Jump to content

  • You are not alone. Join Celiac.com for trusted gluten-free answers and forum support.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

Celiac In The Military

gaingus

By gaingus
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

gaingus Rookie
gaingus
Posted

I am wondering if there are any service members from the U.S. Military that haven't been discharged. I can find many stories of people that have gotten out because of it. I want to know of anyone that has successfully stayed in with it.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

There have been a couple that I remember seeing over the years that were able to stay in. You may want to do a board search with the words military and celiac to see if you can find the past posts. If memory served they were well established in their careers at diagnosis and did not have jobs that required them to be in the field living on MREs. A celiac diagnosis as far as I know would prevent you from joining in most cases.

*Daniella* Apprentice
*Daniella*
Posted

Hi!

I am a diagnosed celiac in the Air Force. I was diagnosed about 7 months ago and went to a medical board to decide my fate. The Air Force decided to keep me in the military however, I am no longer able to deploy to war zones. That doesn't mean I can't deploy at all, it means I have to be more careful about the places they send me. I've been in the AF for 12 years and I know the next 8 will be difficult trying to get the military to understand my needs involving the entire celiac lifestyle. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted
Here is a link to a discussion about celiac and military service. It is old, but is probably still relevant.
gaingus Rookie
gaingus
Posted
  • Author

I can say that this is not easy. Thank you for the help so far. I have been in the Navy for almost fourteen years and I want to finish my 20 and retire. Unfortunately, the biggest issue I am running into, is I am not deployable at all. The Navy went away from actually cooking meals not too long ago. We now get a lot more heat and serve frozen meals. Unfortunately, gluten is used as a long term frozen food preservative. I've been in long enough that I can easily be an instructor, it is just trying to be placed on permanent shore duty. I will try to keep everyone informed through here (I know there are many of us). My gastro doc is going to help preserve my career, it is up to higher ups to make the ultimate decision.

*Daniella* Apprentice
*Daniella*
Posted

I will keep you in my thoughts because I know exactly how you feel. I will have another medical board in a few months. This is going to be an annual occurance. I will be on pins and needles every year trying to keep my career in tact also. Please keep us informed with your status. Like I said before let me know if you want to chat. I'll give you my military celiac support. :)

gaingus Rookie
gaingus
Posted
  • Author
I will keep you in my thoughts because I know exactly how you feel. I will have another medical board in a few months. This is going to be an annual occurance. I will be on pins and needles every year trying to keep my career in tact also. Please keep us informed with your status. Like I said before let me know if you want to chat. I'll give you my military celiac support. :)

Good luck on your next board. I am still waiting to hear on when I will have an actual board. I am only on the first period of limited duty (less than 6 months) and about to go on my second (6 months to 1 year). I really don't like the hurry up and wait that we have to go through. I don't know how long I am going to stay in, I don't know if I am going to have to move soon or not. It sucks how unpredictable it is. I will keep you in my thoughts as well. I really appreciate the support. :D

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


  • 1 month later...
Jaime A Newbie
Jaime A
Posted
Hi!

I am a diagnosed celiac in the Air Force. I was diagnosed about 7 months ago and went to a medical board to decide my fate. The Air Force decided to keep me in the military however, I am no longer able to deploy to war zones. That doesn't mean I can't deploy at all, it means I have to be more careful about the places they send me. I've been in the AF for 12 years and I know the next 8 will be difficult trying to get the military to understand my needs involving the entire celiac lifestyle. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Hi Daniella,

I'm going through a similar situation and I'd like to contact you but i'd like to do it through personal email. I've been trying to send you a personal message but it won't allow it to go through. Is there any way that you can contact me? Can you try to send me a message?

  • 5 months later...
gaingus Rookie
gaingus
Posted
  • Author

Wow, it's been a while since I have updated on this one. For those that have been wondering, I have been cleared "fit for duty". This will get me to the point where I can be medically retired. Good thing is that I am on shore duty and I can control what I eat fairly easily. Sea duty will be an interesting challenge and I will figure it out from there.

  • 1 year later...
jsltrumpet Newbie
jsltrumpet
Posted

I am nervously awaiting my fate as my Med Board in the AF is being evaluated as we speak. I really have NO idea what the final decision will be. How long did it take you guys to find out? This is really hard.

silk Contributor
silk
Posted

My husband was in the military when we were married 33 years ago tomorrow. Having only been diagnosed with this 4 years ago, I did not consider how difficult this issue would be for 'our kind :blink:" as he left the service more than 20 years ago. My heart goes out to all of you. I have dined on the lovely MRE's. They are the most delicious, imaginative use of cardboard I have ever tasted! However, I am quite sure that that cardboard was not grown in dedicated, gluten free fields! :lol: It is amazing to me how we can not force someone out of the military for their religious convictions or sexual orientation (I am fine with that and not starting a political discussion here) but that your career could hang in the balance because of a digestive issue. Wow! We can develop night vision glasses but we can't figure out how to feed one in every 133 people who serve our country but can't ingest toxic cardboard? Life is a mystery! God Bless America!

*Daniella* Apprentice
*Daniella*
Posted

I am nervously awaiting my fate as my Med Board in the AF is being evaluated as we speak. I really have NO idea what the final decision will be. How long did it take you guys to find out? This is really hard.

It only took a few months for my medical board results to come back (I was in the middle of a PCS so it was quicker than normal). If it's taking long time maybe you can contact your medical admin and see what the status is. I know the initial board goes to HQ to determine your fate. In addition to the initial board you will go through an annual board called a RILO to insure your health status hasn't changed. That approval only takes about a month.

  • 6 years later...
Christian alexander Newbie
Christian alexander
Posted

For the people that been  diagnosed with celiac diseased and med board, when you got out of the army did you get and disability I've been in the army for 6 years and this has been my family's income for the 6 years, so what assistants have you guys been given???

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked commented on Scott Adams's article in Diagnosis, Testing & Treatment
      5

      New Study Reveals Hidden Gut Damage in Celiac Disease—Even Without Gluten (+Video)

      After reading the study on Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease I stopped eating processed foods that have milk as an ingredient. Though Gluten Free, "in a fraction of coeliac patients, Cows Milk protein challenge may induce an inflammatory reaction of the same magnitude, as did gluten challenge". After three months my lower belly...
    2. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Ginger38's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      6

      The Struggle Has Overtaken Me

      Hi @Ginger38, By now you know that these things improve without gluten. I once saw an interview with a corporation executive where he proudly declared that his wheat products are more addictive than potato chips. Dr Fuhrman (Eat to Live) said find foods that are friendly to you to be friends with.
    3. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to CC90's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Coeliac or not coeliac

      Hi @CC90 Ah... that is very interesting. Although it is very annoying for you to have to go through it all again, I would say that almost sounds like an admission that they didn't look far enough last time? I could be wrong, but I would not be at all surprised if they find something on the next attempt. Coeliac damage can be very patchy, as I understand...
    4. CC90
      - CC90 replied to CC90's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Coeliac or not coeliac

      Hi Cristiana Yes I've had the biopsy results showing normal villi and intestinal mucosa. The repeat endoscopy (requested by the gastro doc) would be to take samples from further into the intestine than the previous endoscopy reached.
    5. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to CC90's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Coeliac or not coeliac

      Transglutaminase IgA is the gold-standard blood test for celiac disease. Sensitivity of over 90% and specificity of 95–99%. It rarely produces false positives. An elevated level means your immune system is reacting to gluten. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) does not typically cause high levels of tTG-IgA. Unfortunately the protocols for a diagnosis o...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,194
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442
    RitaRenee
    Newest Member
    RitaRenee
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      The Struggle Has Overtaken Me

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Hi @Ginger38, By now you know that these things improve without gluten. I once saw an interview with a corporation executive where he proudly declared that his wheat products are more addictive than potato chips. Dr Fuhrman (Eat to Live) said find foods that are friendly to you to be friends with.  
    • cristiana
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @CC90 Ah... that is very interesting.  Although it is very annoying for you to have to go through it all again, I would say that almost sounds like an admission that they didn't look far enough last time?   I could be wrong, but I would not be at all surprised if they find something on the next attempt.  Coeliac damage can be very patchy, as I understand it, so that's why my own gastroenterologist always likes to point out that he's taken lots of samples!  In the kindest possible way (you don't want to upset the person doing the procedure!) I'd be inclined to tell them what happened last time and to ask them in person to take samples lower down, as  if your health system is anything like the one in my country, communication between GPs, consultants and hospitals isn't always very good.  You don't want the same mistake to be made again. You say that your first endoscopy was traumatic?  May I ask, looking at your spelling of coeliac, was this done at an NHS hospital in England?  The reason for the question is that one of my NHS diagnosed friends was not automatically offered a sedative and managed without one.  Inspired by her, I tried to have an endoscopy one time, in a private setting, without one, so that I could recover quicker, but I had to request sedative in the end it was so uncomfortable.    I am sorry that you will have to go through a gluten challenge again but to make things easier, ensure you eat things containing gluten that you will miss should you have to go gluten free one day. 😂 I was told to eat 2 slices of normal wholemeal bread or the equivalent every day in the weeks before , but I also opted for Weetabix and dozens of Penguin chocolate biscuits.  (I had a very tight headache across my temple for days before the procedure, which I thought was interesting as I had that frequently growing up. - must have been a coeliac symptom!)  Anyway, I do hope you soon get the answers you are looking for and do keep us posted. Cristiana  
    • CC90
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By CC90 · Posted

      Hi Cristiana   Yes I've had the biopsy results showing normal villi and intestinal mucosa.  The repeat endoscopy (requested by the gastro doc) would be to take samples from further into the intestine than the previous endoscopy reached.      
    • Wheatwacked
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      Transglutaminase IgA is the gold-standard blood test for celiac disease. Sensitivity of over 90% and specificity of 95–99%. It rarely produces false positives.  An elevated level means your immune system is reacting to gluten.  Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) does not typically cause high levels of tTG-IgA. Unfortunately the protocols for a diagnosis of Celiac Disease are aimed at proving you don't have it, leaving you twisting in the wind. Genetic testing and improvement on a trial gluten free diet, also avoiding milk protein, will likely show improvement in short order if it is Celiac; but will that satisfy the medical system for a diagnosis? If you do end up scheduling a repeat endoscopy, be sure to eat up to 10 grams of gluten for 8 - 12 weeks.  You want  to create maximum damage. Not a medical opinion, but my vote is yes.
    • trents
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By trents · Posted

      Cristiana asks a very relevant question. What looks normal to the naked eye may not look normal under the microscope.
×
×
  • Create New...