No data on vets - CF doesn't track hidden wounds

[old medic]

No Data on vets
Canadian Forces doesn't track hidden wounds
The CANADIAN PRESS
17 November 2008

HALIFAX -- The Canadian Forces is not tracking how many of its soldiers are suffering from service related hearing
loss and traumatic brain trauma, two of the so-called signature injuries of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  The Defence Department doesn't have the systems working or in place to record the number of people returning
from tours overseas who have identified hearing loss or brain injuries, giving them little sense as to the extent of
what are thought to be rising problems in the ranks.
  Unlike the British and American militaries which have better means of tracking conditions affecting their troops,
the Canadian Forces has yet to implement computerized programs that can digitally compile information and point
to any trends for certain injuries.
  "We have no way to systematically collect that data," Steve Tsekrekos, an occupational medicine specialist with
Force Health Protection, said from Ottawa.
  "There's much room for improvement compared to what we're currently doing. It's a question of continually to
push that this is an issue that we need to address."
  Forces members are examined for a variety of possible injuries in theatre and when they return from a deployment,
but the data in most cases is contained in a paper record that goes into individual files.
  It's also up to soldiers to indicate in questionnaires if they suspect they have sustained certain injuries.
  To test for hearing loss at home, military doctors have to reply on antiquated 1970s - vintage audiometres for
which replacement parts are not being made and can produce only a paper document.
  The absence of any condensed data on injuries has left the Forces without a global, detailed picture of the injuries
affecting soldiers serving in environments characterized by bomb blasts, gunfire and loud equipment.
  "The usefulness of that sort of data is to provide us with a track record as to changes in the patterns of injuries
or illnesses," says Bryan Barber, a deployment health specialist with the Canadian Forces Health Services group in
Ottawa.
  "We don't actually have any current numbers on the incidence of mild traumatic brain injury in the Canadian
Forces population serving in Afghanistan."
  Statistics and studies coming out of the U.S. indicate one in four soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan have
damaged hearing, caused by blasts from improvised explosive devices, suicide bomb explosions and prolonged
exposure to noisy vehicles.
  According to Veterans Affairs Canada, close to 320 military personnel who served in Afghanistan since 2001
are now receiving disability benefits linked to hearing loss.
  Of the total number of Canadian veterans receiving benefits, roughly half are due to a hearing impairment.
  "There are a lot we do in the military that are very damaging to hearing and that has always been so,"
said Major Sandra West, a base surgeon at the Ottawa military clinic who spent seven months in Afghanistan
earlier this year.
  "It's very hard to protect your hearing all the time just because of the sorts of things we do."
  In 2001, Veterans Affairs had 37,374 clients in receipt of treatment benefits for their hearing loss with total
expenditures of $22.6 million. By this March, that number had risen to 47,347 clients at a cost of $38.5 million.

 

[old medic]

1st comment....

This looks alot like an article CP published back in April 2008.
Will we see them bring it up again in a few months ?

Apr 25, 2008
Tamara King
THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG–The Canadian military is considering whether to start screening soldiers for mild traumatic brain injuries upon their return from combat zones.

Sometimes called hidden head injuries, it's an issue that's been heating up in part because of the increasingly powerful roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices being used by insurgents in places like Afghanistan.

The Canadian Forces doesn't track the number of mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions, said Dr. Mark Zamorski, head of the military's deployment health section.

"We don't have a clear picture of the magnitude of the problem in the Canadian Forces members," Zamorski said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

The topic has received a lot of attention in the United States, where traumatic brain injuries are known as the "signature wound" of the war in Iraq. Earlier this month, American legislators voted to expand monitoring and research into brain injuries.

Zamorski said U.S. statistics show that about 15 per cent of military members deployed in combat missions report suffering a concussion, and he expects the numbers would be similar in Canadian soldiers.

A panel of experts is studying the issue within Canada's military, said Zamorski, "because we realized it's an issue that we didn't have great visibility or understanding of."

However, he added he didn't "want to get too excited too quickly about what's becoming the miracle malady of the moment that explains everything."

Unlike moderate or severe brain injuries, where the damage is apparent, mild brain injuries aren't always obvious, but can cause a series of problems, including learning impairment, memory loss, severe fatigue, headaches.

There's also a wider question about mild traumatic brain injuries that researchers have yet to answer: does an explosion cause a different type of head injury than a car or sports accident because of its pressure waves?

"There has not been truly definitive research that's been done on that," Zamorski said. "Some more detailed studies are going to have to be done."

The military already has some ways of catching mild brain injuries in troops. In checks that occur three to six months after deployment, soldiers are screened for memory and concentration problems, and those with symptoms are referred for further evaluation.

"We may be picking people up that way, even if we don't ask specifically about head trauma," Zamorski said.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well, if spokespeople are saying things like this ....

A panel of experts is studying the issue within Canada's military, said Zamorski, "because we realized it's an issue that we didn't have great visibility or understanding of."

"There's much room for improvement compared to what we're currently doing. It's a question of continually to push that this is an issue that we need to address."

"The usefulness of that sort of data is to provide us with a track record as to changes in the patterns of injuries or illnesses,"

....  the Forces are in the process of trying to implement systems to collect data on brain injuries and hearing loss.  Tsekrekos says they plan on introducing new computerized audiometres possibly in the next few years that will create a digital record and help produce a Force-wide picture of hearing loss.  The military is also implementing a system to collect information on brain injuries used by the United States called the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry. Garber said the system should be up and running sometime next year ....

.... in most readers' minds, seven months is a reasonable follow-up period to see what's up - based on the last quote I listed, expect a reporter to call back, say, mid-February or March, maybe April. 

Now, how calendar time correlates with GOVERNMENT time is another issue ....  ;D

I also note the lead of the latest piece:

"The Canadian Forces is not tracking how many of its soldiers are suffering from service related hearing loss and traumatic brain trauma, two of the so-called signature injuries of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq."

instead of being, oh, I don't know....

"The Canadian Forces is developing a system to track how many of its soldiers are suffering from service-related hearing loss and traumatic brain trauma...."

 

[Armymedic]

Oh, but they are....

But not specifically if they happen as a result of incidents in Afghanistan.

Neat thing about hearing loss...exposure does not always induce instant loss. Just cause your ear drums were burst, doesn't mean you'll be deaf in retirement either.

 

[Blakey]

I have had a bit of tinnitus off and on in my left ear for about the last two years, that was something that was manageable.

For the past five months I've had a constant rining in my right ear 24/7 which, is much worse than the left and not so tolerable.

I went to the Base clinic and had a specialists appointment with an ENT and tried to explain to them that its like when you get a hearing test and you hear one of those high decibel sounds in the headset.

Most nights are spent staring at the ceiling waiting for exhaustion to take over, or a little bit of self medication.

Both the MO and the ENT concur that it is most likely noise induced and the MO prescribed some sleep aids (thank god).

They both also suggested the 'white noise or soft music treatment but it really didn't seem to help, and the volume level that it would have to be turned up to is too loud for the wife.

Its not looking too well, from all accounts, this doesn't look like something that can be fixed but rather, managed to reduce the level.

I still have an appointment for an MRI to rule out a tumor and another hearing test, hopefully something can be done.

As a side note, anyone have the same problem, how do you/did you deal with it?

 

[Journeyman]

"...traumatic brain trauma..."

Is this similar to bureaucratic brain trauma?  :brickwall:NDHQ

;D

 

[GB]

I have had a bit of tinnitus off and on in my left ear for about the last two years, that was something that was manageable.

For the past five months I've had a constant rining in my right ear 24/7 which, is much worse than the left and not so tolerable.

I went to the Base clinic and had a specialists appointment with an ENT and tried to explain to them that its like when you get a hearing test and you hear one of those high decibel sounds in the headset.

Most nights are spent staring at the ceiling waiting for exhaustion to take over, or a little bit of self medication.

Both the MO and the ENT concur that it is most likely noise induced and the MO prescribed some sleep aids (thank god).

They both also suggested the 'white noise or soft music treatment but it really didn't seem to help, and the volume level that it would have to be turned up to is too loud for the wife.

Its not looking too well, from all accounts, this doesn't look like something that can be fixed but rather, managed to reduce the level.

I still have an appointment for an MRI to rule out a tumor and another hearing test, hopefully something can be done.

As a side note, anyone have the same problem, how do you/did you deal with it?

My wife suffers from tinnitus due to a motor vehicle accident 10 years ago.  Her noise is not sever and she has learned to live with it.  The problem is that after a while your brain thinks that the noise is normal and is suppose to be there and therefore never goes away even if the physical problem is healed.

There is a hearing aid type of device that her ENT specialist said she may have had to use if the noise became too bothersome. Apparently it sends different frequency noises into your ear in order to trick the brain from thinking that the regular noise is suppose to be there (not explaining it properly, not a doctor ;D).

I do not have all the info now but I can get it from my wife and send it to you.  The device was only successful 60-70% of the time but that was nearly 10 years ago when it was suggested to her the treatment may be better now.  Oh and at that time it was not covered by the OHIP in Ontario it was out of the patients pocket (approx $800 in 98-99).

 

[HItorMiss]

Ever since my incident if there is too much background noise I can't distinguish any single sound such as someone talking to me. Also miss things said if it is exclusively on my left side. I had a hearing test done by a VERY compotent medic (no not my 9er LMAO) and I came out with Slight loss in my left ear. However when I explained my issues she suggested seeing a specialist and eventually I will I think when I have some time ooh say in 2 years or so......  ;D


Now to the topic at hand the CF is well aware of my issues because I brought it up, and it is in med docs. How the media says it's not tracked well maybe not in a huge database but as a member I ensured it was tracked for me personally.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Tinnitus is now covered by VAC. 

After the bullet took my ear offf in '94, I have always complained about the ringing, with no help at all.

I have put the process in.  Call VAC asap.  You will be entitled to the care, and the devices that can cancel the ringing.

It will help the sleep at night, and the hearing of people, so I hope!

dileas

tess

 

[Blakey]

Thanks for the replies.

GB, I think thats what they (MO/ENT) were talking about, I'll see how the MRI and third hearing test go.

tess, you bring up a good point and link which I had just finished reading after a quick check on google.
My 20 years are up in May and I plan on dropping in to the DVA office here on base prior to retiring (or going Pri Reserve).

BM, go see the specialist!

EDIT: My father went through one hell of a time back in or around 1979'ish after he retired after serving 22 years, most of which was as a Rad Op.

I hope I don't have to jump through too many firey hoops.