medical issues...

[scinoski]

has anyone had to deal with an unusual medical issue during the application process?

how does it work...if your doctor signs off on it, are you good to go?

does it come down to whether or not that medical issue will hinder your ability to do the job?

any advice will be appreciated

thanks!

[Bodie]

Why not just tell us what the "issue" is so we can give you BTDT advice ? You are being too vague.
You will be facing department chosen doctor for the final okay anyway so what your family doctor says will bear little weight.

[BadgerFan]

If you can pass the physical test and medical exam, then you'll probably get in unless you have some long term or contagious disease/condition. I recall an article where a guy got hired with a fake leg..he ran just fine with it and passed all tests

[scinoski]

sorry...didn't mean to be vague
i was diagnosed with a minor case of narcolepsy about 6 or 7 years ago

never been a problem for me

any suggestions?

[Bodie]

Disclose it during medical questions. Have a treament plan in hand from your attending doctor to hand over.

[retdetsgt]

Originally posted by scinoski
sorry...didn't mean to be vague
i was diagnosed with a minor case of narcolepsy about 6 or 7 years ago

never been a problem for me

any suggestions?

If it wasn't a problem, how did the doctor diagnose it? There must have been some sort of symptoms for you to talk to him about it in the first place.

[fanish]

From what I understand it is a genetic disease, meaning you have it all your life. You'll have to prove that with proper medication and treatment you have it under control.

[1] Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) includes daytime sleep attacks, which may occur with or without warning (and for many are irresistible); persistent drowsiness, which may continue for prolonged periods of time; and "microsleeps", or fleeting moments of sleep intruding into the waking state.

[2] Cataplexy (the other hallmark symptom of narcolepsy) is a sudden loss of voluntary muscle control, usually triggered by emotions such as laughter, surprise, fear or anger. It occurs more frequently during times of stress or fatigue.

That's from a site I just visited. You certainly can't have any of those symptoms come up while on duty.

[scinoski]

retdetsgt: the only reason it was diagnosed is because i had surgery to repair a deviated septum back when i was in college. snored too much when i slept... anyway, the narcolepsy was picked up then cause i had to see a sleep doctor for that.

fanish: i agree with you 100%. i wouldn't want that in a fellow officer. however, i have never had a problem, and the medication i take controls things completely.

bodie: thanks for the advice. i plan on seeing my doctor to see what she says.

but if it can be treated with medication, can the PD still dq me?