Thank you all for your responses. Quite a bit of info there that I appreciate. In any case, I had not intended to try to go flying without letting anybody know what happened; I don't like pi$$ing off the FAA either and know that it is always better to be up front about medical issues, etc... It was more a curiosity as to whether my medical is automatically rendered invalid due to the surgery or the BP meds or what...
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
You haven't given a specific enough description to be exact. By having your aorta "replaced" do you mean your thoracic (inside the chest) or abdominal (inside the abdomen) aorta, it runs through both spaces.
It was definitely thoracic. Descending aortic dissection, if that means anything to you, which I imagine it might. If not, definitely an emergency situation and I am not one to go seeking help very easily, so for me to call 911 that morning, considering the pressure in my chest that was not dissipating was quite an unusual event for me, not to mention my first helicopter ride as I had to be airlifted to a different hospital and immediately went into surgery. Some poor guy had to have his bypass delayed because the doc that was doing it had to fix me instead.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
Generally the reason for replacing either of them is the development of an aneurysm. The concerns with replacement are several but the main ones are:
1. Why did you develop an aneurysm to begin with?
Good question. Doc did not say anything like Marfans or mention aneurysm, but was probably genetic I guess, but most likely just a weak aorta or, at least weakened over time. My BP was slightly elevated prior to this happening, but I even saw a former USAF flight surgeon(apart from my normal AME mind you) that did not feel that it was enough of an issue to prescribe BP meds, just advised changing habits a bit and being a little bit healthier in my life. Controlling stress in my life was a big factor, however one particular stress-causing factor was very difficult to manage and more than likely contributed to my aorta failing that morning.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
2. Were important arteries that branch off the aorta damaged?
Don't believe so, was not advised by the doc as such so, just assuming at this point, but I'm sure if I asked the doc, he would be able to tell me. It's questions like this that I don't know to ask naturally.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
3. How satisfactory was the repair?
Pretty good i think, but of course I am no expert.... Dacron was grafted into place and currently makes up the majority of my aorta. I recently had a CT scan which involved an IV that allowed Iodine to be injected into my bloodstream at pressure to show the integrity of the graft, etc... Aside from the discomfort of an IV and needing 3 nurses and 3 holes in 2 arms to get it right, it went swell.
Originally Posted by
Excargodog
4. How frequently do you need to be followed if a special issuance is granted?
Just the fact that you have been put on blood pressure medication technically means you don't meet standards, although even just a local AME (senior AMEs can do class 1s, other AMEs are restricted to 2s and 3s) can issue pending review. I SUPPOSE you could just go back to work until your next physical was due and CLAIM you thought that would be OK, but you ought to know better, and they are going to KNOW you should have known better. They won't REFUSE to waiver you if you do that, but they damn sure won't go out of their way to do you any favors if you pi$$ them off either, and that WILL pi$$ them off. And this may well be a lengthier process if they get irritated at you. Besides, the longer you wait before getting the required stuff, the harder it will become to collect it all.
So MY RECOMMENDATION is get a copy of your hospital discharge summary and call up your regional flight surgeon and fax it to him/her after talking to them personally. Depending on just what was done, the regional flight surgeon can talk to OKC and find out precisely what medical info/imaging studies/proof of adequacy of blood pressure control/etc., that you are going to need to satisfy the Federal Air Surgeon. They might even be able to tell you if they think that your senior flight surgeon is up to the job of doing this expeditiously, or if you ought to go to a specialized aeromedical clinic that has done a few of these and knows the requirements and the personalities of the reviewers.
I think your chances of getting a waiver are actually pretty good, but if it's not done right it can take months and months longer than it needs to.
And, yeah, you didn't do anything wrong to cause yourself to have an aneurysm. You having an aneurysm isn't going to pi$$ them off. If they think you aren't taking your condition seriously - like pretending you didn't know they don't want you flying until this is OK'd by them, that won't be the case.
Well, like I said already, not trying to subvert any procedure or process, it would never occur to me to try, because it is not worth it of course. I already have an AME in mind that deals a lot with heart issues for one of the majors and plan on going to him. My doc has not given me the go-ahead yet anyways as far as trying to fly again, but I do understand that I need to get the wheels set in motion here soon. Mostly, I just wanted to get a bit of an idea as to what I might be up against and if my unique condition is more of a hurdle than most.