{"id":247,"date":"2026-02-25T21:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trackmysymptoms.org\/blog\/?p=247"},"modified":"2026-02-25T21:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:47:15","slug":"young-fella-let-me-splain-how-this-here-system-really-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trackmysymptoms.org\/blog\/2026\/02\/25\/young-fella-let-me-splain-how-this-here-system-really-works\/","title":{"rendered":"“Young Fella, Let Me ‘Splain How This Here System Really Works”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VA Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, 1993. I was 23 years old, just med-boarded out of the Navy. Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. 30% rating. Cane, AFOs. Outside drinking a Pepsi, chatting with some older Vets.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were looking at this young guy with a cane and these funny things on his legs and asked about my situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was a submariner but I got MS, entire right side was paralyzed for 3 months or so. Navy kicked me out. I was assigned an automatic 30% VA rating. But honestly, I’m doing a lot better now than I was six months ago.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Pitch <\/strong>
(Old Dude’s Playbook)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vietnam vet leans in: “Young fella, let me ‘splain how this here system really works.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he lays out the full playbook. Guaranteed<\/strong> to work, he tells me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Here’s whatcher gonna do”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
    \n
  • File for anxiety, depression, migraines, tinnitus \u2014 anything connectable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Go to appointments, everytime, tell them it’s getting worse. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • You’re missing work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • They’ll give you pills like Dr. Feelgood. Just throw ’em out. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Keep coming back, in a few years you’ll be at 100%. Then you’re set for life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    My Response (Outwardly polite, inwardly skeptical)<\/strong>
    “Are you serious? That’s awesome! I’ll keep that in mind.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What I Was Actually Thinking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Holy shit, more money would be nice. I was pretty much broke, working for DoD for like $8 an hour, 2 kids. But I get MRIs every 6 months. Won’t they see? What if I get caught? Do I lose my 30%? This sounds like a quick way to get my ass busted<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Reality Check (Why Old Dude’s Playbook Doesn’t Work for MS)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You can’t fake MS. They literally look inside my brain every 6-12 months. PTSD? Subjective. Back pain? Often invisible on imaging. Tinnitus? Only you can hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But MS? MRIs show lesions. Neurological exams are objective. Progression is documented. You can’t fake brain lesions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Diagnosis Day: Victoria Day 1992, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Wake up and my right side is paralyzed<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Freak out and call for the Doc<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Go to Hospital <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • CAT scan \u2192 MRI \u2192 Spinal tap <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Three days flat on my back with the worst headache of my life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      So let me tell you – I wasn’t going for Spinal Tap #2. Screw that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I was thinking “Why am I going to I invite MORE scrutiny, MORE tests, MORE procedures by lying? They’re already paying me every month. I have free healthcare. Old dude is crazy.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Decision (Fear-Based Pragmatism, not Principle):<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      I didn’t follow his advice. Not because I was noble (I was 23 and broke). Not because I was smart (I barely understood the system).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Because \u2193<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • I couldn’t fake a disease they could see on imaging <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • I didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to thow it out of – and couldn’t afford to lose my 30% <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • I was NOT risking another spinal tap – that procedure SUCKS<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • I was already living through enough medical hell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The 30-Year Journey<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        So I did it the boring way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Documented symptoms when they happened <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Got MRIs regularly <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Filed for increases when progression was documented <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Let the documented evidence speak for itself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          It took 30 years to go from 30% (25 years) \u2192 70% (5 years) \u2192 100% P&T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I’m one of the fortunate ones. I lived 25 years with MS before it decided to finally get back at me. But when it did:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • 100% P&T in 4 months when I filed <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • SSDI in under 6 months, first try <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • 347 pages of documenteed symptom evidence <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • No fraud, no lies, no looking over my shoulder <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • VA Rating is bulletproof and permanent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n