starpilot2k
Guest
hello, I was referred here by a member at uplink.space.com.
Anyway, I'm trying to get into the Army, and I'd also like to go skydiving and SCUBA diving in the near future. My recruiter and I have sent all my medical documentation to the MEPS, and I'm going for a methacholine challenge/pulmonary function test within the next few weeks. Can anyone tell me what I can expect during the methacholine challenge and pulmonary function test? My recruiter has been useless in helping me know what to expect.
SCUBA diving and skydiving are things that have always appealed to me, and I'm getting sick of saying "I'd like to try that someday, but I cant because I have asthma." oops... sorry... I have a history of asthma. More on that in a bit. In scanning the boards here, I've gathering that some divers actually do have asthma, which makes me very happy (not that they have asthma, but that I can do it even if I do have asthma).
Now, an autobiography of my history of asthma. When I was about three, my mom came outside and saw my dad cutting grass with me on his lap. She said my eyes were puffed, and I sounded like my breathing was quite labored. First indication of asthma in my life. Through elementary and high school, if I ran to hard, laughed too hard, was around cats or dust, I would have trouble breathing. I had an inhaler with me all the time, but I dont remember the last time I had one. It has been quite a while. The summer before my 10th grade year (in 1997) I went to space camp, and was told, for the first time, that I wouldn't be able to join the military, or have a flying career, because I had asthma. It was a fine time to find out that my dreams couldn't come true, even if I had dreamed them uninhibited for the last 14 years. In the six years since then, I haven't been able to come to terms with knowing that I'll always have this "asthma thing" looking over my shoulder everywhere I go, and keeping me from doing the things I've always wanted to do. I was in JROTC through all of high school, and eventually began talking to recruiters, but put off enlisting until after college. I hoped by putting it off I wouldn't have to deal with the "asthma thing." As I've learned, you can put it off until tomorrow, but tomorrow eventually turns to today. Along comes the spring semester of my third year of college, and I'm in need of money to finish school. A classmate who spent 4 years in the Army, and another classmate from high school helped me enroll in AFROTC. Now, I needed to get in shape. I had been trying for the previous year, but only doing pushups and sit ups on occasion. I was still quite out of shape. In my first physical fitness test, I did pathetic. I didnt pass the sit-ups, I barely passed the push-ups, and I ran 8 1/2 laps out of 12 laps on the 1/8 mile track (the min requirement is running 1.5 miles in at least 12 minutes. It used to be 2 miles in 16 minutes and THANK GOD they dropped it down!! At this point, 2 miles seemed like Hell on Earth). I wasn't satisfied, I couldn't bear the thought of having this crap hold me back. I had never gone running for exercise (or any reason for that matter) for fear of having an attack. With the help of a friend of mine (who's been in the Army Reserve for 6 years) I began exercising more strenuously, and more frequently. So, at my next fitness test, and I passed the pushups and situps. And I ran 9 1/2 laps out of 12 before I had to quit. Again, I wasn't satisfied. After classes I began going up to the field house to run on my own. One day, I ran all 12 laps. Somehow, did it with 15 seconds to spare. Even though it took everything I had, I was beyond elated. I couldn't believe I had done it. And with no breathing problems! Eventually, I ran it as fast as with 1m 15s to spare, but on my last fitness test, the do or die one, I did it in 11:07. And I still hated running. But the semester was over, and this summer began. There was no way I was going to field training for ROTC unable to run (I didnt know until 7 July that I wasn't going to be able to go to field training. My departure date was 8 July). After earning a semester GPA of 1.4, I told myself I didnt deserve to slow down or take a break or anything. One day I put the weed wacker away after trimming around the house, and decided it was time to start running. I was covered in grass clipping, I had on combat boots and jeans, and just took off running. I didnt know where I was going, or when I would be back. Not very far down the road, I set a goal for myself, a goal for the route I was going to take, and I would not let myself deviate from that goal. I told myself I didnt deserve to after being so lazy with my school work. When it was all said and done, I ran what I estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 miles. So, later on, after massaging my legs and relaxing for quite some time, I hopped in the car and drove the route I took to see how far it was. After a short distance, the 2.5 mile mark ticked away, and I was still driving... by the time I was done, I measured that I ran 3.9 miles. And I didnt let myself stop once. No need for the inhaler, and good thing because as I said before... I haven't had one in a very long time.
All summer I've been running like that, though I usually wear my PT gear from AFROTC, or some shorts and good running shoes. I typically now do 3 to 4 miles at roughly a 9 minute mile pace, though I have gone as high as 7 miles. Now, in part because of my bad spring semester (and several preceeding it), I have withdrawn from classes, and I'm trying to enlist in the Army. Their requirement is to run 2 miles in under 16 minutes. I can run the 2 miles without a problem, I did it this afternoon in 14:19. I am much more healthy than I have ever been (i.e. I have no problems breathing
), and more importantly, I've gained a new hobby. I actually enjoy running. Which is why anymore, I dont ever say I have asthma. I have a history of asthma that exists on nothing more than paper. And I want to do anything I can to make sure this doesnt keep me from achieving my dreams.
Sorry for the rant and life story here, but I figured it would help get my questions above answered.
Again, I'm very sorry for the rant. I just hope it conveys how serious I am about this. Thanks for reading this far, and I'd appreciate any help or tips =-)
starpilot2k
Anyway, I'm trying to get into the Army, and I'd also like to go skydiving and SCUBA diving in the near future. My recruiter and I have sent all my medical documentation to the MEPS, and I'm going for a methacholine challenge/pulmonary function test within the next few weeks. Can anyone tell me what I can expect during the methacholine challenge and pulmonary function test? My recruiter has been useless in helping me know what to expect.
SCUBA diving and skydiving are things that have always appealed to me, and I'm getting sick of saying "I'd like to try that someday, but I cant because I have asthma." oops... sorry... I have a history of asthma. More on that in a bit. In scanning the boards here, I've gathering that some divers actually do have asthma, which makes me very happy (not that they have asthma, but that I can do it even if I do have asthma).
Now, an autobiography of my history of asthma. When I was about three, my mom came outside and saw my dad cutting grass with me on his lap. She said my eyes were puffed, and I sounded like my breathing was quite labored. First indication of asthma in my life. Through elementary and high school, if I ran to hard, laughed too hard, was around cats or dust, I would have trouble breathing. I had an inhaler with me all the time, but I dont remember the last time I had one. It has been quite a while. The summer before my 10th grade year (in 1997) I went to space camp, and was told, for the first time, that I wouldn't be able to join the military, or have a flying career, because I had asthma. It was a fine time to find out that my dreams couldn't come true, even if I had dreamed them uninhibited for the last 14 years. In the six years since then, I haven't been able to come to terms with knowing that I'll always have this "asthma thing" looking over my shoulder everywhere I go, and keeping me from doing the things I've always wanted to do. I was in JROTC through all of high school, and eventually began talking to recruiters, but put off enlisting until after college. I hoped by putting it off I wouldn't have to deal with the "asthma thing." As I've learned, you can put it off until tomorrow, but tomorrow eventually turns to today. Along comes the spring semester of my third year of college, and I'm in need of money to finish school. A classmate who spent 4 years in the Army, and another classmate from high school helped me enroll in AFROTC. Now, I needed to get in shape. I had been trying for the previous year, but only doing pushups and sit ups on occasion. I was still quite out of shape. In my first physical fitness test, I did pathetic. I didnt pass the sit-ups, I barely passed the push-ups, and I ran 8 1/2 laps out of 12 laps on the 1/8 mile track (the min requirement is running 1.5 miles in at least 12 minutes. It used to be 2 miles in 16 minutes and THANK GOD they dropped it down!! At this point, 2 miles seemed like Hell on Earth). I wasn't satisfied, I couldn't bear the thought of having this crap hold me back. I had never gone running for exercise (or any reason for that matter) for fear of having an attack. With the help of a friend of mine (who's been in the Army Reserve for 6 years) I began exercising more strenuously, and more frequently. So, at my next fitness test, and I passed the pushups and situps. And I ran 9 1/2 laps out of 12 before I had to quit. Again, I wasn't satisfied. After classes I began going up to the field house to run on my own. One day, I ran all 12 laps. Somehow, did it with 15 seconds to spare. Even though it took everything I had, I was beyond elated. I couldn't believe I had done it. And with no breathing problems! Eventually, I ran it as fast as with 1m 15s to spare, but on my last fitness test, the do or die one, I did it in 11:07. And I still hated running. But the semester was over, and this summer began. There was no way I was going to field training for ROTC unable to run (I didnt know until 7 July that I wasn't going to be able to go to field training. My departure date was 8 July). After earning a semester GPA of 1.4, I told myself I didnt deserve to slow down or take a break or anything. One day I put the weed wacker away after trimming around the house, and decided it was time to start running. I was covered in grass clipping, I had on combat boots and jeans, and just took off running. I didnt know where I was going, or when I would be back. Not very far down the road, I set a goal for myself, a goal for the route I was going to take, and I would not let myself deviate from that goal. I told myself I didnt deserve to after being so lazy with my school work. When it was all said and done, I ran what I estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 miles. So, later on, after massaging my legs and relaxing for quite some time, I hopped in the car and drove the route I took to see how far it was. After a short distance, the 2.5 mile mark ticked away, and I was still driving... by the time I was done, I measured that I ran 3.9 miles. And I didnt let myself stop once. No need for the inhaler, and good thing because as I said before... I haven't had one in a very long time.
All summer I've been running like that, though I usually wear my PT gear from AFROTC, or some shorts and good running shoes. I typically now do 3 to 4 miles at roughly a 9 minute mile pace, though I have gone as high as 7 miles. Now, in part because of my bad spring semester (and several preceeding it), I have withdrawn from classes, and I'm trying to enlist in the Army. Their requirement is to run 2 miles in under 16 minutes. I can run the 2 miles without a problem, I did it this afternoon in 14:19. I am much more healthy than I have ever been (i.e. I have no problems breathing
), and more importantly, I've gained a new hobby. I actually enjoy running. Which is why anymore, I dont ever say I have asthma. I have a history of asthma that exists on nothing more than paper. And I want to do anything I can to make sure this doesnt keep me from achieving my dreams.Sorry for the rant and life story here, but I figured it would help get my questions above answered.
Again, I'm very sorry for the rant. I just hope it conveys how serious I am about this. Thanks for reading this far, and I'd appreciate any help or tips =-)
starpilot2k
