Aviation Medicine

Was at Brooks last week and found out I have a DQ condition known as Fleck dystrophy...basically little opaque spots on my cornea. They don't effect my vision at all, and they took a whole extra day to put me through every eye test I think ever invented, so I'm hoping the waiver process won't be too difficult. I also need a waiver for near acuity, but they were able to correct both my eyes down to 20/10. Also, the eye doc said the spots will not likely progress and get worse, so combined with that and the fact that my vision is correctable to 20/10, do you think I'll get the waiver pretty easily?

I am enlisted ANG & hired for UPT by a reserve unit in another state. My travel date is this Sunday to go to Wright Patt. Obviously, my current unit is not going to sponsor me to go get my FC1, but I was informed today by my gaining reserve unit that I don't have to be on orders to obtain my flight physical. Does this seem accurate? This goes against what I've learned from the Air Force since I've been in. I'm just going to assume the unit knows what's correct, seeing as they have pilots working there now, and I am not one, but I want to avoid getting to Ohio and then being refused to be examined.

Hello, In 2017 I got a pilot slot as an ROTC cadet, went to medical screening and was medically qualified. Later that year, I had a bad sinus infection. My doctor said I might have mild chronic sinitus and recommended sinus surgery. I advised SG of the situation and was DQ'd from all rated duties with mention that I could be evaluated in one year after the surgery and attempt to overturn the DQ. I was reassigned to a different AFSC. I recently commissioned and will EAD in two weeks (although I still don't have my orders haha). I had a CT scan last week that shows I would be good to go as per the AFCENT waiver guide (showing ostea of sinuses to be patent, reliev…

I tried searching and I couldn't find anything on it but I was just curious if Type 1 or 2 diabetes is disqualifying for flying status in the AF. Thanks

Alright, first off I used TFSF and no hits, with that being said... I have a family member (said individual) that talked to the AF Enlistment recruiter today and the recruiter had to do some digging in his regs because said individual took Xanax for a while for depression. Any medical types know where I could find (or a have a link to) the document that MEPS or the AF would reference regarding this topic. I would like to know if it disqualifying or not. Thanks in advance. Planephlyer

My son is 17 and talks daily about signing up for the service (he's leaning Air Force...yeah!). The reality hit me the other day that he was diagnosed with Protein S Deficiency as a child. We had him tested ten years ago after I had multiple blood clots and was found to have the disorder. He has never had a clot and is NOT on anticoagulants. In fact, the hematologist always told us to not alter his lifestyle or restrict his activities because the probability of him getting a clot is less than 3%. The course of action is to do nothing different until he actually gets a clot, which will likely be never. Will this 11 year old diagnosis make him medically disqualified? If so,…

I was hoping any flight docs out there could fill me in a little bit about the process of transitioning from being a flight doc or a general internist to a specialy in the AF such as a Diagnostice Radiologist. My brother is a soph in ROTC and wants to pursue something like this but wants to get more info before he goes to Field Training and incurs a commitment to the AF and find out that its something that he can't pursue after all. We really don't have any med groups in CO that have specialties such as that so if anyone else has any ideas of med groups that he could get in touch with would be great as well. Thanks! also, sorry for an grammaical errors and the like... …

I have a question concerning hypoxia; I did a search on this site and couldn't find any previous threads on this subject. I retired from the USAF in 2001 after many years of flying on the AC-130U Gunship; big fun, I still can't believe they paid me to do that job, haha, I would have paid them. Since my retirement I've been doing "contract" work flying over the friendly skies of Kosovo for the US KFOR and NATO. Lately we've been spending a lot of time around 13K MSL for up to 6+ hours unpressurized while flying over our targets. We have the wimpy civilian nasal cannula type O2 system on board. I've noticed that I'm experiencing hypoxia while climbing through 11.5 for 1…

Hi everyone, can't find any other threads about kidney stones. Do they screen for kidney stones at flight physicals? I had a kidney stone during the summer of 2019 and reported it to DoDMERB and they let it slide without the need for a waiver. According to this MSD, "History of recurrent renal colic or single episode of renal colic with retained stone(s)" is disqualifying but a single stone is not disqualifying. I'm currenty an AS200 in AFROTC about to be an AS300 and I want to go for the pilot board. I'm afraid that if I get a pilot slot, I'd get DQed at the flight physical if they find I have retained stones. Getting DQed from rated is fine with me, but I want to s…

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Little background on me: I am an AD Capt / Flight/CC with 90 PCSM, 93 Pilot AFOQT, 100 PFA, and #2/5 Strat from WG/CC for UFT application. I feel like all this would give me a good shot if I could just get an ETP. I've been working through the ETP process and wondered if anyone could give me some insight into how it works. I was prepping my package all last year and encountered some medical issues (diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, 2017). I found out through research that about 95% of AD pilots in the AF that were diagnosed with the same issue were waived. Requested a waiver, but was denied. Typical considering I'm an untrained asset. I began the E…

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…

So I know this guy, I told him this was normal for the most part and easily explainable. It’s good it’s on his radar, I’m sure there’s a fairly high percentage of dudes that have been through this. It could come up in a security clearance interview. There was a topic on meds, but this kid was never on meds. What do the masses think? I used the f’ing search function, mostly. ———————————————— When I was very young one of my parents passed away in an accident. My other parent wanted me to see a counselor/psychiatrist about it. I ended up having a pretty good relationship with the psychiatrist and met with him regularly from a young age through most …

Would acute Pericarditis symptoms (that have not come back in 7 years) immediately DNIF a person currently on flight status? My Dad was diagnosed and treated for Pericarditis recently and the symptoms sound very similar to something I had happen to me a long time ago. Thanks

So, about a month ago I hurt my left knee at PT. I went to a local urgent care center, they x-rayed it and said no worries its a bad sprain. I just got back from an orhopeodist. Apparently I have what they call an osteochodral defect, which is basically a big (roughly marble sized?) piece of bone has chipped away from the end of my femur at the knee. I'm getting an MRI this Friday which will most likely be followed by surgery (not the orthoscopic variety) to screw said chip back in. I just got picked up for a pilot slot 2 weeks ago... give me good news doc.

Anyone have any experience with a hip replacement or hip resurfacing, and getting back on flight status? I know about the Mountain Home guy in 1998 that was the first in an ejection seat. And I've talked to the Tyndall F-22 guy that had his about 5 years ago. I'm looking for new info. Thanks.

Has anyone on here had any experience dealing with PVCs or PACs (heart rhythm ectopy) either from the flyer or flight medicine side of things?

I have not seen any information about Scleral Lacerations anywhere. My case: I was 3 years old when a piece of glass broke in front of me and a small piece chipped off and cut the white part of of my left my eye. It was a very small, 3mm cut, occurred about a half centimeter from the limbus. I had surgery to repair the cut and never had any issues since (now 22 years later). I was cleared through MEPS and had no issues with depth perception, color vision, or anything other than being about 20/40 (correctable to 20/20) in that eye (right eye is 20/20 uncorrected). It was not easy getting documentation from this incident but forunately I was able to retrieve a post op…

I have kind of low gum lines in my mouth. When I had braces my orthodontist said I should get gingival augmentation to build my gums up. I never got it done. My gums don't seem to be receeding beyond their current level. They are kind of freakishly low though. Should I get the augmentation just to be safe?

I recently had an echocardiogram done to determine the cause of a heart murmur that I have been told it innocent. The results say I have a thickened mitral valve with no sign of mitral valve prolape. I know MVP is a disqualifier for FC1 ( I want to be a pilot) but is a thickend valve also a DQ'er, I have looked at the waiver guide and so no guidance on this. The murmur was not detected in my DODMERB physical it has been intermitten since I was a teenager.

Any of you military pilots have any experience with having a hip replacement? Did you get back on status? Please drop me a line if you did.

How long can one expect to wait for a medical waiver to be reviewed/approved once the good folks at WrightPatt send it off to AETC? Forgive me if this has been asked many times. Thank you for your help.

Active Duty question here. I was referred to an allergist over 2 hours away due to the town the base is in having none. Is there something about getting milage reimbursed for my weekly shot appointments? Thanks Bros.

My flight doctor told me I am the only flyer in the AF with my type of autoimmune disorder. Actually, my autoimmune disorder has become so widespread that Congress was lobbied by an organization in California to fund research for a cure. Congress granted the request for funding. There is a medical center in San Francisco who can help. I was scheduled to go there but I had a TDY, training, and a subsequent PCS out of California prevent me from going. I am going to retire in 3 years and I wanted to know if I could request a PCS back to that area for treatment once I've been on station for 2 years minimum? I will not die without treatment. On a scale of 1 to 10 my …

Finding absolutely zero information on this process except from the very generic information that AFPC pushes out. I reached out to them and received additional clarification on the actual process, but not necessarily what is/isn't permitted or accepted to be submitted. I'm currently a 2d Lt with only about 4.5 months TIS and therefore I don't have much to show in terms of Air Force accomplishments or awards. I doubt they care about any performance from AFROTC or that I was already selected for a pilot slot beforehand. DQ'ed from FC1 without waiver and attempting to push for an Exception to Policy. Background info: AD 2d Lt; Commercial Single/Multi + Flight Inst…