End the blanket ban on diabetics joining the armed forces.

[stripey999]

Although he may feel that he is able to control the illness and has never had a problem, serving in the military will bring many challenges that even normal people will struggle with. Training is designed to try and simulate the conditions you would experience in the real world. There are many training courses where you are deprived of sleep, food, shelter and other home comforts and it is how you cope that separates the boys from the men. How would he cope if on a forced march or worse, recovering from a fire fight basically running backward whilst dropping and giving covering fire to his mates. This recovery could go on for a couple of miles and take hours. There would be no opportunity to drink (other than with a camelback) so stopping to eat or take medication is out of the question.

Having served for over 28 years and doing my bit in war zones, I have had enough to think about without worrying if one of the guys hasn’t monitored his insulin. There are many people who become ill during their service who are downgraded and can no longer deploy. They have done their bit and allowed to continue at a home base. If we let in others that have a potential problem, we would run out of deployable troops.

I wanted to join the police force as a youth but they refused because I was colour-blind. I am afraid he will need to realise that there are some lifestyles that he cant experience due to his genetic makeup. He may not think it fair but needs to grow up and look at the bigger picture.

Edited November 11, 2012 by stripey999

[Catweazle]

I was talking to an ex-navy man last week, he was discharged from the navy when he developed diabetes. Apparently it was actually caused by stress of the job and he receives a small extra pension for it.

 

The poor fella had only been in for a few weeks when he was sent to the Falklands - that's probably where the stress started, but it makes me wonder if the stress of active duty might make the OPs lads' diabetes worse.

[Laird Lugton]

I too know someone who became diabetic during the Falklands campaign due they think, to combat.

 

Interestingly, one of my colleagues developed the type of diabetes you can control through diet. The Civil Aviation Authority allowed him to keep his Class 1 medical and he continued to fly as a Captain on 737's for some years. In the end the diabetes became the type that required insulin injections and the CAA withdrew his medical and with that his career in the airlines sadly ended.

 

On another note you can have a heart bypass and retain your medical. I met the first commercial pilot to have a heart bypass approved by the CAA. The CAA doctor who had monitored the operation said that he was more than happy to sign this pilot's medical as he had seen his heart! What worried him was the hundreds of middle aged pilots who probably have chronic heart disease and are not showing any symptoms.....

 

The point I'm making is that as medical procedures/treatments advance more restrictions are being lifted in all walks of life. 15 years ago if you had any kind of heart complaint you would lose your aviation medical and with that your career, now a heart bypass is seen as a routine procedure. Diabetes was the same, get it and your career was over. Now you can have a certain type of diabetes and keep your medical, how long before you can have any type of diabetes and you can keep your medical?

Edited November 11, 2012 by Laird Lugton

[bruno22rf]

Welsh1 & daz2202-apologies for late reply to your question.Yes the operation was 100% successful and have not needed any Insulin since the T/plant,only downside is that the Immuno suppressant drugs have side effects.