Who diagnosed you with migraines? What meds were you given?
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The Doctor is in! Ask a Flight Surgeon!
- Thread starter FlightMD
- Start date
PrudasJiest
Haze Gray
I was medically NPQ'ed for ADHD meds 5-6 years ago, supposed sleep issues like 10 years ago? and possibly for not having full disclosure or documentation for them at OCS. Doctors at,Newport recommended waiver to NAMI, NAMI NPQed me and BUMED said I was still fit to commission URL.
I was given the option to appeal the NPQ or redesignate, but at the time I was seeing a lot of people lose to NAMI for various reasons. I decided I wanted to commission and serve more than anything, so now I'm a SWO and it's good life experience.
However, if I wanted to re-visit this and appeal to NAMI, what would I need to do to start? My ADHD meds meet waiver criteria, and the sleep issue would have kept me out of the service if they were determined to be "real". After 24 months as a SWO I'd think any psychological issues would have presented themselves so it seems kind of dumb to be kept out of aviation for bogus diagnoses in my youth
I was given the option to appeal the NPQ or redesignate, but at the time I was seeing a lot of people lose to NAMI for various reasons. I decided I wanted to commission and serve more than anything, so now I'm a SWO and it's good life experience.
However, if I wanted to re-visit this and appeal to NAMI, what would I need to do to start? My ADHD meds meet waiver criteria, and the sleep issue would have kept me out of the service if they were determined to be "real". After 24 months as a SWO I'd think any psychological issues would have presented themselves so it seems kind of dumb to be kept out of aviation for bogus diagnoses in my youth
Prudas,
The waiver request process is essentially the same now as it was several years ago. Provide all documentation from your precommissioning history, but now you can support it with a proven track record as a SWO off meds (I presume). Should go a lot better this time around.
R/
The waiver request process is essentially the same now as it was several years ago. Provide all documentation from your precommissioning history, but now you can support it with a proven track record as a SWO off meds (I presume). Should go a lot better this time around.
R/
So,
For the second time in five years, I was low on my hemoglobin...11.4 or something like that. I've always been on the low side.
Last time (last long form, 2009) I had fecal occult panel (positive) followed by barium X-Ray (drank the milkshake and an hour and a half of X-Rays) and a multitude of blood tests, followed by a colonoscopy and endoscopy (hopefully with different cameras) all of which were inconclusive or outright negative. No ulcer/polyps or anything exciting.
Then the level magically rose above the minimum...
Now it is 2014 and the same result on blood test. Trying to avoid the rest of the bullshit...will iron pills help get the hematocrit level up enough to get the flight doc off my ass (or at least not up it this time)?
Thanks,
Pickle
Oh, AND I get to repeat my hearing test for the second year in a row...this old shit sucks...
For the second time in five years, I was low on my hemoglobin...11.4 or something like that. I've always been on the low side.
Last time (last long form, 2009) I had fecal occult panel (positive) followed by barium X-Ray (drank the milkshake and an hour and a half of X-Rays) and a multitude of blood tests, followed by a colonoscopy and endoscopy (hopefully with different cameras) all of which were inconclusive or outright negative. No ulcer/polyps or anything exciting.
Then the level magically rose above the minimum...
Now it is 2014 and the same result on blood test. Trying to avoid the rest of the bullshit...will iron pills help get the hematocrit level up enough to get the flight doc off my ass (or at least not up it this time)?
Thanks,
Pickle
Oh, AND I get to repeat my hearing test for the second year in a row...this old shit sucks...
Last edited:
PrudasJiest
Haze Gray
I just reread my post and realized it was somewhat misleading. I was NPQed back in May, but the things they NPQed me for were no more recent than 5 or 6 years ago (aside from possibly not disclosing information, which was an extra little bullet they added to the NPQ letter)
Pickle,
A low hemoglobin in a male (especially as low as yours was) is a potentially concerning finding in light of a positive hemoccult test. I don't know how the test was performed, but if done properly, and corroborated by the low hemoglobin strongly suggests blood loss via the GI tract. That finding prompted the extensive evaluation, but there's still a lot of your GI tract (i.e. the small intestine) that may not have been adequately evaluated.
The short answer is that iron supplements may get your hemoglobin/hematocrit (H/H) above the legal limit if you're iron deficient, but that still leaves the possibility of some source of GI bleeding that remains undiagnosed and untreated. Blood loss from the GI tract can be a big deal and getting it sorted out would be in your best interest.
The fact that you tend to run on the low side might indicate something other than an ulcer or gastritis.
R/
A low hemoglobin in a male (especially as low as yours was) is a potentially concerning finding in light of a positive hemoccult test. I don't know how the test was performed, but if done properly, and corroborated by the low hemoglobin strongly suggests blood loss via the GI tract. That finding prompted the extensive evaluation, but there's still a lot of your GI tract (i.e. the small intestine) that may not have been adequately evaluated.
The short answer is that iron supplements may get your hemoglobin/hematocrit (H/H) above the legal limit if you're iron deficient, but that still leaves the possibility of some source of GI bleeding that remains undiagnosed and untreated. Blood loss from the GI tract can be a big deal and getting it sorted out would be in your best interest.
The fact that you tend to run on the low side might indicate something other than an ulcer or gastritis.
R/
Thanks,
Kinda figured that's the deal...
The fecal occult involved the card in the drop zone...
As far as GI bleeding...no idea what the deal is...hasn't killed me after five years...how does one "examine" the small intestine?
Pickle
Kinda figured that's the deal...
The fecal occult involved the card in the drop zone...
As far as GI bleeding...no idea what the deal is...hasn't killed me after five years...how does one "examine" the small intestine?
Pickle
Pickle,
The exact procedures followed when collecting the sample for the card matter. Don't want to get a false positive from any kind of poor technique. There are some dietary restrictions that should be followed, and you want to obtain the sample without roughing things up too much down there. I'll leave it at that. In your case, I believe the results are probably real, since we have some secondary indications of a problem.
The current way to image the small intestine is something called "capsule endoscopy". Basically you swallow a wee camera contained in a capsule, which then takes a series of images as it passes through your GI tract. The images are wirelessly downloaded onto a recording device worn around your waist, which your friendly gastroenterologist reviews for evidence of bleeding. The old school way was to do an upper GI with barium, and watch the stuff as it meandered through your intestines. Pretty time intensive, and a lot less pleasant than capsule endoscopy.
R/
The exact procedures followed when collecting the sample for the card matter. Don't want to get a false positive from any kind of poor technique. There are some dietary restrictions that should be followed, and you want to obtain the sample without roughing things up too much down there. I'll leave it at that. In your case, I believe the results are probably real, since we have some secondary indications of a problem.
The current way to image the small intestine is something called "capsule endoscopy". Basically you swallow a wee camera contained in a capsule, which then takes a series of images as it passes through your GI tract. The images are wirelessly downloaded onto a recording device worn around your waist, which your friendly gastroenterologist reviews for evidence of bleeding. The old school way was to do an upper GI with barium, and watch the stuff as it meandered through your intestines. Pretty time intensive, and a lot less pleasant than capsule endoscopy.
R/
I did the barium...sooooo boring...the capsule sounds easier...
Thanks for the info, hopefully I pass the tests and that's the end of it...
Pickle
Thanks for the info, hopefully I pass the tests and that's the end of it...
Pickle
Mizzouzk,
I'm assuming you're hoping for aviation at some point. If that's the case, any BP reading over 139 mmHg systolic (top number) or 89mmHg diastolic (bottom number) will earn you a trip to NAMI for a three day blood pressure check. If the average values remain above 139/89, the applicant is NPQ, no waiver recommended. At this point, I would recommend AGGRESSIVELY getting your blood pressure down. Avoid tobacco products, alcohol and energy drinks. Adopt the DASH diet (search the web for details) and drop some weight if you're carrying a few extra pounds. A general rule of thumb is a 10 pound weight loss will shave 10 points off the BP. You're best course of action is to get this under control now so it becomes a non-issue at OCS. Giving someone else the keys to your career unnecessarily is not really where you want to be.
R/
I'm assuming you're hoping for aviation at some point. If that's the case, any BP reading over 139 mmHg systolic (top number) or 89mmHg diastolic (bottom number) will earn you a trip to NAMI for a three day blood pressure check. If the average values remain above 139/89, the applicant is NPQ, no waiver recommended. At this point, I would recommend AGGRESSIVELY getting your blood pressure down. Avoid tobacco products, alcohol and energy drinks. Adopt the DASH diet (search the web for details) and drop some weight if you're carrying a few extra pounds. A general rule of thumb is a 10 pound weight loss will shave 10 points off the BP. You're best course of action is to get this under control now so it becomes a non-issue at OCS. Giving someone else the keys to your career unnecessarily is not really where you want to be.
R/
mizzouzk
Fly big stuff
I've never had a reading over 134/82 so I'm not terribly concerned. I just wanted to make sure they didn't say go to the extremes for prehypertension. Can I request a manual read of my blood pressure? Or do they automatically hook me up to the machine?
Thanks for the thorough response by the way
First screen will be the machine. If you fail that reading, the usual response is to obtain a manual reading. My primary concern is that you're close enough to the cutoff that a bad day could get you into a position where the outcome is outside your direct control. Bad place to be.
R/
R/
mizzouzk
Fly big stuff
Alright I'm picking up that dash diet and I'll be checking periodically until closer to ocs! Thanks again for all the great advice.
4 days away from grad and just had to fill out a med rec release for NAMI to look at my doc's notes on why he prescribed me an albuterol (age 17). Records wont be released to NAMI until Wednesday so I am thinking i'll be sitting in student pool for a while. I think I qualify for the waiver since I passed my methacholine challenge (0%,0%,0%, -3%, -12%) and PFT and havent been prescribed any asthma related medication in over 5 years. Question is: since this is a CD condition does the situation look up or should I be considering getting an alternative package together. Also, anyone have insight with NAMI turnaround time once they have my records for review? Has been confirmed that my packet has made it to NAMI as well. I guess this is my last thorn.
Thanks
Thanks