RAF Asthma - a rant about the blanket NO!...

[h0st-UK]

I've just spent about the last 2 hours researching this topic in regard to the RAF and the various experiences of people unfortunate as myself to have had a medical issue in the past that will likely crush any chance of a career in the military for the foreseeable future.

I'm looking at joining as an Intelligence Officer in April 2010 (new tax year) I likely won't be front-line and my day to day routine is unlikely to involve any radical or overly demanding physical activity, I would expect it to be very unlikely that I would be called upon to lead into battle (although I except anything is possible) I shouldn't be operating any hardware where other peoples lives are at risk, should I 'suddenly suffer an asthma attack' which is not going to happen.

Knowing that asthma is an issue in the Military. I went to see a local nurse this morning to review my medical history. In the last 4 years I have had a single prescription for a preventative inhaler in April 2008. No other problems or issues whatsoever.

So happy with that news I got home, straight onto the blower to the RAF recruit-line for advise hoping I could explain my situation and it wouldn't pose a problem.

Before I could explain my situation or ask the lady about anything more to do with this. I got slammed with a NO! and the 4 years symptom free rule. She wouldn't hear me out. End of conversation.

I'm 26. I started with asthma at 3 years old. Between 3-6yrs I suffered two attacks. From the age of 6 up to 16, I was on the usual blue/brown inhaler combo, anti-biotics when I got a chest infection and once the small pink steroids.

So from 17-26 I've 98% grown out of my asthma. Judging by my medicals it seems the last time I had a chest infection was in 2005, no mention of asthma although they likely interlink. The last time I used an inhaler was likely back in 2008 when I got the offending article prescribed, it's been sat in a draw since unused. Even on the rare occasions when my chest becomes tight I can still function/talk/think/act as if It wasn't although it can be a bit uncomfortable.

I've been running 3 miles without any problems.. my pace isn't super fast, my times are above the 22 minute deadline, however with a few months practice i'll be under. The press-ups and sit-ups are no problem I quite easily exceed those targets. I exercise usually 30 minutes a day (hangover pending) doing a varied program - in short i'm fit. My BMI is 22 and i'm toned. I also had the standard medical check-up this morning which likewise was 'good'.

I wouldn't expect a position in the RAF if I could not exceed/pass the fitness training at each stage, and nor would I deserve one.

I want to serve and want to serve long-term until retirement age. It's been an ambition of mine for quite some time and i've gave it a lot of serious thought, I have a strong education background with skills that I believe will benefit the service and my colleagues.

If you don't have a condition that has stopped you doing something you really want to, then you will find it hard to understand how it feels, to be rejected for something out of your control that is no longer an issue, in short a technicality, and while I understand all the arguments for NO asthma in the military, surely THIS SHOULD BE BASED ON INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE AND TRADE. Not a blanket NO!

Clearly i'm disappointed as many others have been and are.....

I'm going to visit my family GP in the morning. A) I'll ask him if the entry for the inhaler in 2008 can be removed although I doubt this is possible. So failing that B) i'll ask if he can neglect to mention the inhaler in 2008 - and hope the RAF don't notice. C) i'll ask if he can write a letter to the RAF hopefully with him recommending they overlook the inhaler prescribed last year and advising in his opinion that I'm fit for service. D) If he is unwilling or unable to do this then I will request to be seen by a respiratory specialist and under-go tests to hopefully prove that i'm asthma free / fit for service at their recommendation.

I'll update the post with how I get on, once I have any paperwork i'll go down my local AFCO and speak with them in person.

I can't see hiding the truth about asthma as a sensible option, if it's on your medical history then you can't hide it, as you have to allow them access to your records.

If the prescribed inhaler proves to be a barrier, then i'll very reluctantly have to wait another 3 years for my chance, by which time I hope i'll have chosen another career.

I'm devastated by the blanket cover on this issue, I was hoping the RAF/Military would be modern enough to judge medicals on individual merit and performance. Perhaps this is just a much more cost-effective way.

How many potential A* sergeants/colonels/officers/generals/infantry/commanders.... will have been overlooked because of blanket decisions like this. Asthma now is so controllable. This issue is out of date and the policy clearly in my opinion needs revisiting!

[Hyperlithe]

NO medical issue is a technicality.
The requirement is to have been symptom free for four years, and you haven't been. If you haven't been using your inhaler on the occasions your chest gets tight then that's your decision, but not using your inhaler and being symptom free are not the same thing!
I can understand that you find it frustrating, but that doesn't make it wrong. The rules are there for a reason, every single person in the military is expected to be a war fighter first and a specialist second, so the fact that you want to join up as an IntO is largely irrelevant. (There is more to the job than delivering briefings, and while it's not officially a frontline job the frontline is more of an abstract concept than ever before in the current theatre)
I'm sorry if you think I'm being harsh, but from a serving person's point of view I agree with the policy.

[h0st-UK]

I understand what your saying hyper and I certainly would not want to put anyone's life in jeopardy because of a medical issue.

I am slightly, if not completely naive to the actual demands of an Intel Officer role, as i'm sure there is much more to it than is written in ink. If I was applying the Army or RAF regiment I could understand more sympathetically to my situation and the RAF standpoint.

But what of those people in the military that have developed asthma during service (or managed to sneak past the medicals) they are likely not ejected. I'm sure they are judged on their performance..... It's likely there are many serving military personnel that currently have asthma and continue to perform as trained.

I can also understand from a legal liability perspective that should an asthma sufferer fall critically ill or worse while on duty/tour the military could be held partially responsible (perhaps an opt in disclaimer could be the answer to this)

I'm just really frustrated!!! I'm 26 now, at this age i'm going in quite mature as it is... the prospect of having to wait until 2012..... :/

I wanted the RAF as a career for which I'd serve with absolute respect & determination. But a 3 year wait now puts that dream in jeopardy. I guess I'll just have to see where I am in three years time. Least I've time to work down them 3 mile run times :/

I still intend on seeing where I get with the GP / specialists and the AFCO. I wish I'd of researched this issue last year more thoroughly because I clearly wouldn't of got that prescription - it's been sat in my sodding draw since anyway. Asthma affects me so rarely that up to this point, in the last few days I never even thought about it being an issue.

I'm more frustrated because I seemingly can't apply now because of a preventative inhaler prescription (in Europe they are available over the counter) not an actual attack/infection/issue etc...

At this point I'd just like to be given the opportunity to trial for Officer selection and training. That's all. If I didn't make it due to fitness/health reasons i'd bite my lip and shut up....

[Hyperlithe]

People don't tend to develop asthma later on in life, so maybe not the best example to use here, but...
If a serving member of the Armed Forces develops a condition/illness/whatever, then there has already been a significant amount spent on their training, and they've already made a contribution to service life, so the MoD is prepared to try and keep them in if possible, rather than spend all that money again on training a new person. It doesn't always happen; my ex was medically discharged after being diagnosed with leukaemia, even though he is in no way, shape or form ill, (it is kept 100% under control by one tablet a day), because it has long-term implications for his health and his ability to serve.
I joined up at 26, and there were older people than me going through training, especially on IOT courses.

[h0st-UK]

Understood.

I had a quick look at the US airforce for comparison, they don't seem to be as upfront with yes / no's online. So not sure where they stand, not that it matters, was just curious.

It seems i'll just have to get use to the idea of an application in a further three years time. We'll the big 30. I guess for an Officer it's not unreasonable.

You don't happen to have a time machine handy do you?

Thanks for the banter / info.

Any changes / progress - i'll get it posted.

[Hyperlithe]

Time machine? I wish! I'd have FFW'd through 5 years of training...

Why don't you see if you can arrange a visit to whatever your nearest RAF base is to spend some time with an IntO and get a straight story about what they do actually do?

I don't want to try and put you off at all, there's all sorts of things that you can do in the next 3 years (if it comes to that) that would make you the number one candidate when you go to OASC. For example, joining the RAF reserves, being an adult instructor for the air cadets, running off to Africa to build a school for orphaned children passed over for adoption by Madonna etc. Ok the last one's a bit extreme, but you get the idea!

[h0st-UK]

I'm happy with what I currently know about becoming an Int.O. It's one of the few trades that I can see myself being happy with long term. However it is definitely a good idea to try and shadow, I didn't think it would be possible for security reasons but i'll ask.

Thanks for the information about the reserves though, I will definitely look into that as a possibility, I never considered that option before and i'll chat to the AFCO about it should my Int.O application be put on hold, like I assume it now will.

Are the medical requirements less stringent than professional? I suppose if I could join them, at least it will spice things up - break up that soul destroying office work and give me some good insight / experience.

[Hyperlithe]

I'm not sure about medical requirements for the Reserves, but expect the AFCO will be able to help.
I think Leeming is your nearest base, so the IntOs there could be quite good to talk to. Obviously there will be a limit to what they can tell you but it's always nice to benefit from someone else's experience!

[timex]

H0st, in 2003 we deployed to Op Telic on board with us was an RAF Int Offr. His job was all the expected Int side of life and then when we went ashore he came with us, so the Int Offrs can (and do) deploy into the field. How would your asthma stand up in the Desert? (serious question).

[h0st-UK]

My asthma honestly hasn't effected anything I've done since I was a child. Certainly not in the last 10 years. The only time I can feel anything tight is if I've a chest infection, which is usually the result of getting a cold (in winter) - I haven't had either a cold or a chest infection in the last 4 years.

I've a strong immune system and have probably had a cold twice in that 10 years. And even then not to the point where i've been unable to function normally. I've not had any time off uni / work etc... due to illness in living memory.

As for how my asthma would be effected by desert conditions, I honestly couldn't answer that, extreme heat doesn't affect me, but i've never had to work in a desert environment. So I can't say.

The only situation I can apply desert work to is when I was a PR out in ibiza for 4 summers, we would spend 3-5hr daily shifts trawling the beaches, messing around on the beaches etc... and had no issues with the sand or heat.

I do DIY (occasionally) and have inhaled brick dust a few times (which is horrible) other than making me cough it didn't affect my lungs (although undoubtedly it would long-term) Just like long-term exposure to any particles/sand would affect a perfectly healthy set of lungs.

As long as I had a scarf across my mouth and nose like the locals and the rest of the troops. I'd have no complaints or foreseeable issues.

And i'm glad to hear that IntO's occasionally get into the field. Certainly will break up any routine.

---

I also visited my GP today. I explained my situation and the situation with the RAF. Looking at my records / peak flows and Spirographs over the last 4 years (all which have been between 570-611) in his professional opinion he sees no reason why I should not be capable of full service.

He also said he believes it completely unreasonable to delay an application like mine... due to a prescription. Bearing in mind a prescription such as the one I was advised to take, was precautionary not a reaction to any suffering or symptoms.

I was advised to accept it by the nurse/doctor who did that particular asthma check-up, bearing in mind I had skipped the last 3 years worth (including no prescriptions) as I was well and without symptoms.

The GP also said that due to my circumstances and medical/asthma records over the last 4 years that it would be unlikely that an MO would have a problem with my health.

Now in applying I do run the risk of having that prescription flagged when my medical records are checked (I'll expect this to happen) And I won't lie about my asthma in the past.

I'll will explain as I have now, including having the backing of my GP. And hope that my performance up to the point when this happens will have been good enough to warrant continuing my training.

For now, I'll make sure my fitness levels are above the requirements for Aprils intake and I'll work damn hard to make sure I make the grade.

[rs_shadow0000]

Knowing that asthma is an affair in the Military. I went to see a bounded assistant this morning to analysis my medical history. In the endure 4 years I accept had a individual decree for a bactericide inhaler in April 2008. No added problems or issues whatsoever.

So blessed with that account I got home, beeline assimilate the blower to the RAF recruit-line for admonish acquisitive I could explain my bearings and it wouldn't affectation a problem.

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Ultrasound repair

[dan pelv]

Hey host, i was in the exact same position as you, was going in as Avionics trade RAF (pretty low physically demanding trade), i train twice a day, combo of running, martial arts and weights. Interviews and tests went great, scored really high really, then had my medical this morning and told them i had been prescribed pumps on repeat prescription till around a year ago, i told my mother to cancel the repeat when i realised that asthma was a big NO NO in the forces, i havnt suffered any asthma sypmtoms since i was around ten and back then i only had tight chests (never had an attack or not been able to function normally).

Today at my medical i was deemed unfit and i find that shocking considering my mile and half run time just over 8 minutes and my pushups 60/1min, situps 50/1min, i surf though the british winter and never suffer tight chests and have also worked in hot conditions with no sumptoms.

I wish i never said about the pump prescription now to the doctor because i know there are people in the RAF with asthma that slipt under the radar, honesty in this case doesnt seem the best policy, i have been told to wait three years, and i think that is just crazy! If i thought that i would put others at risk from a condition i had i would tell them so they could advise me best, but i dont have asthma in any degree, ive been to my doctor and theres not much he can do, but he also said the forces need to update there view on this issue!

Any updates with yourself? Dan