Medical FAQs @ "No Hospital Specialist Memo, No Talk?!"
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I will be meeting the MO, not shrink at MMI but before that, I will be meeting a shrink at the NUH for consultation.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:You mean you are seeing the SAF psychiatrist there I suppose? What happens after that depends on what the specialist say lor... -
Hi,Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Osgood Schlatter disease...not usually downgradable. Your MO will have to assess severity.
I am a NSF now, ORDing in early november. I was enlisted a pes B but later downgraded to C2L2 temp 12 months. My temp status ends just before my ORD date.
I am diagnosed with OSD with fragmentation as well as patellar tendinities.
Would like to find out the process of my medical review? When should i look for my camp MO regarding my medical review. Also, does OSD warrent a perm C2L2 downgrade? I understand it is more predominant in younger people but my pain actually only surfaced after BMT and in my new unit (guards).
I constantly have problems with squatting as well as kneeling, and especially going up stairs for even short periods of time despite not being in a combat vocationfor the past 6 months.
My previous camp MO placed me on for physiotherapy at one of the SAF physio centres which i later forgo completely as the specialist appointed hospital physiotherapist discharged me after the first visit, citing that physio was not needed nor helpful..... dad previously done physio at SAF side for close to 4 months including a mix of hydrotherapy, ultra sound, and some stretching thinggy with a flexible band but saw not improvement in pain management other than being a little more flexible and less tightness around the quadricep/calve tie-in area.
Also a related question: the specialist at TTSH who attended to me discharged me immediately after diagnosing me..simply writing me a scribbled memo to my old camp MO who took little notice of it and chucked me back to my company. I had to see a private ortho surgeon at raffles to obtain a fullfledged medical report to obtain my C2L2...was pretty disillusoned with TTSH spec. Now, for my medical review do i need to obtain another specialists recommedation or do i directly go to my camp MO?
Regards -
Hi,
I have question regarding hypertension. Currently a nsmen
My BP currently is around the 150s-160 range. Currently on temp downgrade for 3 months. My doc just increased the dosage of my medication.
Can we take IPPT with hypertension? Currently will experience giddiness when switching position eg. from sitting to standing, walking long distance. -
U better not take IPPT n request for a medical review.Originally posted by srage:Hi,
I have question regarding hypertension. Currently a nsmen
My BP currently is around the 150s-160 range. Currently on temp downgrade for 3 months. My doc just increased the dosage of my medication.
Can we take IPPT with hypertension? Currently will experience giddiness when switching position eg. from sitting to standing, walking long distance. -
Osgood Schlatter is very common, particularly in the NSF age group. If all cases of OSD are downgraded, the army will lose alot of combat fit soldiers (unfortunately, recruiting foreign talent to fill the vacancies is not an optionOriginally posted by irx:Hi,
I am a NSF now, ORDing in early november. I was enlisted a pes B but later downgraded to C2L2 temp 12 months. My temp status ends just before my ORD date.
I am diagnosed with OSD with fragmentation as well as patellar tendinities.
Would like to find out the process of my medical review? When should i look for my camp MO regarding my medical review. Also, does OSD warrent a perm C2L2 downgrade? I understand it is more predominant in younger people but my pain actually only surfaced after BMT and in my new unit (guards).
I constantly have problems with squatting as well as kneeling, and especially going up stairs for even short periods of time despite not being in a combat vocationfor the past 6 months.
My previous camp MO placed me on for physiotherapy at one of the SAF physio centres which i later forgo completely as the specialist appointed hospital physiotherapist discharged me after the first visit, citing that physio was not needed nor helpful..... dad previously done physio at SAF side for close to 4 months including a mix of hydrotherapy, ultra sound, and some stretching thinggy with a flexible band but saw not improvement in pain management other than being a little more flexible and less tightness around the quadricep/calve tie-in area.
Also a related question: the specialist at TTSH who attended to me discharged me immediately after diagnosing me..simply writing me a scribbled memo to my old camp MO who took little notice of it and chucked me back to my company. I had to see a private ortho surgeon at raffles to obtain a fullfledged medical report to obtain my C2L2...was pretty disillusoned with TTSH spec. Now, for my medical review do i need to obtain another specialists recommedation or do i directly go to my camp MO?
Regards
) Your MO will be very reluctant to recommend a permanent downgrading and the board president will be extremely reluctant to downgrade as well. They will most likely hope that with time, your condition will get better (as it does in many people). After ORD, your liability of 2- 4 weeks a year during reservist time is not too bad and most people with OSD can cope with it.
If you want to get a downgrade, your best bet is to go shopping for a private specialist who is willing to write a recommendation to that effect.
The SAF is used to handling OSD and sports injuries that are considered far too trivial for the hospital physiotherapist at TTSH. You must understand that a place taken up by you for having some pain when you squat may mean that a patient with a stroke may not get a slot for his physiotherapy which will be delayed. That's why we used to send soldiers with these conditions for physio at the soldier performance centre (not sure what they call it nowadays). In any case, as you admitted, physio did not help your dad much either (whom I presume has the same condition).
During my time, OSD cases do not get downgraded at all. I was considered combat fit even though I was cripppled with a birth defect (club foot) but had an operation to correct it when I was older. By the time an X-ray was done after I got gone through BMT and OCS with a persistent limp after every SOC, my ankle joint is completely deformed. That's just life! The army is certainly more welfare-oriented nowadays.. -
hey MOs,
I've gt a problem here...
what happened was i was posted to a unit tat actually clashes w my current health problem. I have been diagnosed w vernal keratoconjunctivis about 6 years ago and it hasn't healed since. I was told to down pes from my current pes status of B all along but I tried to garang a little till things got worse these few weeks. The unit I was posted to requires me to undergo training that exposes me to air pollutants that would have adverse impact on my health.
The funny thing was that I did declare about my medical problem when I was doing the FFI back at tekong but it seems like the medical board totally DISREGARDED my health problem.
Recently, i've visted my specialist to get a memo which states something like " he has to excused from all activities that would expose him to dust or irritants". However, the problem now is such tat the MO tells me i have to wait at least THREE months for the pes status to be reviewed which would mean after the end of course.
Is there any way i can speed up the recertification process?
If not, can i insist on just trying out the training for once and see if it's suitable for me?
Also, will the MO request for a report from the hospital I've been visiting?
I dun wish to waste my time attending a course despite knowing that i would not pass out due to my physical inability to complete the course even though ive already declared my medical situation right from the start - give me something to do that would mean good for both myself and SAF.
help please help....
PS: anywayz the specialist wrote "keratoconjunctivitis" on the memo which is like totally vague, so do u think i should ask for another memo which states explicitly what I'm suffering from?
here are links tat would help u further understand my medical problem.
http://dro.hs.columbia.edu/vernalk.htm
http://www.peacehealth.org/kbase/nord/nord562.htm -
Hey Guys,
As part of my uni thesis, I have recently co-patented a special flash autoclaving(steam heating) unit. It allows surgical instruments to be autoclaved/sterilized at half the time it used to be. This instrument is useful for all our brudders for field training or disaster relief cos you can autoclave it quickly and bring it into the battlefield. Hopefully, this will save more lives and limbs when we go outfield in case there is a shortage of sterilzed instruments. Dirty surgical instruments are the no.1 cause for gangrene and amputations....
The only problem I face before bringing the technology back home is that i need to noe if SAF medical centres still use autoclaving for surgical instruments, this is becos i'm ending my stint here and i need to hammer down the dimensions for the unit... Hopefully any brothers working as Army medics or even best Medical Officers can provide some information on how we do our autoclaving so that i can adjust accordingly. If you can Email me or IM me on gmail, that would be the best... Lets make SAF stronger and save more of our brother's lives and limbs....
My contact details are as follows:
Email: [email protected] -
Hello MO sir,
I recently ORDed with a PES status C2L2 perm due to L5S1 facet joint spondylolysis (congenital defect). I had a history of MVP as was discoverd by my family physician during sec2 after i had complained of chest pains after cross country training, during PES classification at CMPB prior to enlistment, this problem did not show up.
Recently when i visited another GP for flu, he told me that i may have MVP after listening to my heartbeat. I would like to find out if MVP is essientially serious enough, to the SAF, for me to be downgraded further.
Thank you for your time. -
hey MOs i would like to ask someting
i have scoliosis, but the MO said according to the "secret book", mine is considered "mild"
due to trainings or even prolonged sitting/standing, there are frequent aching and acute backpains in my back, particularly the thoracolumbar region which really affect my performance in my current combat unit. has been recurring for 3 months since BMT.
i got 2 specialist letters. now waiting to be x-rayed and examined by specialist.
also, i never have blood pressure high b4. recently saw b.p 158/87 in 1 of my letter. is it high b.p or could it be temparay high blood only?
also, some of my friends are PES B some are PES C wif scoliosis. why?
what are the chances of being downgraded? -
Hi i'm an NSF with Tibia vara disorder and OSD, pending to see a specialist at CGH. i wonder what are the chances of being downgraded. And if i do need to see a private specialist, what are the costs like and what are my chances of being downgraded successfully?
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Depends on the degree of angulation of your tibia vara. OSD very commmon, as I said before. Most cases not downgradable. You should have an X-ray and a specialist opinion. Costs depend on which private specialist you go to...consultation should be about $80 and the X-rays will cost about $200 (depending on how many he orders). A specialist medical report will cost another $30-50.Originally posted by zzzdidi:Hi i'm an NSF with Tibia vara disorder and OSD, pending to see a specialist at CGH. i wonder what are the chances of being downgraded. And if i do need to see a private specialist, what are the costs like and what are my chances of being downgraded successfully?
In addition, if one specialist thinks it is mild and unlikely to be downgradable, some servicemen would go shopping around for a specialist who would issue a different opinion. The costs will build up of course. -
Obviously, much depends on what your specialist says in his letter. If the X-rays of the spine show that the scoliosis is mild, your MO cannot do much. You will need a powerful letter from a very senior orthopaedic surgeon who is willing to strongly recommend downgrading to persuade the medical board to downgrade. If your condition satisfies the criteria set out in the 'secret book', it's open and shut case. If not, the medical board can only consider it on a case by case basis. Your specialists must be very well respected and his opinion must be clearly and strongly in favour of downgrading.Originally posted by azoboi:hey MOs i would like to ask someting
i have scoliosis, but the MO said according to the "secret book", mine is considered "mild"
due to trainings or even prolonged sitting/standing, there are frequent aching and acute backpains in my back, particularly the thoracolumbar region which really affect my performance in my current combat unit. has been recurring for 3 months since BMT.
i got 2 specialist letters. now waiting to be x-rayed and examined by specialist.
also, i never have blood pressure high b4. recently saw b.p 158/87 in 1 of my letter. is it high b.p or could it be temparay high blood only?
also, some of my friends are PES B some are PES C wif scoliosis. why?
what are the chances of being downgraded? -
First, the spondylolysis is a separate and different problem from mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Some people think that having two medical problems can be additive in some way and you can downgrade further. You cannot.Originally posted by eLdOrEt:Hello MO sir,
I recently ORDed with a PES status C2L2 perm due to L5S1 facet joint spondylolysis (congenital defect). I had a history of MVP as was discoverd by my family physician during sec2 after i had complained of chest pains after cross country training, during PES classification at CMPB prior to enlistment, this problem did not show up.
Recently when i visited another GP for flu, he told me that i may have MVP after listening to my heartbeat. I would like to find out if MVP is essientially serious enough, to the SAF, for me to be downgraded further.
Thank you for your time.
Second, if all you have is MVP, it is unlikely that you can be downgraded further given that you are already C2L2perm. Some cases of MVP can be associated with mitral regurgitation and you may need to have an echocardiogram to assess the severity. However, since your GP only mentioned MVP but not a murmur, I doubt it but you should have it checked by a cardiologist. As you are now a reservist, you have to pay to see your own specialist. If you also have a mitral regurgitation that is severe enough, there is a possibility of Pes E but I doubt it based on what you have written.
Go and seek a specialist assessment. If you indeed have MVP, you should inform your dentist so he can put you on prophylactic antibiotics if necessary. -
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis is downgradable meh?....in the past, we would just prescribe the serviceman with steroids or other immunosuppressants. As for dust, it's true that it might trigger the condition. If it does, we give the serviceman a pair of mist-free clear goggles and he can continue training as usual. I am sure your MO can allow you to wear goggles during training.Originally posted by pah-jiao:hey MOs,
I've gt a problem here...
what happened was i was posted to a unit tat actually clashes w my current health problem. I have been diagnosed w vernal keratoconjunctivis about 6 years ago and it hasn't healed since. I was told to down pes from my current pes status of B all along but I tried to garang a little till things got worse these few weeks. The unit I was posted to requires me to undergo training that exposes me to air pollutants that would have adverse impact on my health.
The funny thing was that I did declare about my medical problem when I was doing the FFI back at tekong but it seems like the medical board totally DISREGARDED my health problem.
Recently, i've visted my specialist to get a memo which states something like " he has to excused from all activities that would expose him to dust or irritants". However, the problem now is such tat the MO tells me i have to wait at least THREE months for the pes status to be reviewed which would mean after the end of course.
Is there any way i can speed up the recertification process?
If not, can i insist on just trying out the training for once and see if it's suitable for me?
Also, will the MO request for a report from the hospital I've been visiting?
I dun wish to waste my time attending a course despite knowing that i would not pass out due to my physical inability to complete the course even though ive already declared my medical situation right from the start - give me something to do that would mean good for both myself and SAF.
help please help....
PS: anywayz the specialist wrote "keratoconjunctivitis" on the memo which is like totally vague, so do u think i should ask for another memo which states explicitly what I'm suffering from?
here are links tat would help u further understand my medical problem.
http://dro.hs.columbia.edu/vernalk.htm
http://www.peacehealth.org/kbase/nord/nord562.htm
The medical board is highly unlikely to disregard the recommendation of a relevant specialist unless the president of the board (the most senior doctor in charge is usually a specialist) is a more senior doctor than your private specialist and holds a different opinion. You may not realize it but some of the SAF regular MOs are part-time senior eye surgeons. -
what must i do to convince?..seriously and honestly the pain giving me alot of trouble, mentally n physically. quite depressed and ippt been constantly failing my chinup cox whenever i pull, back hurts.
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yo... oxford mushroom is a MBBS graduate by profession. listen to him.
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Oxford mushroom is my idol .Originally posted by eac:yo... oxford mushroom is a MBBS graduate by profession. listen to him.
He rox !!! -
erm makign the servicemen take immunosuppressants and steriods to continue training sounds wrong to me.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Vernal keratoconjunctivitis is downgradable meh?....in the past, we would just prescribe the serviceman with steroids or other immunosuppressants. As for dust, it's true that it might trigger the condition. If it does, we give the serviceman a pair of mist-free clear goggles and he can continue training as usual. I am sure your MO can allow you to wear goggles during training.
The medical board is highly unlikely to disregard the recommendation of a relevant specialist unless the president of the board (the most senior doctor in charge is usually a specialist) is a more senior doctor than your private specialist and holds a different opinion. You may not realize it but some of the SAF regular MOs are part-time senior eye surgeons.
its like give aneasthesia and require you to do soemthign that will hurt you if you don't take hte pain killers
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I have been to MMI to see the MO n apparently, my former unit lost my medical docket.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:You mean you are seeing the SAF psychiatrist there I suppose? What happens after that depends on what the specialist say lor...
I have shown the MO the type of anti depressant whcih the psychiatrist prescribed.
I used to be C9 for slipped disc until I got lung problem last year n given temporary E9 when my E9 status expired this year. I kena told by MO that I will be upgraded back to C9 but he never mentioned anything about my depression. The medic later told me that I will get the letter to be upgraded to C9 in one or two month time. He also mentioned I will need to go throught
SAF psychiatric board for medical review. I never heard of SAF psychiatric board. What is it all about? -
Hi MOs,
i am 35 this year (1 more highkey to go), after a health check recently, got diagnosed as diabetic. 2 hours blood glucose level at 12.0 mmol/L.
is this downgradeable ? -
there are types of medical board;Originally posted by will4:I have been to MMI to see the MO n apparently, my former unit lost my medical docket.
I have shown the MO the type of anti depressant whcih the psychiatrist prescribed.
I used to be C9 for slipped disc until I got lung problem last year n given temporary E9 when my E9 status expired this year. I kena told by MO that I will be upgraded back to C9 but he never mentioned anything about my depression. The medic later told me that I will get the letter to be upgraded to C9 in one or two month time. He also mentioned I will need to go throught
SAF psychiatric board for medical review. I never heard of SAF psychiatric board. What is it all about?
routine med board is for ur standard uncomplicated medical board
psy board is for p-cases where psychiatric personnel are reviewed and given new pes or extension of the same pes.
pd board is for ur service injury percentage of permanment disablity. like ur insurance policy determining ur payout.
specialist board is for complicated cases needing senior hospital specialists/senior regular MO (ltc and above rank) to review ur case and board u at MMI (NUS). -
I just went to see a doctor in polyclinic, after visual examination, he says he is quite sure i have Gout. I am 32, and experience sharp pain (sting) often (ten times or more) everyday for the past 3 months. Each time, it comes, i experience very sharp pain on my left feet, the patch near to my 4 smaller toes. I first experince such pain last year july during my running training. However, it becomes worse now as it happens everyday during any walking.
I will like to ask if Gout is downgradable for my case. Next month is my ICT and i don't think i can catch up with the exercise. I even have problem walking properly when the sharp pain occurs on my left feet, and happen everyday.
If downgradable is an option, how do i go about telling my ICT MO? Do i need any letter from the polyclinic doctor. He has given me some inflammable medicine for 1 week, and ask me to see him again if the pain persist. Is it useful if he can write me a letter to show to the MO? Or am i wasting my time. -
yes, gout is downgradeable.
ask the same polyclinic doctor to write a memo defer u from ict next month 1st.
next, to downgrade, u have to show the saf mo the doctor memo, best if supported by blood lab test result by the polyclinic. if the polyclinic waiting time is too long. see ur gp. gout can be detected by blood lab test. -
yes.Originally posted by wait4mee:Hi MOs,
i am 35 this year (1 more highkey to go), after a health check recently, got diagnosed as diabetic. 2 hours blood glucose level at 12.0 mmol/L.
is this downgradeable ?
call unit to book an timing slot for medical review. bring all medical documents, memos, blood lab test for the unit mo to schedule u for the next medical board. -
it's regarding scoliosis..spine curve of cobb angle between 20 to 30 degrees? is this considered mild still? and what will the MO do ?
if one does not declare got blue-green colourblindness at cmpb but at unit MO, what will happen? will still be downgraded?