Undiagnosed Medical Issue & Enlisting

[Scuba Steve33]

100 pounds. I currently weigh 270 at 5-9. My problem with losing weight is basically lack of motivation. Last time I took diet/exercise seriously I lost twenty pounds and was doing pretty good. Then, I gave up and gained all the weight back with a vengeance. Pretty pathetic, but I'm not going to give up that easily.

I've always had my hopes set on Infantry, Cav Scout, or maybe combat medic. But knowing what I know now, I'd be happy just being allowed to enlist.

I've had some folks recommend I see a third specialist (Neuro - Ophthalmologist), so that maybe I can get a third opinion/diagnoses/solution which may help me get in. The only issue with this being cost (I have no health insurance). Or maybe just show up to the recruiters with what I currently have and hope for the best?

Thank you for the response.

I know you'd be happy to just enlist but go big and go infantry. No disrespect to other jobs (excluding line medics and FOs) but the infantry is where it's at. As a line medic or FO you're with a line platoon and doing the same ****. They're just as infantry as anyone else wearing a blue cord.

If you lost that much weight that easily the rest won't be hard to lose either. You definitely need to find someone to motivate you. Doesn't matter if it's someone else trying to lose weight or someone in great shape. You just need someone who can push you on those days you really don't want to do anything.

When I got out about 6 months ago I stopped almost all cardio completely and focused on bulking. In the infantry you'll run every day, you can count on that. I plateaued and wasn't getting the gains I wanted. Not necessarily a bad thing we were running every day but once I got out and focused on lifting more I was getting them. Now I've just started cutting and need someone to run/do cardio with because I'm not a fan haha. Wish you were closer.

Even with a partner it really boils down to YOU making the change. It's more than just exercising, it's a lifestyle change to want to be in shape and healthy. You need to change both your exercise routine and your diet. They go hand in hand.

[bubbagump]

I know you'd be happy to just enlist but go big and go infantry. No disrespect to other jobs (excluding line medics and FOs) but the infantry is where it's at. As a line medic or FO you're with a line platoon and doing the same ****. They're just as infantry as anyone else wearing a blue cord.

If you lost that much weight that easily the rest won't be hard to lose either. You definitely need to find someone to motivate you. Doesn't matter if it's someone else trying to lose weight or someone in great shape. You just need someone who can push you on those days you really don't want to do anything.

When I got out about 6 months ago I stopped almost all cardio completely and focused on bulking. In the infantry you'll run every day, you can count on that. I plateaued and wasn't getting the gains I wanted. Not necessarily a bad thing we were running every day but once I got out and focused on lifting more I was getting them. Now I've just started cutting and need someone to run/do cardio with because I'm not a fan haha. Wish you were closer.

Even with a partner it really boils down to YOU making the change. It's more than just exercising, it's a lifestyle change to want to be in shape and healthy. You need to change both your exercise routine and your diet. They go hand in hand.

Running is probably going to be my biggest challenge, as well as making the permanent lifestyle change.

Thanks again for all the advice/motivation scuba steve. Hopefully I can report back in a few months with good news.

[Scuba Steve33]

Running is probably going to be my biggest challenge, as well as making the permanent lifestyle change.

Thanks again for all the advice/motivation scuba steve. Hopefully I can report back in a few months with good news.

No problem buddy. Don't set your goals too high though. You don't need to start off with running 10 miles. Go to a track and run a lap, walk a lap, etc.

Another thing, record your progress. You can do all kinds of things from weighing yourself (although don't do this religiously), taking pictures and measuring yourself (again, not religiously), keeping track of how far and how fast you've ran really helps. Keeping track of any exercise is a huge motivator. Run/walk a mile. Record the time. Do it again and record that time. Aim to beat your old time. Don't focus on the physical changes, those will come. See the changes on paper and that should really get you motivated.

Cardio is definitely your best bet but there are other ways than just running constantly. Sprints. Sprints will **** you up dude. It's an entire body workout, including your pecs. You could do a thousand sit ups a day or sprint and you'll have a much more defined core from sprinting. Sprints are often easier mentally because it's in short bursts versus a long, constant run. You'll know if you're working hard enough because you'll feel it lol. Just stay hydrated. Exercising or not, you should be getting up to piss constantly. Judge your urine color to see if you're hydrated enough.

Also, avoid treadmills. It's harder running outside in the environment versus an AC room. Plus, it's nice getting outside and not staring at the same wall.

[Decoligny]

I think they told me I had a mild case of astigmatism. Otherwise, I can see fine, until my left eye decides to momentarily take a break.

You said no aviation. I assume you mean being a pilot, but what about being a loadmaster on a plane or something of that sort...would I probably be disqualified from that as well?

Anything where depth perception is critical. Being able to tell that the pallet you are loading into the plane is 1 foot from the next pallet, and not 3 feet from it could be a critical thing. If your eye blacks out while moving a heavy load into a critical position, you could damage equipment, or injure/kill people.

When I was a Recruiter, I put someone in the Air Force who was legally blind. He had 20/400 vision without glasses. With glasses he could see 20/20. He got an office job. If they do not DQ you with this, I would think you stand about a 100% chance of being a Chairborne Ranger.

[Decoligny]

No problem buddy. Don't set your goals too high though. You don't need to start off with running 10 miles. Go to a track and run a lap, walk a lap, etc.

Another thing, record your progress. You can do all kinds of things from weighing yourself (although don't do this religiously), taking pictures and measuring yourself (again, not religiously), keeping track of how far and how fast you've ran really helps. Keeping track of any exercise is a huge motivator. Run/walk a mile. Record the time. Do it again and record that time. Aim to beat your old time. Don't focus on the physical changes, those will come. See the changes on paper and that should really get you motivated.

Cardio is definitely your best bet but there are other ways than just running constantly. Sprints. Sprints will **** you up dude. It's an entire body workout, including your pecs. You could do a thousand sit ups a day or sprint and you'll have a much more defined core from sprinting. Sprints are often easier mentally because it's in short bursts versus a long, constant run. You'll know if you're working hard enough because you'll feel it lol. Just stay hydrated. Exercising or not, you should be getting up to piss constantly. Judge your urine color to see if you're hydrated enough.

Also, avoid treadmills. It's harder running outside in the environment versus an AC room. Plus, it's nice getting outside and not staring at the same wall.

I understand what Scuba Steve is trying to say here. I however would say that you should weigh/measure yourself religiously, only do it once a week like clockwork, not twice a day, every day. The problem is if you do it too often, which most people do, you get discouraged because any changes you see are miniscule. A once a week weigh in will encourage you more because you will see a distinct change. You will be able to measure the results and make changes as necessary.

After I retired, I went from 195 to 245. It took my knee flaring up and me having to use a cane to walk to motivate me to drop the weight. I took 6 months on the stationary bicycle to drop 45 lbs.

[Scuba Steve33]

I understand what Scuba Steve is trying to say here. I however would say that you should weigh/measure yourself religiously, only do it once a week like clockwork, not twice a day, every day. The problem is if you do it too often, which most people do, you get discouraged because any changes you see are miniscule. A once a week weigh in will encourage you more because you will see a distinct change. You will be able to measure the results and make changes as necessary.

After I retired, I went from 195 to 245. It took my knee flaring up and me having to use a cane to walk to motivate me to drop the weight. I took 6 months on the stationary bicycle to drop 45 lbs.

I agree and that's what I meant. You don't want to do it every day because as you said, you won't see huge changes. Doing it at the end/start of every week is okay in my book. Kuddos to you dropping the weight.

[TAK]

Don't tell them, unless it occurs in the 30 seconds you are doing a vision test shut up about it and go to BAS after your first deployment and tell them it just started happening. They will log it and you will get some good disability for it when you get out. If you tell them before I guarantee you will be dropped unless the doctor is in a really good mood.

[rero360]

I hate to be the bad guy here, but I think a serious gut check and look in the mirror is called for here.

The fact that you have a disorder, documented or not, that causes you to loose vision from time to time, makes me ask you to serious reconsider trying to enlist. Don't get me wrong, its very honorable of you and its something not meant for everyone. However that is just simply too big a problem to overlook, would you be able to live with yourself if someone were to die due to your vision fading out on you at the wrong time?

One also has to wonder if the excess weight you have now will have any detrimental effects to your health in the long term, what would happen if you get in, deploy, and while out on patrol you have a heart attack, stroke, or something like that, now the whole patrol in stopped to take care of you, vulnerable to attack , never mind the fact that you might have been enroute to assault a position that was time sensitive.

Point is, while its good you want to enlist and serve, you have to look at the bigger picture and the possible complications that could arise.

Imagine an example, the Ranger raid in the Mog, "Blackhawk Down" from what a number of people, including myself, believe, that the raid would have gone just about flawlessly if it wasn't for the one soldier falling from the Blackhawk. Now no one can say for sure, but its entirely possible all those people wouldn't have died (well over a thousand) that day if that soldier hadn't fallen.

[Scuba Steve33]

I hate to be the bad guy here, but I think a serious gut check and look in the mirror is called for here.

The fact that you have a disorder, documented or not, that causes you to loose vision from time to time, makes me ask you to serious reconsider trying to enlist. Don't get me wrong, its very honorable of you and its something not meant for everyone. However that is just simply too big a problem to overlook, would you be able to live with yourself if someone were to die due to your vision fading out on you at the wrong time?

One also has to wonder if the excess weight you have now will have any detrimental effects to your health in the long term, what would happen if you get in, deploy, and while out on patrol you have a heart attack, stroke, or something like that, now the whole patrol in stopped to take care of you, vulnerable to attack , never mind the fact that you might have been enroute to assault a position that was time sensitive.

Point is, while its good you want to enlist and serve, you have to look at the bigger picture and the possible complications that could arise.

Imagine an example, the Ranger raid in the Mog, "Blackhawk Down" from what a number of people, including myself, believe, that the raid would have gone just about flawlessly if it wasn't for the one soldier falling from the Blackhawk. Now no one can say for sure, but its entirely possible all those people wouldn't have died (well over a thousand) that day if that soldier hadn't fallen.

He won't get in until he loses at least 75 pounds. For all anyone knows his healthier lifestyle and weight loss could get rid of the eye situation. The Army definitely won't let him join now, perfect vision or not.

In regards to the Battle of Mogadishu, Wolcott's bird wasn't in a different position because Blackburn was injured. Everything was still on track and going smoothly until he was shot down. Blackburn's injury only caused problems later when the guys on the ground had to move to the crash site and were now down five men (four were sent to carry Blackburn to the convoy). Blackburn falling was a hiccup, nothing more.

[Tee Why]

Sounds like you have Amaurosis fugax, which can be caused by many things.
Seeing as you had an MRI (I'm suspecting of the eye and head) and an ultrasound of the neck, you probably don't have clots being thrown off from the arteries in the neck to the eye or blockages of blood flow to the eye.
Seeing as it's painful, my guess would be that is's due to vasospasm (spasming of the muscles that cover the arteries that goes to the eye) that is closing off the blood flow to the eye temporarily causing the loss of vision.
Good thing is you can survive with one eye/monocular vision in most situations for a minute or two I would think.
Not sure if that would disqualify you from the military or not though.
Good luck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaurosis_fugax

[guitar-nut]

Don't tell them, unless it occurs in the 30 seconds you are doing a vision test shut up about it and go to BAS after your first deployment and tell them it just started happening. They will log it and you will get some good disability for it when you get out. If you tell them before I guarantee you will be dropped unless the doctor is in a really good mood.

Do not do this! This will likely get you or a comrade killed. Also, if you get in and then tell them about this they will almost certainly pull your medical records. When they find out you lied about a very serious medical issue you will be discharged for fraudulent enlistment; with something this serious you could easily be looking at prison time.

[bubbagump]

Don't tell them, unless it occurs in the 30 seconds you are doing a vision test shut up about it and go to BAS after your first deployment and tell them it just started happening. They will log it and you will get some good disability for it when you get out. If you tell them before I guarantee you will be dropped unless the doctor is in a really good mood.

Do not do this! This will likely get you or a comrade killed. Also, if you get in and then tell them about this they will almost certainly pull your medical records. When they find out you lied about a very serious medical issue you will be discharged for fraudulent enlistment; with something this serious you could easily be looking at prison time.

I was told by several people that I should not mention it.

I do not want to risk the chance (however uncommon) of being discharged with anything but an honorable. It is just an honesty thing for me, I'd rather come clean and not have to worry about it coming back to bite me in the *** later.

I hate to be the bad guy here, but I think a serious gut check and look in the mirror is called for here.

The fact that you have a disorder, documented or not, that causes you to loose vision from time to time, makes me ask you to serious reconsider trying to enlist. Don't get me wrong, its very honorable of you and its something not meant for everyone. However that is just simply too big a problem to overlook, would you be able to live with yourself if someone were to die due to your vision fading out on you at the wrong time?

One also has to wonder if the excess weight you have now will have any detrimental effects to your health in the long term, what would happen if you get in, deploy, and while out on patrol you have a heart attack, stroke, or something like that, now the whole patrol in stopped to take care of you, vulnerable to attack , never mind the fact that you might have been enroute to assault a position that was time sensitive.

Point is, while its good you want to enlist and serve, you have to look at the bigger picture and the possible complications that could arise.

Imagine an example, the Ranger raid in the Mog, "Blackhawk Down" from what a number of people, including myself, believe, that the raid would have gone just about flawlessly if it wasn't for the one soldier falling from the Blackhawk. Now no one can say for sure, but its entirely possible all those people wouldn't have died (well over a thousand) that day if that soldier hadn't fallen.

Thanks for the response RERO. You make a very good point, and I am considering seeking further medical treatment (when funds allow) to see if I can get this condition fixed or at least diagnosed. Until then an enlistment seems unlikely from what everyone is telling me.

He won't get in until he loses at least 75 pounds. For all anyone knows his healthier lifestyle and weight loss could get rid of the eye situation. The Army definitely won't let him join now, perfect vision or not.

My first "attack" happened when I weighed about 180 pounds. At that time I was in much better shape. I had blood tests done and they ruled out high blood pressure/cholesterol/etc.

Sounds like you have Amaurosis fugax, which can be caused by many things.
Seeing as you had an MRI (I'm suspecting of the eye and head) and an ultrasound of the neck, you probably don't have clots being thrown off from the arteries in the neck to the eye or blockages of blood flow to the eye.
Seeing as it's painful, my guess would be that is's due to vasospasm (spasming of the muscles that cover the arteries that goes to the eye) that is closing off the blood flow to the eye temporarily causing the loss of vision.
Good thing is you can survive with one eye/monocular vision in most situations for a minute or two I would think.
Not sure if that would disqualify you from the military or not though.
Good luck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaurosis_fugax

No pain during the attacks. The Ophthalmologist recommended a lumbar puncture, which according to some medical professionals I've spoken to indicates that maybe she thought I had Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. From what I understand it can be benign or it can make you completely blind. There is no real solution, only a way to mitigate it. It could also be migraines or a myriad of other things.

[rero360]

OP:

I hope you find out what the cause for the blindness is and that it is a simple and curable issue, I also wish you the best of luck in losing the excess weight and keeping it off, both of those are sure to improve your overall quality of life.

I also want to make a clarification to my previous statement, I will be hitting the 12 year mark in uniform in two months. During that time I spent 6 years as a light infantry scout, 3 years as a combat MP, and I am now a Forward Observer.

In stating that, I come from the combat side of the house, it really is all I know how to think. with that said, I'm sure there are probably a good number of MOSs out there that you would be able to serve in with honor and distinction without risking your or anyone else's lives due to the eye issue.

I still stand though if I learned that one of my soldiers (combat MOS mind you) had an issue like that, I would seriously call in to question the ability of him being there, and would push for him to change jobs to where people's lives weren't at stake.

So basically, lose the weight and be happy and healthy, enlist if you can, but if you don't find a cause and solution to the eye issue before then, please do not try for any combat MOSs, 11, 12(or did they change that?) 13, 18, 19, 31 series and I'm sure there are probably a few others that I can't think of at the moment.

[TAK]

The military cannot get your medical records unless you personally release them. When you enlist they will ask you who your doctor is, just don't give it to them the recruiter won't think twice. It's a miniscule detail. So if the military somehow wanted to burn you they would have to get you to tell them who your doctor is, then they would have to get you to release those records to them. They tell you that you sign a paper saying you release them but NO doctor will do that unless they have a court order, which would never happen anyway. Think what you want but if you want to serve telling them about this will end it right away. The wars are over, unless you want to go infantry you should go for it. If it becomes a legit problem in the service tell someone about it but it seems very mild.

Everyone is a sea lawyer so take what all of us say with a grain of salt. But if you ask your recruiter, should I disclose a undiagnosed medical condition they are going to tell you to "forget" when you fill out the paper if you want to enlist.

[guitar-nut]

The military cannot get your medical records unless you personally release them. When you enlist they will ask you who your doctor is, just don't give it to them the recruiter won't think twice. It's a miniscule detail. So if the military somehow wanted to burn you they would have to get you to tell them who your doctor is, then they would have to get you to release those records to them. They tell you that you sign a paper saying you release them but NO doctor will do that unless they have a court order, which would never happen anyway. Think what you want but if you want to serve telling them about this will end it right away. The wars are over, unless you want to go infantry you should go for it. If it becomes a legit problem in the service tell someone about it but it seems very mild.

Everyone is a sea lawyer so take what all of us say with a grain of salt. But if you ask your recruiter, should I disclose a undiagnosed medical condition they are going to tell you to "forget" when you fill out the paper if you want to enlist.

Actually that paper you sign is a full release. If they can figure out where your records are they can get them. A doctor will release the records because you signed a paper explicitly giving consent for them to be released, no court order would be required as you've waived your patient privacy rights. That release paper is not a farce you sign just for fun.