Inactive status?

Ddcga

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
37
We just received our first letter from DS. Everything sounded great, he seems to be adjusting well even though things are hard etc. Then in the middle of the letter he wrote, "I am drinking plenty of water but in my exam the doctor noticed that my ankles were swollen and placed me on inactive status." He said he doesn't march but has to read the Bearings book instead. He said he should go back to active status between Monday and Wednesday (today) depending on what the doctor says.

I, of course, am a little panicked hoping he doesn't get sent home for something like swollen ankles. The heat and standing long hours does often cause his ankles to swell, has never hurt or hindered him physically, and goes away on its own after a bit. Mine did the same thing when we were at KP all day in the heat when we were dropping him off.

Any thoughts or insight on this from anyone? I'd love to be able to sleep before the phone call on Sunday. :redface: It's so hard not being able to communicate and find out what's really going on or how seriously KP takes an issue like this.

Thanks!
 
Our DD ended up with a dislocated shoulder about a week into Indoc. But there was never any question about her being able to stay. I really doubt that they would use swollen ankles as an excuse to send him home.

Now, if you wanted a perfect picture of a panicked mom, you should have seen me when I found her in the pictures with her arm in a sling!
 
They won't send him home for something like that UNLESS there is some underlying medical condition causing it that either 1)wasn't disclosed or 2)wasn't known prior to this.

My guess is that neither of those two instances will be the case; however, it has been known to happen in the past. A young person getting that type of swelling isn't too common. Sure, peoples' feet swell a little, but enough to be noticed is a different animal. Could be many factors from not enough salt in the diet to poor venous circulation in the lower extremities.

Anyway, don't stress too much. They don't send people home from USMMA for not being able to fully participate in Indoc (they might if someone does something so serious that it requires extensive medical rehab/etc)
 
They won't send him home for something like that UNLESS there is some underlying medical condition causing it that either 1)wasn't disclosed or 2)wasn't known prior to this.

My guess is that neither of those two instances will be the case; however, it has been known to happen in the past. A young person getting that type of swelling isn't too common. Sure, peoples' feet swell a little, but enough to be noticed is a different animal. Could be many factors from not enough salt in the diet to poor venous circulation in the lower extremities.

Anyway, don't stress too much. They don't send people home from USMMA for not being able to fully participate in Indoc (they might if someone does something so serious that it requires extensive medical rehab/etc)

I don't believe that there is any underlying medical condition at all. The only time I remember seeing it previous to this was during long camp days in the July heat during high school.

I really appreciate the information. I hope by now he has been allowed to participate again in activities. I'm not sure if they've just not let him do the strenuous exercise or if he's missed out on all activities, waterfront, etc.
 
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I think kp2001 means excess salt in diet

Nope, meant not enough. Hyponatremia can definitely cause swelling in the extremities. This can happen when people drink too much water and don't replace the salt they lose through their sweat. All water with no salt makes a boy unhappy :wink:
 
Nope, meant not enough. Hyponatremia can definitely cause swelling in the extremities. This can happen when people drink too much water and don't replace the salt they lose through their sweat. All water with no salt makes a boy unhappy :wink:

That could definitely be a possibility. He's very aware of staying hydrated in the heat so I know he's probably drinking more than he normally would.
 
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