AIBU to ask if you know anything about RAF recruitment? Death trigger warning

This happens quite often. What I would do is get him a spirometry with reversibility test done privately (for speed) which will support a diagnosis of asthma, or indicate that it is less likely. A one off prescription of a blue inhaler is a bit different to an ongoing preventer inhaler.

Honestly I'd speak with the recruiter and find out for definite what the requirements are. Explain what happened at the time and the outcome with the inhaler. Then your son will know exactly where he stands. If he's only going to apply to get instantly rejected then at least he can put him efforts into something else now rather than wasting time hoping.

Also please try not to feel guilt at getting him an inhaler. You had a lot on at the time, what happened you can't change. Also sorry for your loss and I hope your counselling continues to help.

My son was prescribed an inhaler during childhood fo what turned out to be hay-fever.

As a result he was initially declined entry to the Army (Royal Engineers) but our GP wrote a really good letter to recruitment to state that in hindsight he shouldn't have been prescribed it and he does not have asthma. He did then have a heart murmur picked up during the recruitment medical but was eventually accepted.

Not sure how this will go for him but good luck and sorry for your loss xx

Also my brother had childhood asthma but was accepted and served for a number of years in the RAF.

I had a medical issue that came up during recruitment. The RAF sent me to an appropriate medica expert who agreed it was a temporary situational problem and cleared me for entry. They don’t always just rule you out. It’s worth discussing it with the recruiters. He could also ask to be properly tested for asthma by the GP.

Hi OP. I didn’t comment at the time but I saw this and thought of you. Some hope perhaps?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lw1z0lej8o

Really sorry for all you have all been through.

Likely to be turned down I'm afraid. A friend's son was rejected for helicopter pilot training as his over anxious mother had taken him repeatedly to the doctors for suspected asthma. He was given an inhaler one time but didn't need it. However, every time he had a cold she took him for his 'asthma' and despite his doctor pronouncing him absolutely fine, he was rejected due to these childhood visits.

@comeflywithme1 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lw1z0lej8o
Will this make a difference for him?

@comeflywithme1 is asthma still noted as current on your son's medical record with his GP, and is the inhaler still showing as a repeat prescription?

If the GP treated it as a one off, that's going to be rather different to him still being on the practice asthma register as an active patient.

Don't be hard on yourself or your son. People here will get upset just to be argumentative.
He sounds like a very level-headed young man, wishing him the best of luck

@comeflywithme1 it sounds like a horrific event to be faced with, for you both. I’m sorry that you had to get through that.

I think that eventually this will bolster both yours and your ds’s resilience but it actually might not be a terrible thing if it does require your ds waiting a couple more years. Putting some distance between such a traumatic event and putting himself in inherently stressful situations allows more time for him to absorb impacts and time for reflection. Ideally both of you should go to and engage with counselling but that’s easier said than done I know. I’m also not sure how that’s viewed by the military.

@mychilddeservesaneducation

Thank you for the informative reply. I wondered how it worked.

I understand that it's similar to Army medical requirements. My ds2 was medically discharged due to an unknown issue that came to light through training. He had to be stable for 2 years following treatment in order to reapply.

His case went to the medical board for approval to apply, but after 18 months he withdrew his application as nobody was prepared to make a decision to allow him to join.

Reading this:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/655f74251fd90c0013ac3af6/FOI2023_00173.pdf

I would think your son would need to wait 4 years from when he had the inhaler.

The police may be a good alternative for your son OP

Yes they will thoroughly go through all GP records. Lying about your background is taken very seriously in the armed forces.

I'm not offended by the details OP included, it helps to explain why her son had a stress response, and we should talk more about the realitiea of dying
I agree, there's a world of difference of nan ' slipping away' and looking like she's having a nap to the scene the ds witnessed.

As I understand it from DH, there is no leeway at all on the medical standards. I’m glad there isn’t because you are ultimately risking other people’s lives if you lie. I also don’t think that your explanation of what happened will help your son in his application.

He would be better to do a degree then commission in after his degree, hoping that he isn’t prescribed an inhaler within the time frame. Alternatively I know quite a few civilians that work on RAF bases on planes engineering roles.

@DeCaray - yes. You have to give permission for the military to access your medical records when you apply. Your GP has to complete a comprehensive form and if further follow-up is needed, they have full access to delve in further. You also complete a health form and if you lie on this, they will find out when they go into your records and your application would be terminated anyway because you lied. Much better to be vague but honest and see where it leads.

@StMarieforme

Of course I don't want him to lie!

I was asking how do they know about private medical records? Can they request the info from the GP or can a person such as the Op's son lie and they accept the word of the recruit! 🙄

It's ok to ask. What are you policing those who queried it?

I wish people would stop trying to police what others can and can't talk about. It's very common after a traumatic experience to feel compelled to talk about it, often in great detail, as a way of processing the event. OP included a trigger warning. Nobody made any of you read this post.

RAF verteran here. The rules are there for a reason. The way you presented, it seems like a stressful event triggered an asthmatic episode in your son. You can expect a lot more stress in the military. If that were to happen on ops, it could put lives in danger, including your sons! You do cannot lie about health conditions, there is too much at stake and, quite frankly, if he was not upfront about his medical history, the lack of integrity would mean the forces wouldn't touch him - they check all this. Still, speak to recruitment, you may still find he is eligible to apply.

You won't know until you try but it's highly likely it will cause a problem. The medical vetting is EXTREMELY strict. They need to know that your DS won't be a liability if sent on operations overseas (either from not being fully fit operationally or needing a medivac back to the UK if falling particularly ill).
Even stress induced breathing problems rather than true asthma are a problem. In the middle of an exercise, a sick service person means the loss of several personnel as one or two others are taken out of action to help the casualty (it's why bullets used in most military rifles are sized to cause injury rather than kill outright - a badly wounded enemy takes 3 people off the field whereas a dead one is only 1 person).

And yes, when you apply to join the military, you have to give them permission to access your medical records. They will know your full history and if you're caught lying (which you will be) that's going to cause more harm to your application than the medical issue.

I agree, OP painted a picture of what her son witnessed to understand why it triggered a physical response later on.

I wish I was brave enough to talk to people about all the horrible deaths I have witnessed but people seem to get easily offended and act like shit never happens or don't want to know.

Sorry op, no actual advice on your son's situation and I am sorry you had to go through such a traumatic event.