Help Stephen Kocher survive Gulf War Illness

On this day 10 years ago I was deployed in the U. S. Military.  This is the day that changed my time on this earth forever .  It was the day I received my 3rd Anthrax vaccine shot and 1st small pox vaccine shot while Deployed.  Later that day my left shoulder and arm had hematomas and after falling asleep I wakened in the middle of my sleep with severe chest and abdominal pain.  These attacks would last around 8 hours long and depended on when medical could get the authorization to issue me a G.I. cocktail to numb everything out.  This continued through out my deployment for the next 10 months.  I was not able to digest food properly as I was not urinating and my stools were clear liquid.   I had approximately 38 gall bladder attack episodes.  Several times I was hospitalized for dehydration and had I.V.'s given to me all day and night.  

Finally, back home after multiple doctors and tests done, I had my gallbladder surgery and removed it as it had been chronic for to long.  Shortly after surgery my liver got infected and I was hospitalized due to jaundice.  

My sleep has been affected at this time as my attacks all happened around 3 hours into my sleep. G.I. doctors and sleep specialists started working with me as both were severely interrupted.  

Constantly the concerned from doctors and superiors were to kept my health up.  So this started with my family purchasing me a more expensive bicycle as I would be putting most my effort to stay healthy on it.  But for the next year I struggled to keep the my health in check as no one could find out what the problem was.  I was placed on medical hold for reviews even after my contract was up for my service.  For 12 more months I would have hundreds of appointments and blood being taking weekly.  I was told I needed to get with the Veteran Affairs and work with them as the doctors were I was stationed at were unable to find anything.  I was honorably discharged and left the military.  

My wife of twenty years and my two year old daughter now had to figure out what we needed to do to continue living a quality life.  Our great friends in Oregon assisted us in the attempt to get back on our feet knowing that I was dealing with physical and mental damage.  There was not way I continue my law enforcement career I have been apart of for 20 plus years.

 

My wife and friends helped me work on special meals as my immune system had been infected.   I would have to either go to the restroom and get sick or have to go lay down after every meal.  My mood swings were extremely hard at this point, extremely angry and fatigued, not able to sleep, I would get on my bicycle in the attempt to wear down my anger and fatigue to the point my body needed to shutdown and sleep.           

Fast forward a few years, my wife had a few meals that eased the pain as much as possible but still could not get any sleep and it is now five years later and the only positive note is that I had began to ride a bicycle as well that I was starting to race my bicycle on certain days a week with still being able to rest several days in between.  I started adding college classes to try and work on a second career as I was unable to use my criminal law degree as I was not going to be able to pass a physic evaluation and my anger and patience was still a challenge. 

During the whole time we were traveling to multiple VA’s throughout Oregon from North to Portland to South of Medford.

With college a struggle for a 40+ year old male with mental, physical disorders and sleep problems we packed up as our friends had helped us as much as we could allow them to.

We moved to Nevada where my mother and sister lived and my two sisters-in-law lived.  We stayed with my mother in the attempt to work with local VA to assist with Vocational rehabilitation to keep me moving forward in finding a second career.  Again my only outlet has still been riding my bicycle to continue to work my heart, breakdown my anger and fatigue my body so much my body would want to lie down and rest. 

Because I had a system of ride one day and rest two days, I was starting to work with U.S. Para-cycling team were I was piloting a tandem bicycle for two different blind athletes, which became multiple championships. 





Vocational Rehilibilitate and doctors through VA stated that I was not able to be employed and would not assist me with working on a career.  At this point I was not a full disabled veteran and not able to get social security, I was denied for by both agencies.

I continued riding my bike as my wife went back to work in the attempt to help get us back on our feet. 

During traveling for racing and other military group camps, my memory started to get so bad I couldn’t sign my name at times as I could not recall what my name was.

We immediately meet with my primary doctor at the VA and explained our concerns in the months and years to fallow. I started to have vertigo, tremors, speech problems,  300 plus episodes of paralysis and full body lock up from head to toe.  TMJ full lock up and I am unable to communicate what is happening.  Muscle spasms, joint lock up,  joint pain, light sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, sever back pain, major memory problems, anger, rage, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep problems,  paranoia, nausea headaches, migraines, balance, gait instability, speech problems, TMJ, visual impairments,  carpal tunnel syndrome and neurological problem throughout the whole body.

In 2018 I started continued seeing VA doctors but was added to my wife’s insurance to be seen outside of  the VA.  With MRI, CT scans, X-rays, blood tests all not showing any sign and coming up negative.  The Gulf War Illness (GWI) is what they are coming up with, which is an undiagnosed illness with multi systems problems. 

Being as I was an athletic person before my deployment and looking at the two vaccines given to me that day, anthrax (bacterial) and small pox ( viral).  I kept asking to see an infectious  disease doctors to attempt to find whatever is attacking my body.  Refusing to do so because my blood test showed up negative. 

I was issued a wheelchair from the VA as I was no longer able to stand for the periods to get out of the house to see my doctors.  My vertebrae’s are not staying in place and my ribs on my left side of my body pop out of place weekly.  My left should has instability where writing has been extremely difficult because i am left handed.  

This was a major blow to my mental state and I slipped into major depression, not being able to stand on my own, with major paralysis episodes, sometimes three in one day.  I explained it to doctors as I believe everyone has had a calf cramp in their life time, well those last about 45 seconds for most people because you can try and massage it out.  Well know try and add that to every muscle and joint in your body for an hour and a half to 7 hours.  Well remember your calf for the next three days was very sensitive to move on, I couldn’t get out of bed for days because of the fatigue.  My family would have to massage my body for hours to get me up if they were at home.  With my wife and child being so concerned at times we have given the VA to try and work with finding anything. 

We started to step outside the VA and going outside primary.  The nurse working for my primary check my pulse, temperature, weight and height.  Not being able to ride my bike anymore.   I know gained 60 pounds heavier than what I was when riding.
When I got out of the military November 26, 2010 I was 5’10 as of February 2018 at time of primary nurse assessment.  I am now 5’8 and they checked the height twice.  I have shrunk a lifetime of 50-60 years shrinkage in 8 years. 

For the purpose of relieving pain we asked for the VA and outside doctors to get me on a traction device and decompress me. 

With MRI’s, CT scans an X-rays showing disc denegation I was told to stop working out and try to attack appointments to get my body to recover.

VA physical therapist stated they will never decompress me, Infectious disease refuses to see me as there is no proof, through blood work that I have anything. VA does not have  a spine and brain specialist in Las Vegas and they will not allow me to go to the only one in Las Vegas – The Cleveland Clinic, its is not in the their network of providers.

We have used my wife’s insurance to see neurologists to  get blood work, infectous disease doctors, spinal taps, physical therapy for traction and movement disorder after all the tests the neurologist is sending us out of town for further specialist. 

This year has been a complete burden on my family mentally, physical and financially. 

Social security has denied my three times and I have not worked in the 10 years since getting out of the military.

Through the hundreds of appointments I had this year the anger of not finding any answers for the lack of listening by doctors.  Through deductibles and exams not covered by insurance my family has spent $30,000+ to try and give me a better quality of life. 

I don’t go outside everyday in the sunlight because it’s so intense I get migraines.  When I go to doctors’ appointments I take noise cancellations headphones because groups of people are too noisy for me, I also wear blue blocker sunglasses and a hat to block as much light as possible.  These last two years florescent light at the doctor’s office after 15 minutes starts my tremors and mentally drains me to the point I need to lay down sometimes in the grass outside as I don’t have the energy to travel 25 miles back home.  Chemical smells, perfumes, gasoline, home cleaning products gives me such a migraine headache I have to put Aquaphor in my noise, and also a cotton ball dripped in rosemary oil and sit in my truck until the pain settles.  I can’t drive my wife’s car or any car as the lower level to the road gives me vertigo where I have to have her pull over so I can get sick.  This only happened a few times before; I travel only in my truck now.

I have anywhere between 7 to 15 doctor apt’s a week to try and have a better quality of life and continue to live on this earth.

When standing I am not bent over, my disc’s with compound fractures are what has my height 2 inches shorter.

With whatever had attacked my digestive track and no cure, my auto immune has been attacked and is eating me from the inside out.

I have had my hair follicles tested and it does show aluminum and mercury in my brain and does cause my mental state and anger to be what it is.

I can no longer wait on western medicine to do it’s part as I have been shrinking one inch every 4 years. You don’t hear about people living 3 inches smaller as there vertebras pinch nerves that go to organs and pass away.

There are several different specialist I need to see and don’t take insurance

- Cerescan to do a detailed brain imaging called the S.P.E.C.T. that is 120 regions in the brain - Glorified MRI

-Specialists have to do a more detailed blood panel to help with auto immune disease

-Thermograph of full body

-Possible hormone testing to work with physical and psychology - damaged DNA testing to be done and attempt to repair

-Stem cell to help with extreme damaged joint areas Shoulder/spine/knees/hips - may have to be done one area surgery at a time

-Pool therapy to unload my spine and work on strengthening muscles.

- Physical therapy and chiropractor to continue traction - to align spine and take pressure off nerves 


I am starting this go fund me page to help take the burden off my family for the remainder of my years left and lessen my stress level to try and find the way to pay for it all. 

This has taken me a lot to accept that I can’t do this on my own and that I have a long way to recover if I do recover but if don't I know that I have done everything that I could and that I have fought till the bitter end.