I don't know for sure but I think I might have asthma im not on a inhaler or anything like that but I have noticed I will start weezing a little big when I run. (Suprisingly I am fairly physically fit)

I have to say with all this military talk I want to join up even more than before, but I am thinking if I tell them about my weezing I won't be able to join up ever.

Should I just not bring it up or say I haven't had any problems?

do the mil. doctors have ways of testing for this? I don't think it should be that big of a problem I played sports and I was pushed pretty hard I was short of breath but most of the others were too.

I know its good to be honest but its one thing I really want to do.

O.K. im not going to tell you what to do...But I will give you a little info on myself.


I was a Army Medic for 8 years, I decided that I wanted to get back into the Guard about 2 months before the bick kick up. I had a reaction to Milk in the military, nothing big just a nasty case of the squirts. Well for some reason the Military Dr. decided that I was allergic to all Dairy...(this was a one time deal) But when I went to MEP's I knew (being a military Medic) that if you want to really join the military that you should keep your mouth shut and just pass the basic exam that they give you. Dont tell them anymore than what they ask for.....Well my dumbass had a Red military I.D. tag (dog tag) on my key ring. and when the Doc (the same doc that put me in in high school) saw that It was over with...I got him in his office and asked what the deal was, and tried to tell him what was up...His remarks " you just may get sent somewhere that you will be eating things cooked in milk" I told him that I will take that chance, he said the U.S. Govt will not. He did offer me a chance to goto a specialist but that would be at my own doing, but I had to wait till after the first of the year. I may still do it.

you decide what you want to do...

when I run HARD I wheeze to. and so do most people I know, That being said, the The Medical side of me (I still do Emergency Medical Tech. stuff for a living) you should see your doc. and check it out.

Since you don't have it that bad. Don't say shit to them. Even on your exam. Although I would seek a doctor, you don't use, to get a prescription for (Albuterol) an inhaler. That way if they want your medical history. then you can list your regular doctor. I have talked with many people on this issue. Active and retired. Many active said! They know of people that are active in the military, with asthama.

 Just make sure you use the inhaler before exercising. This way you won't be wheezing.

The back side of this is some inlisties. Didn't say anything about their asthama. Some of them died in boot camp. So the government is worried about this risk.

 Hard choice but you make the call. Your the one that know's your body.  

I had asthma as a kid, and never said anything about it when I joined. I retire in 5 more years!

(tinfoil hat on)
Better watch what you say mig-21.
Some jackass politico might decide to screw you over for lying.

Don't ask, Don't tell.
If you want to serve, keep your mouth shut.  No asthmatics allowed in the military.
good luck

Ta hell with being honest in this case. If you think you are a qualified applicant keep your mouth shut and only tell them what they want to hear. Don't tell them anything you may have to elaborate on.


[size=6][b]No asthmatics allowed in the military[/b][/size=6]

I'll tell you what I would've told an applicant when I was on recruiting duty.

Did a doctor tell you that you had asthma?

Or did your mom tell you that?  Did you tell yourself that?  It's normal to breathe hard or wheeze a little when you push yourself hard.

Asthma is disqualifying from enlistment.  Only a doctor can diagnose asthma.  

Now, do YOU HAVE ASTHMA?  

No?  I didn't thinks so...

On 9-12-2001 I turned 18. I was PISSED (still am) about the 9-11 incident. I went down to the local recruiting office, started filling out paperwork and was dead set on joining. I think it was the third question on one of the forms was something to the effect of "Are you asthmatic" I answered "Yes" the recruiter took the paperwork from me said thank you have a nice day and basically a get the fuck out of here. I am still waiting to this day for a draft to come so I can go down there and wipe my ass with the forms and tell them to have a nice day, you didnt want me then, I dont want you now.

Oh yea and FUCK Hollywood what the fuck was up with Black Hawk Down and that one kid that was using an inhaler?

You could look into the State Military Reserve, they help out with the Nation Guard, you dont get paid but it'll give you a feel for the military.

if you have never been diagnosed with being asthmatic, you don't have asthma as far as the military is concerned.
BUT, I wouldn't go telling anyone at MEPPS that you think you might.
don't volunteer any more info than is necessary, thats something you have to remember in the armed services.

is it good to use a inhaler? I don't want to become dependent on it when I can't have it in bootcamp.

Like my recruiter told me [b]Your name is NO[/b], a MEPS interview will go like this "Ever have..." "no" "Suffer from..." "no", over and over again.  An asthma attack won't kill you in basic, they are prepared for that stuff, you only need to worry about basic if you have a heart condition.  Worst case is you have a asthma attack, you get sent to RHU for a few weeks then you go home with some interesting basic training stories and some cash in your pocket.

Do not give any info like drugs just say no YOU WILL BE PDQed! I was an IDIOT for saying yes to one stinking question.

[B]Do not Give ANY Info about you. medically.[/b]

When I went to MEPS, pretty much everyone I talked to lied about something... or at least hid some piece of info.

You want to be careful what you lie about or hide.  Lying about the time you smoked some weed in high school is completely different than hiding asthma.  

If you think you have asthma I would go see what a civilian doctor has to say about it.

I'm home on Christmas exodus from US Army Infantry OSUT... during the early days of reception and basic there were guys getting booted out left and right because of medical conditions they kept secret(or just didn't know about).  Everything from asthma to bee sting allergies.

Those jack asses getting kicked out left and right in reception usually get booted cause they want to go home and admit these problems on that "last chance" form or whatever its called.  Although I did see a few kids get kicked out cause they blew their knees early in basic.

They ask you if you used or sold any illegal drugs...

"Not to the best of my knowledge."

My recruiter chuckled, but I told him I wouldnt answer that question any other way...
Just wanted to cover my ass on that one.

I work with a guy who is USMC retiree. He said while he was a DI, he had 2 men die in basic training. He said they both had asthma and had not told anyone. He found out from their parents.

Nothing like a good ole asthma attack at the same time the bad guys are attacking, or even you attacking the bad guys to get you and your buddies killed cause you just had to lie and get into the military.

I applaude your desire to serve, but suggest that for the good of us all you find some other way to do it.

I agree I know plenty of people that have asthma in the Army. My advice if you dont need an inhaler or can get by without one, keep you mouth shut and drive on i/e dont tell the recruter!! but seriously we did have some soldiers when I was a Drill sgt that said they had asthma just so they could get out of basic so we sent them to the medic and they said they were fine.If they dont need an inhaler every 5 mins once they get to Basic it is very hard to leave unless you have constant asthman attacks.
        FREE

I'm active duty AF, and almost got kicked out for a form of asthma.  

I'm allergic to cats, and had a bronchiospasm (severe asthma attack because I was around cats).  Took me 9 months to get that mess unscrewed, and it almost cost me my career.  When it was done, the answer was "don't take cats to work."

If all you have is a little wheezing after exercise, check w/ a CIVILIAN doctor.  There is such a thing as exercise-induced asthma, and it can kill you. Sometimes it's a combination of factors--exercise, cold air, etc. If you've got that, you better reconsider your future career in the military.  To steal from Patton, the point is not to die for your country--especially in boot camp, you aren't any good to us then!

If the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, don't even think it near the recruiters.  Even after serving 6 years, they were willing to throw me out in a heartbeat over asthma, as a recruit, they won't even give you the time of day.

Get it checked out, then see if you still qualify.  Yes, some people in the military have inhalers--I have one, and get a new one every year, in case I come in contact with cats again.  But, I have what is considered an allergy, not asthma.

BTW, the only thing that's good at opening up lungs during an asthma attack is adrenalin.  Some people I know with very mild asthma simply drink a cup of strong coffee to overcome their wheezing.  Others need to use an inhaler.  Albuterol is nothing but a synthetic adrenalin, or so I've been told.

It isn't necessarily addictive, but it is dangerous.  There was an actress a couple of years ago who died misusing Primatene Mist, an over the counter asthma medicine.  Overuse of either medicine can cause moderate to severe heart problems such as irregular heartbeats (like it did with me), and some people have died from misusing it.

Bottom line--don't screw around with inhalers unless the doctor tells you to!

limaxray

"Three, two, one, keyturn."

13S?  How would a cat get into a silo (in Virginia)?

I've got a friend who couldn't even categorize because he was slightly allergic to pet dander.  How many cats have there been in the cockpit of an F-15?

Spot-on.  Was actually an 18XX before they made the change to 13S; did my first two years of crew in SAC (Long Live SAC!).  Had two cats for eight years, including the five I was on missile crew duty in Grand Forks; I just kept getting more and more allergic every day, but thought I had it under control--until I couldn't breath one day and my heart started skipping beats because of all the Primatene Mist I was using.  Had my big bronchiospasm right after I left there for Peterson AFB in Colorado.

After my emergency room visit, the flight surgeon at Pete didn't even want to talk to me--had "asthma" written in about six different places in my records, started a Medical Evaluation Board, but couldn't proceed without an allergist saying I had asthma.  The allergist they sent me to at the Academy hated the Peterson flight surgeon, so instead of an asthmatic allergic reaction, I have "reactive airway disease."  Pete flight surgeon pissed, but I'm still in the AF, so I don't care.

Of course, that all happened AFTER I was in; I'm sure they would have sent me packing if that had come up while I was in ROTC.

Did you do any crew time?

Same here.  I'd say that if you can run and get by with out any special treatment, don't say shit...

You have to be the judge.  If it is something that can potentially affect your combat effectiveness and job performance, don't do it.  

edited:  You say that you wheeze even though you are "physically fit".  How fast can you actually run?  I run an 11:00-11:30 2-mile but I wheeze if I run hard enough (say like a 5-minute mile)anyone will wheeze if they push themselves hard enough.

Albuterol is a different drug, and is safe unlike primatene (psuedoepinephrine).  Comparing the two, its amazing that primatene is over the counter and albuterol isn't.

No crew time for me.  I am a former enlisted nuke weapons maint E-5.  I decided to make the big change, so now I'm on full scholarship in AFROTC.  I commission 01May, after what seems like way too long, as 64P Contracting.

I've had my share of disappointing experiences with AF doctors and PA's.  I've only had one AF Doc I like.  Like, not trust.  She was very caring and professional.

Damn CAR-10 six years in the NAV, what is the max age for getting a commission in the AF?

[red][size=3][/red][/size=5]

Shut up and don't say a single flipping word if this is the case.

Everyone wheezes a little bit whne they run really hard.

You could go back to a different recruiter and
fill out the papers again but make sure you dont say you have asthma and they will never know, nothing done in the recruiting office is
official only when you go to MEPS and sign the contract and take the oath of enlistment. The
recruiter probably doesnt keep any record of what you said.

I believe it's something like 37 1/2.  My next door neighbor in the Forks was a 2Lt, had a line number to master sergeant (E-7) before he went to OTS.  

CAR-10--my experience with AF docs has been mostly good, EXCEPT for the flight surgeons.  They tend to be generalists, and also tend to look at any medical problem you present with scepticism; almost like they expect you to be trying to get out of work.

And, their answer is always one of two things--motrin or entex (decongestant), come back in a week, then we'll send you to neurology or cardiology, or wherever you need to go.

HIJACK!



Don't be thrown off by the whole E-5 thing.  I sewed E-5 on at 3 years 11 mos.  I'm 24 now and that was a few years ago.  I've only heard of a couple people who have beat me to it.

As for the age rule for commissioning, IIRC, 35 years old (maybe a bit less).  If you have prior service, then you can add that time to your age with a limit of 4 years.  So 39 or so.

Do I want to know what NAV stands for?

I do not support fraudulent enlistments...

That aside,  there are THREE correct basic responses at the Military Entrance Processing Station.

No
None
Never