So I really cant do anything if I need an Epipen?

[sarahsmom]

But cant I just sign a form acknowledging the risk and that it would be my responsibility?

But you are not just putting yourself at risk. You are putting your entire section/platoon at risk. While you are the only one who will experience the anaphylactic response, you will require a medic to treat you in the field as well as 4 people to carry the stretcher you will be laying on. Depending on how far you are from a hospital, your 1 epipen may not be enough. Some people's allergies change over time and worsen, requiring multiple epi-pens.

 

[KevinB]

There have been a number of folks in the CAF with shrimp allergies. I went through PPCLI BSL with a guy who had a fairly significant allergic reaction— as we found out when he was forced to eat seafood chowder out of a hay box.

“Sgt, I’m allergic to that”
“I don’t care eat it”
And then Terry’s throat closed and the result from the MO was that no longer was our course to eat individual items as punishment for not eating all the food provided….

 

[medicineman]

But you are not just putting yourself at risk. You are putting your entire section/platoon at risk. While you are the only one who will experience the anaphylactic response, you will require a medic to treat you in the field as well as 4 people to carry the stretcher you will be laying on. Depending on how far you are from a hospital, your 1 epipen may not be enough. Some people's allergies change over time and worsen, requiring multiple epi-pens.

My first job out of the military was in a small farming community 30 minutes to any hospital in any direction - I always prescribed the injectors in pairs (or used TwinJects when they were available), as it really only buys you about 20 minutes - I have evacuated people out of the woods and such that required more than one hit and sometimes needed to be on a drip, not to mention needing the usual steroids and such after to temper the immune response. I have also kept people in a properly equipped facilities in the woods - however we had equipment available as well as 2nd/3rd line drugs as well as airway management tools, with the option of a quick removal if needed. It all depends on the where you are at the time.

There have been a number of folks in the CAF with shrimp allergies. I went through PPCLI BSL with a guy who had a fairly significant allergic reaction— as we found out when he was forced to eat seafood chowder out of a hay box.

“Sgt, I’m allergic to that”
“I don’t care eat it”
And then Terry’s throat closed and the result from the MO was that no longer was our course to eat individual items as punishment for not eating all the food provided….

I remember a lot of soul searching over the years for people with severe food allergies of whether they could be retained or should have even been allowed in...

 

[Blackadder1916]

And then there are the people who develop food allergies as adults. While comparatively rare, it does happen. After I left the military, I spent a few years managing a multi-location family practice/walk-in group (doc-in-a-box). At the location where I had my office, there were two notable incidents of adult onset food allergies that eventually required emergency intervention. The first was the owner of another business in the strip mall where we were located; he was a German baker who started getting hives and other symptoms. Before it was determined that he was allergic to wheat gluten, he had an anaphylactic reaction. Luckily, he came to our clinic and was seen immediately. Unluckily (for me), his allergy lead to him shutting his business; I had been a frequent customer, not just of his baked goods but he made the best spätzle in town. The other was one of the doctors in the same clinic. He was ex-MOTP (I first met him as a TQ3 in Edmonton in the 1970s) who got out after his obligatory service. His symptoms were originally unexplained nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Naturally he frequently used Gravol "tablets". It was only after anaphylaxis that happened at home (his wife was nurse) and the subsequent hospitalization, it was discovered that he had developed an allergy to corn starch. Corn starch is one of the inactive ingredients in Gravol (and almost all other anti-emetic) tablets.

 

[Rudburg]

But you are not just putting yourself at risk. You are putting your entire section/platoon at risk. While you are the only one who will experience the anaphylactic response, you will require a medic to treat you in the field as well as 4 people to carry the stretcher you will be laying on. Depending on how far you are from a hospital, your 1 epipen may not be enough. Some people's allergies change over time and worsen, requiring multiple epi-pens.

I once had a soldier discover the hard way that he was allergic to bee stings. If my memory serves me right this was on a final exercise for a QL3 course. Fortunately, we had a medic on site and he was able to get our soldier to the hospital.

 

[medicineman]

And then there are the people who develop food allergies as adults. While comparatively rare, it does happen. After I left the military, I spent a few years managing a multi-location family practice/walk-in group (doc-in-a-box). At the location where I had my office, there were two notable incidents of adult onset food allergies that eventually required emergency intervention. The first was the owner of another business in the strip mall where we were located; he was a German baker who started getting hives and other symptoms. Before it was determined that he was allergic to wheat gluten, he had an anaphylactic reaction. Luckily, he came to our clinic and was seen immediately. Unluckily (for me), his allergy lead to him shutting his business; I had been a frequent customer, not just of his baked goods but he made the best spätzle in town. The other was one of the doctors in the same clinic. He was ex-MOTP (I first met him as a TQ3 in Edmonton in the 1970s) who got out after his obligatory service. His symptoms were originally unexplained nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Naturally he frequently used Gravol "tablets". It was only after anaphylaxis that happened at home (his wife was nurse) and the subsequent hospitalization, it was discovered that he had developed an allergy to corn starch. Corn starch is one of the inactive ingredients in Gravol (and almost all other anti-emetic) tablets.

We had a scary one in a Base Hospital I worked in where the person had an anaphylactic reaction to a sting or food I think, then got a tad better but got worse and worse despite epinepherine...turns out they were allergic to the sulfite preservative in the epinepherine...so a wonderful cycle of crazy there. Given that allergy, would not be surprised if it were a food thing...

 

[Level100MafiaBoss]

The medical standards aren't a moving target. It's possible for skilled/semi-skilled applicants to potentially waive the Common Enrolment Medical Standard (CEMS) to instead meet the trade-specific medical category requirements (been this way for many years). For example, CEMS has a minimum hearing standard of H2 but many trades have minimum of H3, if the applicant is skilled (former member trained in the trade) or semi-skilled (possessing civilian education/training in the trade) than it may be possible for them to join as H3.

The anticipated changes to the recruit medical system may see the abolishment of CEMS but the trade specific medical standards would persist. There'd still be medical categories that make someone unfit for employment in any trade, however.

Annex A - The Medical Category System - Canada.ca

Overview of the CAF medical category system

www.canada.ca

With CEMS changing should I be optimistic in getting in?

The thing is that I am almost certain that I dont need an Epipen. I have eaten many foods where shrimp is one the main ingridients. The problem is finding a clinic to allow me to do an oral food challange. Most of them dont allow me to take it because it would count as a 2nd opinion.

So without that proof I cant really do anything else.

 

[OldSolduer]

We had a scary one in a Base Hospital I worked in where the person had an anaphylactic reaction to a sting or food I think, then got a tad better but got worse and worse despite epinepherine...turns out they were allergic to the sulfite preservative in the epinepherine...so a wonderful cycle of crazy there. Given that allergy, would not be surprised if it were a food thing...

We had a nurse in the jail who jabbed himself with an Epi Pen - not once...but twice.
Don't ask me how he got to be a nurse but I am sure with my limited medical knowledge I could have done a better job.

 

[medicineman]

We had a nurse in the jail who jabbed himself with an Epi Pen - not once...but twice.
Don't ask me how he got to be a nurse but I am sure with my limited medical knowledge I could have done a better job.

Seen people stab themselves more than once with Epipens or the old atropine-oxime autoinjectors - lack of SA as to (a) direction weapon pointed and (b) that safeties were out...

 

[PuckChaser]

With CEMS changing should I be optimistic in getting in?

The thing is that I am almost certain that I dont need an Epipen. I have eaten many foods where shrimp is one the main ingridients. The problem is finding a clinic to allow me to do an oral food challange. Most of them dont allow me to take it because it would count as a 2nd opinion.

So without that proof I cant really do anything else.

Having someone with marginal hearing loss is not the same risk as a life threatening allergy that requires an Epi-pen. You need to follow the appeal process but be prepared for a denial.

 

[sarahsmom]

With CEMS changing should I be optimistic in getting in?

The thing is that I am almost certain that I dont need an Epipen. I have eaten many foods where shrimp is one the main ingridients. The problem is finding a clinic to allow me to do an oral food challange. Most of them dont allow me to take it because it would count as a 2nd opinion.

So without that proof I cant really do anything else.

The CEMS haven’t changed yet. They are considering changing them, but don’t hold your breath. It may be years or decades before they change.


the best way to fight your denial (assuming you have officially received a denial) would be to prove you don’t need an epi-pen. That doesn’t mean sitting in the CFRC with a plate of shrimp and eating them in front of the recruiters. It means doing an allergen challenge with an allergist. Then providing the report that (hopefully) says you are not allergic to shellfish to the RMO’s office through the medics at the CFRC.
They will review those results and make a new decision.

 

[brihard]

the best way to fight your denial (assuming you have officially received a denial) would be to prove you don’t need an epi-pen. That doesn’t mean sitting in the CFRC with a plate of shrimp and eating them in front of the recruiters.

Hey now, that’s how some of us got infantry.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Hey now, that’s how some of us got infantry.

She said a plate of shrimp.


Not a plate of crayons.

 

[Winds]

With CEMS changing should I be optimistic in getting in?

The thing is that I am almost certain that I dont need an Epipen. I have eaten many foods where shrimp is one the main ingridients. The problem is finding a clinic to allow me to do an oral food challange. Most of them dont allow me to take it because it would count as a 2nd opinion.

So without that proof I cant really do anything else.

If they remove CEMs, you'd still have to meet the medical requirements for the trade. It'd likely not change anything in your scenario.

If you are able to pass an oral food challenge and your condition is found to be less serious, then that is a different story potentially.

 

[OldSolduer]

She said a plate of shrimp.


Not a plate of crayons.

What colour crayons????

 

[jaxhades94]

What colour crayons????

whatever colour got stuck in Homer Simpson's brain in the episode "HOMR"

 

[sarahsmom]

If your application is at the bottom of the pile, it might take forever for them to even look at it. But hey, don't throw in the towel just yet. Have you tried getting a second opinion from another medical officer?

That’s not how recruiting works.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Contacted my medical officer. Essentially said that because I dont pass the medical standard, my application is on low priority. Which effectively means that my application will always be at the bottom.

Will my application even be considered if no other applicants are above me?

Or should I just give up going into the military?

What do you need the epipen for?

 

[burdseyeflu]

whatever colour got stuck in Homer Simpson's brain in the episode "HOMR"

SIXTEEN! sneeze

 

[sarahsmom]

What do you need the epipen for?

It’s a shellfish allergy, more specifically shrimp.