Aviation Medicine

I was doing my IFC 1 at an MTF (really wished I'd gone to MFS for both IFC1 and MFS portion), when they pulled an old record and saw I was hospitalized in 2008. My blood alcohol at the time was 1.5 times the legal driving limit (0.115 IIRC). I was not driving, so I wasn't doing anything illegal. I don't recall any figures for C02, ALT, or AST. The flight doc was saying my BAC was "really, really high" and that she was worried about me having to sign some type of abstinence statement. I'm 27 now, and I've never had any issues or history of anything related to alcohol. The proximal hospitalizing event in 2008 required I stop by in ADAPT since the AF considered it, "an alcoh…

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.

All, Welcome Jedi Doc as the newest moderator to the forum. Current flight doc who has been given moderator access to the aviation medicine section.

There are two common points of confusion with flight surgeons. The first is whether or not a military flight doc is a surgeon as understood by the definition of a particular type of physician who carries privileges to perform invasive surgery. The second is whether or not flight docs are pilots. Many junior enlisted members see the flight doc wearing the same uniform, patches, and rank as a pilot and assumes since they fly, they are also pilots. There is another forum post on the pilot physician program, but this makes up only a very small number of individuals. The majority of flight surgeons are: 1. Not surgeons 2. Not pilots The followup question typicall…

Anyone have any thoughts on the recent articles that have been coming out of the NYT hammering military medicine? Although military medicine has its unique challenges, I found the articles unjust. Here are the links to the articles: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/us/in-military-care-a-pattern-of-errors-but-not-scrutiny.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/us/smaller-military-hospitals-said-to-put-patients-at-risk.html?_r=0 1. Fat on tragic anecdote, sparse on scientific rigor. 2. Who are they comparing us to?! It seems like all the comparisons are to 'leading civilian hospitals'. Is it really fair to compare Winn Army Hospital to Johns Hopkins a…

MEB

Had my name on documents.

Hello, I am hoping someone can ease some of my worries regarding my medical record. First of all I have researched this topic extensively and am aware that allergic rhinitis after age 12 is a DQ, however, I have somewhat of an extenuating circumstance. I am applying for guard units and work as a full time firefighter as a civilian. Common practice in the fire service is to get a prescription for Flonase as working the large wild land fires we have in California for weeks on end is a recipe for congestion. I explained this to my doctor in 2011 and in order to get the prescription he gave me the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis which I do not technically have (…

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…

Hello, My current flight physical is only cleared for FCII. I was DQ'd for FCI due to refractive error. When Flight Med submited my stuff for a waiver, they said everything looked good and shouldn't be a problem getting a waiver. After it came back I only got a FCII and no waiver. Is there any way to get a waiver after a physical has been put in the "system"? Thanks.

I recently had the opportunity to hear some some folks from AFMSA and AFMOA speak, plus Lt Gen Robb. He was really good at talking without actually saying anything. https://www.health.mil/About-MHS/Leadership-Biographies/Lt-Gen-Douglas-J-Robb A common sentiment was that if one service has an existing medical program or solution that does 95+% of what that service wants, but one or two of the other services has a program or solution that can perform 80+% for the whole DOD, the DOD MHS will push to adopt that 80% solution in the belief of interoperability and work to make it a 95% solution at a later date. The logic is that division and stovepiping capabilities, th…

Would acute Pericarditis symptoms (that have not come back in 7 years) immediately DNIF a person currently on flight status? My Dad was diagnosed and treated for Pericarditis recently and the symptoms sound very similar to something I had happen to me a long time ago. Thanks

Has anyone had issues with blood tests before that have been approved or dq'd? I recently moved to a new base with high elevation and I'm pretty sure that it why my hemoglobin is testing barely too high. I'm a cso now and have never had any health issues. The clinic here has been running a ton of tests on me and can't find anything wrong. They keep trying to find something to explain the high level even though the doc said it's probably because I've always lived at sea level and just moved to a high elevation. Is this something I should expect a DQ from?

Can anyone talk to the assignment process once an 11F is medically disqualified from all flying duties but remains qualified for military service? Would the fighter porch remain ownership and determine assignments? Is conversion to a new AFSC possible? Which office would control the process and decide the outcome? Thanks for the help.

Hello everyone, I recently went to Wright Patt and when I was up there they didn't know what was on my cornea. They wanted to make sure it wasn't something that would get bigger. They told me to go to a specialist, which I did the Monday after getting back home. The specialist said that it is just a scar on my eye. So I faxed the paperwork up there saying that it's just a scar on my eye and I think nothing more of it because the specialist was 100% positive it was just a scar. Then I get called in by my commander and I'm told that I'm still DQed and now I'm reclassified into a different job. When I was up there the optometrist said that it wouldn't be a big deal and at a …

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…

Any flight docs on here that I could PM with an orthopedic questions? Thanks for the help.

Good afterrnoon gentlemen, I have an optic neuritis disorder only on my left eye. I can see well, I'm just a little sensitive to light on my left eye and can't see the color red as I can with my right eye (about 10% greyer). I've done some researching and can't find if waivers exist for this condition. Can anyone shed some light based on experience?

Problem solved

Hey everyone, so I fractured two bones in my hand today and the doctor said it'll probably take 6-8 weeks to heal and my flight physical is on March 9th. I'm pretty sure I have to move it to a later date, or can I go with a cast? I'm just a little worried this might affect me more than I would like. I tried searching, but couldn't find anything on this.

Hi all, I wanted to get some opinions on the FC1 Medical History review. I am thinking about applying for ANG UPT, but I don't want to go through years upon years of trying only to be stopped at the FC1. I have seen a lot of back and forth on just what to include on the DD 2807. I think it is fair to argue that the majority of folks, to say the least, leave out some information on the DD 2807. For many folks on the civilian side this won't present much of a problem because there are no medical records directy accessible by the flight doc. However, for the prior enlisted/commissioned guys there are electronic records and hard copy records readily available. My question…

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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?

Hello, I was wondering what the requirement was for AF RPA Pilots and the depth perception test. Is it the same standards as any other pilot position? Reason I asked is I had a hard time on the circle depth perception test at prescreening and wanted to know if it's waiverable or if a different test is adminstered at Wright. I have done other depth perception tests online and have done just fine on all of them. Thanks!

Please help, I am really stuck. In March I lifted something wrong and hurt my back. Since then, I have had sciatica down my right leg. I have been taking it easy and been doing physical therapy for 1.5 months, but I'm not seeing much improvement. I am able to walk, run, etc. with no issues. I feel my pain when I bend my lower back with my right leg straight (touch toes, etc), or when standing up after sitting. It is pretty intense pain. I was really hoping it would resolve on its own before OTS, but I'm losing faith and I'm not sure if I could endure all of OTS with this. I'm a Civ RPA select from 12OT03 and am supposed to leave for OTS in November. I already hav…