This is the second blog in our effort to prepare for whatever the VA may ask and/or require to support our application for Caretaker Support. In yesterday’s blog, I laid out our case for the Dialysis Bucket. Today, we will address the Heart/Cardio Bucket. But first, some news:
I ascertained yesterday that while we were notified of an appointment this coming Friday, we were not informed of the location. I called the Caretaker national support line and was told they would check in with the support responsible for the area in which we live. When I didn’t hear anything in a reasonable amount of time, I did a Google and called the Texas support line and was informed the text was for an audiology appointment, which has since been rescheduled by the provider, and no appointment had yet been made regarding our caretaker request. So we are ahead of the game at this point. In this regard, I have also started a daily log of all the activities my wife engages in to provide me direct caretage support.
Regarding my heart. I am currently receiving 60% VA disability as a result of a triple bypass in 2015, the need for which is directly tied to being a diabetic, which in turn is directly related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The current status of my heart, which was ascertained in February 2025, is that all is not as it should be on the backside, but due to my age and condition, nothing will be done about it. This condition manifests itself in several ways. I can not walk for any distance without becoming short of breath. My blood pressure is whacked; at times, it runs in the 150/80 range, low in the 100/55 range. Same with my pulse. At times, it is in the 80s, while at others in the 40s and 50s. Quite often, as a result, I just feel like crap.
What does my caregiver have to do with this? On numerous occasions, I have fainted just out of the blue. I can feel it coming on and do my best to gracefully go down if I’m outside, as I have been on at least three occasions or head for a couch or chair if inside. The EMTs have been called as a result of such behavior. My wife, as a caregiver, is sensitive to signals that I may be having an episode and ensures that I am cared for. In addition, she has assumed many of the household chores I normally took care of, such as taking out the weekly trash, working in the yard, many functions having to do with care and maintance of my dialysis equipment, sheduling support workers for home repairs, and other tasks involved in running a household.
Her caregiver support is essential and central to my continued living at home, also due to my compromised conditions, including my cardio deterioration
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