DoDMERB Question

hhucks4

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Jan 23, 2018
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What all does the DoDMERB entail? I am supposed to schedule my appointment tomorrow. I am a little worried though: I experimented with marijuana once due to peer pressure several months ago and I put that down; I dislocated my elbow last summer with no surgery and it has healed fine; I have a Still's heart murmur which has been ruled benign; and I had a concussion a couple years ago. Would any of this DQ me? Thanks, I tried to be completely honest and hope that I get the okay, otherwise I'll lose my 4 year scholarship.
 
I cant tell you about any of the others, but my son has a Still's murmur. DoDMERB gave him a remedical for a new echocardiogram. We go this week for that. Good luck to you!
 
- marijuana use - I think this is more of an administrative issue rather than a medical issue. The only time it is a medical issue is if you have a diagnosis is drug abuse or drug dependence in which case this is DQ.

- elbow dislocation - so long as this isn’t recurrent and you have full range of motion, full strength, and no neurological deficits, then you should be good to go.

- concussion - probably DQ. Any loss of consciousness? What work or school limitations did you have? Did they do any imaging studies on you? Any headaches or amnesia for a period of time after the event? For those with mild head injury, studies show you are at increased risk of seizures compared to the general population for 2-5 years after the event (depending on the study you read).

- Still’s murmur- they’re going to want an echo. Also, they’re going to want some documentation that details your fitness/athletic activities to include type, frequency, and duration over the past few years.

I don’t work for DODMERB nor do I work for any medical authorities so the above are just semi-educated opinions.
 
- marijuana use - I think this is more of an administrative issue rather than a medical issue. The only time it is a medical issue is if you have a diagnosis is drug abuse or drug dependence in which case this is DQ.

- elbow dislocation - so long as this isn’t recurrent and you have full range of motion, full strength, and no neurological deficits, then you should be good to go.

- concussion - probably DQ. Any loss of consciousness? What work or school limitations did you have? Did they do any imaging studies on you? Any headaches or amnesia for a period of time after the event? For those with mild head injury, studies show you are at increased risk of seizures compared to the general population for 2-5 years after the event (depending on the study you read).

- Still’s murmur- they’re going to want an echo. Also, they’re going to want some documentation that details your fitness/athletic activities to include type, frequency, and duration over the past few years.

I don’t work for DODMERB nor do I work for any medical authorities so the above are just semi-educated opinions.
The concussion was mild- was only sat out of sports for 2 weeks with no loss of consciousness. Would that help my case?
 
So you tried marijuana "several months ago"? Presumably when you wanted an AROTC scholarship and knowing that entails military service? I appreciate your honesty but would like this story better if you said "I received a concussion several months ago when some idiots I was hanging with beat me up after they offered me marijuana and I told them they were idiots".

Based on my experience with two kids going thru DoDMERB, you're going to get remedials for your last (3) issues. You will probably need to provide medical records for the elbow & concussion. They will definitely send you for an echo for the murmur.
 
@hhucks4

Yes. It would help your case if you were diagnosed only with a mild concussion. Your remedial should state why you had to sit out for 2 weeks (sports protocol vs you had post-concussive symptoms), any loss of consciousness (you had none - that's good), any amnesia or disorientation (if yes, then duration), any imaging studies (if done), date of event, and treatment/care you received. If you did not have post-concussive symptoms, then I would make sure the doctor emphasizes that in the remedial too. Symptoms I'm talking about are headaches, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, loss of concentration, loss of attention span, and altered sleep.
 
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