MattDS
09-28-14, 08:11 PM
Hi, I don't post on forums very much, but I have a few questions and no matter where I look I cannot find answers to them. I hate thinking because it isn't mentioned, it doesn't matter. I'll be talking to a recruiter in four days, just would like to know sooner/more about the subject.
So, I've been interested in serving since childhood but It's always felt like a pipe dream. Just something I wasn't made for.
2 years later, 80lbs less fat and 20lbs more muscle, I realize... It's an option. Though, I'm afraid it's not meant to be. I have a medical history and I know how strict qualifications are.
I have two big concerns that might disqualify me from enlisting and then a couple minor ones. I want to know if any of these are major issues, outright disqualifying, or if I shouldn't worry about it.
1: Charcot–Marie–Tooth. I have been "Diagnosed" with CMT at the age of 15 (20 now). I say Diagnosed in quotations because I am strongly suspect of medical malpractice. (You just have to trust me here. It was really poorly handled.)
CMT is a neurological disease characterized by loss of touch senstation and also progressive muscle weakness.
The gene for CMT was never found in multiple blood tests, I show little to no signs. You would say I didn't have it if I didn't have a piece of paper saying so.
Of course, I will not lie about this in my history. I am more worried about the words on the paper than how I am affected. It's like breaking a finger at 10, and then at 20 your medical history saying "Broken Bones".
2: Kidney Stones. I've had two kidney stones, one at 12 and another at 16. These were the results of poor diet, and I have since fixed that problem and have not had kidney issues since.
3: Broken bones. I have broken my foot a couple times 12-14, nothing major just hairline fractures. Healed just fine, hell I was walking on it a couple days after.
4: Dental History. I don't believe it would, but does past dental work impact anything? I have a bridge.
5: Hyperflexability. I also have Hyperflexability in my joints, basically imagine I'm double jointed everywhere. This gives me no weakness, but it does look pretty weird and I'm afraid it will be seen as more of an issue than it really is.
6: Headaches. Lastly, I'm susceptible to minor headaches. But they don't bother me that much. Nothing makes them worse, and sometimes I even forget that they are there. Again this is a case where I'm more concerned about what they see on the records than if the problem actually affects me.
I'm sure all of this makes me look like a liability and it might. I don't whine or complain about any of it and I don't believe it hinders me. Maybe I'm in denial, maybe everyone has issues like these. I don't claim to be Marine material, but I want to be.
You're not doctors, but you are Marines. You know what I have to be up for, what tests I have to pass. Am I a lost cause, or is there hope? Feel free to tell me I'm not cut out for it, maybe I'm not.
They say don't enlist to prove something to anyone. I'm not. I'm want to prove everything to myself.
So, I've been interested in serving since childhood but It's always felt like a pipe dream. Just something I wasn't made for.
2 years later, 80lbs less fat and 20lbs more muscle, I realize... It's an option. Though, I'm afraid it's not meant to be. I have a medical history and I know how strict qualifications are.
I have two big concerns that might disqualify me from enlisting and then a couple minor ones. I want to know if any of these are major issues, outright disqualifying, or if I shouldn't worry about it.
1: Charcot–Marie–Tooth. I have been "Diagnosed" with CMT at the age of 15 (20 now). I say Diagnosed in quotations because I am strongly suspect of medical malpractice. (You just have to trust me here. It was really poorly handled.)
CMT is a neurological disease characterized by loss of touch senstation and also progressive muscle weakness.
The gene for CMT was never found in multiple blood tests, I show little to no signs. You would say I didn't have it if I didn't have a piece of paper saying so.
Of course, I will not lie about this in my history. I am more worried about the words on the paper than how I am affected. It's like breaking a finger at 10, and then at 20 your medical history saying "Broken Bones".
2: Kidney Stones. I've had two kidney stones, one at 12 and another at 16. These were the results of poor diet, and I have since fixed that problem and have not had kidney issues since.
3: Broken bones. I have broken my foot a couple times 12-14, nothing major just hairline fractures. Healed just fine, hell I was walking on it a couple days after.
4: Dental History. I don't believe it would, but does past dental work impact anything? I have a bridge.
5: Hyperflexability. I also have Hyperflexability in my joints, basically imagine I'm double jointed everywhere. This gives me no weakness, but it does look pretty weird and I'm afraid it will be seen as more of an issue than it really is.
6: Headaches. Lastly, I'm susceptible to minor headaches. But they don't bother me that much. Nothing makes them worse, and sometimes I even forget that they are there. Again this is a case where I'm more concerned about what they see on the records than if the problem actually affects me.
I'm sure all of this makes me look like a liability and it might. I don't whine or complain about any of it and I don't believe it hinders me. Maybe I'm in denial, maybe everyone has issues like these. I don't claim to be Marine material, but I want to be.
You're not doctors, but you are Marines. You know what I have to be up for, what tests I have to pass. Am I a lost cause, or is there hope? Feel free to tell me I'm not cut out for it, maybe I'm not.
They say don't enlist to prove something to anyone. I'm not. I'm want to prove everything to myself.