I was awarded an NROTC scholarship earlier this year but was medically disqualified for a shellfish allergy. My dodmerb exam doctor wrote on the exam packet that my allergy was a non-issue but I was still disqualified anyway.
A little about my allergy:
- I have had ~2 reactions to eating shrimp where my eyes got itchy after having about half a shrimp
- I’ve recently tried eating shrimp again in March and I had the same reaction where my eyes got itchy (had ~half a shrimp again)
- I’ve eaten food many times that has been directly contaminated with shellfish (hibachi/shellfish in direct contact with other food like pasta or mashed potatoes) and had no reaction at all
- my blood test for shrimp was a 7 despite barely reacting to it in real life
- I am NOT anaphylactic
- I avoid eating shellfish because it’s easy to avoid and I’d rather not have my eyes get all red and itchy
- I have never carried an epi pen or taken any sort of medication for the allergy
As of right now my medical waiver is pending. I don’t want to submit my blood test because it makes my case look way worse than it is. I’m open to any suggestions about how to go about getting my waiver granted but I have a few questions: Is there anything I can submit to dodmerb that will help my waiver be granted? Should I write my own letter to them stating that I’m not anaphylactic? Will this be cleared on its own because the dodmerb examiner wrote that it wasn’t an issue or will they ask me to do a food challenge? This whole waiver process is new to me and my family and we don’t know what to do about it.
I should also mention that the allergist doesn’t want to write a letter on my behalf or food challenge me because of my blood test number.
Thanks.
A little about my allergy:
- I have had ~2 reactions to eating shrimp where my eyes got itchy after having about half a shrimp
- I’ve recently tried eating shrimp again in March and I had the same reaction where my eyes got itchy (had ~half a shrimp again)
- I’ve eaten food many times that has been directly contaminated with shellfish (hibachi/shellfish in direct contact with other food like pasta or mashed potatoes) and had no reaction at all
- my blood test for shrimp was a 7 despite barely reacting to it in real life
- I am NOT anaphylactic
- I avoid eating shellfish because it’s easy to avoid and I’d rather not have my eyes get all red and itchy
- I have never carried an epi pen or taken any sort of medication for the allergy
As of right now my medical waiver is pending. I don’t want to submit my blood test because it makes my case look way worse than it is. I’m open to any suggestions about how to go about getting my waiver granted but I have a few questions: Is there anything I can submit to dodmerb that will help my waiver be granted? Should I write my own letter to them stating that I’m not anaphylactic? Will this be cleared on its own because the dodmerb examiner wrote that it wasn’t an issue or will they ask me to do a food challenge? This whole waiver process is new to me and my family and we don’t know what to do about it.
I should also mention that the allergist doesn’t want to write a letter on my behalf or food challenge me because of my blood test number.
Thanks.
