The Doctor is in! Ask a Flight Surgeon!

[robertdm27]

Have a quick question about SNA physicals and NAMI. I recently sent in a physical and my flight surgeon listed me qualified for service and requested my PRK waiver. I had a lung granulanoma but had an interal med doc screen me and clear me for it. I also had a plaque in my kidney that was interpreted as a kidney stone but once again I had a urologist clear it as not a stone. If I have all this documentation clearing me of this for flight status and my FS didnt NPQ me then is there any reason NAMI would. If i understand it correctly NAMI will simply take the FS recommendation and process it. any help on this would be appreciated.

 

[feddoc]

As long as those statements are in your medical record, I don't see a problem.

 

[GreenLantern330]

I heard a rumor that the military is planning on allowing individuals diagnosed with depression serve (and even fly) as long as they are being treated and MEPS says the treatments works. Has anyone else heard of this or know if it's true or not? I'm not depressed, but I just found it interesting and thought if this was true, it might change other medical policies as well.

 

[GreenLantern330]

Never mind, I was mistaken. It's the FAA not the military... shouldn't listen to rumors so soon...espeically in instances like this when the truth is far from the rumor.

 

[solarlancer]

I have a quick question for those interested in answering. I have a skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis that requires ketoconazole cream a couple of times per week. My recruiter is not sure if it is disqualifying, it is not contagious or dangerous and I can work normally without it interfering with work. So does anyone know if this could DQ me, I'm pro-rec NFO by the way. Thanks

 

[Swanee]

I have a quick question for those interested in answering. I have a skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis that requires ketoconazole cream a couple of times per week. My recruiter is not sure if it is disqualifying, it is not contagious or dangerous and I can work normally without it interfering with work. So does anyone know if this could DQ me, I'm pro-rec NFO by the way. Thanks

What happens when you don't use the cream?

 

[solarlancer]

It gets red and scaly but nothing any more serious than that. there are 3 patches 1 in. by 1/2 in. So its not covering a major portion of my body.

 

[feddoc]

I have a quick question for those interested in answering. I have a skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis that requires ketoconazole cream a couple of times per week. My recruiter is not sure if it is disqualifying, it is not contagious or dangerous and I can work normally without it interfering with work. So does anyone know if this could DQ me, I'm pro-rec NFO by the way. Thanks

Where on your body does it occur? Although seborrheic dermatitis is not specifically mentioned in the waiver guide, most likely you will need a consult with a dermatologist.

 

[solarlancer]

Small patches on my cheeks close to my nose and on my forehead close to my eyebrows.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Doc - any gouge you can provide on achilles tendonitis? everything i keep reading say's i've got to quit running (specifically hills). I've got a couple of half marathons planned this summer and Marine Corps marathon planned for the fall.

 

[feddoc]

Small patches on my cheeks close to my nose and on my forehead close to my eyebrows.

Docs may be more concerned with proper mask and helmet fit.

 

[feddoc]

Doc - any gouge you can provide on achilles tendonitis? everything i keep reading say's i've got to quit running (specifically hills). I've got a couple of half marathons planned this summer and Marine Corps marathon planned for the fall.

Yea, quit running. At least for a couple of weeks. **When you do start running again, go easy on the up hill runs, start again slowly...paying particular attention to longer stretches and warmups and cooldowns**

After you quit running, do this: ICE therapy; sack of frozen peas or corn (cheap and easily forms to your foot); 30 minutes on 3-5 times a day, make sure you have the proper shoes for your feet. A heel pad in your everyday shoes may help ease the pain.

Prevention stuff: How are your calves? Some folks could use better muscle mass in that area as a preventitive measure. Upward foot flexors seem to help too.

Have you been to an orthopod or a podiatrist?

 

[BigRed389]

RFI on NAMI Results

NAMI says I'm NPQ, aeronautically adaptable. Had a waiver request in for hypertension/white coat.

Sort of confusing, as they seem to be 2 contradictory terms.

This a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[feddoc]

NPQ for hypertension?

 

[Santi87]

Hi guys,

Just got the pro-rec SNA for April boards. PFA is tops, as is my background investigation. As for MEPS:

I went through MEPS for Marine OCS back in October. At MEPS they were very adamant about mentioning if you ever had inhaler use or asthma. I have never been diagnosed with asthma, but I have had an inhaler before (similar to many on this thread, prescribed as a "just in case" measure). I can't even remember the last time I had a prescription, let alone needed to use one. The doc at MEPS said before he qualified me, he wanted to see documentation from a physician about what I described, so I had my family doc write me a letter verifying everything. My OSO faxed it to MEPS and said they received it and everythign should be good to go.

Fast forward a little bit, I'm notified Marine OCS has no more slots available and everything is on hold indefinitely. Not wanting to wait 2 years for a slot that may or may not become available, I look into the Navy. I got the pro-rec and now want to get the rest in order.

My OR had me fill out the SPFF to transfer my MEPS results from Marine Corps branch over to Navy branch. MEPS calls him back and says I'm still in the same situation as before (not NPQ'ed, but not qual'ed either), as if Marine OSO never sent the doctor's note in to verify I'm not asthmatic. So now I need to go through the process all over again, blood work, piss test, duck walk and all.

If I do the process again, I don't remember all the answers I put exactly, given it was 8 months ago. My OR recently told me that when they ask about asthma and inhaler use, they really mean in the extreme circumstance i.e. everybody has had a headache, has had a cough, has sneezed when in a dusty room. Like I said, what I had was when I was a kid and not even relevant anymore, hasn't been for years -- although I probably could and should have more accurately just said "no" in every field before, would it make sense to do this now, since at its core it's more accurate than what I originally filled out in the first place? I'm thinking in terms of inconsistencies -- would MEPS even be using the old file I had started and not completed? Not sure how "being in the system" really works. Of course, the other option could be go to another Naval hospital which would mean having completely new paperwork anyway (right?), so in that case there would be no inconsistencies with anything I filled out previously.

I want to get this taken care of in the fastest and most painless way possible -- ready to get my career off the ground, I've been working towards this slot for awhile and it's a future I'm psyched and motivated to begin. So basically, I need to know if new sheet means new answers means a form that says "Qualified" that I can give to my recruiter, which means I can move to the next stage and get my final select.

Any advice would be appreciated, sorry it's a bit of a long question...kind of a unique situation, haven't been able to search any answers similar to my own problem. Thanks, looking forward to responses...

~C