retired. My father, talked to my oldest son the last two to three years before he died. Just a little hard. Which is, one thing I would say—watching my father taught me a ton about—open up. Talk. So there’s lessons there. My father was a Korean Vet, Vietnam War Vet, and never talked about any of it. He did not register with the VA, because he wasn’t shot. He got hurt, but it was in a car accident. You know, there had been drinking involved. So he didn’t feel like he was qualified. He couldn’t take that stigma away.
Mark opted for surgery rather than pain medication.
Mark opted for surgery rather than pain medication.
I just—I’m not a big guy for pills. Don’t like surgeries. Well, my neck surgery was great. My knee surgery turned out. So I got to run, walk—yeah. At one point they pumped—I think pumped—got over 250cc of fluid off my knee before the surgery. They just kept pulling it out and I’m like—Yeah, what are we going to do about that? My doc’s like—you need a surgery. You don’t have to have it. You can keep coming in and we’ll keep pumping the fluid off your knee, if that’s what you want you want to do. Okay, I’ll do the surgery, because this isn’t working.