Can I get a waiver for the USMC if my sleep apnea goes away

I am a little overweight and recently started a very strict diet and excercising, I am thinking my sleep apnea should get better considering it was mild In the first place. The problem is, I HAVE used a cpap machine. That will probably be on my medical records. What if i lose a lot of weight and get healthier and then get a sleep study and it shows that my apnea has went away ? I can at least try. Is there a chance ?


I am male, 18

If waiver isn't the correct word I apologize, what Im askin is, if my sleep apnea gets totally better by diet and losing weight, do I have a chance ?

if you're in the usmc you can't be that much overweight that it would make a difference. losing weight and gettng in shape is always good, but probably won't affect the apnea results. thank you for your service.

greatunclebill wrote:if you're in the usmc you can't be that much overweight that it would make a difference. losing weight and gettng in shape is always good, but probably won't affect the apnea results. thank you for your service.

I am not in the marines, I just always wanted to join but my mild sleep apnea is in the way, I am 5'8 and 190 pounds. If I get way down and my sleep apnea goes away, can I have my sleep specialist write them a letter saying the cause of my apnea was being overweight and then I can possibly join?

I'm gonna try anyway even it it doesn't work

Some (SOME) people have lost a lot of weight and found they no longer need Cpap, but never, ever make the assumption without having a new and proper sleep study. You may feel great, but that also may be because you're ON Cpap, not because it's just gone away.

KsUp wrote:

greatunclebill wrote:if you're in the usmc you can't be that much overweight that it would make a difference. losing weight and gettng in shape is always good, but probably won't affect the apnea results. thank you for your service.

I am not in the marines, I just always wanted to join but my mild sleep apnea is in the way, I am 5'8 and 190 pounds. If I get way down and my sleep apnea goes away, can I have my sleep specialist write them a letter saying the cause of my apnea was being overweight and then I can possibly join?

I'm gonna try anyway even it it doesn't work

It's equally (and very) possible that the cause of your weight gain is Sleep Apnea......and not the other way around.


Den

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Sleep apnea can be caused by issues with your upper airway and might have nothing to do with weight.

Wulfman... wrote:

KsUp wrote:

greatunclebill wrote:if you're in the usmc you can't be that much overweight that it would make a difference. losing weight and gettng in shape is always good, but probably won't affect the apnea results. thank you for your service.

I am not in the marines, I just always wanted to join but my mild sleep apnea is in the way, I am 5'8 and 190 pounds. If I get way down and my sleep apnea goes away, can I have my sleep specialist write them a letter saying the cause of my apnea was being overweight and then I can possibly join?

I'm gonna try anyway even it it doesn't work

It's equally (and very) possible that the cause of your weight gain is Sleep Apnea......and not the other way around.


Den


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Thanks wulfman, I'm gonna try it no matter the outcome, and no matter what you try to negatively put into my head.

Why bother asking then?

Can I get a waiver for the USMC if my sleep apnea goes away

You are in the wrong forum. Try here instead: http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/cfrm/f/67819558

Answer a persons question honestly with helpful information and then accused of being negative??? Very odd. As another post sais,"why ask" if the o.p.'s intent is to try anyway. First kudos to the o.p. for his plan to get healthier first. He may find his apnea symptoms do improve. I doubt losing weight will make the apnea just dissapear but I do have a question for the o.p. Is your apnea obstructive or central? I can see great potential in reducing obstructive by losing weight but its doubtful it will rewire the brain. I am 5' 11" and currently weigh 155 pounds. Been hitting the gym and eating a lot to get my weight up. From age 18 to 50 my weight averaged 163 but over the past two years as struggled with some back issues dropped down to 148 as have not been able to exercise as much. At one point when I was in bed following a motorcycle accident my weight did get up to 170 but my apnea symptoms did not change then either. I hope for you that weight loss does reduce your symptoms. My one suggestion is you may want to work on thickening up the skin because if you are feeling negativity over a bulletin board post where someone seemed to be trying to help you may find your drill instructor at Paris Island a bit overbearing.

I thought you wanted to be a CIA secret agent a month or so ago and was asking the same questions. Perhaps you should talk to a career counsellor as this is a sleep apnea forum.

As long as you have your apnea under control, either by weight loss or treatment, there is no reason you cannot serve.
Since your condition may preclude military service, you may participate in civilian support duties.
You can be a hero without dressing up, you can still be proud, and others will be proud of you.

You know, the only way to get a real answer to that is to lose the weight, and then just go march right in to the recruiters office and sign up. Barring any legal issues or past illegal drug use, you will probably get to sign an enlistment contract. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you get to boot camp. The real answer to your question will be realized at a point in between those two places, a kind of purgatory, known as MEPS. Stands for Military Entrance Processing station. That's where you will get your medical eval, prior to going to basic training. That's where you find out. Nobody else, anywhere, can tell you. They decide. By the way, they don't do sleep studies at MEPS. You likely won't get but two hours sleep there over a couple of days time anyway, if that. It's assholes and elbows hustling, and nut-to-butt waiting in long lines for everything from shots to shitpaper. They don't test for apnea. They may ask, ......possibly. But, probably not. Just go. No one here can answer your question, and I suspect you know that. I'm just telling you where the real answer is. You have to go sign up at a recruiters office, go to MEPS, get your entrance physical there, and they will tell you either your good and they put you on a bus for boot camp, or they send you back home. For good. That's when you'll know.

KsUp wrote:I am a little overweight and recently started a very strict diet and excercising, I am thinking my sleep apnea should get better considering it was mild In the first place. The problem is, I HAVE used a cpap machine. That will probably be on my medical records. What if i lose a lot of weight and get healthier and then get a sleep study and it shows that my apnea has went away ? I can at least try. Is there a chance ?


I am male, 18

As has been mentioned, the only way to get a real answer is to get with a recruiter and go through the medical eval process. When I went back into the military back in the 70's, the couldn't care less, and the only way my sleep apnea came in to play was the guys having to bunk around me in basic, tech school etc complaining about the loud snoring, stopping breathing, gasping, and starting the process over. It would drive those around me nuts, but give the dorm guards something to do as in counting how long I went without breathing. As for the doctors treating it, the didn't think it was a problem. "It's something a lot of people do" "Nothing to worry about as you seem healthy". Later on, it became something they would disqualify you for deployments because of if it was identified, which depending on your job might result in discharge. Now, with the AF at least it is a case of "It depends".

You mentioned being over weight, that is something you definitely need to work on if you want to enlist. You will be weighed, and will be required to pass fitness requirements so if you can't make fitness part of your everyday life, enlisting won't be for you. On the plus side, the military will train you to function without sleep for long periods of time, which is a useful skill for those with sleep apnea.

Good luck