Cholangiocarcinoma & Vietnam Veterans.

Greeting all:

I received an email from a Vietnam Vet that reports that a post to the Vietnam Veterans of America has a post regarding a VN Vet who was recently diagnoised with Cholangiocarcinoma from a parasitic infection he contracted while in Vietnam Link to site:

 http://www.vva.org/veteran/0807/letters.html

Has anyone else heard of cases being diagnosed in Vietnam Vets caused by a parasite infection? 

Thanks, and I wish all well.

Doc 

I think that that VA knows there is a connection.  I think that Australian goverment has it listed as a service connected illness for Vietnam Vets - and possibley those serving in other places like Korea.  My dad served in Korea during Vietnam and died from this terrible cancer in November 2007.  We are appealing to the VA that this was very possibly service related due to the parasite.  We'll see how far we get.  After my dad passed, we had to refile all of the appeals we had made and they had tried to escalate while he was alive.

 

On 1/30/2008 MarineDoc wrote:

Greeting all:

I received an email from a Vietnam Vet that reports that a post to the Vietnam Veterans of America has a post regarding a VN Vet who was recently diagnoised with Cholangiocarcinoma from a parasitic infection he contracted while in Vietnam Link to site:

 http://www.vva.org/veteran/0807/letters.html

Has anyone else heard of cases being diagnosed in Vietnam Vets caused by a parasite infection? 

Thanks, and I wish all well.

Doc 

My husband passed away on 1/20/06 from Cholangiocarcinoma.  The VA has approved my claim and has ruled that his death was service connected as a result of injesting a parasite while serving in Vietnam.

Get The Word Out

My husband just passed away 1-4-08 from a cancer that had spread to his liver but he had a couple of biopsies and they said it could possibily have come from the the bile duct or could have been a cholangiocarcinoma but they could not distinguish it.  So they called it a adenocarcinoma.  I would like to know how I can try to get something done abut it!  How can I do what you are doing?  Thanks

I received an article that was posted in VVA about parasites and Cholangiocarcinoma in Vietnam Veterans.  My husband also passed away from this horrific cancer.  I'm trying to gather as much info on this as I can find.  The parasites can gnaw on the lining of the bile ducts and stay for decades causing a "silent infection".  Would like to know more on what you found.  Thanks, jajo4751

 

On 2/18/2008 jajo4751 wrote:

I received an article that was posted in VVA about parasites and Cholangiocarcinoma in Vietnam Veterans.  My husband also passed away from this horrific cancer.  I'm trying to gather as much info on this as I can find.  The parasites can gnaw on the lining of the bile ducts and stay for decades causing a "silent infection".  Would like to know more on what you found.  Thanks, jajo4751

I have been trying to get his records from the VA hospital and they have not been very helpful about it.  I think they all know something but are not telling!!  I would just like for them to say that is what he had.  He loved his country so muchand did everything he could to help people.  He just found out he had cancer in May of last year.  He tried Chemo but the tumors just keep growing.  So, in Oct. of 2007 he stopped taking them and he felt better for a while.  He continued to work until Oct. 31, 2007.  Then in that last part of Nov. we started with hospice, but he was still doing pretty well.  He then had to start having fluid drained from his stomach twice a week.  Th last time he had the fluid drained was Dec. 31st and the next moring he was starting to get very bad and on jan. 4th about 3: 00am he passeed away at home with us. 

I would like to know when and where your husband was in Vietman. 

I'am so mad and terribly sad right now.  I hope we can do something about this and so other vets will know about it also.  I hope you will respond to this.

 

On 2/18/2008 pam34 wrote:

 

On 2/18/2008 jajo4751 wrote:

I received an article that was posted in VVA about parasites and Cholangiocarcinoma in Vietnam Veterans.  My husband also passed away from this horrific cancer.  I'm trying to gather as much info on this as I can find.  The parasites can gnaw on the lining of the bile ducts and stay for decades causing a "silent infection".  Would like to know more on what you found.  Thanks, jajo4751

I have been trying to get his records from the VA hospital and they have not been very helpful about it.  I think they all know something but are not telling!!  I would just like for them to say that is what he had.  He loved his country so muchand did everything he could to help people.  He just found out he had cancer in May of last year.  He tried Chemo but the tumors just keep growing.  So, in Oct. of 2007 he stopped taking them and he felt better for a while.  He continued to work until Oct. 31, 2007.  Then in that last part of Nov. we started with hospice, but he was still doing pretty well.  He then had to start having fluid drained from his stomach twice a week.  Th last time he had the fluid drained was Dec. 31st and the next moring he was starting to get very bad and on jan. 4th about 3: 00am he passeed away at home with us. 

I would like to know when and where your husband was in Vietman. 

I'am so mad and terribly sad right now.  I hope we can do something about this and so other vets will know about it also.  I hope you will respond to this.

 

 

You applied for your husband's records and didn't get them?  What excuse sis they give you?  I did get my husband's.  He was in VN 69-70 stationed near Pleiku but moved around.  He was diagnosed mid Dec.and passed away early March.  He would have the fluid drained and start filling up again.

My husband passed away from this cancer 2/1/01 at the age of 51.He served active duty in vietnam from 1967-1968 living on a riverboat.  He was diagnosed aug 01 and was given 2 weeks to 6 months to live. At the time we were raising our granddtr and I tried to receive va benefits for herand was told the va did not look at this as service related  "but to check back later"   It seems there are more cases turning up.

I don't think it's a coincidence that a rare cancer is turning up in VNV.  I want to get a list of names together to see how many VNV's  have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma.

 

On 2/20/2008 jajo4751 wrote:

I don't think it's a coincidence that a rare cancer is turning up in VNV.  I want to get a list of names together to see how many VNV's  have been diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma.

I'am still waiting to get reports from the VA.  They never diagnosed my husband with Cholangiocarcinoma because they said it was unclear where it started, but I feel like they did know because they sent his biopsy to Washington and we didn't hear back from a month or longer.  I would like to know who did your tests. 

My husband was in Vietnam 70-71 stationed at Buen Me Thuet I lokked and it's not far from where you husband was.  I feel so bad that these VNV did there duty and the goverment won't help out when they should be!!  Vietnam was and still is being forgotten!!!  We need to fight for them!