Wounded Marine Fights VA For Care

"Shrugged Off" by Veterans Administration After Failed Surgeries, Wounded Vet Forced to Seek Help on His Own

(CBS)  Casey Owens wasn't expected to live after he lost both legs in Iraq. But he made it out of a military vehicle alive and to Bethesda Naval Hospital where CBS News national security correspondent David Martin first met him in October of 2004.

"I don't remember anything, but I know that it was a mine," Owens said.

Everyone would agree the U.S. government owes Casey Owens the best possible medical care. No one who hears his story could say he got it.

"I don't know why I'm just depressed, crying a lot and feeling down, just feeling hopeless," Owens said.

He said that to the latest doctor he turned to in his desperate search for the help he was not getting from the Veterans Administration.

"Dealing with the VA and being held up and not getting the care that I feel I wanted or treatments that I see fit," Owens said. "That's a very discouraging thing for me because I did my part and their part is to help heal us and they failed me."

All he ever wanted to be was a Marine. Even after he was wounded he donned his dress blues for President Bush's second inaugural. But the amputation on his right leg kept failing and the VA told him he would need a fourth operation to repair the stump.

"What they offered me was the same surgery that had failed three times before," Owens said.

Each surgery meant more of his right leg had to be amputated.

"I didn't have much more of my leg to give," Owens said.

He wanted a different procedure.

"So I did research on my own and found the doctor which took six months of approval to get," Owens recalled.

His mother says he spent six months with a raw stump just.

Blog: Marine Fights A "Broken" System
"He was in excruciating pain," said Janna Dunkle, Owens' mother. "He's sitting, laying on a bed, watching TV or staring at walls."

Finally he got the operation and, he says, a personal apology from President Bush for the delay. He was up on two legs but still searching for treatment of the wound you can't see: the brain injury.

"I was having a hard time getting my thoughts together and focusing and getting really irritable," Owens said.

"Well that's pretty classic brain injury," Martin said.

Said Owens: "That's what I'm told."

But that's not what the VA told him.

"I've gone to the VA and complained about certain symptoms but it's usually just shrugged off as sinus headaches or migraines or stress," Owens said.

Once again on his own and with money from private charities, he came to a small medical center outside New Orleans where Dr. Paul Harch uses pressurized oxygen chambers to treat brain-injured vets.

"The theory is that a pulse of a high level of oxygen can energize damaged cells and stimulate tissue growth and improvement of neurologic function," Dr. Harch said.

It's an old-fashioned treatment originally developed for deep sea divers suffering from the bends. But Harch is having encouraging results with the small number of vets he's treated so far.

"Cognitively they're improving," Dr. Harch said. "Their quality of life is improving. They feel better.

"I don't feel so scatterbrained, able to put, collect my thoughts a lot easier, not get lost in the middle of a sentence like I had been," he said.

Casey now plans to start college in the fall.

"Free at last," he said.

But he had to do it on his own.

[JailRomanPolanski]

So has Dubya ever showed up to change his bandages?
Has he offered to pay for a specialist to work on this kid?

Maybe some of you 'conservatives' can pony up some donations for him.

Some how I think you conservatives nuts owe him more than an "apolgy."

[zdonovan]

That's funny because I think that the two of you are the ones that missed the whole point. The subject is about the kind of job that the government(VA) is doing giving healthcare to injured soldiers. National Healthcare is also going to be ran by the government and if they can't make the proper decisions to help someone that gave the ultimate sacrifices for our country then what kind of job do you think that they are going to do for all of the rest of us. I am also a little confused about the comment of your kind being able to control the goverment again someday. It is people like us that are trying to make sure the government doesn't control us too much. This is suppose to be a free country, but if we allow the government to keep trying to control every aspect of our lives then this will not be a free country anymore and we will all have to ask permission from the government before we go take a ****.

[WilliamADuncan]

ZDonovan: We do not miss the point at all. As a Congressional Appropriations Staff member for 10 years from 1995 to 2005, and with continued service in public health in my state, I know exactly the challenges being faced by the health care system. Unless it is made more effective, more efficient, and less expensive, the burden of all of us spending someone elses money for our health care will overwhelm us. That is why I am working to make sure we have the best medicine in the world, however it is paid for ultimately. Untreated brain injury is the single biggest burden in the Federal and state budgets, and the burden is unnecessary with what we now know about hyperbaric medicine's ability to restore someone who has been brain injured. Applied early, this Marine would have been able to keep more of his legs too. Thank you for your interest in America's health care system. Bill Duncan

[loisbowen]

We hope that ALL veterans get to receive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for their wounds and brain injuries. It can do amazing healing. And hopefully CBS will do more stories on these veterans as they receive this treatment and show their recoveries.

[loisbowen]

We hope that ALL veterans get to receive Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for their wounds and brain injuries. It can do amazing healing. And hopefully CBS will do more stories on these veterans as they receive this treatment and show their recoveries.

[boinkerd]

I was in the National Guard Army and fell off a twenty foot cliff while in a training exercise. The poor treatment begun very early when my comander made the medics in my unit stay back while he helped me. I had a pelvic fracture and was in some serious pain and a couple breaks in my arm. That never stopped him from throwing me into a jeep without headlights hitting every bump and rock,because you see if the lights were on then the enimies would know our location. We were not at war, this was 1989 and a training exercise. Finally I arrived at the hospital and made it to x-ray where a good person was, he joked about missing out on a date so he could get my X-rays. It was very painful,but we managed to get some. I was sweating,in alot of pain trying to turn on my side to get some more. Just then the doc in charge an officer burst into the room and grabbed my pelvis and yanked me to my side. It hurt terribly and I called him everything but a captain and never seen him again. After all that I made it to a bed with help because I could'nt walk for a month. Then my wonderful commander,the one who threw me into a jeep come in and had handfull of papers asking me if I wanted to get out and I said no. After I made it back to my unit I did have some minor problems at first. The Army was to keep me on active duty pay until I was released,and that was difficult for them. I was on crutches and had a cast on my arm and broke my civillian glasses in the fall.The army would not pay for them because I was to be wearing miltary issue! Sadly they failed to get the perscription correct. I could not drive to the V.A. due to my injuries so someone at my unit drove me. And was not able to keep my landscaping job,and the army would not pay me.They also made my life hell while I described some Minor medical problems. After a trip to the V.A. and a wait for 6 hours in the emergency room a doctor stuck her finger up my anus and said there was nothing wrong with me. The second trip to the V.A. and another doc[all officers all military] took the cast off my arm and proceeded to wave my arm back and fourth very fast. I never called him a captain either and should've laid him out with my good arm. Thankfully a great soldier in my unit let me know that my medical records were on his desk ready to be sent to the state. I took them, for sure between the army and V.A. they would have been misplaced. Then that same person told me to go down and see why they were not paying me. I did and I took my wonderful girlfriend. They said yea-yea-yea we'll get his pay going. Then they realized it was the actual person standing there that was to be paid. The said sorry. Then back at my unit was my new commander, he let me know how displeased he was with me, you know for trying to get medical care and all,and the fact that I brought my **** girfriend down with me. Well needless to say that was it for me. I left and never looked back and got an honorable discharge. I called my JAG officer to ask for physical therapy and was turned down flatly. I could'nt drive and had it somewhat rough, although I had my girlfriend there and she took me and paid for my doctors. For many years I was not able to eat and not worry about where a restroom was due to this minor problem. Eighteen years later and I reenlist! Their giving away thousands to any sucker who wants to fight the war on terror, or find wmd or get osama or saddam, or sacafice your life to your country or be all you can be! Thanks because I had all those medical bills and that **** you talked about is the best wife and mother, so if you, the U.S. Army needs paid back for any reason just let me know why and I'll tell you why you will not get it back. But if you become desparate and are in need of a person to protect this country call me. Because I will be there. No not to blunder looking for osama or WMD. For a real threat,not make believe hype. Sure osama is a real threat, but they are all potential osamas and never ending. And how can you sustain an army for all your future blunders when you stab your own people in the back? You need not answer. You are welcome to ruin me, and destroy me, hold me prisioner,execute me, and force me to get in formation. Nomatter what it is it won't be paying you back. That went to the doctors you would not provide. That was and still is your policy. A failed one. Want to hear another funny one ? Of course not! But It's funny and ends on a happy note.

[dignity4us]

FOUR YEARS AGO MY SON SUFFERED A SEVERE TBI. BEFORE HIS SURGERIES WERE EVEN COMPLETED AT THE NAVAL HOSPITAL THE VA WANTED TO DISCHARGE HIM (BRAIN STILL EXPOSED) SAYING HE HAD PEAKED AND WOULD DO NO MORE. BEING ACTIVE DUTY THANKS TO THE USMC THE VA WASN'T CALLING THE SHOTS. HE WAS SENT TO PRIVATE REHAB FOR OVER 2 1/2 YEARS IN CALIFORNIA. WITHIN 10 DAYS OF BEING GIVEN THE PROPER MEDICATION AND THERAPY HE WAS WHISPERING ANSWERS. HE HAS NO MEMORY LOSS, IS NOW SPEAKING CLEARLY, WALKING WITH ASSISTANCE, RIDING HORSES, EXERCISING EVERYDAY ON THE TREADMILL, MAT, STAIRS(THERAPY) AT HOME AND IN THE POOL AS WELL. TO THIS DAY I HAVE TO FIGHT THE VA FOR EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OR TREATMENT NEEDED. I AM CONSTANTLY TOLD THE SYSTEM IS OUT DATED AND MY SON IS CHANGING THAT FOR OTHER SOLDIERS. I AM GLAD FOR THAT FACT BEING EASIER FOR OTHERS BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE SO WHAT NEW FRONTIER HAVE WE HELPED OPEN UP? IT IS JUST AN EXCUSE TO KEEP ME FROM SPEAKING OUT. I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO GET THESE HBOT TREATMENTS. MY SON WILL NEVER BE AS HE WAS BUT EVERY SINGLE DAY HIS QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVES BECAUSE I LEARNED FROM THE BEST PRIVATE REHAB, CASA COLINA, POMONA CA. ALL THERAPY IS NOW DONE AT HOME. COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT FROM HBOT HAS LONG BEEN DISCUSSED AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY OF IT HELPING HIS WEAK LEFT ARM. FIRST I AM TOLD THE VA DOESN'T HAVE IT. THEN I AM TOLD THEY WILL FEE BASE OUTSIDE THE VA BUT ONLY 2 AT A TIME. WHEN I CONFRONT THEM ON NOT WASTING PRECIOUS TIME WITH A TBI THEY START TO RECONSIDER. THEN I AM SUDDENLY TOLD THE 2 CASES THEY HAD ALLOWED HAVE HAD SOME SEIZURE ACTIVITY. NO FURTER EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT THEY HAD IN COMMON WITH MY SON'S INJURY OR OTHERS WHO DID IMPROVE WITH HBOT. THERE IS A DOCTOR IN FLORIDA WHO HAS A FOUNDATION THAT WILL TREAT ALL OUR WOUNDED FREE AND STILL THE VA WILL NOT SIT DOWN WITH ME OR THIS DOCTOR TO GO OVER MY SON'S CONDITION. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND APPALLING. I AM FIGHTING THIS WHEREVER I CAN AND HOPE YOU DON'T STOP REPORTING THESE THINGS. WHEN IT WAS FOUND A FEW YEARS AGO THAT THE VA WAS AND IS NOT ON TOP OF TBI OR READY FOR IT THERE WERE A FEW BRIEF MONTHS OF INTEREST IN THE PRIVATE REHABS THAT KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND GIVING OUR WOUNDED A CHANCE WITHOUT PROFIT. NOW IT IS LIKE EVERYONE HAS FORGOTTEN THIS VERY SERIOUS INJURY AND ALSO THE LACK OF QUALITY IN THE VA SYSTEM. THEY ARE NOT UP TO DATE. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH ALL THESE YOUNG TROOPS FIGHTING FOR WHAT THEY HAVE EARNED. CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING TOLD SO YOUNG YOU DON'T DESERVE QUALITY OF LIFE BECAUSE OF THE COST AFTER DEFENDING YOUR COUNTRY? CHRISTINE COOLEY

[WilliamADuncan]

Christine: The two cases they had that had seizures were receiveing 3X the dose of Oxygen Dr. Harch uses to repair brains. That higher dose is known to cause induced seizures, especially with those suffering from brain injury, yet many physicians refuse to use the lower dose. The IHMF has a number of affiliated clinics in Southern California who have enrolled in the IRB-approved national observational study for HBOT 1.5 and brain injury, called the National Brain Injury Rescue & Rehabilitation Project (NBIRR-01). Dr. Harch is the national study primary investigator. The study will shortly be listed on www.clinicaltrials.gov. The new VA Secretary, General Shinseki, has had friends recover from HBOT 1.5. We have some penetration into the VA now, and Dr. Harch just did "Grand Rounds" at the Tampa VA's polytrauma center, which was broadcast to numerous VAs in the nation, including California. We are hoping for a new day at the VA as cases like Casey's continue to be replicated by every physician willing to simply follow the protocol. My son was the first brain injured Veteran TBI patient treated by Dr. Harch 8 years ago. He went from living in a dark room for two years to having a wife, four children, and becoming a public school teacher. The effects are permanent. Thank you for your son's service. Bill Duncan

[yellorose21]

Hyper baric Oxygen Treatment works!! Even for chronic brain injury. My husband sustained a traumatic brain injury 13 years ago in an auto accident. Doctors gave us no hope but we never gave up. We traveled 5 1/2 hours away from our home to receive treatments 12 years post accident. After only 12 treatments at 1.5 ata for 1 hr with 100% oxygen, and along with continued physical thearapy, my husband (being diagnoised in a persistent vegitative state prior)was able to follow commands. He was able to lift his legs, right when asked, left when asked. It is still a difficult task and takes much effort but this after 12 years of nothing is miraculous. We received 40 more treat-ments recently and my husbands swallowing has improved immensely. He has been tube fed for all these years, still is, but now enjoying tastes of his favorite foods cautiously. He enjoys this small pleasure and works hard to accomplish all we ask of him. His will is amazing and HBOT has been the turning point. God bless Dr. Paul Harch and all his work.

[fsilas]

I feel you man. I got out of the USMC because they could not fix what was wrong with me. The gave me a few thousand dollars and an honorable discharge (Medical), with a 10% disability. I've just had to fend for myself and family. To add to that, my father in law was fighting with the VA to get medical benefits for his injuries from Vietnam. He finally got a letter last year saying that they would do something for him, but he died a few months later of a heart attack. When you serve your country you should be taken care of with dignity and respect not only when they bury us, but especially while we're still alive. X-Marine in Socal

[SFCENTERFORHOPE]

I have been working in the medical field for 30 years, the last 15 of them doing Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy. I began my hyperbaric career in a hospital setting but transferred to a free standing facility a few years later because I was tired of turning patients away because they didn't have a "Medicare" acceptable diagnosis.
Since I began working in a free standing clinic I have seen amazing improvements from hyperbaric oxygen therapy in adults and children with neurological problems as well as Lyme disease, MS, Fibromyalsia...I could go on and on. Most of these patients have to pay out of their pocket for treatment because their health insurance still considers this treatment "investigational". Yet it must work because they keep coming back everyday, some as many as 80 days. Why is it "standard of care" in many other countries? Perhaps if the oxygen distributors got their product from the pharmaceutical companies, hyperbaric oxygen therapy would be standard of care in this country also.
A neurologist friend of mine once said "if my colleagues would think about the science behind hyperbaric oxygen, they would know that it has to work!"
This country has saved billions of dollars from avoiding amputations due to the implementation of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Think about the money it could save long term by treating brain injury, autism, stroke etc.
I ask anyone from our government to sit in my waiting room and talk to the families. They are much more convincing then any double blind study!

[boejr1]

Thank you CBS for airing this segment. Hyperbaric Oxygen should be a standard of care for all and most especially our soldiers that ensure our lives and freedom. We should all stand up and support then so that health care for our boys & girls in the millitary should not have to suffer for lack of it!

[xrascott]

Thanks CBS:
The take-home message here is that hyperbaric oxygen works, and offers hope to the hundreds of thousands of Americans, including veterans, with traumatic brain injury.

It is safe, relatively cheap, compared to the years of caring for someone too impaired to work or in some cases, live independently.

It is exciting to me as a TBI survivor to see CBS reporting this story; hopefully there will be more reporting on the success stories from hyperbaric oxygen treatment for TBI, and more questions asked about why Medicare, Tricare and private insurance are refusing to reimburse for this effective and almost miraculous treatment. This policy is penny-wise and pound foolish.

[bdckpakccd]

My son was given a very sad prognosis at 4 months of age. We have used hyperbaric medicine for him in his recovery--just as this Marine, we paid it completely out of pocket even though we had supposedly "very fine" health insurance. We saw our son's vision go from 20/110 to 20/35 in NINE DAYS. It was incredible. He has never regressed from the improvements we saw that were directly from hyperbaric oxygen therapy----nothing else changed in his life, so hbot was the only possible cause.

We are busily saving our money to try to continue this treatment---even though we still have great health insurance. They would pay for neurologists, expensive imaging, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, etc. But they decline to pay for hyperbaric oxygen even though it works when none of the things that ARE covered worked. We've saved the country hundreds of thousands of dollars by privately funding our son's treatment so that he will be an independent adult, not on the public dole for the balance of his life. Insurance companies would save millions of dollars by covering hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Families would be relieved of the intense financial and emotional burdens from permanent care for their injured loved ones.

Please get rid of the political and bureaucratic GARBAGE that prevents an EFFECTIVE, AFFORDABLE treatment from reaching those who need it most! Please make changes for all the rest of the Caseys out there there!

Thank you CBS for actually reporting on something that WORKS!

[oxydoc1]

This is one of the best CBS stories I have ever seen. The profound change in a veteran that got his brain repaired! He utilized a simple, non invasive, benign and humanitarian therapy that continues to go unsung by the established medical decision makers despite the unequivocal evidence that it works. Every day a brain injured vet never hears of this therapy, never has access to this therapy is a crime and there is really no other way to look at it. uninformed medical professional
stating there was not enough evidence.

Until the powers that be stop giving brain injured vets drugs with black-box warnings that only increase their suicide rates and open their eyes to this fundamentally simple and yet safe therapy, many, many will continue to suffer and die.

Am I biased...? I see these men and woman regain their sanity and neurological function everyday by using hyperbaric oxygen... so I guess I am biased. These are the lucky few. This therapy should be available to all.

[sickmarine]

I feel for this young man who had to wait 6 months when he deserved the VERY BEST and we failed him. I'm going through problems as well within the MTF (not yet a veteran). I have a serious illness that we as a country want to turn our heads to. God Bless you Casey!

[WilliamADuncan]

SickMarine: Contact me and we may be able to find you help. The IHMA has quite a team of physicians nationwide that treat patients as patients and not as numbers. Semper FI Fund has been a great partner in helping your comrades get treatment and we will do what we can. [e-mail]. Thank you for your service. (I was Army Infantry so you Marines kind of tolerate me. :-) Bill Duncan

[Keptins]

Goverment Run Health Care...gotta love it.
I just wish all the politicians HAD to use it...no other options
Then you would see real change.
In fact if Congress has to live by the same laws they imposed on 'We the People' we would see a difference

[jsd330]

You have to remmember one thing, how many of our elected representatives are veterans. And some of the ones that are forget about VET's once they get elected. One for instance is John McCain of all people, I checked his voting record when he was running for president. When a vote came up for veterans, he was absent, abstained or voted against benefits for veterans. Of course I'm sure he never had to use the VA hospital. That's part of the problem the representatives don't want to give the VA the money they need. The DOD get's the money and the VA ends up on the bottom of their spending list.

[SAMTORRES66]

Wounded Marine Fights VA For Care


This is BULL $HIT.. If we can't take care of our wounded, they shouldn't go to war.

[JKatz5303]

I read this story tonight with horror and much sadness for what this young man and many, many of your sets have to endure. VA care is not a caring way to service our country men and women who served our country and then cannot get the care that they deserve. Just going into the VA hospitals in the Northeast, is sad and depressing and you never know how long your doctor is going to stay.

[JKatz5303]

I read this story tonight with horror and much sadness for what this young man and many, many of your sets have to endure. VA care is not a caring way to service our country men and women who served our country and then cannot get the care that they deserve. Just going into the VA hospitals in the Northeast, is sad and depressing and you never know how long your doctor is going to stay.

[spudjw]

1. my wife and i paid for casey to go to paul harch.
2.we have know casey for 4 years and have done what we can to help him and many other vets.
3.i would hope that we're a good enough country to start thinging about fixing the problem, not the blame. we all were citizens when we went to war, and as all the kids serving got less than deserve.
4.i'm not a doctor, but the evidence to date suggests that the treatment paul and others dispense is a good thing for our vets, and not prohibitivrly expensive.
5. in my view, taking a shot at helping these kids now versus dealing with what we've collectively put them through after "the wound festers" make sense.
6. we now have a VA commanded by a man of the troops. let's work together to help him turn the battleship he inherited. with support he'll get it done. he's the right guy.
7.we'll make sure casey's ok. all of you need to do what you can to move the political and military systems towards doing what thomas jefferson said was the most important issue in maintaining the republic. please google it.
8.so you know,i'm an old out of work vietnam vet army pilot who's been blessed to have the chance to help these kids more than we were helpep when we got back.

[jsd330]

spudjw

You are to be commended for helping Casey. You are right about how we were treated after returning from Viet Nam. Why the Veterans Associations (VFW, AMERICAN LEGION,ect.)with their lobbying power don't push reform and more funding for the VA is beyond me.

[WilliamADuncan]

I have not met you yet, but Secretary Hoffmann knows you, as does General Maney. Thank you for helping Casey. As you may be aware, we are working on the national study to get all of these brain injured veterans real treatment, right now, with Dr. Harch's protocol. The data from these treatments is very clear. HBOT 1.5 helps non-healing wounds in the brain to heal. Heal a foot, walk on the foot. Heal a brain, think with the brain. Thank you again. Without you and others like you, many veterans who have been treated now, like my son, would still be languishing, waiting for help. There are many who are still waiting, but we are closer to getting them treated because of you. Bill Duncan [e-mail]