Aviation Medicine

If you guys had a head cold (sinus congestion, sore throat) and you could'nt clear one of your ears, how high wold you fly? Not at all, 5k, 10k, 18,000? thanks

Aside fomr my vision, which is still in the limits, I have had a weight problem my whole life. I tried atkins lost a great amount of weight but found after I decided to get off of it about half of it came back. I have begun a low calorie diet, and to help out I have been taking Calcium Pyruvate to help out, it is a natural drug (I know that doesnt speak for much so was ephedra) but it is meant to increase your bodies expenditure of calories in rest mode and thoruhgout the day. I have not felt any side effects, I took hydroxycut a few times back when ephedra was still legal and I was full of energy, I feel no different on this. I have noticed in just 2 weeks doing it (h…

Hello, I orginally posted this in the other forum, but think it probably makes more sense to be here... ----------------- My career dream is to be a test pilot or at least some sort of pilot of high performance aircraft. I have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with a 4.0 GPA from a top school and I am currently obtaining my private pilot's license (13 hours with solo to date). Unfortunately, I have an eye condition called amblyopia, which means I have significantly reduced eyesight in one eye. Without correction, my vision is 20/40 in my left eye (good eye) and 20/80 in my right eye (bad eye). My left eye is near sighted and my right eye is farsighte…

I have a hypothetical question here :) So say I was having foot pain a couple months ago so I started taking my sister's old Oxycodone prescription for about a week. The recommended dose was 1 tablet and I began taking 2 tablets by the last few days and then stopped after that week. Would this disqualify me from ROTC and if I would be able to get into ROTC would it disqualify me from a pilot position? And if for some reason I didn't do ROTC and did OTS, would it disqualify for an OTS pilot slot?

I used to have Osgood Schlatter Disease in my left knee when I was younger. However, it's been around 5 or 6 years since the pain has gone away. As of now, there is no pain whatsoever and I can move my knee around freely just like before I had OSD. My question is, will I still be able to pass the medical in the Air Force if I wanted to become a pilot? The doctors wouldn't even know I had OSD, unless they saw my left knee which has a very slight bump to it. I don't think they'd even notice the bump unless I told them. Any help would be great! Thanks! Jon C.

Hey, Does anyone know if having excessive cupping of the optic disc is grounds for DQ or if it is possible to get a waiver (if necessary)? So far the pressure tests were within the limits but the cup to disc ratio was 0.4 and I think it is suppose to be below 0.3. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks

So, I have been absent for quite a while, I might be needing jaw surgery, its not required but its a good idea to fix my overbite, the official name of the surgery is Bi-Sagital Split Osteotomy Is this gonna cause trouble later when attempting to get a pilot or Nav slot? Thanks

Currently AD and diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and considering going guard/reserve. Going through an MEB which I was told wouldn’t be an issue for me to “pass”. Would a Sleep Apnea diagnosis or a disability rating associated with it (if there is one) prevent me from going guard/reserve? Considering not taking continuation to 20 but don’t want to find myself not in AD and not be able to go guard/reserve.

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!

Here's the situation, a have my OTS class date and am all ready to go but the other day I am reading a list of medical disqualifiers and notice that I may have a condition that is on the list. I have had a couple endoscopies done when I was younger where they found "trachealization of the esophagus", and did dialations. I have not had anything done in about nine years, but the reason that I had them done initially was because I would get food stuck in my throat sometimes. It still happens to me sometimes, 3-4 times a month, but it only happens when I am trying to swallow too large of pieces of a fairly non-malleable food (ie. steak, also very large tablets). Generally…

When I was active duty, I had an etoh waiver. Foolishly, I embellished the dsm-iv test hoping that would get me out of trouble--wrong!!! I was seperated more than 4 years ago and thought I was completely out of the service, until I received a letter of promotion just recently. I found out I am in the inactive reserves now. I want to fly but have had some drinks socially since I thought I was never going to fly again. My old waiver expired 2 yrs ago, but since then I've been reevaluated and only had 1 out of the 7 for dsm-iv. What are my options for flying now? Should I show the reeval or just say nothing?

Will being a left handed person affect my chances? If so, should I tell the Air Force that I'm mostly left handed (I'm actually moderately ambidexterous)? Also, will it be a problem in flight school? Thanks.

Dear Flight Doc, I just came from the chiropractor with a diagnosis of slight Scoliosis. The curvature is not really visible but you need to be a professional to see it. The doctor saw it from the front view X-Ray, and also added side view X-Ray is good, the spine looks in good shape... I haven't been flying for 3 years (in civilian of course) and I know that your back is a big deal when flying fighters. The doctor said he will be able to straighten it with exercises and some therapy. But I am wondering, if one day I go thru UPT medicals, should I mention about this at all? I am sure they are checking this... I would appreciate your comments on the situation. …

while looking over i saw that you must meet the standards for both Refractive Error x.xx and Visual Acuity 20/xx. My plan is to become an officer and a pilot in the Air Force, but for now I am enlisting because i need the direction and motivation. Right now my contact prescription says 3.5 which would put me within limits of the pre-prk refraction error of 5.5.My question is what is the difference between the two test, and why are both needed? Also, Since i will work Mx on the flightline does this give me a better chance at receiving the surgery?

Doc, I have never had a cavity in my life, but because I grind my teeth in my sleep I have had to get 3 gold grounds on my mollars. In addition I bashed in another tooth and had to get that fixed with a porcelan crown. Now I have four crowns and no cavities. Kinda weird! Will this be a problem when I get to Brooks? Is there a limit on the number of crowns and even what types that you can have? Any help would be appreciated!

What's the deal with wisdom teeth at WP for FC1? I have 3 impacted according to my civilian dentist and he suggests removing them. None of them are bothering me at all, but I read on here that wisdom teeth are no go for FC1 at Brooks. I'm guessing it's still the same at WP? I have my FC1 scheduled in two weeks which is not enough time to get them pulled. How long does it take for them to clear your FC1 after you get them removed?

When DODMERB requests all medical records from birth to present, what happens if records are unavailable? For example, I recieved my physicals through my High School and they discard them after the student leaves. So from 14-18 there are no medical records except for one physical which I happen to have. Would a signed statement from the athletic director saying just that be ok? Is it not a big deal? Is my Air Force career over? Secondly, do I have to get my dermatologist records from when I was 14 and got treated for acne? I would assume yes, it is just taking a long time and really how important is it? Finally, how long does it take to process the medical records once…

Just started (few months ago actually) my second round of Accutane, also known as Isotrentin, and I was wondering if anyone else here has used the drug before. I went on the med about a year and half ago for my acne. Towards the end of the first treatment I was on 120 mg (almost double what was recommended for my weight) and I started to notice my vision beginning to blur. When I went in to get my vision checked for DODMERB my vision had decreased from 20/15 to 20/25. I'm now in the third month and I'm already beginning to see that my vision is blurry and my eyes are extremely watery (apparently they should be dry). I'm just wondering if I should keep pushing throu…

Hey everyone, I did a search on this and couldn't find what I was looking for in the way of advice. Basically I'm a T-1 student, only about a month from graduation, navigation and transition checks complete with good scores. Recently I was at the gym and seemed to injure myself on the bench press. No severe pain but some tightness in my shoulder and chest that made it uncomfortable to lift anymore. I took some time off of it (about a week) and tried to do some pushups and the pain came back. I layed off of any exercise for a couple more days and tried pushups again, and experienced the same pain again. So my situation is whether or not to go to the flight doc about someth…

I just wanted to pass on some information so that if anyone ever has this happen to them they will have a road map. I was diagnosed back in August with 4th nerve palsy (vertical phoria) in my right eye. I was immediately DNIF'd. Got to visit Brooke's again and even the Chief Ophthalmologist at Willford Hall. Needless to say I didn't get great news from either. Brooke's told me the chances of fixing my eyes were pretty small but if the double vision that I got in the left gaze could be corrected without glasses then they would recommend the waiver. Willford Hall just kind of laughed and said I had three options. 1. surgery (didn't recommend it because it was very inv…

I'm currently assembling my package so I can submit it to the boards for a rated slot after I wrap up my final year in college. I currently DO need Lasik/PRK procedure done to be qualified for a pilot slot. Should I get the operation 6 months before I graduate or is it possible to get into OTS first and then have one of the Air Force doctors conduct the procedure? I been snooping around the web but found outdated information and answers regarding this topic. Best regards, Ryan

Hello all, I have looked through some threads and have not seen anything pop up in regards to approved contact lenses. The eye doc at WPAFB said I would need to wear either the issued glasses or the air force approved contacts for flight status. He said I would be able to google search it and a list would pop up. However, I have done that and have had no such luck. Does anyone have any info on the list or a contact brand/type they recommend? Thank you in advance for the info.

Anyone have any info on the physical that happens right before starting UPT or during the first week? Are these the same standards as the IFC1 and MFS down at brooks?

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.

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…