Shellfish

Hope2serve

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
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My daughter recently completed the medical history questionnaire for the DoDMERB and answered yes to question #13 Allergies and #60 Any adverse reaction to vacs, meds, foods ect.

8 years ago she had a standard allergy skin test that reported she had a mild reaction to shellfish. She has never had a reactive episode to anything in her life, has never taken medications or sought medical attention for this condition.

She answered the Allergy Questionnaire....(all no or not applicable) according to this one skin test.

Her physical is next week and you can be sure that we are all concerned how this is going to effect her chances at one of the service academies.

Can anyone shed some light on what will happen or advise on proceeding into the physical exam. Any help will be much appreciated.
 
The big question here is has she ever eaten shellfish? If she has eaten shellfish has she had any reactions? If she has had any reactions then it would be a disqualification. If she has not eaten any shellfish since she was tested 8 years ago then DoDMERB may request additional testing to see of she still has a reaction to shellfish. If there is a reaction then a disqualification would be issued.

The physical examination is just a snapshot of her current health, to include vision and hearing testing. The physician will do a brief overview of her previous history, and make statements concerning her positive responses on the medical history form. Your daughter should be clear about what reactions she has had, of any to shellfish.

If she has never had a reaction to shellfish (either due to her not having eaten it since the testing or if she has eaten it without reactions), DoDMERB will be requesting copies of the medical records concerning this.

At this point in time I would not go get any testing on your own, I would wait to see what DoDMERB comes back with. If she is disqualified by DoDMERB then it will be forwarded to the waiver authorities for their review.

As always, if you have any other questions feel free to post them.
 
Last edited:
The big question here is has she ever eaten shellfish? If she has eaten shellfish has she had any reactions?

Yes, she has eaten shellfish several times in the last eight years with no reaction whatsoever. To be honest, I have always thought it was the Dr. who was reactive and not my daughter. However, I felt it was better to play it safe and be cautious about the food.
 
Ret NavyHM is exactly correct
 
Thank you both for your response.

Should she initially expect a DQ simply based on how she answered the questionnaire, regardless of the exam?

If additional testing might be required, do you have an idea what those tests would be?

Again, thanks for the help.
 
Most likely DoDMERB will be requesting copies of the medical records concerning this before considering a disqualification. When they request the medical records your daughter can also include a statement concerning the possible allergy. I would make sure the statement mentions the fact that she has eaten shellfish without having any problems.

If additional testing were requested, most likely it would be skin testing.

Again, feel free to ask any questions you may have concerning this.
 
My medical has cleared at DoDMERB! I wanted to thank everyone for their replies and advice.

Mr.Mullen- Thank you so much for your help! I greatly appreciate the emails, the calls, and everything you did to help me.

Prior to my medical, I recorded all the times I have eaten shellfish and submitted it with the examining physician's paperwork. I was not disqualified and did not have to do any additional testing!

This forum has been so helpful- I cannot express how grateful I am that my dreams are back on track!

Thank you again!
"Hope2Serve"
Jessica
 
Glad to hear your medical passed review. That is one big hurdle cleared with many more to come. Best of luck.
 
Hope2serve - U R entirely welcome and thx for the opportunity to serve:thumb:
 
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