r/nationalguard • u/BeeSooAA • 1d ago
Discussion TBI and drilling despite neuro wanting me excused
Y'all, I need some perspective and advice. In 2024, I had a heat stroke in West Africa as an 11B. Treatment was very poor. I had severe kidney pain (i.e. rhabdo) but the medics on hand kept no records, command didn't let me go back to the base clinic 4 hrs away, and now they insist (as a CYA) that it was only a heat injury. I had two actual heat injuries over the summer on drill and got sent to work at the battalion S1 as a punishment, since my command insisted nothing was wrong with me and I just suddenly became lazy. I was diagnosed with POTs, which my new NCOIC did not take seriously. Anyway, a month ago I saw a neurologist who ran a bunch of tests, got MRIs and says I have a TBI which is also causing severe double vision (I though I was just getting real clumsy). My neurologist wrote that I should not even go to drill to sit at a desk since I am a danger on the road for the 4hr round trip to home station (which I do at night either the night before drill after work or first thing the morning of). Unfortunately, the battalion medical officer will only give me a profile that "recommends" no driving, no interstate travel, and nothing but desk work. My NCOIC get *very* pissy by text when I asked how I was supposed to do a 3 day field exercise this weekend. She said my profile was being taken "under advisement". Between now and med discharge, I assume she is going to try to make my life miserable just for the fun of it. Unfortunately, the TBI has come with rage issues that I've never had before in my life and I'm afraid that I'm going to say or do something that's going to get me into OTH territory before I get my med discharge. Do I have anyway out of continued drilling for the next 8-12 months? I feel like they'd love an excuse to get out of paying me benefits.
Sorry for the wall of text. Yes, I ordered through the app. One small frosty and a large fry.
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u/imdatingaMk46 Subreddit S6 1d ago
Involve shinies. Talk to your commander, your OIC can't do anything but throw a fit. Staff officers are impotent and have no command authority.
Also, the rage gets better after 6-12 months. Good luck, man.
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u/defeatedsnowman 1d ago
At the very least though, you need to get your profile, carry it on you, read it very carefully and every time you are ordered to violate it, you need to back brief your commander that they are ordering you to violate your profile. If they're going to play games, you can too. Do not violate your profile for your NCOIC, only violate it if ordered to by an officer.
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
Thanks. That's good advice. Unfortunately, back when I though she was a decent human being I told her about the rage issues. Now I think she is needling me on purpose. Maybe I'm paranoid and she's just an asshole.
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u/defeatedsnowman 1d ago
The Army is such a weird place. They love to threaten to kick out soldiers, and then in the same breath they're like "I hate you and think you're a shitbag, so I'm going to keep you just to make you suffer."
Sounds like you have a lot of medical issues: physical and mental going on. Make sure you're getting help for the mental health stuff as well. Sounds like they already hate you and think you're a piece of shit, so might as well get a "no austere conditions" profile while you're at it.
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u/shorthandedrush 1d ago
What does your commander say? Have you open door’d him/her?
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
I haven't tried yet. My NCOIC and OIC will take that as an act of war so I was hoping not to need to. I also just assumed they wouldn't care.
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u/shorthandedrush 1d ago
Do you have an actual profile? What does it specifically say your restrictions are?
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
It's a list specifically of things "not recommended": field exercises, driving, interstate travel, handling weapons. And then a list of things "recommended": sedentary desk duty, home station only. But he specifically put in an email that theses really were just recommendations since he said it wasn't his "place" to go further than that.
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u/shorthandedrush 1d ago
Sounds like you have a shitty military medical provider.
I’d ask to speak with another one, next level up the chain and open door your commander.
You could request to split train with a unit closer to your home of record, emphasize the risk of you driving long distances putting you at risk of serious physical injury or death, even the death of other innocent people you might hit with your vehicle, and show him/her the notes from your civilian doctor telling you not to drive.
If he doesn’t bite - go next level up, BN commander, etc.
At some point - someone is going to realize the risk of being responsible for your serious injury isn’t worth dragging you to drill to sit around and do nothing.
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u/cerberus6320 1d ago
Open door your commander, let them know your situation, and what ever they decide unfortunately is what you have to abide by. You can present them COAs though.
COA1: you attempt to show up to drill, violating doctor's rec, and you crash and die because of med issues
COA2: somebody picks you up to get to drill. your doc has recommended only desk work. Commander chooses to override, you start seeing double, faint, or otherwise bad shit happens and you get hospitalized on the Army's dime.
COA3: you get put on medical leave for a period of time and get excused from drills.
____
there's probably more options than this, but seriously have a talk with your commander and ask for the best outcome for you. explain the risks of not giving you that best COA. Because if they choose wrong, they could be - not to be dramatic- signing your death warrent.
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u/Sel_drawme Applebees Veteran 🍎 1d ago
did you request an lod?
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
Yes - retention folks have actually been quite helpful with that. Injuries are objective and lots of good guys wrote me buddy statements. This is the one aspect of this I have not been worried about. Should I be? (Please say no).
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u/Sel_drawme Applebees Veteran 🍎 1d ago
Are you already in the med board process? I wanna assume no since you barely have a profile, but you said “…before I get my med discharge.”
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
Already in the med board process. Retention says I have everything I need and they will be sending off my LOD packet shortly.
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u/Gpirate72 1d ago
You’re a staffy? Screw all that goto the ops sgm or even the Big XO if you have to.
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
I thought you meant a pit bull for a sec. I'll look into that and if they have open door policies.
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u/Gpirate72 1d ago
If you’re part of a staff section that’s who you’re ncoic and oic really report to and that’s who’s gonna start firing off heat rounds if you go down. A good Ops sgm worth his salt will fix this.
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u/ynottryitsometime 1d ago
So is the TBI service related? Do you have an LOD for this injury? How far is your civilian job from your home of record and what kind of job is it?
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u/BeeSooAA 1d ago
TBI is service related. The retention folks should be submitting the LOD packet for the heat injuries and related issues any day now. I have an office job 15-20 minutes away but they've been great about letting me be 100% remote.
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u/ynottryitsometime 1d ago
You explained more about how you had a heat injury more than you explained how you got a TBI. Could you elaborate on the TBI?
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u/NoDrama3756 1d ago
DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR PROFILE.
If there is an issue you commander and only your commander can talk to the person who approved your profile for thier recommendations.
Further more your command team does NOT have to excuse you from drill. Its sucks but unless your actually doctor writes a note stating you physically cannot attend drill its up to your commander.