This isn't a "what are my chances" question. I'm asking for advice on some possible action.
So... I got bronchitis when I was 10 and was diagnosed with "bronchitis" and "wheezing or shortness of breath". I got some kind of antibiotic for that. I caught bronchitis again when I was 14 and was prescribed an albuterol inhaler. My pediatrician recommended I take the inhaler before track / cross country practice any time I have a cold, even after I healed from bronchitis. I've seen the same pediatrician once per year since then for those well-child checkups, and she has continued to refill the albuterol prescription and recommend the same usage. I just got medically disqualified for "asthma, reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm or asthmatic bronchitis, reliably diagnosed and symptomatic after the 13th birthday." I'm not sure what specifically caused this flag--it is either the fact that I've gotten bronchitis twice (or once after my thirteen birthday) or that I have had consistent inhaler prescriptions for six years since those are the only two airway-related questions I answered yes to on the medical questionnaire. I've never been diagnosed with asthma, reactive airway disease, or bronchospasm.
Anyway, that's my history. Here's what I'm wondering: Would it mean anything in the waiver process for me to ask the pediatrician to cancel my albuterol prescription and then to let the service academy know if it gets cancelled?
I am in no way concerned that cancelling the prescription would be bad for my health. I worry that the consistent, long-term inhaler usage on my medical record is more of a red flag than it needs to be. As far as I know, it does not treat or prevent anything. I use it because my doctor asked me to. I am/was a varsity cross country runner in high school and college, and my lungs do not give me trouble.
So... I got bronchitis when I was 10 and was diagnosed with "bronchitis" and "wheezing or shortness of breath". I got some kind of antibiotic for that. I caught bronchitis again when I was 14 and was prescribed an albuterol inhaler. My pediatrician recommended I take the inhaler before track / cross country practice any time I have a cold, even after I healed from bronchitis. I've seen the same pediatrician once per year since then for those well-child checkups, and she has continued to refill the albuterol prescription and recommend the same usage. I just got medically disqualified for "asthma, reactive airway disease, exercise-induced bronchospasm or asthmatic bronchitis, reliably diagnosed and symptomatic after the 13th birthday." I'm not sure what specifically caused this flag--it is either the fact that I've gotten bronchitis twice (or once after my thirteen birthday) or that I have had consistent inhaler prescriptions for six years since those are the only two airway-related questions I answered yes to on the medical questionnaire. I've never been diagnosed with asthma, reactive airway disease, or bronchospasm.
Anyway, that's my history. Here's what I'm wondering: Would it mean anything in the waiver process for me to ask the pediatrician to cancel my albuterol prescription and then to let the service academy know if it gets cancelled?
I am in no way concerned that cancelling the prescription would be bad for my health. I worry that the consistent, long-term inhaler usage on my medical record is more of a red flag than it needs to be. As far as I know, it does not treat or prevent anything. I use it because my doctor asked me to. I am/was a varsity cross country runner in high school and college, and my lungs do not give me trouble.
