Aviation Medicine

Hello, Quick question. I'm a non prior officer candidate that had some trouble doing the piss test at MEPS and just recently at the latest UA. I pretty much had to wait around for three hours each time and had a very hard time with it and managed to do it last minute prior to getting sent home. I don't want this to be a regular thing in a 20 year career with the anxiety and I recently got information on AFI44-120 Attachment 13 which allows you to get a waiver with proper documentation. My question is I saw my local physician who wrote up the paperwork and I submitted it to our base flight doctor. He seemed confused as he had never seen the waiver or form before an…

I’m currently a 20 year old Sra in the reserves at Charleston I am a crew chief on the C-17. I have five months left for I receive my bachelors in professional aeronautics. I hold a private pilot’s license with around 90 hours. I am going for my commission to become a pilot in the air force, air force reserve, or air guard whichever accepts me flying anything I can obtain I’m not trying to be picky just trying to get my foot in the door and I am fine flying anything that flies. I have great health with no problems but I do have the trait of sickle cell it is a trait and not the disease and it does not and has not ever affected me. This is common amongst African Americans.…

I am a traditional reservist and coming up on my annual PHA. The med group did a search for my previous Tricare authorizations/referrals and based on that, it sounds like they want me to sign release forms so they can access those medical records from my civilian doctors. I have seen several different types of doctors for varying issues over the past year, but not diagnosed with anything, so I don't have anything to hide; however, it concerns me to just sign blanket waivers for these records. One reason is I know how ridiculously long it takes for them to request the records, receive them, look them over, send to HQ to look them over, realize there is a required test t…

BLUF: Can anyone suggest a good remedy/sinus decongestant for sinus barotrauma? I've experienced mild sinus barotrauma a couple of times and, what I'll call a severe occurrence once (felt as though someone was stabbing me in the forehead with an ice pick), over the past three years. All times have been on commercial airliners only on descent from over an hour long flight. The most severe occurrence was on an overnight flight from the States to Europe; the entire descent was downright debilitating. I've probably taken about 150 commercial flights over the last three years and only noticed it on about three of them. I've also piloted Cessnas below 8,000ft reg…

When I fly (private, commercial, military transport) and especially on descent I will get a very sharp pain behind one or both of my eyes. Something dealing with air pressure and sinuses? What can I do to relieve/prevent this? I consider my self in excellent physical condition otherwise. Had ear trouble as a kid but that's it. Thanks for the help.

Is melatonin approved for use by aircrew without the permission of a flight doc? Also, if anybody knows of a list of approved (if any) "herbal" products that can be used by aircrew, let me know. Thanks!

I have seen that sleep apnea is a DQ but does anyone know if it is waiverable. An instructor at my school wants to apply for a flight slot but has had sleep apnea. He says it has been cured and that he has the paperwork on it. Any help would be great. Thanks.

Along with two other chronic medical conditions, I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. It's the central nervous system version, as opposed to the obstructive type that gets most people. Everyone I've spoken with that has started using a CPAP machine says that it helped them immediately. I've used it for three weeks now, and if anything, I feel worse when I get up in the morning. The mask is also knawing a sore on the bridge of my nose. Is there anyone out there that has had the same trouble?

Looking at rushing ANG squadrons or doing AFRES "Civil Path to Wings" once I finish my degree. I had weird palpitations at night and went to a cardiologist to get it checked out, who was adamant that I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea and referred me to an ENT to do a sleep study. In the meantime I did a holter that showed some scattered PAC's and some runs of AVNRT SVT that had no clear trigger and weren't solely at night. I did the sleep study which showed an AHI of 9.5, "mild" OSA, and the tech also wanted to diagnose me with restless leg syndrome but it's never bugged me and I don't want to take benzos. DoDi 6130.03 (the MEPS manual) says that Current…

Is sleep walking,and having to take medication for it a qualifier for joining the Air Force ?

When I was 12 I was diagnosed with a Slipped Epiphysis. The doctor put a five inch steel pin in my hip to correct the problem. I spoke with the NCO's at the Det about it, and they told me that it was a disqualifying condition. They said that I might be able to get a waiver, but that they had never worked with the condition before (it happens to 3 in every 100,000). I just want to know if anybody has ever worked with this condition before, or what the flight docs know about it. The hip is fully healed, and I can do anything I want to without restrictions. They can remove the pin, but it makes no difference if they leave it in. I always thought that the condition wou…

Is Speech Impediment from past hearing loss consider DQ'd? And if so, can I get it wavied?

Hello, I am looking for information on spinal cysts or tumors. I have had a small bump just under the skin on my spine since I was a child. I have read the Air Force waiver guide on this subject but still have questions. Does anyone know the likelihood of receiving a waiver for this. Also, can one candidate receive multiple waivers? I recently had PRK, so I would need two. Thanks!

Is a slight spinal curve DQin? I forget what it is called, but in middle school they said I had a slight curve. Scoliosis I think it is called. Anyways, It never gave me any problems. [ 05. July 2004, 15:07: Message edited by: Swigs ]

Hey y'all. Got a situational question that probably doesn't have a right answer. I'm a civilian pilot, been applying/interviewing for fighters for about 2 years now. I've got spondylolysis (previous stress fracture in my back) that I'm pretty sure will hang me up medically. My understanding is that it's waiverable, but on a case by case basis, with the main focus being on the ejection seat. I don't want to give up the dream of fighters, but the Civil Path to Wings (CPW) application came around and I decided to apply. This would skip T-6s and go straight to T-1s, meaning my back may not be a problem becoming a pilot in the USAF. So, if anyone has experience gett…

I am looking to get a PPL to be more competitive for guard/reserve units but have came across a strange medical issue involving 0g/.5g pushovers and rapid descents. Whenever the descent begins, my lower abdomen and legs immediately tense up and I'm almost paralyzed. For example, we did a performance takeoff and I was completely fine on the climb, but the second he went to level out my quads and lower abdomen locked up and I felt like I was leaning back in the seat with those muscles entirely tense. I am completely fine doing 2G banked turns, steep climbs, and dealing with turbulence and other normal flying maneuvers. However, for whatever reason, these steep descent…

I would like a serious answer on this because it will define my career from here on out. I wish to fly in the AF and need a no bullshit answer on whether or not this will disqualify me from flying in the AF. About four years ago, I was having trouble dealing with some issues. the doc had put me on meds, which actually made me feel worse. Finally, it got bad and I attempted to commit suicide. (I tried to hit a semi head on) After this failed, i realized I need help and ON MY OWN ACCORD, went to life skills and got the help i needed. They sent me to a hospital for behavioral health for a week and when I came back i was 110 percent better. This was four years ago, and I h…

Hey all. I was picked up by a guard unit pre-covid. I am MEPS complete no waivers or anything needed and scheduled for FC1 next month. In my glorious stupidity I was playing basketball with a couple friends and messed up my ankle pretty bad. Had an MRI and doc said I need surgery... Torn ligaments, but he says he can have me back running and cutting in 4 months fully cleared. Yes I am communicating with my unit, but just wanted to get some advice from ya'll. Anyone have any knowledge or experience if I will require a re-check at MEPS or once I'm healed go to wright patt and get the sign off there? Second if I do have to go back to MEPS is the wait time 6 months or can I g…

So two parter, is having a deviated septum a DQ condition and would i have more hoops to jump through if i had it fixed before FC1 vs waiting, getting cleared, and fixing it afterward? i only ask because my FC1 date keeps moving further and further and would like to get it fixed if able.

1. I have recently been awarded with a stye on my eye. Will this hurt me in the physical? I think it's due to stress but not sure. I have seen a eye doctor and was told to just use a warm wash cloth. Thanks in advance.

The wife and I are both WSOs on AD...15ish years for me on the MDS, about 10 for her. She is in excellent health, not on meds, etc. This weekend she experienced two syncopal episodes (loss of consciousness) while we were eating lunch. No alcohol involved, she had finished her food and all she was drinking was water. First time lasted 60-90 seconds, second time occurred while paramedics were checking BP and lasted less than 10 seconds. She had low BP (no surprise there) but at the ER all her labs came back normal. She's not pregnant (that was confirmed). No root cause established. Saw the flight doc today, more labs (NSTR) and she is now trying to get an appoin…

When I was 8, I had something called a Testicular Torsion,its where the testicle twists and cuts off circulation. By the time I got to the hospital it had untwisted and I was fine so the doctor sent me home. 7 years past with no problems until a few months ago it happened again when i was upnorth camping, It thought it would go away like the previouse time but it didnt, with no hospitals around I had to wait about 5 days till i got home. I finally got home and we rushed to the hospital for about a two week period i was in the hospital every two days, the doctors had no clue what was wrong. The hospital doctors finally sent me to the Urologist after 3 weeks of pain. I…

I have a quick question regarding Thalassemia Minor. It's a gene that I've received from my family that shows wacky blood levels. I produce more blood cells than normal. It does not affect me at all, just shows up in my blood and I've always had it. I was recently picked up for a pilot slot and I am waiting to see when I go to Brooks for my flying class I. I'm no longer anemic, I've been taking folic acid to raise my hemaglobin/hematocrit levels and they are normal. Is this condition waiverable? I'll provide more details if needed, but I can't stress enough how it does not affect me at all. Thanks.

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.

I don't have the specifics number but is there a regulation against having a thin Cornea? It's only on one eye and my eye doc told me "it wasn't nothing to worry about" because in the two years he's checked it, it has not progressed. Anyone run into this hurdle before? Were you able to still fly?