Expert: Rod Powers - 12/28/2007

Question
I am in week 13 (out of 16 weeks, 6 days) of Cav Scout training. A few weeks ago I started itching terribly bad all over my body, to the point that it took me scratching until I started to bleed to relieve the itch. I am Platoon Guide, and therefore I decided not to go to sick call over some itching so that the guys in my platoon would not see weakness in their leader. I'm home on leave, and since I've gotten home a rash has started to show up on my arms, and it's very noticeable. I'm gonna have to go to sick call, I can't bare it any longer, it wakes me up at night itching so bad. Will they give me a medical discharge me for this? I know eczema and psoriasis are DQ factors to even joining the military. (Oh I forgot to mention my Uncle informed me when I got home that both of those run in the family and that he developed his eczema at my age.) Thanks for any info you can give me.

Answer
Hell, David, I don't know. You don't even know for sure what's wrong with you, yet. So, how can I make a guess as to whether or not you would be discharged?

You don't know for a fact that it's eczema, or psoriasis, and -- even if it is -- you don't know for a fact that it's not amenable to treatment.

You need to go to sick call and get this treated. Heck, it may just require a pill or a cream.

Stop trying to be an "iron-man." The Army doesn't want iron-men. They want smart individuals, who know when to use the services of the medical professionals who they spend multi-millions of dollars each year paying to keep Soldiers healthy.

For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com