18x Medical Waiver Question

[journeyman5691]

I have recently entered the 18x process and my recruiter sent my medical information for a pre-med read. I have a few questions regarding the process. I realize that this is a medical question and could easily have been put into the medical section, but I searched through the forums and I saw a few medical questions that were similarly listed and answered here.

On my pre-med screening, I gave information about a few surgeries that I had earlier in my life. The first was a bilateral pneumothorax on my lungs and it occurred the day I was born. I was inside of my mother for longer than expected during labor because they decided to do a c-section. That surgery has never affected me and I am currently 24 years old. The second surgery that I had was for a broken bone in my wrist when I was 15. I broke my scaphoid and I had surgery that put a pin in my scaphoid bone.

I checked the r40-501 medical standards and I supposedly am qualified as long as the pneumothorax didn't occur within 3 years and if it is not spontaneous (It is neither). My other surgery was done in my wrist as previously mentioned and it states that I need to have full mobility and I do.

I am an active and physically fit person. My lungs have never affected me since the day I was born and I currently run 7-9 miles Monday thru Friday. My wrist doesn't affect me either. I work out often and I have taken the APFT at my Recruiting station and I am currently scoring a 300 (100 pts on each event).

To get to my question, I am wondering if because I had these surgeries, if that means that these require medical waivers? I sent all my medical records to MEPS regarding those two surgeries and I am awaiting a reply from them sometime this week or the next.

I did my research and I have heard a few different things regarding medical waivers. I heard that since I am giving my personal records to a pre-med reading and because I still qualify under the r40-501 that it is not going to be a medical waiver if I pass the MEPS physical. I also read and heard from a few that because I am sending this to MEPS as a pre-med reading that this will be constituted as a medical waiver. My recruiter does not know the exact answer (unfortunately they don't know everything and I have heard mixed answers from other recruiters...). My recruiter did tell me that I am required to have a 1 for my upper and a 1 for my lower on the MEPS physical so my next question would be, do these surgeries mean I will be receiving a 2 instead of a 1 for my upper physical?

And for my last question, I have again researched and heard several different things depending on the person and the time of year (regarding the needs of the 18x program). Does a medical waiver disqualify me from an 18x contract or even from going SF later in my ARMY career?

Any help would greatly be appreciated because I am curiously waiting and wondering if anyone else has come across a similar situation as this. I hope to someday call the men of SF my brother and I realize it is a long journey of dedication within mental and physical stamina. I am prepared for both and I am hoping that MEPS doesn't keep me away from entering through the 18x program. I am aware of the other paths that lead to SF but after a lot of thinking, I have come to the conclusion that I would like to go the 18x route instead of OCS to SF, etc. I know neither are easy but hopefully these prior surgeries do not scare away the doctors at MEPS from giving me the chance to become a Quiet Professional. Thank you for your time.

PS Sorry for the long post...