Aviation Medicine

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?

I have always dreamed of being a fighter pilot in the navy or Air Force. I was going to try to get into one of the academies, but I was diagnosed with a fish allergy when I was 13 that I needed an EpiPen for so I just gave up, knowing that the allergy was disqualifying (I finally got tested for the allergy after a bad reaction, but had a history of reactions to fish when I was little). Fast forward a few years now, I just had an appointment with my allergist and we did bloodwork to see where my allergy was at. I tested negative for every type of fish except still slightly positive for cod. We then did a cod food challenge where I ate a whole cod fillet and I had no reacti…

Hey everyone, I'm getting ready for my FC1 and I had a quick question. A little over six years ago, I knelt on a nail and a small, hard piece of material about the size of a grain of rice formed in the bursa of my left knee. The only issue it created was whenever I knelt on it, it would hurt quite a bit, but I learned to live with it since the only way to get rid of it was to get it surgically removed. A little over a year and a half ago, the piece caused the bursa to get inflamed and I could barely bend my knee or put a lot of weight on it so I decided it was time to take the surgical route since it was causing a huge amount of trouble. For the procedure, they remove…

I am currently an Air Force reservist thinking of going blue to green to be a pilot. I have one problem though. I was born premature and had to have surgery for necrotising inter colitis when I was 6 months old. I'm almost 25 now and have never had any problems with it. Will this disqualify me on an IFC1A physical, and if so, is it possible to get a waiver? Any flight docs who can answer this question? Thanks in advance.

I received some terrible news from my ANG recruiter today: "The doctor at MEPS has Permanently Disqualified you for military service, reason: Acute Pericarditis" What does this mean exactly? Is this a deathblow to a career in military aviation? I'm really in a state of shock right now and am looking for some answers... Some background: I was picked up for a pilot slot with an ANG unit last year and have been in the process of trying to get clearance to get my MEPS physical (a physical I've passed no problem in the past) so that my Brooks physical can be scheduled. Unfortunately, I saw a doctor last fall for chest pain, and they diagnosed it is an acute pericardi…

A few years ago while pulling G's I felt a pop and compression in my lower spine. It really scared me and I felt immediate pain. I could hardly get out of the jet after this happened due to my lower back muscles tightening and cramping up and once I got home, which was very difficult, I could hardly get into bed let alone get out of bed. I went into the flight doc the next day because of the extreme pain that I was in and he didn't seem too concerned after I answered his questions, and he said that he was going to treat it acutely. Basically I took ibuprofen for a while. After about one week I could function normally again but still experienced pain and have always h…

Goducks, I tried getting something in the Valsalva thread, and have searched far and wide and read all the other pertinent threads, but I'm still not getting what I want so I'll try in a new thread... I was recently on a chamber ride (ROTC) when I ran into some problems clearing my ears. Before the flight, the briefer was making sure we could all hear a "pop"when we performed the valsalva. I said I didn't, but I could feel some sort of pressure in my ears which was good enough for them (no sounds though). On the final descent I was having trouble clearing them, and the VS definitely didn't seem to be helping. Swallowing would relieve the pressure for a second, but …

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

Hi everyone, I've searched on this board and online but haven't been able to find an answer. What is the policy on ICL's for Class I flight physicals across all the branches? Are they automatically disqualifying? Are they even detectable? Thanks.

Has anyone had to do a High/low contrast test for their PRK waiver? I had a waiver through the Navy, but the Air Force wants this test for the AF waiver. I called MCAS Miramar and they dont know what this test is. Has anyone been through this process in southern CA? I am fighting a clock to get back to UPT to avoid going through t-6's again.

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.

If you have any questions about whether you can (or should) take a dietary supplement, do two things first: Read about the supplement here--Human Performance Resource Center. This is a DOD-wide resource for legality, Talk to your Doctor and the installation Health and Wellness Center (HAWC). For flyers especially, military personnel have different standards beyond the FDA/USDA. Get the approval first.

If a rated fellow were to have an undiagnosed pre-patella bursa (bursitis with retinaculum damage and potential arthritis) what would this member be looking at in terms of medical restrictions? Is this a permanently DNIF situation?

Hey all, In an accident 15 years ago I severed my left Achilles’ tendon, had the surgery to repair it and then took physical therapy to heal it. Range of motion in the severed leg/foot is 100% normal. So in short, does Achilles’ tendon surgery DQ someone from recieving a FC1 or FC2? I have been trying to go the guard route for awhile but am now applying for Active/Reserve service. Thanks!

For an FCII, are there any issues with bone spurs, provided there’s no functional impairment? In other words, with no impairment to mobility/function/range of motion, any need to do anything? In med-speak, I think this would be for a "tarsal boss".

Hey everybody, 17OT04 AD Pilot Select, had a flight physical at JBLM in February. The civilian contractor I had to deal with kept putting off scheduling me because of my medical history, thinking I would fail and would consistently ask me during the process "how I made it through MEPS." Fast forward three months, still no word on my physical. I knew I would need a waiver for LASIK and childhood asthma. The thing is, I'm slated to go to OTS late June. Really unsure who I can speak with regarding this, or if I'm really at the mercy of this "backlog" situation. I've never heard of anyone else online going through JBLM for a flight physical, so I'm a little concerne…

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…

I was recently seen for a duodenal ulcer and the GI doc placed a few clips over a visible vessel that was a potential bleed. Do any flight docs on here know if that's an issue at your MFS/FC1? Clip is potentially visible on Chest X Ray. Thanks

Throwaway account for obvious reasons. I'm a pilot not too long out of my B-course and have been operational for less than a year. I recently developed some respiratory issues that I noticed during regular exercise. I went offline to see a civilian doctor who thinks that it's either some sort of Vocal Cord Dysfunction (not what it sounds like...similar to asthma in concept but symptoms present differently) OR some sort of laryngospasm issue. All of it is exercise induced. It's by no means life threatening but something that is very uncomfortable and I'd like to get treated without paying cash and avoiding the whole permanent DNIF thing. I'm wondering if I do go the s…

If you have fluctuating A1C levels with the highest being 5.7, that technically puts you right at the bottom of "pre-diabetic" range. Most doctors would say, hey you need to monitor that and change diet etc to lower that value before you get closer to actual diabetic range. I also think the FAA requires you to fill out a special form with your AME if you are in the pre-diabetic range. Are there any Air Force specific requirements, further testing, or waivers needed if you are in the pre-diabetic range (but require no medicine and are not experiencing any associated symptoms)? The waiver guide has a huge discussion on pre-diabetes but doesn't say anything specifi…

Can anyone give any insight into whether carpal tunnel makes you DNIF and if so, how long? What is the process to get it fixed?

I know this topic was somehwhat covered but I just thought I would ask so I could clear it all up. I had a pilonidal cyst surgically removed this past week and was wondering how that would affect my flight physical down the road. I looked it up in the AFI for Medical Standards for Flying Duty and it states "Pilonidal Cyst, if there is a history of inflammation or discharging sinus in the 2 years preceeding the examination. Surgery for pilonidal cyst or sinus is disqualifying until the wound is healed, there are no referable symptoms, and no further treatment or medication is required." The surgeon that performed my surgery stated that it will heal in a month or so, which …

I just got some routine bloodwork done with my PCP for an annual physical and the results showed higher than average ALA aminotransferase and aspartate aminotrans numbers. Some later blood work and an ultrasound eliminated some common/serious causes (not hepatitis, diabetes, etc) but doctors are recommending a biopsy to figure out what the cause could be. Besides that no other abnormalities on the blood tests and I am in good, healthy physical condition. No drug use or significant medical history besides an appendectomy. I’m currently waiting for the 6-month post-LASIK period to even go to MEPS but I wanted to ask if this is something that that can potentially raise …

Hi! My name is Bonne, I am a 16 year old dutch highschool student that dreams about being an air force pilot (F16) since i can walk, because i live close to an airbase. Since i am 12 I dream about becoming a F35 pilot on the other hand. Though after doing some research, things can get crazy along the way... But in order to get there i first need to apply and be accepted. Physically i am great, just a small thing with my eyes, I wear glasses, my left eye needs +3.25 and my right needs +0.5. Can i still get accepted? And if not, can I after i get a lazertreatment? I'm worried about my chance to get my absolute dreamjob, so if you can, please help me out!…

I have been diagnosed with a medical condition that is disqualifying for ALL initial, untrained (which I am) FCs, and is not waiverable. However, it is not a permanent condition, medically (it can be controlled), though the Air Force might view it as such, given that it is in my history and could resurface in the future if I do the wrong things...namely, eat the wrong foods for a long time. My question is, does anyone know if an "X" in the MSD or a "NO" in Waiver Guide means a PERMANENT disqualification/non-waiverable status? Or, does it just mean non-waiverable so long as the condition exists? Is there some way to determine if the Air Force medical standards system …