Aviation Medicine

I want to become a fighter pilot. I have peanut and pine nut allergies. They are not severe or anything. I do not need any medication for them. Worst that happens is that I vomit. Nothing else. Would it be difficult to get a waiver in the Air Force? (I want to try to get into an Academy, preferably the AFA) Thank you!

I saw the flight physical counts for flying general aviation now. Is it the initial class 1 or the yearly PHA that counts for it? Also, does the CSO PHA count for flying GA? I'm trying to figure out what exact piece of paper I need to carry with me and if I need to do a civilian medical or not.

Just curious if anyone has had any problems with drinking protein shakes. My PAS and COC both told me to stop taking protein due to increased levels of iron. I guess the increased iron may cause a delay in the commissioning medical (even though I successfully completed a FC 1 medical) resulting in a delay in commissioning. However, I know of several people who take protein and are fine. Plus, one of the flight docs at Brooks and one of our Captains at my det has assured me that it is fine.

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.

From the time I’ve contacted my AFR recruiter to submitting all my medical records for Meps, it’s been a solid 6 months and I have yet to be scheduled for a physical. Every response from Meps took over two weeks, sometimes 20+ days. Long story short my medical records weren’t in order and I had sent duplicates. Everything has been corrected since then and that was almost a month ago. I am contacting my recruiter weekly and I’m getting the same response from him, waiting on guidance from Meps. Is anyone else experiencing this issue? When I was going for the Navy they cleared me for a physical in about a month. Where do I go from here? I’m so eager to serve my country as an…

What is the official stance on skin based stds like herpes and genital warts and flying? Are there any ramifications for promotion or career advancement from having an std?

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…

I'm just now in the process of applying for OTS and UPT. Does anyone know if having a vasectomy will complicate your flight physical? I haven't had one yet, but I'm considering it. Thanks. -turtle

In High School, I was diagnosed with depression, and was put on Lexapro for 4 months. It hasn't recurred since and I've otherwise been perfectly normal. How much of a problem will this be?

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.

Please only respond the baseops way, straight and to the point Passed MEPS physical but my right ear was borderline on the max decibel level. Scheduled for fc1 in December. My question is if I am 'slightly' over on the decibel level is that a waiverable scenario or auto DQ? Any previous experience or flight doc knowledge would be more than appreciated.

Searched to no avail... I've had on ongoing pain in my neck for the past couple weeks and I've been thinking about going to a chiropractor to try to get them to work it out. Is this something that I can get a referral from TRICARE for, and has anybody tried it?

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…

Hey FlightDoc (or anyone else intimately familiar with the standards prescribed in afi 48-123).... Will having a prescription for ritalin, as a result of being diagnosed with ADHD while in middle and high school, disqualify me for an FC1? I havent received a prescription since I left high school and am beginning to think it was a mis-diagnosis to begin with since my grades have actually improved post-secondary education (not that all that matters really, or does it?). Also... I'm filling out my paperwork for MEPS and have a few questions regarding the Yes or No responses. Maybe I'm being over-analytical but, questions like "Have you ever had allergies?" ... I h…

I've been told that I have shin splints, which are tiny stress fractures in your shins. I run almost everyday, and take ibuprofen when my legs are sore. It's not a problem on most days, but sometimes it can be painful after a hard workout. I have my FC1 in September. Does anyone know if this will be a problem?

Any Flt Docs, About two weeks ago, I suffered a concussion from an ATV accident. Short-term mem loss (remember going to bed night before, that's it), puking (about 5 min after), and a bad-ass head ache were my symptoms. felt groggy and out of it over the next couple of days, but i am feeling better now. what are the repercussions if i report this? does this prevent me from flying (i am on PRP)? any info you can give me is greatly appreciated. thanks. -smoke [ 31. October 2006, 12:43: Message edited by: buffjock ]

Hello - I have a religious requirement about what I put into my body (at least when it comes to psychotropics and other substances including caffeine, etc). I was told that I have to ground test no-go pills before my UPT class starts next week. Flight doc indicated that if I wouldn't proceed with the ground-test, the air force would show me where the door was. Are there any waivers or known ETP's that, AFI's, etc. that might let me skip this? Please note, I fully understand why we are ground-testing, I just can't reconcile it for the religious reason I mentioned before. Thanks for any advice.

What do you want from the Medical Group? You probably only want two things: good healthcare when you need it, and to be left the hell alone when you don't. Both of these things can only exist with good communication, something the Air Force generally lacks in great quantities. There will be many times when you really need to talk to somebody about the results of a test, the documentation from an off-base visit, or the status of a special duty application. There will also be times that the MDG wants to talk to you, so they annoyingly call you 5 times a day. Or they'll call once and leave a message, but their line is constantly busy or they never answer the phone. You…

My coworkers and I were celebrating after a successful month at work. On a empty stomach, I had one to many drinks and got kicked out the club for falling asleep. When my co-workers found me outside sitting down against the wall, they tried to wake me up. I murmured a few words and was unresponsive after that. They ended up calling the ambulance for precautionary reasons and took me to the hospital. I woke up 4 hours later and went home. Now the question is, on my medical/hospital record its states "Acute Intoxication". I wanted to know if that is disqualifying for a USAF Pilot slot? I'm currently assembling my package for the next civilian rated board. -No Medical H…

I got an email yesterday saying that HQ needed me to get a CBC (complete blood count) done for my FC1 to go through. I'm wondering why they need this. Didn't they do that when they took blood the first time? If there is a problem, why didn't someone catch it before it got to HQ? Regardless of the reason, I'm getting it done this Friday at Luke AFB. Is this something that could potentially cause a problem??? Thanks in advance!

I was reading a post about "The Myopia Myth" and was interested in using the reading glasses method to try and calm "ciliary spasm". When i talked to my eye doctor about it she said I dont have myopia, I have astigmatism which cant be fixed or mitigated. she wrote on the perscription -.75,175 and -.75,015 so im wondering since the myopia.org website says people with myopia less than 1 diopter, can possibly get back to 20/20 by using myopter or reading glasses. I wanted to do this but im not sure if since i have astigmatism that method wont help.

I hear that if you have cavities will you not have a shot for a pilot slot? Is this true? Thanks.

Ok, so here is a really weird questions, but one that I think is interesting. A lot of cadets at my Det want to be pilots, but a few of them are decided to go to Med school to be Flight Surgeons! I have a friend in the Navy who is a flight surgeon, (dang good one too! I guess he almost got flight surgeon of the year for the whole Navy!) This friend gets to fly F-18's and all too! What a deal! My question is: Have you ever heard of anyone being a pilot for 10 and then going to Med school after that? To either be a doc and/or flight surgeon. Highly unlikely I know, but just wondering. I do know that many people change careers and go to med school in their late 30'…

Doc, Is IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) a DQ condition for pilots?

Hi, long time lurker with the usual story-freshman in college, doing ROTC in fall, want to be an AF pilot, PPL, you know the rest. I have read the multiple threads on asthma multiple times, but I have kind of a specific situation, and I figured you guys might be able to help me out. When I was 6 I was diagnosed with Reactive Airway disease, and I was only on prescription inhalers until the end of elementary school, when I essentially outgrew it. Unfortunately, two months after my thirteenth birthday, I had a wicked cold so my parents (both pharmaceutical scientists) figured, "hey, he's got asthma on his record, why not get him an inhaler." So, I kinda have a history…