I have a medical question. Read it all before you answer please…?
I have a hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia is in the stomach by the esophagus and not anywhere near the abdomen. So I do not think it qualifies under the military rules for abdominal wall hernias. Can someone provide clarification on this. Could I at the least get a medical waiver for this condition? What would MEPS do if I showed up with a hiatal hernia? After all, its only uncomfortable, and I can perform athletically at a very high level in sports so I don’t understand why I wouldn’t be successful in some of the more high action jobs the military has to offer. I don’t trust a recruiter. I feel they could somehow take advantage of my situation, so I will figure it out without their help. Unless a recruiter wants to help me on here of course.
I had to look this up and found this:
Signs and symptomsHiatal hernia has often been called the "great mimic" because its symptoms can resemble many disorders. For example, a person with this problem can experience dull pains in the chest, shortness of breath (caused by the hernia’s effect on the diaphragm), and heart palpitations (due to irritation of the vagus nerve).
In most cases however, a hiatal hernia does not cause any symptoms. The pain and discomfort that a patient experiences is due to the reflux of gastric acid, air or bile. While there are several causes of acid reflux, it does happen more frequently in the presence of hiatal hernia.
THIS is what DoD medical standards has to say:
Abdominal wall.
(1) Current hernia, including, but not limited to uncorrected inguinal (550) and other abdominal wall hernias (553), do not meet the standard.
ANYTHING that puts someone out of service at crucial times by a KNOWN potential problem….will not likely get in. There was a guy in here that was DQd for being alergic to Kiwi. Other food and insect bite allergies are also a DQ. A crucial time can be many different things…even guard duty…and everyone pulls guard…armed and unarmed, high security area and low securty area.
Perhaps it can be fixed with surgery? Perhaps that would be OK to them. The state just below may get you in later:
(2) History of open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery ***during the preceding 6 months (P54) does not meet the standard.
You need to understand that the internet isn’t for diagnosis and we aren’t trained to examine you or provide you with any medically relevant information.
This is something you need to talk to your doctor about and, yes, I would suggest talking to a recruiter about it.
References :
I hope not. If they give you a waiver and the condition worsens while you are on active duty you would claim it as a service connected disability and want free medical care and pay for the rest of your life.
References :
The Recruiter is NOT a Doctor nor can he/she make a medical determination. They will send you to MEPS which will. And no one on here can foretell what some random Doc at MEPS is going to determine.
I don’t even see it mentioned in AR 40-501
http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r40_501.pdf
References :
Me, 22 years in the Army, a former Recruiter
I had to look this up and found this:
Signs and symptomsHiatal hernia has often been called the "great mimic" because its symptoms can resemble many disorders. For example, a person with this problem can experience dull pains in the chest, shortness of breath (caused by the hernia’s effect on the diaphragm), and heart palpitations (due to irritation of the vagus nerve).
In most cases however, a hiatal hernia does not cause any symptoms. The pain and discomfort that a patient experiences is due to the reflux of gastric acid, air or bile. While there are several causes of acid reflux, it does happen more frequently in the presence of hiatal hernia.
THIS is what DoD medical standards has to say:
Abdominal wall.
(1) Current hernia, including, but not limited to uncorrected inguinal (550) and other abdominal wall hernias (553), do not meet the standard.
ANYTHING that puts someone out of service at crucial times by a KNOWN potential problem….will not likely get in. There was a guy in here that was DQd for being alergic to Kiwi. Other food and insect bite allergies are also a DQ. A crucial time can be many different things…even guard duty…and everyone pulls guard…armed and unarmed, high security area and low securty area.
Perhaps it can be fixed with surgery? Perhaps that would be OK to them. The state just below may get you in later:
(2) History of open or laparoscopic abdominal surgery ***during the preceding 6 months (P54) does not meet the standard.
References :