UC and the Air Force

Hello,

 

I was diagnosed with UC several months ago and I am just wondering if I could still join the Air Force with my condition?

 

I was talking to some recruiters, and once I said I had to be on meds they stopped calling me.

no chance for ever joining the military. period, you are now considered unfit for duty. UC is a chronic disease- no matter how moderate or severe they cannot legally accept you. The military needs 100% healthy people to go into combat.

I was talking to a Navy recruiter around the time I was trying to get diagnosed. I told him I had been seeing doctors for a stomach condition. He told me to call back if it was not a severe disorder/condition. Well it was UC so I never called back, because its a chronic condition and very severe for me at the time. Oh well I will leave the Navy for my brother, and stick with college.

Jamie

I tried joining the army and they said that UC was a permanent disqualification. It is still my passion and I hope to one day join. I talked to the recruiter and he said if I have the j pouch surgery and will no longer be on meds I should be able to join. I start the police academy on september 23rd and once I finish that I plan to have the surgery then hopefully join the army as a military police officer.

I work for the Army as a Department of the Army Civilian. My condition places me in a "non-deployable" status. Meaning I cannot be deployed into a "down range" position. If I was active duty, and was peminantly not deployable I would be medically boarded and retired.

Soldiers MUST be able to deploy without worrying about where the nearest latrine is.

kg4whl said...

bokscarracer said...

kg4whl said...

I am in the Air force. To my understanding you can not join with this condition. I been in for 12 years and found out I had UC 8 months ago. They are making me go thought a medical board. I have a feeling I will get the boot soon.

Chris


i was diagnosed november 2006. still in the air force (active duty) and have never been told that i would have to go to the med board. is it up to each doc or is it possible my gi doc doesn't know i should be med boarded? i would think he should.

If you never go to your family doctor (AKA the clinic) then no you will not get a MED. I was all fine until my family practice doctor had to put me on a profile for the prednisone. I am stationed at Kadena and at this base UC is an automatic MEB. The way the Air Force is going if you can’t deploy then you can’t be in the Air Force. Try to hide that you have UC. Never go to your primary doctor about anything to do with UC. Just use your GI doctor and you will be fine. I will keep the forum updated of my MEB when they stop losing the paper work.

yeah i started having probs when i went to my PCP for a routine appointment. she asked why i was on colazal and when i told her i had UC she said she was surprised i hadn't been through the MEB process. so she prints out the part of the AFI that calls for dismissal and refers me to a new GI doc that she knows. i scheduled the appointment than called and canceled it and never followed up. i only have until april to be here so i'm staying away from her at all costs. as a matter of fact i think i'm going to change my PCP. i'm doing the whole sunflower seed/spinach deal and tapering off my meds so i'm hoping that by the time i get to travis (my next duty station) i won't have a need to see any GIs. funny thing is while i was deployed i had absolutely no hint of having UC. when i thought back to it i was eating sunflower seeds that came out of the care packages every day! i hope your MEB goes well. are you having any symptoms presently? that sucks that you've put in 12 years but hopefully if you get the boot you'll get a good percentage in addition to your med retirement.

MMMNAVY said...
It depends on your job, your time in, and a couple different issues for example if you are an MD or a nurse they are going put you in fork and knife school, and they will deploy you if you are in remission.
Remission and staying in remission is the name of the game here. I have heard it is easier to say in with UC then it is with crohns, because UC surgery "cures" but I do not know if you are deployable with a bag (I would think not).

Mackster, the objective is not to die for your country, it is to make the other ___________________ die for theirs.

In all honesty I am kinda laughing that people do not know what pilots do when they are hit with the urge to poo.

I hope people know that in order to become a pilot in the AF now, you at least have to have an undergrad degree.

Mikeman, just FYI you signiture needs to be limited to 10 lines including spaces.


To serve one's country is a noble thing, and I would go back in heartbeat if I was physically able too.

the air force is putting me through nursing school right now as a matter of fact. i graduate this december. i would hope that they would let my stay in regardless of my condition as long as it's managed well. i know they don't want to lose their investment but hey if i get the boot at least i got a free education!