FEELS LIKE ON HER DEATH BED... More sick than ever before... NAVAL PERSONAL NOT RESPONDING???

Question

My daughter has a sever case of the flu, Im sure...by the way she sounds, her symptoms and can hardly talk into the phone. She is in her last few weeks of "A-School" in the Navy before she is to be stationed next month. She said she was told to drink some water and go lay down for a couple hours. She called me and could hardly talk, and said so faintly, she wanted to go to the hosptial. She never gets sick, and for her to say that, convinces me how ill she really is. The Petty Officer told her if she was that sick to go all the way down to the office and tell them to take her. She made it down, then they said to "go get ready, they would take her". She went to put on her clothes, and they said she had to go back and change into military atire. I am not saying she is just sick with a cold...this girl is seriously ill, and the Navy personal ignored her completely. She almost had to beg to be taken to the hospital. Is this they way they really treat you? Like a prisoner?

Answer 1

I think your over reacting, Your daughter is an adult now, so why not treat her as one.

She told her Petty officer she was sick, he told her to report to the Orderly Room to be taken to sick call.

Anyone out of Basic knows you report to the Orderly Room in uniform, why would they have to tell her to get dressed?

Why did she wait so long to tell someone she was sick ?

The military will usually go the extra mile to take care of you, but they do expect you to be an adult.

The Navy isn't a babysitting service, just like real life, if you get sick, you don't expect someone else to take care of you or your problems.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but its time you let your daughter grow up and its time she starts growing up an accepts responsibility for herself.

Answer 2

I just love these people saying, "Call the CO, call the CO."

Any idiot who's spent more than a week in the military knows that the Executive Officer handles ALL personnel matters.

Training commands are notoriously skeptical of reported illness. This is because it's the first avenue slackers use in an attempt to get out of the military. No offense intended toward your daughter.

Since she's been to the base hospital once the second time should trigger a much better response from the staff. It normally requires the case be seen by a physician rather than a PA or Corpsman.

I guarantee there are signs up in the hospital, "Uniform of the Day Required." She should have known better.

Answer 3

I don't know your daughter, so please don't take this as an attack on her or her character. Many young Sailors, away from home for the first time, can sensationalize a minor illness. Some do this for attention, some because they are used to having someone take care of them when they are ill.

If a Sailor feels ill, he or she has to go to "sick call." If it is after "sick call hours" (usually in the morning from 7:00 to roughly 10:00 am), then they have to go to the hospital. Remember, this is a military organization, so military attire is appropriate at a military hospital.

Is it possible that she feels intimidated and is not expressing how poorly she feels to her chain of command? Have you taken into consideration that she is one of a company of young Sailors, not just one of a few?

It's been my experience that the Navy provides pretty darn good care for their troops, when they are aware the troops are sick or injured.

I don't understand how you think she's being treated like a prisoner. If SHE feels she is being mistreated, she can tell her chain of command by contacting her Leading Petty Officer, Leading Chief Petty Officer, Division Officer, Department Head, Command Master Chief, Chaplain, or even the Executive Officer or Commanding Officer. And if she is in "A" School, she should already know that, as it is hammered into their heads at Boot Camp.

Remember Mom, she's an adult now.

Answer 4

If she followed the chain of command and was in the proper uniform there should have been no problem. Her instructor should have made sure she was in the proper uniform and he/she should have contacted someone higher up to make sure she made it to sick bay. One checks into sick call and then the corpsmen decide what to do with her after that. Whoever told her to 'go drink some water and lay down' made a serious mistake. I don't think that person was a medical person. As non-medical persons, petty officers cannot give advice to a seemingly sick person, but to direct that person to sick call. If she were to have gotten worse or died, the petty officer would be up for charges and a courts martial. I had a young lady under my charge who was allowed to go on special liberty each month. When I checked in to the command, she came to me with the same "I've got serious cramps" story. I had one of the other ladies drive her to sick bay. She was sent to the Naval hospital and was checked in. She had uterine cancer. I would NOT let her go home for the day.
Twenty years in the Navy and I learned SOMETHING.

Answer 5

The command probably has a requirement that A-School personnel are not allowed civilian attire out side the confines of the base. This is normal. When going to the hospital it is customary to be in uniform of the day for sick call. So being in jeans and t-shirt isn't allowed. Generally if a person is sick, they are taken to medical with no problems. No military personnel are not treated like prisoners.

Answer 6

It is really quite simple, although you arent going to want to hear it.
She should have been dressed before she left her room. If she was so sick she couldnt get out of bed and get dressed, she should call an ambulance.

Or, would you prefer that I get your daughter dressed?
I am sure that there would be sexual harrassment charges for THAT one!

What do you expect her to do if she has to fight and she is sick. I have been to combat numerous times and I have had the flu and food poisoning. The military is not for the faint of heart. The flu rarely will kill a normal healthy person. She passed the Navy physical, i am sure that she is in good hands.

If they had denied her medical care, then she would have a complaint.

One final thought, many of the "children" in "A" school are not mature enough to handle it and would "call in sick" if they could. I am not saying that your daughter is one of them, but that the instructors, commanders and her superiors dont know her very well. When she gets to her first unit, after a while, they will learn to trust her and give her more of the benefit of the doubt.

Answer 7

Not sure about the timing of her A school, but for what it is worth this kind of sickness is fairly common. Most military people know it as "The Recruit Crud" because it strikes about the 3rd to 5th week of Recruit Training (boot camp) and wipes you completely out.

I thought I had made it through boot camp without getting the crud, against all odds. Until week 6, then I got seriously wiped out by it. You feel like you are going to die, you sound like you are going to die, you look like you are going to die, and quite frankly you wish you WOULD just die. It is awful. But there's not a darned thing they can do about it.

It is caused by your immune system finally losing the fight against all those hundreds of different versions of the cold and flu viruses from around the country (and world) that you are suddenly exposed to, because you are bunking with a couple hundred people and all breathing each others's air.

The good news is, it lasts about a week then you get better. The great news is, your immune system becomes this thing of beauty, able to wipe out anything it sees for years afterwards. The bad news is, you don't get much coddling from Navy Medical.

She should definitely get in uniform and get down to medical just to be sure. One of her shipmates (schoolmates) should help her if needed. But chances are, she will be given aspirin and throat lozenges and cough syrup. It's not that Navy Medical doesn't care, it's that they've seen it ten thousdand times before.

BTW, throughout her time in the Navy if she deals with Navy Medical much, she will probably come to the same conclusion I did: Navy Medical is a spectrum just like civilian medical. The only difference is that more people in the middle of the road get out of Navy Medical and go into civilian practice. Some NM personell are the best on earth, they stay in to serve those who serve their country. And others are the worst, they stay in because they know inside they won't cut it in civilian medical. But most are somewhere between and they do a good job, though don't expect them to wait on you hand and foot quite like a paid civilian hospital would.

BTW, I am proud of your daughter and you for supporting her. The Navy is a great choice, a great place to serve, and a terrific stepping stone in whatever walk of life she chooses -- it was the best decision I ever made (besides marrying my wife of 17 years).

Answer 8

she is being treated a bit shabbily BUT as she is in "A" school she have already learned that at ALL times when going to any of the medical facilities she is meant to be in FULL uniform at all times............there are notices in ALL medical places for the Navy that I have been to, right along with the ones that say no civilians are to wear this this or this.

And whilst you MIGHT want to leap in and defend her, calling her co will REALLY upset people and get her noticed for all the wrong reasons................best bet would be to call the officer of the day and ask to speak to the Chaplin NOT his aide but him, say how worried you are and that as she never has been sick before etc etc and you are so far away from her could he be so kind as to at least go and speak to her and give her a personal message from you to her they WILL do this for you.

Regards and truly hope she is better real soon and does not lose time for this, IE have to go back in A school.

Answer 9

Having been CO of military courses, I am certain that your daughter is being treated properly. It may not seem like it at the time but her well-being is being considered by the course staff at all times.

There are proper ways to handle things and elements like being in proper military attire are correct. If your daughter can be mobile, can dress properly and doesn't require ambulance evacuation, then it sounds like things are ok. She may be uncomfortable but she is not is danger.

The staff are doing things correctly.

Answer 10

The quick answer is NO. there are jerks in every organization. Even in the military a person has rights. She should have went directly to see the doctor at what the navy calls sickbay. All she has to do is inform her superior where she was going.