Does this surgery show up on your medical record!?

[Ready for a change]

I am planng on joining the Army and I know if you have surgery they can make you wait a to enlist I was wondering if this you show up under your medical history. And if it does does anyone  no how long I may have to wait

[Grandpa Bambu]

If you don't involve your GP and go directly to a PS, then I can't see how the information could end up on your med history.

GB...

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

There is no central clearing house for medical records in this country -- thank goodness.  Can you imagine a hacker getting into a file like that??!!

The only fully complete record of your medical history lies within your own head and on any paperwork that you may have in your possession.  Doctors do keep individual records of your treatment -- but they are held in strictest confidence and are not shared with anyone else (including the army) without your permission.

If you do join the army, it is up to your discretion to inform them.  If you are planning on having surgery prior to boot camp, then I would suggest a minimum of 2-3 months of recovery after surgery before entering the army.

Dr Jacobs

[DrBermant]

I am planng on joining the Army and I know if you have surgery they can make you wait a to enlist I was wondering if this you show up under your medical history. And if it does does anyone  no how long I may have to wait

I have taken care of many gynecomastia patients before and while they served in the military. That includes the US and several other counties. No patient has ever told me of any problems with the surgery and the military. None have asked me to send my office records which are private. By law any doctor is not permitted to share such records without a patient's consent.  Some places do have medical history that is part of their records.  Military patients who have surgery in the military will have such surgery on that record. Big institutions sometimes are not as careful. All you need to do is search in Google "leaked medical records" and you can find many such leaks of celebrities by UCLA. Those who were involved were fired, but the damage was done.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=leaked+medical+records

There have been quite a few others. That is one of the advantages of going to a private office that is not part of a big impersonal institution.

Time to wait before going into in the Army after surgery depends on the problem to be treated.  Boot camp is quite stressful on the body. Surgery should heal before tissue is put through that type of demands.  This sculpture for my patients is similar to a muscle sprain. In bodybuilding no pain no gain. For healing, ignore the pain and you will screw the gain.  Optimal healing happens when peak swelling occurs in the operating room. Ignore healing tissue needs, and there will be new swelling and prolonged healing.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction

[headheldhigh01]

thanks to both the dr's for those very instructive posts.  although i admit i keep hearing talk of computerizing medical records in the future, which i would trust about as much as i trust a diebold voting machine, which is not very much.  but that's useful and informative. 

[Grandpa Bambu]

thanks to both the dr's for those very instructive posts.

x2...

GB...

[Grandpa Bambu]

Doctors do keep individual records of your treatment -- but they are held in strictest confidence and are not shared with anyone else (including the army) without your permission.

Doctor/Patient confidentiality... 

GB...

[Ready for a change]

Thanks everyone I was so nervous about them finding out some how and not letting me in. I feel alot better now.

[Grandpa Bambu]

You're welcome! 

GB...