ASTHMA

I have a mild form of asthma, and i never use any of the inhaler or medicine i am prescribed, and i had an asthma attack since i was about 8, and i am 16 and run varsity track and football. i heard on a candidate visit to Navy that i would most likely be medically disq. but in order for a waiver they would have to induce an attack, is this true? and whats the percent chance that i would be granted a waiver?


thanks.

There is a ton of great info on the waiver process and asthma on this site. Just search the site. Two things you will learn is that no one can tell you your chances and that you can't request a waiver, an academy has to do this on your behalf. They usually will do that if you are a competitive candidate, but every academy is different. There are two tests you might be asked to take. One is a spirometry and the other is a methacholine challenge. They can be demanding depending on your condition, but they are not dangerous expect for very rare situations. Good luck. Others have been successful in getting waivers for asthma, so it is possible.

Is there any way you can go to the doctor and get it taken off your record? That's what I did. I just went in , told her I wanted to do ROTC and had no asthma symptoms, and she got it off of my record so I wouldn't have to deal with it later on

Chiilin

There are many reasons why you would not want to have you medical records changed. The best course of action is to be honest, include an explanation of your history when the time comes and go through the waiver process. As stated in other posts, it is possible. Given that the service academies are all about honesty and ethics, you do not want to do anything that could be looked at as misleading and if you do, it can really come back to haunt you later in your academy or military life. Good luck!

As a health care professional, I cannot imagine that a provider would remove an accurate diagnosis from a medical record. The thought of it just hurts my brain.

I agree with the others regarding removal off the records. Additionally as a future military officer I don't think that is on the same path with the honor code.

I also agree from a medical perspective it hurts my mind that any doctor would change their records because an 18 yo asked them too, but again it illustrates why they use DoDMERB docs and not the family physician.

Well we just have jwestman1's version of what their health care provider did, so I am going to hold on to my idealism and imagine that it didn't quite go down that way Otherwise my brain must might explode!

jwestman1 said:

Is there any way you can go to the doctor and get it taken off your record? That's what I did. I just went in , told her I wanted to do ROTC and had no asthma symptoms, and she got it off of my record so I wouldn't have to deal with it later on

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I can't imagine a doctor doing that unless s/he somehow determined the original diagnosis was incorrect.

kinnem said:

I can't imagine a doctor doing that unless s/he somehow determined the original diagnosis was incorrect.

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right now i plan to go and take a pft which will give me a yes or no answer about me even having asthma anymore, and if the test comes back reading i no longer asthma she suggested that she would most likely take it off my medical record, thumbs up!

The thing is they are going to ask if you have ever been or currently are prescribed medicine, and if I have read your post correctly, you are currently prescribed an inhaler, although you have never used it, you still have a current prescription.

I can't see how the pft would induce an attack since you run track and play fb.

You will need to decide for yourself how to answer that prescription question.

There are a lot of situations around asthma that folks need to understand that have bearing on fitness for service:

1) Asthma is a medical condition - not a disease. I can be induced by a variety of factors, many of which can happen on a battle field and not necessarily under "normal" workout conditions. Low temperatures, allergies, and pollution are all triggers of the condition.

2) The military doesn't want to see it occur regardless because they cannot control the battlefield. A soldier/sailor/airman/marine who can't breathe is another casualty to be evacuated exposing others to additional risk. Not something ANY dedicated soldier/sailor/airman/marine wants to do to his/her peers.

3) That being said, many asthma diagnoses are questionable. Often inhalers are prescribed for conditions similar to asthma but definitely not permanent. Examples include bronchitis from a upper respiratory infection (bacterial/viral). Patients are impatient for their conditions to improve, as typically this is not necessary for the condition to heal. It can help a slow healing condition heal faster for the patient. It is a temporary condition that should not recur in most individuals. Some doctors may write Asthma on the medical records to assure the prescription is approved by the health insurer when it is really bronchitis. Little does anyone (doctor or patient) realize that they are putting a future officer candidate in a tricky situations.

That being said, the military does not like taking unnecessary chances and doesn't necessarily have the resources to sort out the good and bad diagnoses. If a candidate does find that s/he has a questionable diagnosis, they should work with medical professionals to correctly assess the condition optimally as soon as possible, but even afterwards, if further testing is necessary to correct a diagnosis, this should be taken proactively. The folks at DoDMERB do look carefully at medical records when a condition is brought to their attention, but respect the professional opinions of the doctors who see the patient. If a misdiagnosis is confidently corrected with adequate documentation, it should not be held against the candidate.

I encourage the young folks here to think about what is best not only for your own career, but those of those who will have to share the burden of protecting you, should you fall ill on the battlefield. Not to mention that you could DIE of an untreated asthma attack if you are in a situation where you cannot be extracted to adequate medical care.

To the OP: my DS had asthma sxs very similar to what you described. When he completed medical forms, we knew from reviewing this forum that he would receive an automatic DQ. I'm an RN and even though DS had not used inhaler for 1 1/2 years, I always kept prescription refilled "just in case". We knew this was going to DQ him. As expected, DS was medically DQ'd in Sept. 2012. We sat tight and waited (at that point we did not try to contact anyone from DoDMERB) and in October 2012 received letter from DoDMERB requesting remedial.

DS had both spirometry and methacholine challenge tests done (same day) in October. Tests went off without a hitch and two hours later DS was playing defensive hole in a varsity water polo tournament. DS had no side effects during or after the tests. Official MD report came back "no evidence of active asthma".

November 2012 DS received medical waiver from USNA. He received appointment in December 2012. Don't let a history of mild asthma hold you back from applying. Be prepared for medical DQ and then let process take place. Because we knew initial medical DQ was inevitable, we prepared by having all DS medical records copied and ready to go. When we received letter from DoDMERB requesting Administrative and Medical Waiver, we were able to send medical copies the next day.

Did your son receive an LOA? Just curious as I have heard that most candidates waiver process do not begin that early.

I say don't mention it to them. My dad was doing the paperwork for me and accidently put that I was diagnosed with mild asthma at 14 and now I have to go through the waiver process, which sucks because of the waiting. But in the letter it said that the reason I was disqualified was because I was diagnosed with it after my 13th birthday...so if you mention that you were diagnosed before then you should be good. I still wouldn't mention it lol

ArmyStrong7 said:

I say don't mention it to them.

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Dangerous advice. Be honest and forthcoming. It may come up later and there will be consequences.

I agree there could be huge consequences. Also realize that this will not be your last physical. You will do one prior to commissioning also. If you go rated, at least for the AF you are going to have a much more thorough physical. I would think that is true for all branches regarding rated because you would need not only the commissioning physical, but also the FAA physical.

Nothing is worse to make it through 4 yrs and now go through the DQ process right as you are in sight of the finish line. I would much rather be honest now, and get the answer either way than have it hang over my head for 4 yrs.

As others have also stated, as a military member lives are at risk, and this is not just about you, but the impact it will have on those that serve with you.

For me personally, I think it smacks against the honor code for an officer. An intentional omission, to me is a form of a lie. JMPO.

I would just push forward with the truth.

As a general comment, lying on the DODMERB forms can create serious consequences on many levels. Not even sure where to start . . .

First, if you do have the condition (in this case asthma), it may well resurface under the stress of the military. If it does -- and depending on where it happens -- you could die or you could put the lives of your shipmates in jeopardy. Think about being in the dusty of Afghanistan and having an asthma attack in the middle of the battle. You have no inhaler b/c no one knows you have asthma (you may not even think you do). This would be a very bad thing.

Second, if the military discovers you have lied to DODMERB, you could face immediate dismissal both for the underlying condition and for lying about it.

Third, if you start out your SA/military career by lying . . . well, I think that speaks for itself.

All candidates should be honest about their medical issues. Let DODMERB and the military sort out whether they are potential concerns. If they are, honestly, you don't want to be in the military under those circumstances.

rwanda4 said:

Did your son receive an LOA? Just curious as I have heard that most candidates waiver process do not begin that early.

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Yes, son had LOA.

Side note: to those wondering about how to answer the asthma question on the medical forms, I would recommend telling the truth. A waiver is possible and it's advisable to start a SA application with clean slate. Just my opinion.

RNrecruiter said:

Side note: to those wondering about how to answer the asthma question on the medical forms, I would recommend telling the truth. A waiver is possible and it's advisable to start a SA application with clean slate. Just my opinion.

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+1

Never thought about that....I guess it's a good thing that my dad mentioned it then. I just know that some people I know in the Army and at USMA said that they never mentioned their asthma when it came to the DODMERB exam. My integrity is more important than some stupid asthma that's gone anyway.