Gulf war exposure

[Nature Lover]

I never had any urinary problems until I was almost 27 years old. I had gone to Germany to visit my husband who was stationed there. When I got back, I got an infection. I went to the doctor, took antibiotics and the infection cleared up. Two years later, when he came home for good, my UTI-like symptoms began. Lots of trips to doctors, no bacteria found in urine, but antibiotics given anyway. Finally two years later, I had extensive tests run that ruled out everything except IC. I can't help but wonder if anything my husband was exposed to in Iraq could have caused or enabled my IC. He was a combat engineer which means that his unit located and detonated all Iraqi ordinance. In addition, all troups were exposed to untested vaccines and the oil well fires. I think eventually we will find that the conditions over there is the cause of many diseases. At 32 my husband was diagnosed with mouth cancer and since he was a non-drinker, non-smoker, and non-chewer, the doctors were at a loss to explain why he got it. The cancer was so aggressive that after chemo and radiation the tumor came back and had to be surgically removed.
So, as you can see, I am skeptical about the reports that Gulf war service was not detrimental to soldier's heath.

[ldwall]

Killen! Hey my hubbie is there now doing war duty at Ft. Hood. He says you local people are the only way some of the soliders from his unit eat, because you guys bring them food. (He has been gone 6 months, and has another 6 to go)

As for your IC. I am not sure about Gulf War Syndrome playing a part, I do think that it is a possiblilty. I don't think the governement is fully disclosing what is going on, or fully understanding it. I have a dear friend who's hubbie is a Gulf Vet, and they lost their first child to birth defects (5 spleens, lungs hooked up to eating part of troat, stomach to breathing part, malformed heart etc) the docs swear up and down that Gulf War syndrome played no part in it, but it sounds a lot like other defects I had heard about.

The problem is, if it did play a part I don't think there will ever be a real definitive answer as to what the cause was of GW Syndrome, so you may never get anything like that for your IC.

Interesting thought, makes me wonder how much environmental factors play in developing such diseases. I only recenlty learned that one of the towns my hubbie and I were stationed in has a huge PCP problem. Years after new contamination it still has the highest levels of PCP's in the air of the entire USA. That is where the IC got really bad, so it does make you wonder.

(if you go by the gates to Ft. Hood, wave......my hubbie is Sgt Wall....... [img]biggrin.gif[/img] ) Lisa

[ICNDonna]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Lisa}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

It's so great to see you posting. I've been concerned about you.

Warm hugs,
Donna