Wiltshire veteran shares daily struggles with chronic pain
Nick Richardson says chronic illness needs to be part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
A military veteran living in Wiltshire is calling for chronic pain to become part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Nick Richardson was medically retired in 2012 after more than 20 years of service, but now faces struggles on a daily basis with pain - describing it as a 'hidden disability'.
Nick served as a Logistics Officer in the Royal Navy, joining in January 1989, serving in Hong Kong, the Middle East and recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He told Greatest Hits Radio that his pain has impacted every part of his life, to the point where his life needs to be meticulously planned out in order for him to be as comfortable as possible.
"I've got a number of injuries, one including a damage to a nerve in my pelvis, called the obturator nerve," he said, adding: "That nerve effectively never switches off, so I don't ever remember my last pain free day.
"It's like having a burn sensation all the time."
Nick's injuries have contributed to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, which he describes as 'widespread pain', particularly in his hands and feet, which hurt almost constantly.
He said: "They ache, they feel like they're on fire, and I don't like being touched. I feel like I'm being burnt when somebody touches me so it means that, I don't want to shake people's hands sometimes or at the end of the day, the fatigue is such that I crawl up the stairs to go to bed. That happens on a weekly basis."
Nick also has a left sided tremor from a hospital admission in 2013.
"Effectively I had a breakdown and it's just your body saying this is enough, you've had enough physical stress, you need to slow down and stop.
"All activities are curtailed or reduced and you have to live your life knowing that whatever you do will be painful. You have to decide what's meaningful and what isn't," he said.
A hero being helped
Nick told us that the physical pain has taken it's toll mentally.
He said he has to be resilient every day, but has also had to learn to give himself permission to have a bad day.
"It can make you feel quite hopeless lost, as if you're the only person that's got this particular issue." he said.
But that burden has been eased through the aid of Help for Heroes, the Downton-based veterans charity. Nick said the charity's support gave him focus, a huge amount of empathy and practical support a dozen years ago 'when there was nothing else available to me'.
He said: "They offer a number of courses, including a live well with your pain course that allows you to meet other veterans who are in a similar position, and you can share how you feel about your pain and how it's affecting your life."
And with the charity's knowledge of military life, it allows the veterans to be understood by people who get the situations they find themselves in.
'I appear better than I am'
But Nick isn't receiving support from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) despite his years of service.
Nick told GHR that, under current the current form of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS): "You get compensated for the injury that's led to the pain, but not the ongoing effect of the pain through life."
This is due to certain conditions not being considered for compensation, meaning some chronic pain conditions, such as phantom limb pain, can be compensated for, while chronic neuropathic pain is not.
The pain Nick suffers on a daily basis means he is unable to work and says that when large organisations, such as the MOD don't consider his pain worthy of inclusion, 'it is very difficult to hear.'
"It kind of feels like you're not being believed," he told us, "It's a hidden disability that's not doesn't appear to be an acknowledged by the people who you would have thought would have taken this into account."
Chronic pain is recognised by the World Health Organisation as a disease in it's own right
He adds that, because of his military background, he often comes across as better than he actually is.
"One thing I think I carry from my military service is resilience, but that doesn't meant to say I'm well."
Nick said during the interview with us that his pain was 'about seven out of 10' and that he would be unable to do anything following our chat.
"Chronic pain does not react well to somebody who just keeps on going and keeps on going. You have to pace and manage your activity, otherwise you will crash fairly spectacularly. And if I'm not careful, that's what happens to me."
An issue across the veteran community
We asked Nick what he would say to the MOD if he were sitting opposite them today.
He said his message for them is that chronic pain is an issue for the veteran population.
Nick said: "There are specialist services out there that that give a wide range of diagnostics and put a picture on what you are suffering from.
"It would seem reasonable that some action was taken to at the very least understand what that means and so that those that have got fully attributable chronic pain conditions, that they can be compensated for the ongoing effect of their pain."
He continued, saying that even the most innocuous injury can result in significant long-term distress.
"I think there are cases where that isn't as well acknowledged as it should be, and I suppose it's just a call for a measured look at exactly what the state of the nation is today, so that the veterans who are suffering and have got a legitimate call on their former employer to look after them because they've got an injury they sustained or a wound or a sickness that it that it's dealt with appropriately."
Charity calls for change
Help for Heroes is campaigning to get chronic pain included in the compensation scheme, launching a petition earlier this year.
Head of Communications, Public Affairs & Policy Communications, Sasha Misra said: “In May, Help for Heroes launched its campaign calling on the UK Government to remove unfair benefit barriers for veterans suffering from chronic pain. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response, with more than 32,000 members of the British public signing our petition calling for the issue to be debated in Parliament.
“We believe the Ministry of Defence is currently out of step with medical guidance and we hear from too many veterans who are having to fight the system to get the compensation and financial support they deserve. For our veterans who suffer from chronic pain, it can be debilitating, hindering common day-to-day activities as simple as sitting, standing, or queuing at the shops, and can lead to depression as well as negatively impacting employability.
“We continue our fight to ensure that chronic pain is recognised more widely by the Armed Forces Compensation scheme and that the thousands of veterans in the UK who are suffering receive the support they deserve and live well after service.”
What does the MOD say?
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We hugely value our service personnel and veterans and owe a debt of gratitude to all those who serve, often with great personal sacrifice. We continually review our policies to ensure they are aligned with good practice and protect our people from harm.
“Service personnel and veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service from 6 April 2005 have the existing and long standing right to apply for no-fault compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.”