Aviation Medicine

Plan to claim ptsd on my va claim when i separate but trying to go guard. I know you can have a disability rating and be in the guard but how do you know which ratings would be disqualifying. None of them impact my ability to do my job. The guard unit is concerned with me being disqualified/needing a waiver planned to claim: ptsd knee lower back edit: mq-9 guy with no plans of flying outside of the air force

Currently a reservist applying to both AD and NG/Reserve boards. As part of the AD process, my recruiter will have me go to MEPS. As a reservist, I was told if I get hired by a reserve unit, I can bypass MEPS entirely. Would paperwork/waivers required by MEPS complicate any accessions on the reserves side? I have deployed and gotten some minor injuries. Conversations with reserve flight docs say it wouldn't be a problem at their unit, I'm fit for duty. I'm worried that MEPS would be more strict about this, and would complicate my life. Can anyone in the know weigh in on this?

Hello, I am applying for a reserve flight engineer job and was required to get a waiver for my history of ADHD. I was recommended qualified by the flight doc and they will be submitting my waiver and flight physical up to the AFRC HQ. Does anyone know if my chances of getting the waiver approved are good if I was recommended qualified by the doc? Thanks.

To preface: Normally, the pain due to Osgood-Schlatter disease goes away, at least for most of the population. I was a rare case where the pain persisted, and I resorted to having a bone excision done to remove the piece of bone that was causing the inflammation and pain. I've been pain since then and I was back to running and biking only a week after the surgery. I'm not sure if I technically even have Osgood-Schlatter disease anymore. Anyways, I was hoping to apply for a pilot slot during the next application cycle in March of 2023, but looks like that's on hold for now. I just got back from my MEPS physical and was told I'd need a waiver for Osgood-Schlatter …

Hello so I have been doing some research for months now but it seems like I keep getting different answers everywhere. I was diagnosed with scoliosis recently and its 22 degrees Thoracic and 18 degrees Lumbar... so do I have any chance at a waiver?

Will I be able to get a waiver and keep my flying job with the Air Force with a protein s deficiency? I'm a loadmaster. After developing a DVT in January 2022 I was referred to a hematologist. I was diagnosed with a hereditary protein s deficiency. I've only ever had the one DVT in my leg. I was also on birth control at the time, which was said to definitely have been a contributing factor to developing the DVT. I was on a blood thinner for about 7 months. After seeing 3 different hematologists, one being a blood clotting specialist, it was determined that it was safe for me to discontinue the blood thinner even with being a flyer. My flight doctor is saying wi…

Obviously asking for a friend…anybody have experience with a CSF aka brain/spinal fluid leak? Specifically, if surgery is required what are the implications for continued aviation service?

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.

Hello all, Currently a Rated Pilot flying for the ANG. I recently discovered a small mass along my jawline that I had originally believed to be an inflamed lymph node. Not an area I would usually inspect on my person, so it was a bit surprising to notice something that seems to have been there for a while. To my ignorance I thought it was something that would go away. Several weeks later, and after no change, I decided to bring it up to my Flight Doc. Flight Doc suggested it was an irregular mass and issued a referral to an ENT of my choice. After my consultation with my ENT he described the mass as a tumorous growth on the parotid gland. I am curr…

Hey guys looking for some info on this peculiar situation. I was fortunate enough to be picked up for a UPT position by an ANG C-130J unit back in February of 2022. Today at MEPS I was deemed disqualified due to my Refraction Error in my left eye being a 3.25 (3.0 Refraction Error limit). This came as a surprise to me because in April of 2022 at my civilian Optometrist, my vision prescription was a 2.75 Refraction Error astigmatism in each eye (please see attached photo). My astigmatism has also never been above a 3.0 Refraction Error for 10 years have worn contacts. I was told by the Optometrist Technician at MEPS that this drastic deviation is because t…

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…

Hi all, Headed to Wright Patt for my FC1 soon. Can anyone give clarity on what the flight doc looks for when you're asked to perform the Valsalva? I know they look for movement of the tympanic membrane/eardrum but I was hoping to find more clarity on this. I have some scarring my on eardrums from childhood ear infections that otherwise do not affect my hearing or ability to equalize. The Valsalva in particular allows me to clear my ears, though I only hear the "pop" in my left ear. I had a civilian ENT observe this as well and they were able to verify seeing movement in the left ear drum but not the right. I have much better success clearing both ears with…

I have had two episodes of a spontaneous pneumothorax, one in each lung. After each episode I underwent Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery which was a mechanical abrasion pleurodesis. I understand these will require a waiver and lots of patience, but are there any flight doc’s that could tell me what the chances are that I’ll actually get a waiver? After both these episodes I have still maintained my FAA class 1 medical and have completed hundreds of flight hours and gained my commercial pilots license as well as multi-engine and instrument ratings. *currently applying to the new CPW program for the USAF. I should also note that I haven’t had any issues in rel…

I'm being medically retired due to bipolar II. Thanks to the lithium, it's under complete control and I might as well not even have it. Unfortunately, the military is very clear about it and I cannot stay in. But what about flying for the airlines? I've got the hours and experience. I know the FAA lists bipolar as a disqualifying condition, but it is waiverable. Any insight into this?

Hi Everyone, I am looking for advice or others experiences if they have ever been DQ'd from WP for their IFC1. And I'm not talking about trying to get a waiver for unwaiverable conditions (ie. you don't like that you truly have it but you still want to fly) ie. a technician or doctor didn't do the test correctly or didn't follow the procedures that they have. I've been told by numerous FS that I shouldn't be trying for an ETP because I don't have the condition that I was DQ'd for but shooting to appeal WP. Anything is appreciated.

I just got pinged that I was ID’d as a bone marrow match for someone in need. What would that do for my Mil/Civilian medical? DNIF for a bit during recovery?

I searched but didn't find anything in the last decade about this topic: I had PRK eye surgery 4 months ago. My eyes were initially each about 20/400 and they are now 20/25 individually, 20/20 when working together. The doc that did my surgery told me there is nothing I can ever do or wear that would get me to 20/20 in each eye due to the “muscles not developing”. That leaves me with two questions: -Has anyone ever heard of a waiver for 20/25 vision that does not correct to the much-desired 20/20? -Flight docs, does that sound correct that there is nothing I could ever do or glasses I could wear that could get my eyes to 20/20 individualy?

Does anyone have the standards for bloodwork at fc1? Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

I love medicine and aviation. Naturally I am pursuing med school and the flight surgeon path. I've read throughout the internet that Navy flight surgeons attend a portion of their UPT and spend a lot of time back seating jets, whereas neither of these roles are as common for AF flight surgeons. Can anyone on here chime in about this? Is any portion of a flight surgeon's flight time actually logged training? I am aware of the pilot physician program, but unfortunately that sounds like it's all but exclusively for pilots to transition to medicine rather than the other way around.

Hello all, I’m set to retire next year and I was curious about disability claims, and how to properly document any ailments. Is there such a thing as a retirement physical? Is it different from my annual PHA? Hopefully I can get a more in depth physical so I can get my health issues on paper. If this is a thing, how far ahead of my retirement date should I schedule said physical? If it makes any difference, I am in the reserves. thanks for your input!

Quick discussion for the Air Force guys here. A few years back, shortly before I commissioned in the AF, I was selected for UPT but shortly thereafter medically disqualified at Wright Patterson AFB for all flying duty (Pilot, nav, RPA, ABM) based on a very rare but also extremely minor corneal imperfection, Thygeson's Keratitis (small spots on the surface of my eye). I still met the vision minimums but unfortunately the flight surgeons would not consider me for a waiver, and their justification was that this condition was "debilitating","extremely painful", and "progressive". I remember the day I was disqualified, they were adamant that I would never be able to g…

Question for those of you retiring soon, is there a difference between getting any health medical paperwork while deployed vs. home station, in regards to later getting out and making your case for disability? Does it carry more weight since it’s in the AOR? Thanks

Hey everyone! I'll start off with the essential "sorry if this post is incorrect I'm a new guy." I'm looking to get some answers I've been hard pressed to find on VA disability ratings and whether mine are passable or overall what needs to be done in my circumstance; as well as for anyone that has medical records accessible in the military system. Essentially, I was a former paratrooper in the Army. As is to be expected with paratrooping (and the infantry in general), your body gets rocked a bit, and I left the service with a 90% disability rating. With that, I'd like to say I'm still in excellent condition and am active; even leaving with a class 1 medical sta…

Hello all, I searched the PRK/LASIK thread and was unable to find an answer to this question as the reference I have is only 2 years old, but sorry if it has been asked before. I'm an Army guy and got LASIK in my right eye almost 5 years ago to get in standard for my Army flight physical. I am in the process of submitting applications to ANG/AFR units. I've seen the LASIK checklist with the required pre and post-op exams. I had post-op exams after I got my eye done, but the timeline was different the the Air Force's (if I remember it was 1, 2, and 3 months then I got the waiver, not 1, 3, 6, and 12 months). I can probably get a copy of all of the paperwork, but while…

A friend woke up in the AM with bad tooth pain today at an AD base where the base clinic (including dental) is closed today so they can be extremism-trained. The Tricare "nurse advice line" suggested going to an ER since dental work isn't covered unless referred to by a mil dentist. I wonder if that's true. It's probably a root canal situation. Can you show up to any dentist and be covered?