Is there a list of disqualifications somewhere

meadowlark

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My son hopes to attend West Point or USAFA. He has Pectus excavatum. The Dr. said it is up to us whether or not to fix it. My son does not like the look of his chest but no medical reason to fix. Does untreated Pectus excavatum cause a DODmerb flag? If we proceed with the surgery will it be a disqualification in the future? It would be the Nuss Procedure? With removal approx. 6 months before graduation from HS. Does WP and USAFA follow the same DODmerb?

TY
 
My son hopes to attend West Point or USAFA. He has Pectus excavatum. The Dr. said it is up to us whether or not to fix it. My son does not like the look of his chest but no medical reason to fix. Does untreated Pectus excavatum cause a DODmerb flag? If we proceed with the surgery will it be a disqualification in the future? It would be the Nuss Procedure? With removal approx. 6 months before graduation from HS. Does WP and USAFA follow the same DODmerb?

TY
Go here:

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/613003p.pdf

Good luck!
 
Great information from OysterMom. Also, you might consider contacting DoDMERB directly at helpdesk@dodmerb.tma.osd.mil . They may be able to better answer your questions. Best wishes. :thumb:
 
There are two possible causes of DQ related to the condition of pectus excavatum (hollowed chest).

The first is if it interferes with vigorous physical exertion. The mere appearance of this condition could require a more comprehensive remedial test than would occur in the initial DODMERB examination.

The second is indirect and is caused by chest wall surgery "during the preceding six months", presumably the six months prior to examination (though you shouldn't rely on my interpretation).
 
Our DS has this, feel free to pm me.

Bullet has it, flew 20 yrs.
DS has it too, he never was DQ'd

The issue is lung and heart capabilities. Bullet's is minor compared to DS's. Don't assume surgery is the best option without understanding what the DoDMERB is looking at medically.

Your Doc is saying IMPO heart and lung he believes he is good to go.

Is it your DS doesn't like the look from a physical perspective? I get that as a teenager for confidence. However, if he does the surgery for a cosmetic perspect, he must tell them of the surgery and it COULD mean a DQ immediately due to time frame. Ask him, is the DQ worth a DQ when it really is cosmetic, not medical?

Best wishes, hopes and thoughts.
 
Pectus Excavatum/Nuss Procedure

Our DS has this, feel free to pm me.

Bullet has it, flew 20 yrs.
DS has it too, he never was DQ'd

The issue is lung and heart capabilities. Bullet's is minor compared to DS's. Don't assume surgery is the best option without understanding what the DoDMERB is looking at medically.

Your Doc is saying IMPO heart and lung he believes he is good to go.

Did you DS ever consider having the surgery? My DS had the Nuss procedure July 2012, has applied for AFROTC, still hoping for scholarship from the last board. His bar is scheduled to be removed between sophomore and junior year. We are hoping he does not get DQ'd, but expecting he might need a waiver. The results from the surgery have been great (he had decreased lung capacity), with big improvements in his running. Only advice I was able to get was, it depends, so go ahead and apply and see what happens.

Sorry, not enough posts so I was unable to PM you. Thanks for any advice.
 
NO he did not have it nor did we ever consider it because for DS it would have been a cosmetic surgery and since Bullet flew, if the surgery was cosmetic it was not even considered.
 
For my DS, it was not a cosmetic decision, though cosmetically, it is a big improvement! Thanks for reply!
 
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