Reporting an injury after DoDMERB Exam

FalconsRock said:
frenzymando said:
by virtue of current diagnosis, or for which the candidate has a verified
past medical history.
Click to expand...

Frenzy, the OP NOW has a verified PAST MEDICAL HISTORY (do you have now or have you ever had....), it does not matter whether or not he has seen a doctor. I agree 100% with cb7893. When you have a shoulder dislocation "pop right back in" you know it and there is no question about it. It's a very painful and obvious injury that anyone, even without a medical degree can determine, even the OP. And I have a feeling he knows it too, but does not want to face the reality. I can understand him trying to rationalize it, but as for you, you know all too well that there is no mistaking such an injury. In another post you said you were DQ'd for a minor subluxation for which you did not have surgery nor physical therapy and have no issues. You maxed out on your CFA and played football and basketball without a hint of problem and you were still DQ'd. The reality is, the OP had a dislocation, even if minor, and just because he did not see a doctor and decides not to report it to DodMERB, it doesn't mean it did not happen.

To the OP: the reason you are even asking this question tells us all that you know that you may be DQ'd because of it and you are having a hard time dealing with that reality.We can all understand that, Frenzy more that anyone, but the right thing to do is report any change to DodMERB. If you are DQ'd and you are competitive enough, a waiver will be requested and you can go from there. No one will ever fault you for doing the right thing and it takes courage to do that in the face of a decision that will affect the rest of your life. I think you did the right thing by contacting DoDMERB and asking them. They will guide you down the right path. Please let us all know what happens and please don't take my next comment to be flippant because I mean it with the most sincere sentiment, if it takes a year and you have to reapply, you will have a great subject to write about for your essay. I wish you best of luck, but I have confidence that you will shine no matter what.
Click to expand...
Has the OP seen a doctor regarding his injury?
 
Has the OP told his parents about the injury? I can't imagine one of my kids having that happen and not taking them to the doctor just to make sure everything is ok / healed.
 
Pima said:
I can't say enough that I agree with cb.

Here's something that many don't get....this will not be your last DoDMERB exam. You will do it again just prior to commissioning. Thus:
1. If you re-injure it again, you may be deemed DQ prior to commissioning.
~ 4 years down the drain.
2. If you forgot that you acknowledge this in HS for the exam, but acknowledge 4 years later that you knew of this issue than you are risking your commission impo.
~ ROTC may require you to pay back the scholarship. They will see it as you lied from the beginning, and that means the scholarship is void. It is a legal contract. Don't believe me, there was a poster here that said on their HS DODMERB they smoked MJ 1x. Go the scholarship and came clean that it was 3x. He was booted and handed a bill. That was for Marijuana. Do you think they won't do it for an injury that you hid, but thought you had.

Go to a doc and have them clear you.

frenzy.

We always say here that it is a case by case scenario. You got a DQ, but that doesn't mean they will get it. they may get a remedial. They may get the DQ, but go to a specialist (doc) that was prior military and can submit a finding that is written in a way that they get a waiver. They may decide to hire DoDMERB consultants.

I am with kinnem and the other posters. I think your advice is misplaced. I think it teeters on lieing by omission.
~ Just me, but a true officer lives and dies by their integrity. His injury may mean he could risk a mission later on because he did not acknowledge this aspect at 18.
~I am just saying that what I am reading from you is: Don't acknowledge it at all. Don't go to a doc, because chances are you will have to do...OMG... a waiver like you!

Again, this is a ROTC candidate, and we do not know which branch. Heck, he could be easily cleared via a waiver by AFROTC for flying a desk, but not flying a plane. He could be cleared to go Guard or Reserve Army, but not AD.
Click to expand...
I haven't advised the OP to do anything, all I have done is provided him with information. My case is much less severe than the OP's case is and I went straight to DQ, so I think it is very likely that the OP will be DQ'd if he reports it. I have read of several much less severe cases than the OP's and all of them resulted in a DQ.
 
Last edited:
frenzymando said:
My case is much less severe than the OP's case is and I went straight to DQ, so I think it is very likely that the OP will be DQ'd if he reports it. I have read of several much less severe cases than the OP's and all of them resulted in a DQ.
Click to expand...
That is my entire point. Yours was much less severe and you were DQ'd. The OP knows he will most likely be DQ'd if he reports it and as I said earlier, just because he wasn't seen by a doctor does not mean it did not happen. He knows it and IMHO not reporting it would be a deliberate omission. He should follow what DoDMERB tells him to do, period. And keep in mind, DoDMERB does not want to DQ anyone, but they do have to follow certain standards. It is not the end of the OP's life, his immediate dream perhaps, but not his life. I think he will do the right thing because that Jiminy Cricket is sitting on his shoulder and that's why the OP posed the question in the first place. He knows.
 
I have lurked on this forum for a long time as a parent of a 2020 hopeful however after reading this thread I was compelled to respond to the OP' s original question and to many of the comments that followed. As a parent, I find many of the comments in this thread to be unnecessarily harsh and judgmental towards the OP, who is a just a 17 year old looking for guidance. As a physician many of the commentary herein is conjecture at best. Based on the available information, there has been no diagnosis to date. All we or the OP knows is that he felt a "pop" in his shoulder. Now it feels ok. None of us know what happened or if in fact there really was an injury. The trainer doesn't know either. Telling the OP that his injury is more severe than someone else's subluxation is not a judgment that anyone on this thread can make. A lot of terminology is being thrown around inaccurately and used as advice to the OP, none of which applies right now to his situation. A subluxation is just another word for dislocation. A shoulder separation refers to an injury to the acromioclavicular joint (one of the four joints that make up the shoulder girdle)which is usually treated conservatively with full functional recovery unless persistently symptomatic then surgery may be indicated. That is very different than a true shoulder dislocation.

My advice to the OP is this: all you have right now is a symptom. Make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for a consultation. Explain to him or her your situation and all of its complexities. They will likely be able to tell what really happened, if anything, by physical examination or will send you for an MRI. If there is no evidence of ligamentous injury, there is no diagnosis. Since you have already contacted DODMERB about your symptom, you can supply this additional information. If there really is evidence of a dislocation, then you really do need to get it treated and it may ultimately be waived.

Just my two cents....
 
Last edited:
3boysandadog said:
If there is no evidence of ligamentous injury, there is no diagnosis.
Click to expand...
Sort of off topic, but do all dislocations/subluxations result in ligamentous injury? Also, can ligamentous injuries "fix themselves"(or in other words recover without surgery/rehab)?
 
A shoulder dislocation can't happen without injury to ligaments, the degree to which can vary. Shoulder ligament tears cannot be repaired with exercises alone.
 
Hmmm. This topic brought a question to mind. My DS sustained a small umbilical hernia at OCS. Since it happened there, the NROTC knows about it. Should he report it to DODMERB? He also had heat stroke. Is that something they should also be told about?
 
Sampia said:
Hmmm. This topic brought a question to mind. My DS sustained a small umbilical hernia at OCS. Since it happened there, the NROTC knows about it. Should he report it to DODMERB? He also had heat stroke. Is that something they should also be told about?
Click to expand...
History of heat pyrexia (992.0), heatstroke (992.0), or sunstroke (992.0) is on the list of disqualifying conditions.
 
3boysandadog said:
Make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for a consultation. Explain to him or her your situation and all of its complexities.
Click to expand...

Isn't this what most of us told him to do? He is reluctant to do it because he doesn't want to risk a DQ.

Harsh, maybe. Judgmental, yes. Apparently, his trainer and parents are letting this go.

I'm no physician, but I am a parent of kid who lost his NROTC scholarship to a medical DQ for an injury which could have been neglected. DS was diagnosed. He never received treatment other than being held out of sports for a year and $1000 in follow-up visits. I also know what a dislocation feels like. I know the anxiety that accompanies all physical activity involving the shoulder...that anxiety lasts beyond surgery and rehab.
 
Well, if the Marines planned to kick him out due a heat stroke, they would have done it then and the dozen more who were lying beside him. They told him if it happened again while he was there that he would be booted out. I am just wondering if this should be reported to DODMERB since it is already on his record as the Marine medics were the ones to treat him. They did complete paperwork while he was there. I guess I will tell him to call DODMERB to be certain.

cb7893, so sorry to hear about the DQ with your son. I can only imagine how distressing that has to be for the students and their parents. Injuries can happen at any time. I still worry and my son is a senior now.
 
Sampia said:
cb7893, so sorry to hear about the DQ with your son. I can only imagine how distressing that has to be for the students and their parents. Injuries can happen at any time. I still worry and my son is a senior now.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

It goes to show the importance of having plans B,C, etc. Fortunately, DS had them and three years later is in a great place. I hope OP understands this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top