Medical information on a recruit

[Lorraine]

Hi, Lorraine here from Colorado, my son is Eric and he is a new recruit with an SF unit. He was recently hospitalized and I was wondering if anyone knows the procedures for finding out "from a doctor" what is going on. I think I am bound to follow the National HIPPA laws since he is 18. any of you had a recruit hospitalized? We have been getting daily updates from my son, but still would like to talk to a doc.

Seeking advice Lorraine

[Hoppi aka Angie]

HIPAA Statute (Medical Records)
Protected Health Information – The Health Information Privacy and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associates, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper or oral. Accordingly, Recruit Training Command (RTC) is unable to disclose any medical information about a recruit to an outside party without the recruit's written permission.
Privacy Act
The RTC Public Affairs office is not permitted to release information on individual recruits which is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. section 552a.This includes all personal information related to a recruit's training record, medical treatment, official service record, or administrative separation processing.Family members and other interested parties may have access to such information only if a recruit has signed a written waiver of his or her rights under the Privacy Act.The waiver must list the specific individuals to whom release of personal information is authorized.Any recruit may request permission from a Recruit Division Commander (RDC) to visit the Legal Department and complete a Privacy Act waiver form.

http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/rtcgl/family/faq.html

[Lorraine]

He is in SARS Search and Rescue Swimmer. he was dehydrated and it affected the muscles in both his arms. Thanks I will ask him, I think they are ready to release him......then make the decision to keep him in his divsion. I just pray his condition will not preclude him from SARS

[Paula]

I wish you the very best, please keep me updated. My son was hospitalized for 104 fever and strep along with dehydration. They took great care of him and he went back and PIr'd on time. I knew nothing until he was released. It is a killer, I am the Mom I should know what is going on, lol

[Hoppi aka Angie]

Hope he is doing better!

[Debby]

From experience they will not tell you anything... unless you are standing right there and he says its ok to tell you.. My son is in Iraq and has been injured and no one will tell me anything... He wasnt shot this was an injury during a mission, I know its his knee and thats all I know.. My brother who is a Navy Doctor is looking into it and is going to assist me, my son says not to worry but really??? don't worry?? really??? ummm ya ok :)

Hope all comes out ok...

Debby

[MIMI]

You are absolutely right and this is probably exactly what is wrong. How ever, there is a condition called Guillain Barr Syndrome and it seems to be on the rise in boot camp. In fact in the past 8 wks there have been 2 cases. Give it a google search and then inform your son what to watch for. If he is having a hard time walking and /or saluting, he needs to ask to be tested for this. The longer it goes undiagnosed the more troublesome it is and for some reason, the ER and clinic missed the diagnosis on both boys which is somewhat puzzling to me.
Do google it, and become aware , like I said, it's absolutely dehydration, but...just in case he is still having trouble, knowledge is power. You might have him ask his Dr if he's sure it's not Gillian Barr.
Now, if you ask your son to sign a paper giving you authority to talk to Dr. and making you his health care surrogate, they have to talk to you.

[Hoppi aka Angie]

The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome is unknown, but it sometimes is triggered by a respiratory infection or the stomach flu. Luckily, this potentially deadly disorder is relatively rare, occurring worldwide in only one or two people per 100,000. All age groups can be affected, but it occurs most often in young adults and the elderly.

[Hoppi aka Angie]

How can you say something is on the "rise", do you have the stats from BC for this syndrome over the past years? No you do not, only reason people think it is on the rise is that people on this web site talk about their children and what is going on.

[Kristina Arkansas]

Lorrainne You can get your son to fill out a medical power of attorney and that will help you to get information.My son was hospitalized twice so far since entering BC first for Pneumonia and then with Guillain Barre.Both times the hospital notified per My son's request some of this is due to the Hippa Laws.I flew out to GL when he was in ccu this last time with the Guillain Barre.While I was there we signed the power of attorney and advance directives.They will stay in effect til my son revokes them I have 3 copies so that I can fax to a Dr. or hospital in the event anything else occurs with my son...As far as Hoppi's coments about the illness my son has You never know alot about an illness til it affects you or your loved ones.I will not claim to know everything about this illness but know more than i did the first time I heard of it and have learned alot since.I have done alot of research and talked to numerous people whom have had loved ones with it.I have even spoke to one whose father is in his 80's with it.As far as the comment about it being on the rise I have talked to Dr.'s and therapist personally who have said they have seen an increasing number of cases in this illness. They did not state where the case all originated.The statistics can be wrong and I believe they are.I think this is in part to the hippa laws and that they don't report all cases properly.Please notice my wording These are my OPINIONS!!!!! As for the comment on why it is believed that there is a rise in Boot Campand that is believed because we talk about our kids on this site.I thought that was the point in it being here so that we can share things with the friends we have made and ask questions if we need to know something.When I posted what was going on with my son it was because I was a terrified mother and hoped someone could help me find answers to my questions.I was very lucky that so many reached out and have helped me.I was put in contact with other moms who have gone through similar things. I have recieved the gift of prayer from many and a lot of emotional support through all of this and continue to recieve well wishes.So if My discussion in any way has offended the navy or anyone else i am sorry I will continue to post my son's progress because i feel that I owe that to all who have been there with me since the first day.Many have said they feel like he is everyones son now. My son is very luck there is stiil another recruit that is very ill with guillain -barre.I met his mom while I was there I told her about Navy for moms because she was going through this all alone.That is why it is known now of these 2 cases of this disease. So that in my opinion contradicts the statistic of 1 or 2 in 100'000 worldwide.I have visited the website set up by the Guillain Barre foundation and have read of several other cases so i believe it is on the rise.The reason why and how they get it is still unknown at this time and they are trying to learn as much as they can but I believe that my son would have gotten this even if he had been home it was in god's plan for him to go through certain things and i have told him this. Making negative comments and fighting isnt gonna help anyone so what is the point. I also want to say that as far as the navy i am still proud that my son chose to join and I was treated very well at all time by the navy while I was there with my son. He is now back with a division and we are hoping he will stay healthy and be able to finish...As far as his diagnosis and how that occured I was told that unless you know what to look for it would be hard to diagnose. Chances are if he were home he would have been misdiagnosed and sent home and told he had the flu or something... SO if I have offended anyone I AM SORRY!!!!!

[Hoppi aka Angie]

Of course this website is for people to talk about what is going on with their Sailors. I was asking if there is concreate stat's that GB is on the rise in BC?

[Fran]

I am the other Mom that Kristina was refering to in her post. My son was diagnosed a few weeks before Kristinas. He was critically ill and I almost lost him. He is in rehab today and will not be released until the end of January. This will be 4 months in a hospital. Our struggle was difficult but thanks to the incredible people on this site my children will be celebrating Christmas tomorrow. They also want to know what is going on with our children. As for the rise in stats.....you would have to be blind not to see the increase at BC. Since the beginning of this year I know of atleast 4 recruits who were diagnosed with GBS. As Kristina stated, the stats say that 1-2 out of 100,000 annually are diagnosed with GBS. Per capita GL is certainly much higher statistically than the rest of the country. I think that it may be time to find out if maybe there is a trigger. According to a new friend of mine who is on the board at the GBS Foundation, the stats that we see may not even include the Navy Recruits since the Military does not have to report. I too was treated very well by the Navy during this very difficult time, but it does not change the fact that we know too many sick kids with this syndrome. My son is so dedicated that he wishes to continue on with his Naval Career when and if he completely recovers so I mean no harm to the Navy, however my sons health is on the line and I want answers.

PS...I love you Kristina and Merry Christmas to you and yours.......

<3 Fran

[LynnDear]

I am glad to hear from you and Kristina. I am a nurse and my son's father is an ER physician. We have had your son's on a prayer list at my church as well as Frieda's son in April for the same illness. I have had patients with Guillain Barre and it is a frightening disease from the medical point of view as well as the families. It is true that many patients have been exposed to a respiratory illness prior to diagnosis. But who is boot camp did NOT get exposed to some respiratory problems. An ENT at my Sunday school said he saw in increase in his practice and was reading about possible connections to the flu vaccine. The vaccine changes every year, and not everyone with the flu vaccine gets it either. When my son was injured in A school playing a game of tag football, he broke his hand and needed surgery. I never did talk to a physician or request to, but I found the Omsbudman was very helpful to call me when the surgery was over and how he did. My Army son was injured in Iraq and I never even knew that he went to a hospital until after the fact. I believe that this site is a useful resource and allows us to find people with experience in similar problems. I am a good nurse and therapist. However, when my son was sick and injured, my role was as a concerned mom. And most people here do understand that.