Do you want to enlist in Military but b/c of WLS you can't?

Hi all.  I asked a question yesterday about joing the Army and got an array of responses.  All of which were GREAT!  I DID talk to a recruiter for the Army National Guard Friday Morning and was finally given the news this afternoon about noon.  At first I was upset, then I was MAD and now I am LIVID!!!!  I know at least 3 of the posters on my previous thread expressed an interest in enlisting in whatever branch.  Me the Army because of age.  And I researched the Army Medical Standards which were last updated FEB of 2005 and it was thrown in as an afterthought!   I know there are many who believe that I am on some kind of "special" diet and that this would in some way hinder me.  BUT I AM NOT!  I am 3 yrs post op, at my goal weight and aside from issues with gall bladder in the 1st 30 days out I have had no major issues.  One poster on previous thread stated that if you are in and have it its ok, because you are already trained and have all of that under your belt and the military does not want to spend money to train us "IN CASE".  Well I am not BUYING that BS.  EVERY individual that joins is a risk.  EVERY ONE!!!  Whether a flight risk, a injury or some one looses it, there are always risks.  Every employer including the military goes through this.  Spending time and money to train individuals who may or may not make the cut.  I am pissed that some entity that has not a clue of what I can do is not at least willing to talk to me and hear what I have to say.  Especially when the recruit #'s are so low.  When every person willing and able should be given the oppurtunity to serve thier Country! I am willing to walk away from my job, my husband, my comfortable life and DEFEND this GREAT NATION and I am really ticked that I, because I made a decision to take control of my weight and my life 3 yrs ago, albiet considered drastic, now I can't do WHAT I wanted to do 21 yrs ago but was too Overweight to do!  Would they have let me join at 330lbs, well HELL NO!  But now I have a smaller damn stomach and I can't.  My basic comment is this! IF YOU COULD GET A WAIVER WOULD YOU JOIN!   RIGHT NOW!!??   I ask because, BY GOD I am not taking this laying DOWN!  I want to fight beside my Country MEN and WOMEN for my COUNTRY and I am willing to put a little Bee in the Big Militaries Bonnet to do SO!  Would you do it too?   On my previous thread a responder stated the increase in militaries medical waivers would cover say an old Knee Surgery!  HMMMM!  Interestingly enough, my "little" Stomach would not suddenly give out on me if running in BCT or AIT or in the Sand, or mountains or out the door for Gods sake.  I am pissed that they can take THAT RISK but not one on ME!   I have this special diet,that is very damn laughable, let's see............................. I ate scrambled eggs and toast this morning with coffee, then for lunch I had Chinese, a little of several items!  and for dinner taco salad.  Damn I am alot more different then all the non WLS's out there huh!  Oh yeah, I had some Ritz crackers, 5 to be exact for a mid afternoon snack.  DAMN ME for being so different!  Oops I forgot I had Unsweet tea all day too!  If you are interested in stirring up enough of a voice to maybe get the Disqualifier changed, or given a case by case review, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact me.  I have several friends already on it!  I am gonna get a MEPS Dr to review my case and I am gonna get someone to sit up and take notice that just BECAUSE I don't eat as much as they do, that I can STILL FIGHT FOR MY COUNTRY!!!! I am not a QUITER, never have BEEN and I am not about to START NOW!  If you are serious and want to make the BEE bigger and stronger PLEASE contact me.  First I am teased and discriminated on because I was Obese and NOW because I did something about IT I am being discrimated against.  Military does not want to spend money to train me in case, well last damn time I checked EVERY working individual was footing the bill and I want my small portion put to work for ME! I appreciate all responses but please contact me personally if you feel the same.  One person can't change much but 2+ can damn sure get them to take notice! Thanks for listening, reading and supporting!   Angie ps.  I posted this exact post on the main message board but I know not everyone visits there.  I am in Meridian. MS

Hi there. Wow you are a wee bit on the angry side! Well I think it's good to be opiniated and express yourself.  No Gastric Bypass Patients Cannot Be In The Military: First off, I am an army wife. My husband and I are stationed on Fort Carson, CO. I had my surgery at a military treatment facility, Evans Army Community Hospital. Trust me when I agree that the military does not always do what is fair, efficient or right. However, sometimes there are reasons for things. I knew when I had my surgery that the military (all branches) would NOT allow me to enlist due to this surgery. We now have surgically alterted digestive systems. This affects us in many ways in which will not allow us to serve in the military. Even though there are many jobs that do not require conventional soldiering, every soldier must be able to be a basic rifleman and carry out their duties to certain extents. As far as we are concerned we cannot fulfill many of our duties in many different situations. In bootcamp you are given 15-20 minutes to eat. Most with gastric bypass cannot eat this quickly. In bootcamp, morning PT, afternoon PT, and while in the field many times you have no access to water and have specific hydration times. Hydration times everyone lines up with bottles or canteens and chug a gallon of water to rehydrate themselves. No gastric bypass patient or lap band patient can do that. During war time your access to certain gastric friendly meals, hydration, and vitamin supplements may be restricted. Even though you can eat a number of "normal" foods...what if all they had available in your area for a specific duration was high sugar foods...or pork, or beef, or chicken which many patients cannot tolerate. This is likely due to being deployed to remote locations. My husband regularly has to eat at McDonalds when working down range...it is the only food location and his command do not want people packing lunches. He has 10 minutes to eat. This isn't even a deployment. Most gastric bypass patients would need an accomodation and could not do this. The more soldiers you have needing accomodations the more dysfunctional the already dysfunctional the military will become. Even the Americans with Disabilities Act does not state that every person has the right to have a job or the right to have any type of job. All it says is that if you can preform every aspect of the job within reasonable accomodation then you should not be discriminated against because of a disability or physical condition. If you can't run 5 miles in the blistering heat, hydrate with a gallon of water in 1 minute, and eat whatever meal your provided with in 15 minutes then you cannot be a soldier. You simply cannot preform the duties within reasonable accomodation. Gastric Bypass Patients Can Be Employees of the Department of Defense as Civilians: You can serve your country and support the war in many ways beyond being enlisted in the military. Oh by the way the age limit is going to be increased to 45 here shortly to increase enlistment. You can be directly employed by the military as a civilian. They get almost all of the same benefits as active duty soldiers without alot of the negatives. My Personal Beliefs: The Army provides for my family very well. I am proud my husband is a soldier. I have no desire to be a soldier myself. I am just to liberal and outspoken. I also do not wish my daughter to be raised in a dual military household...it's just not what I want. If your goal in life was to be in the military...then you should have made sure you could have joined before your surgery. Researching all aspects of the surgery is important before the surgery. If you decided after the surgery that your life goal was to enlist...then well...frankly...that just sucks and I am sorry. But there is no point in being all fired up about it. Work around it. That is what the military is about...adapting and overcoming. At least that's what they say! You can support the military in too many ways to list. Sending care packages, visiting hurt soldiers, networking with support groups on post, etc. You can work as a civilian employee for the military. Work with what you have.  About Being Discriminated Against: The word discrimination has become a dirty word. But it is not always a bad thing. I want convicted sexual predators to be discriminated against to not work at schools. Not a bad thing there. If I own a music school and a deaf person wants to work for me...they can do many things at the school...but I will want to be able to discriminate against them and say they cannot teach singing lessons because they cannot hear the students. These are kinda extreme examples but I think you get my point. People are judged and consequences result from it daily. That's just how it goes. We need to realise our limitations being gastric bypass patients. You used to be obese and it was probably harder to get a job because of people's opinions of that. Now you cannot have one of loads of jobs because of your physical condition. Are you happier after the surgery? Are you healthier? Are you physically more able to preform loads more jobs than before the surgery? Are you more confident to apply for more jobs? Are you more confident to ask for raises? I think maybe you should look at the brighter side of things than picking on one thing to "woe is me" about. Some people just need to have someone agianst them. Some people just need to have a cause. I think your energies should be put to something more constructive. About my thoughts and opinions: Who cares? I am just one person and I probably say things I shouldn't. Most of us are like that. If you don't like what I say. That's ok...my feeling won't be hurt. You think I am completeley wrong...that's ok. I am just expressing my views on things right or wrong. Maybe you can see a few of my points and not be so mad about this topic. Maybe I'll just make you madder but at me...I hope not! Maybe you won't care what I say at all! Good luck with setting things right in your own mind. Be that either getting the military to change their requirements or by resolving yourself to the fact that enlistment in the military isn't a place for us.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/AL/a,messageboard/action,r eplies/board_id,4803/cat_id,4403/topic_id,3372002/ above is my response to her, she responded back, of course. it does not matter what we say to her, she is going to see things "her" way only. i am not going to get into a debate with her, on something that is pointless!! you made some very good points & i thoroughly agree!! bonnie

Dang..you're good!  I hadn't a clue what anybody was going to say and you hit it square on the head.  Thanks