asthma?

[christopherweiler]

I just wanted to ask, I'm 22 and was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma somewhere in my teens. I use the word diagnosed loosely because I was at my doctor complaining about breathing issues and without any kind of test at all she said "asthma" and wrote me a prescription for an inhaler. I can run, jump, swim, and climb just fine, never had an asthma attack, and my lungs feel fine all the time unless i overexert myself past a level of physical activity that I'm used to. I've heard people tell me to lie, and to be honest, but I recently had a buddy who is in the air force tell me I might be able to get a waiver for my condition and to try that.
My lungs feel fine and I'd really really like the opportunity to serve my country,  what is the best way to go about this so that I have the best chance of getting in?

[Nuclear NASCAR]

The first best step would be to get yourself referred to a pulmonary doctor to find out if you even have asthma.  If you indeed do then you can follow the recommendations that I'm certain will follow my post, but if you find you don't have it then a needless worry is out of the picture.

No matter what I wish you the best of luck and Thank You for your desire to serve. 

[christopherweiler]

Problem there...I don't have health insurance
Also I don't really have the money to afford a doctor's visit.

[spekkio]

Yes or no, do you have asthma? If no, fill put app accordingly. If yes, you are ineligible for military service.

[HeavyD]

Problem there...I don't have health insurance
Also I don't really have the money to afford a doctor's visit.

As a side note, given the requirements of the Affordable Care Act you may have another issue coming your way.

To add to Spekkio's post, you NEED to find out if you have asthma or not.  If you indeed do, and say you don't and the Navy finds out later on, that's called fraudulent enlistment.  The reward for that is most likely going to be a discharge, putting you right back at square one.

Best of luck, in everything.

[MMM]

It's not fraudulent if he hasn't been diagnosed. It's been a while since I've seen the forms, but is there an option for unsure?

[HeavyD]

If a doctor wrote in his records anywhere "asthma", that could be construed as a diagnosis.

Weak?  Yes.  True?  Still yes.

[Samabby]

" Problem there...I don't have health insurance
Also I don't really have the money to afford a doctor's visit."

You will have far greater problems to solve in Nuke training than this minor roadblock.

[Rerun]

Back in the 80s it was disqualifying. We had a guy who had symptoms and the powers that be said be gone.

[SloGlo]

Back in the 80s it was disqualifying. We had a guy who had symptoms and the powers that be said be gone.

wasn't bean pregnant
disqualifying's then two?   

[Rerun]

Asthma.

We also had a guy at Fermi. He was an SRO Control Room Supervisor. He couldn't wear a mask because of asthma. The NRC asked what would happen in event of a release that required donning a mask in the MCR. No one had an answer so they took his license. He ended up in work week management and was a great guy though he would flat out state he was a sh**ty operator.

[Druid]

Problem there...I don't have health insurance
Also I don't really have the money to afford a doctor's visit.

Then you are in dire need of a work around.

My Suggestion:
First, contact the Dr's office holding your record of the visit in question and get a copy. If it was really was a formal diagnosis then it will be written down in the record. Then, go to clinicaltrials.gov and look for an asthma study that is recruiting in your area. Every one of them will require a formal diagnosis, which you now have in your hands. As part of a trial screening process, the intake coordinator will review you records and confirm the diagnosis independently through their own investigator-led testing. At that point you will either have your 2nd opinion of asthma and are part of a study trying to treat your condition more effectively, or the intake process shows that you don't have asthma and you have another record which contradicts the initial diagnosis and you can now answer "no" with your integrity intact.

As Samabby said earlier, this will be the least of your obstacles in the Nuke program. Of course after all of this adapting and overcoming, you may just want to look at the Marine Corps!

Best!

[GLW]

Best

I just wanted to ask, I'm 22 and was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma somewhere in my teens.....

you are most likely not eligible based on your own post,...

http://www.usmedicine.com/agencies/department-of-defense-dod/recruits-military-breathe-easier-with-relaxed-asthma-accession-standards/

perhaps a Doctor who diagnoses that the former diagnosis was a lazy and inaccurate diagnosis could put you into the right place for military service,...

but you'll have to fix that before you join,...

or have a recruiter investigate your eligibility for a waiver,...

and you can ask a recruiter ALL these questions,...

the recruiter's job is to explore all possibilities to get you in,...

try to find a recruiter who is working out of an office where there is not a line of people trying to enlist,...

that recruiter is probably more motivated to work a "hard case candidate",..

you cannot expect anybody on these forums to advise you lie about a known or diagnosed condition,...

good luck, and keep us posted should you succeed or not,...

[spekkio]

They can't pull his record cuz of HIPA.

It's going to be obvious that he either has or does not have asthma. If the doc gave him an inhaler but he never used it, participated in athetic activities, whatever withut any issues then he should check 'no' and move on.l with the application.

If this is some way of trying to sea lawyer the question then he needs to realize that potentially dying of a severe asthma attack while 1-2 weeks away from a medevac is not a good way to go. More realistic, sucking air on an eab because a gang pumped sans into the galley while having an asthma attack will not be a good experience.. Asthma is disqalifying for a reason.

[GLW]

They can't pull his record cuz of HIPA....

good point,...

ah well, we're done here,...

[Rerun]

They can't pull his record cuz of HIPA.

It's going to be obvious that he either has or does not have asthma. If the doc gave him an inhaler but he never used it, participated in athetic activities, whatever withut any issues then he should check 'no' and move on.l with the application.

If this is some way of trying to sea lawyer the question then he needs to realize that potentially dying of a severe asthma attack while 1-2 weeks away from a medevac is not a good way to go. More realistic, sucking air on an eab because a gang pumped sans into the galley while having an asthma attack will not be a good experience.. Asthma is disqalifying for a reason.

Question, can a Navy Medical officer ask for the record without the individual being in the Navy?

[spekkio]

Question, can a Navy Medical officer ask for the record without the individual being in the Navy?

No one can obtain the record except the patient, unless there is a court order.

If this occurred more than 7 years ago the record may not even exist.

[Rerun]

Interesting. Thanks

[spekkio]

Interesting. Thanks

Bear in mind, I'm not advocating that you or anyone lie on their application. What I am saying is that if you have a wishy-washy diagnosis in your past for a chronic disease/disorder that obviously doesn't affect you and is therefore incorrect, then just check 'no' and move on with life. No one is going to scrub your medical records and say 'hey, it says here that one time you were given an inhaler when you were 7 years old. You clearly lied about asthma, have a nice trip to Leavenworth.' It doesn't work like that.

[christopherweiler]

Nevermind, found out I can't join anyway because of my mental health history

I understand they want the best chance of success, and even if it's not as a nuke or any other career, I still wish I could serve. My brain is clean now and I breath fine, yeah my eyesight sucks, but it's not bad enough to disqualify me, I just wish I could serve my country like my grandpa, his dad, and his dad and so on.
Guess it's just not meant to be no matter how much I want it.

[SloGlo]

service venues exist...

http://www.peacecorps.gov/mobile/