I am Daniel B., a 43 year old male, married and with one son named Luke, who is 7 years old. We live in Missouri. I am a member of the Missouri Army National Guard. I have been deployed three times.
1991 Desert Shield/Desert Storm (6 months Saudi Arabia,Iraq,Kuwait)
2003-2005 OIF (15 months Ballad Iraq, Kuwait)
2008-2009 OIF (12 months Biap, Tallil, AL Kut, Iraq, Kuwait)
My job in the military is to work on UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. I am a staff sergeant in charge of a maintenance section in the Missouri National Guard. My full time job is working for the Civil Service on UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in the Quality Control Section.
Before leaving on my last deployment I was having issues after eating. I would become warm and flush red in the face after eating. I went to a specialist at the Lake of the Ozarks. He performed an upper and lower GI, and diagnosed me with Esophagitis gastritis grade I. He prescribed some medication to cut down on my stomach acid and sent me on my way.
I was then cleared by doctors at the Fort Leonard Wood Hospital for my last deployment. We departed for the MOB station at Ft. Sill, OK and from there I once again was cleared for deployment by their medical section.
I then deployed with my unit to Iraq for a year. We returned in July of 2009, I then went on leave and then back to work. In August of 2009 I went to a new family physician. I wrote down all my issues and went to my appointment. The doctor noted the pain under my rib cage on the outtake of breathes as a possible gallbladder problem and ordered an ultra sound at the Lake Regional Hospital. The ultra sound revealed that my gallbladder was normal. However the spots on my liver were not. A Cat Scan was ordered and the Carcinoid Tumors were found.
I then opted to go to The Center for Advanced Medicine at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. My new doctor there ordered several tests for me including the Octreotide scan, CT scan, and blood tests. My tumors were confirmed as Carcinoid with high receptors. My prognosis was given as 3-5 years.
TACE (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization) treatments were next on the schedule for me. The right side of my liver was injected on October 16, 2009, the left side of my liver on November 18, 2010. Mixed results were noted on the CT scan one month later. The wait and see approach was next with 20MG of Sandostatin LAR injections every four weeks. During this time frame I ran out of sick leave and vacation time and my fellow employees donated 192 hours of their vacation time so I never missed a pay check.
November 31, 2010 I was pulled back on active duty into the Wounded Warrior program as I was still in my 180-day window from my deployment. So, I still had Tri-care coverage.