Am I in trouble, the saga continues.....

[mc282000]

Ok, so I've gone to see my recruiter and we're in the middle of the process of putting my app together. I've submitted all the paper work, taken the ASVAB (got a 95!!, I was stoked if you can't tell), am going to MEPS 9/22 and then on to take the PFT and ASTB.

My problem is this, three years ago I had a really bad sinus infection, went to the Doc, got antibiotics and flonase. The congestion and sinus headaches never really went away. Fastforward two years to last July when I was on a flight to the Bahamas and experienced Barometric Trauma that still gives me nightmares (if you've ever felt this kind of pain, you know what I mean). Anways, so I got through it and have experienced it a few more times on commercial flights while descending. So, I went to the doc, again, to discuss my options a couple months ago. They put me on antibiotics again to try and clear it out but it didn't work. Yesterday, I went to see the surgeon for a follow up on a CT scan of my sinuses and the surgeon suggested surgery as a way to clear out my sinuses from the disease and blockages in my sinuses that are causing the problems.

Obviously I believe I need to do the surgery for a few reasons. I will most definately get NAMI Whammied if i don't because they'll ask about sinus problems, at which time I would be forthwright and tell them I've had issues and then they would do a CT scan and see all the blockages I had causing me to be NPQ on the spot. I would also fail a barometric pressure chamber test as the pain I experience from this is extreme.

So, my question is this, has anyone else had experience with getting a Waiver under section 6.2 of the NOMI/NAMI waiver guide (http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11793&highlight=sinus+waiver , 2nd post down from FedDoc)? If so, how hard was it to get, how long did it take and what advice can you provide to help me make this as smooth and quickly a process as possible?

Can I get pro rec'vd, then wait on the waiver to get final select? Or will they throw my pro rec'vd out the window when they find out I need this waiver? Basically, will they hold my app to see if the waiver comes through?

Any help/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[FUPaladin]

Before today, I would have told you that you can handle the medical stuff after you get a pro-rec, but according to this post, you now have to clear MEPS before your application package can be considered by the board. Someone more familiar with waivers can help you there, but it looks to me like you won't be able to get a pro-rec for anything aviation related until you get this cleared up.

 

[mc282000]

Hmm, so then how detailed is the MEPS physical versus the flight physical? The questionaire that I filled out to go to MEPS that asks about previous/current medical conditions didn't mention anything about sinus issues or barometric pressure change issues. I was assuming I could pass the MEPS physical pretty easy and that the flight physical would be the problem as its more detailed. My recruiter told me that I go to MEPS to get cleared to take the PFT and then once that and the ASTB are done, we submit the app to get pro rec'vd and then take the flight physical to get final rec'vd.

 

[McCPilot]

Hey Mc28

I’m a final select getting ready for class 04-08. I’ve kind of gone through what you’re talking about, except my sinus surgery was around 4 years ago. Since my surgery I’ve become an advanced scuba diver, participated in skydiving, and flown over 1000 hours (much of the time at cabin pressures above 10k ft MSL) as a commercial pilot, all without experiencing any sinus issues of any kind. I provided the medical board with proof of all these activities as well as documentation on my sinus surgery. I was granted a medical waiver stating I’m PQ’d as an SNA and that was that.

I’m not sure how it’s going to work since you haven’t had surgery yet… I’d just get it done asap and start the healing process. If it’s chronic sinusitis, it shouldn’t take too long to heal up. It could be several months if it’s something more serious though. PM me if you have any more questions.

McC