Aviation Medicine

All, I am pursuing an interservice transfer into the Air Force to fly the KC-135. I was required to complete a FC1 exam and just received my DD-2808 stamped approved from AETC. On the form it states "FC1 pending successful completion of MFS-N". What exactly is the MFS-N? I can find info on the MFS but nothing on the "-N" part. What is it, and where do I do this exam at? Lastly, is the MFS-N basically done enroute to the FTU? As I'm a rated pilot in the Navy, I will bypass UPT and proceed directly to flying the -135. Anyone have any idea if I need to finish it prior to switching to the Air Force or can I finish it after I switch? Thanks.

With MHS Genesis being rolled out about 6 months ago, will those of us that have already gone to MEPS before that be subject to some scrutiny regarding new medical records they can pull? Do they use MHS Genesis for FC1, when you arrive at OTS or UPT? Most information I can find involves people just going through MEPS.

In applying for my FAA medical certification I found out that the TBI accident I had as an 8 year old would come back to haunt me (shocking, I know). I had internal bleeding from falling off my bike, and 1 seizure on the way to the hospital, but the bleeding stopped within 24 hrs and I made a full recover within a few weeks. No meds, no PT, no surgeries, nothing. Now, I got a letter from the FAA asking for an EEG, MRI, neuropsych eval, etc. - the whole nine yards - and after an initial neurology visit the neurologist believes there aren't any left over effects and that this should just be about crossing I's and dotting T's. On the military side, I've completed MEPS e…

I've been told I need to get the SG to sign off on a knee scope I had almost 10 years ago for mild chondromalacia of the patella before I can go to MEPS. Does anyone know why this is a big deal? The only thing I can think of is my medical file is missing a sheet with post-surgery/therapy evaluation. I have an appointment with my doctor slated for next week to take care of that, but any advice on what is needed to get the SG to sign off on it would really be appreciated.

I'm considering entering AFROTC but I wanted to hear advice on the chances of me getting a waiver for my allergies, specifically for a pilot slot. I have mild allergies to most fruits except berries but I can still eat them, I just get a little itchy and a stomach ache. I'm also allergic to must tree nuts, which if I eat I get a bad stomach ache--but I don't think I'm anaphylactic. I've had allergies all my life but they have gotten better. Does anyone know if pilots are often able to get waivers for allergies?

This week I finally got something back about the FC1/MFS I did at Brooks in April. It looks like I have to do some follow up work and was hoping F16PilotMD could shed some light on the problem I may have. From the Report of Medical Examination: "Request current consultation from: Orthopedics for finding noted on chest X-ray. There is evidence for a mildly increased thoracic kyphosis with moderate loss of height of the T8 vertebra and mild loss of height of T7. The findings are compatible with prior trauma." The report says to include examinee's personal and family history related to the condition, past and current signs and symptoms, treatment rendered, and da…

This is pretty embarassing: I just got entered into the Commander's Review board process due to flight doc recommending admin removal for manifestation of apprehension. I'm not afraid of flying, in fact I love it, it's just when I'm flying that I have problems. Anyway, I'm hoping that they'll let me enter SUNT but have no idea if I'm already DQ'd for that due to this MOA issue. I can't find anything specific in the regs regarding UPT/SUPT...that I'm aware exist anyway. Can someone please help me out with some info? More info about my situation: It was recommended to me by my flt cmdr that I go to life skills, since I thought it was maybe just a pressure/stress issue.…

I am not in the military yet. However, I plan on applying for a flight slot. Basically, I was wondering if I had this mole removed would it pose any problems later. In other words, would I be disqualified? Would I need a waiver? Does it matter how I have it removed? I was thinking about laser removal, however, does it matter that the technology is fairly new? Any help on this would be very helpful. Thanks.

So I went to WPAFB for my FC1 physical earlier this summer. I did not do well on the depth perception tests. I passed everything else. Once I failed the OVT, they had me go through the other battery of depth tests, and again, I was spotty - getting things right but not consistently enough. I left there being told I was DQ'd. I started doing a lot of research on depth perception - mainly on the mil forums - and started doing eye exercises everyday. Last week I was on TDY at Maxwell. At the advise of some of the ROTC officers there, I went over to the base clinic and asked them to test me on Depth Perception. I explained my situation to the technician, who said that som…

This is for the flight doc's or other people who went through the same scenario. I was diagnosed with Mood D/O NOS in 2002 saw a head doctor off and on until the beginning of 2005 when I was cleared of treatment. Never suicidal, never homicidal, never psycho. I was on different meds over the course of my treatment as it is custom for psychiatrist to try something new until one is found that dosent have adverse effects on the pt. I think the longest one I was on was Lexapro. I can show where I have been performing like a normal person in society since that is what they want to see. I am in a flagship university, live in the dorm, & a member of the rowing team among ot…

Currently an Active Duty AF officer with a TS-SCI clearance. I disclosed in my commissioning physical and background check that I experimented with marijuana <5 times 8 years ago when I was a teen. I was completely open about it....didn't want my integrity challenged in any way. I've got everything together to apply for the '04 Active Duty UFT board except for the flight physical which I plan on proceeding with in May '03. Is the flight doc going to ask me about prior drug usage again? If so, will I need a moral waiver for it? I would think that if I needed a waiver, I would've had to get it upon commissioning. Thoughts?? I appreciate your help.

Well I guess this is something you can't fix. Atleast as far as I know. Anyways, I NEVER get car sick, sea sick, or air sick. Never. I'm a roller coaster freak too. Usually I tend to just go on one, get off, and run to the next one. After more than a few rides it starts to disorient me, make me wouzy. I don't care, I keep riding them until I can't bear it anymore. Hell sometimes I'll come home feeling wouzy but it's always worth it. Anyways, I guess when it comes to those things my stomach will tend to be a ###### every once and a while. You guys think I'll have problems at UPT or worse yet in a fighter?

Is there any precedent for flyers taking Naltrexone? AFI 148-123 gets no hits.

Hi all, Back when I was going through the motions for the AF Academy, during my physical I had to get a waiver for a polyp in my sinuses. I went to a specialist, and without any grief he said it wouldn't be a problem at all, unless I started smoking a few packs a day. I don't have any problems with it, and am in super health. Soon I am going to be taking a physical for a AF Reserve tanker pilot slot... will this come up again and be a problem?

I have been lurking on the forums for a while now and I finally got the ball rolling on applying for the lifelong dream, and it has come to the point where I need to determine if this is an issue. To make a long story short at some point when I was young my spine grew slightly faster than my neck and damaged some nerves in my hand. I therefore have slightly reduced grip strength in one arm. This condition is rare and I am one of the lucky ones, as apparently it can be a lot worse to the point of really impacting overall hand strength/motion. I can still play all the sports I played before this started appearing and still go to the gym keeping everything as strong as possi…

All, Welcome Jedi Doc as the newest moderator to the forum. Current flight doc who has been given moderator access to the aviation medicine section.

All, Please welcome a new moderator to the forum. Deaddebate has been hanging out for a while and providing advice, so I've given him the official title. I'm sure he will continue to give the same quality of contributions that he has previously, the only difference is that he now has the ability to bitch-slap the profile of anybody who feels the need to act like a prick to him.

Is there even a process for this? I have some pretty significant sinus issues and am looking at taking a new medication that is not approved. I won’t even consider it if it forces a DQ, but if there is a process to get it approved, I’d be interested in knowing what it is. The FAA has approved it on a case by case basis, but I also realize that they are much more permissive in that regard. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

So sometimes when I shower or wash my face my nose will start to bleed. Also, during my PFT a couple of weeks ago I was doing the push ups and my nose started to bleed, I didn't even hit it or anything. This happens every couple of days and it's easy to stop the bleeding. I had this problem when I was in college about 3 years ago but it stopped and I didn't pay any attention to it. This recent problem with it has been going on for about 2 weeks now. I'm hoping the problem will go away so I don't have to see a doc. Any suggestions or help?

Will the AF fix a broken nose that has healed crooked? Could I just make an appointment w/ a Flt Doc to re-break it and straighten it? I've heard rumors of one free cosmetic surgery done by the AF for personnel, is that true?

I went searching through this site and the best I could find was a few posts from medical students in 2011. Does anyone know if there is any kind a process or waiver to go from the AF nurse corps to aviation? I'm in a program currently where they pay for my graduate school in trade for my service (which is a great deal and extremely competitive). At the suggestion of an AF pilot friend, I was told if I'm going to change I should do it sooner rather than later because I'll need an age waiver by the time I am done with my nursing commitment. I know physician pilots exist and there are flight docs, etc but all of that is closed to nurse practitioners.

Anyone have any thoughts on the recent articles that have been coming out of the NYT hammering military medicine? Although military medicine has its unique challenges, I found the articles unjust. Here are the links to the articles: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/us/in-military-care-a-pattern-of-errors-but-not-scrutiny.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/us/smaller-military-hospitals-said-to-put-patients-at-risk.html?_r=0 1. Fat on tragic anecdote, sparse on scientific rigor. 2. Who are they comparing us to?! It seems like all the comparisons are to 'leading civilian hospitals'. Is it really fair to compare Winn Army Hospital to Johns Hopkins a…

Anyone know if Omeprazole, the generic Prilosec, is waiverable. Thanks.

Hi, first post... I was wondering the possibility of obtaining a waiver for having one kidney. My kidney was not removed by surgery, I was only born with one kidney. My FAA medical examiner is a Nephrologist and had no qualms with issuing me a first class medical. I have no other or related underlying health problems. Is this an automatic deal breaker or is there any precedent for this type of situation? I appreciate any info, Thanks.

Will taking Lamisil tabs DNIF you? Also, does the Air Force prescribe Lamisil to flyers? Thanks