Although slightly off thread, I do have an overactive thyroid which will become relevant towards the end, this is more along the lines of Medical Farce / Veterans Agency Farce.
I had just returned from an excellant Red Flag resupply route and walked into the office to be asked "Do you want to go on the next weeks Winter Survival Course in Bad Kolgrub?", most excellant I thought, "You'll have to do the fitness test first!" OK, gets on bike peddles furiously to RMC and books appt for the next morning, rides to gym and takes bleep test, which I passed, rides back to mess and congratulates self on two weeks free skiing coming up. Suddenly clutch chest and think "8uggar!". Staggers over to RMC to be told to take a seat in waiting area. Told by fellow grow bag that I look like sh1t, return to desk and collapse. At this point RMC kick into overdrive, SMO summoned, I'd just spent 4 months down south with him so knew him quite well, he tells me that I'm having a heart attack. Morphine in and off to Wroughton, blue and twos all the way. Needless to say I survived but was grounded from that point onwards, no arguments from me at this point, only the thought..."8uggar!". Found out later from perusing my Medical notes that my previous Aircrew Medical showed an elevated Cholesterol level, but I was never told of this!
2 1/2 years later I am diagnosed with an overactive thyroid at Haslar (What a marvelous decision to base the only military Hospital in the country in the country's most innaccessable place!) Eventual outcome being lots of Radio Therapy, several operations, pills forever etc. I was medically discharged six months later, the primary cause being the heart attack.
After many years of fighting the Veterans Agency/Binnsworth they came up with the following:
1. My Thyroid complaint is attributable and attracts a Temporary 30% War Pension but is not my Primary Discharge Complaint
2. My Heart Attack is attributable but is assessed at 0% disabilty and is my Primary Discharge Complaint
My question is as follows:
How, in the name of Zeus's butth0le, can a complaint that is already acknowledged as attributable, that has finished my aviation career military & civil, that means I have to sit at a desk all day doing a crappy IT job, that means my standard of living has dropped considerably..........be assessed as 0% disability?
I only ask, as even a rating of 0.5% could mean that my pension could become tax free. Or have I just answered my own question?
PS SPHL if an overactive thyroid means you loose weight, you must have had an underactive one for as long as I've known you (15 yrs) also it's probably the only "Specialist Appointment" that you'll ever get, hope you get it sorted soon m8
