desperate for advice/direction (Long but urgent)

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I'm hoping someone on here might be able to point my family and I in the right direction. I'll try to be concise.

A 28 year old family member is active duty in the Air Force and returned to the US one week ago after 2 years overseas. While she was overseas she worked on classified projects that may have included radiogenic materials.

While she was overseas, in the past two months she presented to the base ER twice with c/o CP, SOB especially at night, muscle pain and insomnia. She was told she had GERD and was given Zantac and Flexeril. She has no medical hx whatsoever and only RX drug she was on was BCPs. No labs, no CXR and no follow up was ever done and sx did not subside.

Subsequently, she returned to the US last week with an increase in sx, went to the base ER and after a CXR (where they asked her "have you had a recent chest trauma?") was immediate transferred to civilian hospital and admitted to CCU with dx lymphoblastic lymphoma with a mass on her lung. Has not been able to be stabilized to start chemo or tolerate CT of spleen, liver, etc so not sure if there are other sites. Had a shunt placed to treat her brain but was not told she has mets to the brain. Cannot stop putting out liter after liter of fluid so chest tube cannot be removed.

We (the family) are certain she experienced prolonged exposure to radiogenic materials. WHAT can be done for her and where do we start? She is currently in a hospital thousand miles from family who are staying in a hotel for the time being. Command is "looking into" her getting authorization to be transferred to medical center close to family for care/support.

I am the wife of a Marine who was disch on med board after injuries in Iraq so I am familiar with the military red tape and health system but this is WAY beyond what I know. Any info or direction you could give me would be hugely appreciated!

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
I'm hoping someone on here might be able to point my family and I in the right direction. I'll try to be concise.

... Any info or direction you could give me would be hugely appreciated!

Hello Nursekelly,

Firstly I am so sorry for what your family member and your family and you are experiencing.

If I discover anything that may be of help I will p.m. it to you asap.

Meanwhile I wonder if these links may, (or may not) have some contacts for you all. Possibly the author of the article below may have more help or contacts? It is a stretch but, hopefully it will at the very least lead you into the right direction.

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/NEWS0402/60207023/1018/NEWS04

quote from above article:

Returning soldiers may face tests for exposure to depleted uranium

Activists cite high cancer rates; bill faces finance committees

http://www.rense.com/general65/cuty.htm "In one returning unit, 40%, or eight out of twenty U.S. soldiers have cancer? * In one 100 clean-up crew, 30 were dead within 10 years, with many others "

http://www.unknownnews.org/050930a-df.html Four out of nine returning soldiers poisoned ... One gram of Uranium-238 is more than sufficient to give cancer to a soldier,

Gen

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Gen- thanks for the links. I will contact the author to see if he has ideas. It's worth trying anything to me. It is so important to adequately protect and care for our troops. They do more for the country than any average citizen I know and yet very often get overlooked when they need caring for.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.
Gen- thanks for the links. I will contact the author to see if he has ideas. It's worth trying anything to me. It is so important to adequately protect and care for our troops. They do more for the country than any average citizen I know and yet very often get overlooked when they need caring for.

Hello NurseKelly,

I wish for you and your family member the best.

You might have much better response rates to this thread if it is posted in the current events section as the military nursing section really does not address such serious health concerns.

If not "current events" maybe another thread forum would be better. I suspect your response might be dismal here. Hopefully the moderators can guide you on that.

I will read to see where your important question may be better moved to.

Kind Regards,

Gen

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Military people usually find "unofficial" assistance with medical/admin issues by talking to special reps from the Disabled American Veterans assn. You can find designated reps of the DAV in major military hosp. Good luck and our prayers are with you.

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Specializes in Ortho, Med surg and L&D.

again,

You would probably find better responses if this were posted in the "current events" forum. This is were your information of concern properly belongs, not in military nursing, (while it is regarding a Military personnel it does not necessarily seem about Military nursing nor about Military Nursing).

Sadly, you may also be missing out on informative caring responses due to improper forum choice.

Kindest Regards,

Gennaver

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I have reposted this question in the general nursing section. Thank you for your advice.

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