Topic: Caught up in the medical?

[05Mountie]

Hi guys,

Been lurking in the shadows here for awhile receiving valuable advice.  A lot of knowledgeable posters here.  Anyhow, I decided to join, CEOTP AEC.  Test went very well scored 50/60 (don't know what that percentile gives me), interview went great.  Drugs and credit was the only snags which the interviewer was ok with because I was willing to take responsibility for my actions.

Think I may now be caught up in the medical though.  I've got a shoulder that seems to pop (no pain and no restrictions on weight lifting).  My doctor told me I should have lied to them (yeah he's very sketchy).  But when filling out the paper, he requested I do other tests (CT scan).  But he did give the prognosis as good, and said it would place no limitations on employment with the CF.  Other than that, everything is good.

Do you guys think that the fact I need to do other tests, they will delay my application?  My Career Counsellor said he wanted to get the paperwork done ASAP and get me in ASAP.  I want to go to BOTC in Sept. but am afraid now that it may get held over until January as the waiting list for a CT scan might take weeks or months.

Thanks for the help

[Brockvegas]

I just had my medical the other day, and was asked to have my family doctor double check my blood pressure (had to much coffee before my medical, damn you Tim Hortons), and to sign off on the reasons for a medication I was on a few years ago because it has several different uses.

The person doing my medical told me that the application continues on seperate from my medical, and that one would not hold up the other as long as I got the information from my doctor to them in a reasonable amount of time.

[KrissyJ]

I believe the previous poster is incorrect. In my situation, I also had to get a medical evaluation from my Dr. Yes he is right in saying it will not delay the interviewer from making his or her opinion regarding your application however, you can not be merit listed until you have approval from the medical staff. It took about two weeks for them to approve my medical and it was only a small thing (one month prescription over 5 years ago). I hope that it goes by fast and I will see you on BMQ in September!

[skyd1vr]

according to the PO that did my medical, the file would not leave the recruiting centre or his office and did not proceed another step until he got the additional medical doc's that were requested.

[IMA Ghost]

I was in the same situation. i went for my med i got Immediate Release but it went ot to quebec they tod me that it wont have to go out there. So here i am sittin on my *** doing security that i just cant stand intell they call, and i hope it's really soon, i want to get the sep BMQ. man this has been a long aplication.

[Bandit1]

As taken from one of my other posts...

My physical was the scary part. I used to have Bells Palsy (a facial paralysis which immobilizes 1/2 of your face, making it unable to use - Jean Chretien had this). Fortunately the regiment of medication (prednisone - a steroid) that the Doctor put me on had me back up and about as my usual self after a month or so, and after taking the "Request for Release of Medical Information" to my Doc, he said that I'm fully healed and that there was a full recovery, with a minimal risk of recurrence and an EXCELLENT prognosis! Woot! I wear eye glasses and the eye exam went well and I provided them with the "Visual Acuity" form - success!!

My file was sent to Ottawa and returned within a week with an all clear so now I'm just on the Merit List waiting with a hope of starting BMQ in September as well.

[Trader 556]

Yes, I to am in the same boat, shoulder problem.

There are a couple more things I need to get done, like an eye exam and a diagnoses on a skin condition I have on my back.  Its (skin condition) pretty much gone away, but it itches from time to time if don't use this OTC cream.

Back to my shoulder, the story goes, I dislocated it back in 1995, high school football and then numerous times up till about 2000 was the last time.  Up until about 2-3 Saturdays ago, I never had a dislocation until I did a bonehead move on the ice, which is where it happened.  The soreness is pretty much gone, range of motion slowly getting there, but still have some tightness in certain areas.  I actually did my PT test 2 weeks after the dislocation and I passed.

Now, since I have 3 medical items that need a doctors opinion, what are the chances I'll be denied acceptance due to my chronic shoulder dislocations?  I was shown by a physiotherapist long time ago as to how to put the sucker back in if it happened again.

I've applied for Arty with 7 Toronto.  BMQ is not until June, so that's plenty of time to "rest" if that's what the doctor says.

[ParaMedTech]

I'm not a recruiter anymore, nor have I ever worked in the CFRC medical det, but I do know from painful experience that repeated shoulder dislocations make someone unfit for field service, so you don't meet the common enrollment medical standards.  Go see an orthopedic surgeon and get the thing fixed. Do your physio, and reapply.

PMT

[Trader 556]

Thanks ParaMedTech

I have yet to go see the doctor as I am waiting for other tests before he'll examine me because I have not seen the doc for over 1 year.

I've already prepared for not getting accepted due to the condition as I do not want surgery to my shoulder.

Its just bad timing if you ask me.

All this time it was my eye sight I was concerned about. 

[Niteshade]

I too am caught up in the medical as well. Hearing issue and some extra weight are holding me up. I need two forms filled out by my family doc. One regarding my weight, Blood Pressure, and if it's a preexisting condition.  I don't think this is going to be a problem. However my hearing is the problem that I will be facing. I am (by the CFRC's equipment) a borderline fail of the hearing test (currently an H3, which is fine for my trade, but enrollment requires an H2). As we know their booth and equipment isn't the best, so my doc is sending me off to see an ENT (ear nose throat) specialist as well as an audiologist before finishing that letter off too. We will be retesting my hearing to H2 standards, and I am confident we will be OK. Once those are done, then I need to drop them off to the CRFC medical CPO1, then it gets sent off to Ottawa for denial/approval.

Fortunately I have a good well paying job I can sit on for the next half a year or so until I am (hopefully) approved. It's been a while since I was in cadets. I almost forgot about the adage "hurry up and wait".

Nites

[Trader 556]

I almost forgot about the adage "hurry up and wait".

I always thought that was a trader saying.

It works either way in both environments.

[Red_Snapper]

I feel for you guys, I was in good physical shape (2.4 in 9:20, 45 standard CF pushups), until early January I was lifting weights and pulled a muscle bad, I went to the hospital, the doctor gave me some anti-inflamatory pills and after a month I was back the way I was, and im still good in that sense, no big deal right? Then in early February, while shoveling snow after a storm, I slipped on sheer ice and hurt my knee. My family doctor said it was "water on the knee", which is appearently pretty commen, so once again I was prescribed anti-inflammatory, but I wanted to be sure, so I asked if I could get an x-ray. Low and be hold I had something like a stress fracture on the side of my knee. It doesn't hurt anymore,  and I gotta go for my physical in early may. I'm positive that my knee will be fully healed by then ( I walk on it all day at school, but when I get to my medical how am I goin' to explain that I was 'just having a bad luck streak'? The fact that I was on anti-inflammatorys' two times in two monthes isn't goin' to help. Should I just wait another year to apply, any thoughts?

[Niteshade]

I don't think it's going to be a deal breaker seeing as the need for the prescription was for separate, unrelated incidents involving different muscle groups. My guess is that if there is a problem they will send you to your doc with a letter to fill out. If you want to save some headache though, you could always wait the year... but then something worse could happen.

The aforementioned is coming from a guy who does not work in the CF, has no medical training at all, and cannot speak intelligently about many topics... but from my limited meandering experience. That's just my opinion.

Best of luck to you! I sure wish I had your problem.

Nites

[Intelligent Design]

Go to the medical! Once you get there, explain everything, and if they have any concern, they will get you to go get a doctor to sign off on it. Or they might tell you to wait. Either way, you should go get their opinion, because you might end up waiting for nothing. That or they might just tell you to wait a couple of months rather than a year.

[ghyslyn]

One thing that I learned from my medical is that you shouldnt mention anything unless you're certain it has the possibility of posing a problem in your time in the CF.

[xo31@711ret]

One thing that I learned from my medical is that you shouldnt mention anything unless you're certain it has the possibility of posing a problem in your time in the CF.
WRONG answer.  Most likely an applicant would be asked a hockey-sock full of medical / past medical history questions from A to Z. What someone thinks as a minor past medical problem /symptom might constitute a hidden and more serious medical condition/concern.
eg; 'Well doc, I have been peeing a lot more lately. Don't know why. Just more thirsty. No, I haven't been doing anything different. Have I seen my family doctor? Naw, it's just that I'm going to the bathroom more...'......   = ?diabetes; requires to be investigated further for the military's prospective on employment, but MORE IMPORTANTY for the individual's health and weel-being. -....'nuff said on my part.

Background: 2002 - 2006; ('old') 6A med tech - doing recruiting medicals CFRC Freddy; presently reserves doing unit medicals and periodically recruiting medicals.

[Muscat]

        Hello, I am also waiting on my approval from Ottawa and was just wondering generally how long does it take for theme to approve someone. In my case I mentioned I had a slight case of asthma and the army Dr. said I had to get a letter signed from my family Dr. 

[RTaylor]

I didnt tell them about my Hemochromatosis H63D inactive (genetic condition 20% or so of the population has) nor my old posture problem that caused my arms to hurt bad.

I mentioned it to them (not in detail) but they didnt give the forms to follow up on it so I guess it's not my problem now.

[MedTech32]

One thing that I learned from my medical is that you shouldnt mention anything unless you're certain it has the possibility of posing a problem in your time in the CF.

Not a smart thing.  The best is too be honest and disclose everything.  Remember that if you "Omit" something during your Medical and what you (who is not a medical professional in the military) thinks isn't significant, turns out to be significant and  affects you.  YOU CAN BE RELEASED from the CF.  Of course it can also go the other way too.  What you could be worrying about might not be a concern for us in assigning your medical category.

It is not that if you have a condition you can't join.  It's how that condition affects your daily life that decides what Med Categories you get ( It's a little more complicated, but that's it in a nutshell).

Honesty is a hallmark of Canadian society and the CF.  So please be honest with us when you do your medical.  We can usually tell if you are hiding something.

[recceguy]

Honesty and integrity are two hallmarks of a soldier. Skirting questions, falsifying answers and telling half truths fall outside both those definitions.

When asked a question, you answer to the best of your ability and knowledge. There is no excuse for not identifying ANY problem on your medical.

Locked.


Milnet.ca Staff