Introduction-Cooper

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Cooper
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Introduction-Cooper

Post by Cooper »

Hello Rangers,

First off, I'd like to say I've been lurking this forum for quite some time, and am appreciative of all the Rangers and servicemen that make this forum's community for what it is. I'm thankful for all the knowledge and input I have gotten from this site.

I am an 18 year old senior in high school, and am graduating in May.
I had originally wanted to wait until I swore in with a Ranger contract before I posted this introduction.
However, on October 31st I went to MEPS with an 11x option 40 contract secured. My ship date would have been 20130528.
I came down sick with a cold the week I was scheduled for MEPS, and so I brought some OTC medicine to try to make me better before the long day of MEPS.

My ears were clogged up when I got up at 0445 to start my day for MEPS. Didn't think I'd need to have some clogged ears when I took the hearing test, so I took a couple of sudafed to help with that before going to MEPS.

I didn't find out until too late that sudafed increases nervousness and heart rate. My heart rate never dropped below 100 BPM. I passed all the medical stuff, but they couldn't approve of me since my heart was too fast. I originally thought it was just because I was so nervous and excited-I was the only high school kid there, and I was -THIS- close of having a secured Ranger slot. The docs kept on trying to wait it out, to see if my heart rate would drop, before checking my pulse for the the 5th time to try to pass me.
I asked them if taking any medicine could increase your heart rate. "yes, antihistamines can." I explained that it must be the sudafed I took this morning then, but the docs decided to go ahead run and EKG on me just to see if would make any difference. Needless to say, it did not.

So I was temporarily disqualified for tachycaria. I was pretty devasted since I know my heart is perfectly healthy, and that if I needed a waiver, I couldn't get an airborne or Ranger contract. But when I saw my recruiter later that day, he was confident that I wouldn't need a waiver. All I'd need to do was see my civilian doctor 3 days in a row and have them record my heart rate to show I'm perfectly fine.

The following week, I did that and sent it into him. Within 2-3 weeks I was supposed to go to MEPS just to swear in, but it turned out the civilian doctors at MEPS didn't send up my paperwork so I didn't end up going that day. My recruiter said it would be after Thanksgiving break when it would finally be approved. Well, after a week or two of my recruiting station dodging my calls following thanksgiving, I finally got a hold of one of my recruiter's last week.

I was disapproved. It was due to them looking at the EKG report- which I had originally told the doctors at MEPS wouldn't have made any difference before they hooked me up to it.

I had a Ranger contract to my name, just to get taken out from under me by a couple of little red pills I took to make my day easier since I was sick, and it did the exact opposite. It's ironic.
An honest mistake.


However, I can try to enlist again in March 2013. They will take me to see a cardiologist to check me out, but I will need a medical waiver to enlist. I will be doing that in the next 3 months.

Last time I did self administered a PT test was 2 weeks ago.
Pushups in 2 minutes: 82
Situps in 2 Minutes: 85
2 mile run: 13:52
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Jim
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Re: Introduction-Cooper

Post by Jim »

Well Cooper, I trust you learned a lesson. Your PT baseline is not bad, but can be improved. Read all the FAQs, as well as select stickies and threads. Most questions you might have can be addressed by using the search feature, located at the top right part of this page. Never, never quit!
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Steadfast
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Cooper

Post by Steadfast »

WelcomeCooper.

Keep us informed if you enter DEP.
Same thing happens if you want to be a cop. My nephew was afraid to take meds for his allergies because he wanted to be a cop so bad. He's now on the force 16 years.
RLTW
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CloakAndDagger
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Re: Introduction-Cooper

Post by CloakAndDagger »

Welcome, Cooper!

You definitely learned a lesson here, but as the Rangers here will tell you repeatedly, Never Quit! Learn from your mistakes (all of them, not just this particular instance), move on, and don't repeat them.

As you've now painfully learned, MEPS doctors are:
A. Typically are not the best at their craft (GS pay pretty much max's out at what would be a normal starting salary for a new physician)
B. Payed to weed people out

Out of curiosity, was the Sudofed that you bought the phenylephrine-type? The original Sudofed (pseudoephedrine), is significantly more effective with less side effects, but many states now require you sign for it at a pharmacy counter or have a doctor's prescription for it. My own experience with phenylephrine starts with, "No shit, there I was in Afghanistan..."
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rangertough
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Re: Introduction-Cooper

Post by rangertough »

xSepelio wrote:Welcome, Cooper.

Sorry to hear about your MEPS trip. Another guy from my recruiting station who went to MEPS the week before me was disqualified because his second toe was longer than his big/first toe... Good Luck on securing an OPT 40 contract!
That dude lied to you. I have feet as flat as boards and my second toe is longer than my first on both feet (it is a common recessive gene just like blue eyes and the abilty to roll your tounge only one direction). I joined in '92 when entrance standards were higher than they are even now. You think we're in a draw down now? You should have seen when we dropped from a 1.5 million man Army to half that then even farther.

Neither of those foot characteristics limited me at all. I never fell out and I carried one of the heaviest loads in BN as the weapons platoon RTO. My feet don't hurt me at all.

People will lie to you from now until you die about how they were going to be a Ranger but got screwed by thier recruiter, MEPS or your mom. Hell I had some asshole tell me that he would have joined the Army but he couldn't pass the psyche evaluation. As far as I know I was not given any mental health screening when I went to MEPS. If they did do any sort of emotional stability testing and this douche failed it; based on the idiots I went to OSUT with this guy should have been locked up in a bounce house with an "I love me jacket".

Tough
Rangertough
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rangertough
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Re: Introduction-Cooper

Post by rangertough »

xSepelio wrote:Roger rangertough, to further elaborate he wasn't an option 40 recipient and he just needed to obtain a waiver from a doctor.
My last statement stands. Unless the dudes toe is so long he has to wear special shoes...I don't buy it.

Tough
Rangertough
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
C CO/HHC 2/75 '93-97, Bragg '97-'99, HHC/C CO/A CO 2/75 99'-'01 RS 8-94.
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