Uncontrolled Asthma in the MEB process

Damnit2101

New Member
Registered Member
Good afternoon all,

So, a few weeks ago I was officially brought into the IDES process. I have an PEBLO and an IDES coordinator. In the next little bit I will be going through my initial counseling with IDES/PEBLO/LEGAL/MSC and really begin the process.

To the meat and potatoes: I've had asthma since my return from Afghanistan in 2013. Deployed as a EOD Tech so I was exposed to the normal dirt grime and grit BUT also had the immense joy of breathing in White Phosphorus twice as well as hanging around inside a smoldering/smoking building that took a rocket to a wall. I was in there around 15 minutes breathing in all the lovely crud.

Fast forward 1 year to October 2014, failed my APFT run. I thought it was just me even though I passed my APFT for NCOPD 4 months before and was still physically active and working. I worked harder, ran more and around January 2015, failed my APFT run AGAIN. After that I began working out and running with a 300+ PT guy in my shop and even following his schedule, could not improve (Running 4 - 5 miles each day up hill and on tracks). I can and have passed my APFT with the walk event so at least I'm not a fat body. I went to see a civilian pulmonologist for two years trying to get ideas, diagnosis, testing, etc etc etc.

My civilian pulm. did not ever perform addition PFT tests to absolutely confirm Asthma but kept saying "...it looked like asthma but it wasn't since it isnt reacting to any medication..." and stopped doing tests saying that anything more would be unethical and kept me on the same regimen of meds around February 2017 so I decided to get a second opinion. However, I still couldn't breathe or pass my APFT run. Also, by this time I was on temp profile for 6 months. With no sign of improving AND not getting anywhere with the doctor, I went to the army and got a referral to a Army hospital who told me they couldn't help me so they referred me to Walter Reed Medical.

Walter Reed confirmed the civ pulm. "diagnosis" of moderate Asthma and actually performed the tests I was asking for and some other PFT with respiratory stressors that I didn't know existed (since my go-to pulm. was being incompetent. With the official diagnosis of asthma, along with 3 physicians recommendations for MEB, statements solidifying that treatments are not working, medical prescriptions showing corticosteroids being prescribed as well as being on temp profile for 11 months, 2 weeks I was finally granted a P3 as well as referral to IDES for MEB processing.

I am not looking to force a verdict of UNFIT. I want an answer to this and a way forward for my career and family's sake. If I stay in, awesome. If I retire, awesomer. But I want to know what my future is going to look like.

MY QUESTION (now that I've made a long story) is:

How many have had personal experience with MEB with uncontrolled asthma?

What can I be expecting to see with MEB results?

What is the possible outcome for FIT/UNFIT with Code 6602: "FEV-1 of 56- to 70-percent predicted, or; FEV-1/FVC of 56 to 70 percent, or; daily inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy, or; inhalational anti-inflammatory medication"?

If I am found UNFIT and medically retire/separate, what restrictions/limitations can I expect from future government employment? I'm looking for personal accounts.

Thankfully I've already had a job offer for an EOD desk position but it's still EOD so I cant get too upset about not blowing things up anymore.

So, thank you to anyone who helps me out. I'm still very much in the infancy of this process and I'm trying to get as much of a heads up on things as I can. Thanks again.
 
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So 30% Means that the member would be medically retired correct
Indeed, yes; a 30% or more rating in reference to a DoD military disability retirement shall occur albeit it may be TDRL or PDRL in nature. Take care!

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer!"

Best Wishes!
 
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