A word of caution
01-05-2016, 12:14 PM
#1
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Retired
Posts: 3,717
A word of caution
The following article was sent to me by a ex-squadron mate. I thought that not only you military and ex-military guys, but all who fly aircraft should be aware of this malady that could take your life.
I apologize for the structuring of this letter, as I spent considerable time trying to get it right, before giving up.
For the moderators, if you feel this should be somewhere else in APC, please feel free to put it there.
Best to all, and a happy and safe New Year.
JJ
Some of you know me as Col. Bob, "Cotton", Bob Stoffey, or "Hostage
Uniform" and we all have something in common; we flew military airplanes for a living. Some of you may know me as the author of St. Martin's Press best selling hardcover book, and now in third printing paperback, CLEARED HOT! that covered two of my three combat tours in Vietnam...one flying helicopters and one flying OV-10A Broncos.
The purpose of this Alerting communication is that since we all flew
airplanes we may have similar situations that I just experienced and I'd like to get the word out to those Old Bold Pilots that are age 55 on up.
On January 3, 2002, as I just turned age 67, I underwent a critical
surgery for a popliteal aneurysm behind my left knee. My popliteal
artery behind my left knee had blown up the size of tennis ball. The
vascular surgeon had performed the by-pass surgery replacing the artery behind the knee with a vein just in time before I either died or lost my left leg. The same surgeon then performed the same by-pass operation on January 17, 2002 on the right leg.
After both surgeries and discussions with one of the three vascular
surgeons involved, who happens to have been a Flight Surgeon, we
discussed the following:
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 (OV-10A Bronco Squadron) in which I flew combat missions in Vietnam in 1969 died in retirement at an early age of about 65 from associated problems that I just had a very, very close call with.
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 who flew combat missions in the Bronco during 1971 was reported to have died from a vascular problem at about the age of 64.
* My own Executive Officer of VMO-2, when I had been the Commanding Officer, died in retirement at about the age of 62 from an apparent vascular problem.
* And, a friend of mine who is currently the Lockheed Martin
consultant/rep to the Spanish Navy called me after my recent two vascular operations telling me that a close friend of his, an Admiral in the Spanish Navy and first Harrier pilot in the Spanish Navy just underwent the very same popliteal aneurysm surgery on one leg and he stated to my friend he thinks it was due to weakening damage to his artery behind his knee years ago where there is no G-suit protection.
* I reported this to my vascular surgeon who was a Flight Surgeon. He said he is looking into this since there is no protection in G-suits
behind the knees.
The specific G-suit I wore in and out of combat was the: Coverall,
Anti-G Cutaway Type Mark 2A, Mil Spec C-23955.
I mention this seemingly far-out theory to all fellow military pilots
that I come across only to warn them that: If you have a bulge,
particularly a pulsating bulge behind one or two of your knees get
right in to see a Vascular Surgeon to have it checked out.
My first visit to my internal medicine doctor with that symptom
resulted in him saying I had a Baker's Cyst that needed removing. Upon my getting an MRI and seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon three weeks later, resulted in the Orthopedic Surgeon telling me I had a severe aneurysm and he sent me immediately to a Vascular Surgeon who said it was the biggest he ever saw. He promptly sent me to the Naval Medical Center (Balboa) San Diego, where two vascular surgeons performed by-pass surgery of the popliteal artery on both legs...and, due to loss of time, I almost lost my life or left leg.
So please pass the above info on to any of your fine feathered flying
friends you have contact with...it may save their lives, if they have
any such symptom behind their knee or knees...whether caused by G-suits' design, extensive roller coaster riding, or maybe even simply flying as a commercial pilot for a lifetime, after a military flying period.
I apologize for the structuring of this letter, as I spent considerable time trying to get it right, before giving up.
For the moderators, if you feel this should be somewhere else in APC, please feel free to put it there.
Best to all, and a happy and safe New Year.
JJ
Some of you know me as Col. Bob, "Cotton", Bob Stoffey, or "Hostage
Uniform" and we all have something in common; we flew military airplanes for a living. Some of you may know me as the author of St. Martin's Press best selling hardcover book, and now in third printing paperback, CLEARED HOT! that covered two of my three combat tours in Vietnam...one flying helicopters and one flying OV-10A Broncos.
The purpose of this Alerting communication is that since we all flew
airplanes we may have similar situations that I just experienced and I'd like to get the word out to those Old Bold Pilots that are age 55 on up.
On January 3, 2002, as I just turned age 67, I underwent a critical
surgery for a popliteal aneurysm behind my left knee. My popliteal
artery behind my left knee had blown up the size of tennis ball. The
vascular surgeon had performed the by-pass surgery replacing the artery behind the knee with a vein just in time before I either died or lost my left leg. The same surgeon then performed the same by-pass operation on January 17, 2002 on the right leg.
After both surgeries and discussions with one of the three vascular
surgeons involved, who happens to have been a Flight Surgeon, we
discussed the following:
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 (OV-10A Bronco Squadron) in which I flew combat missions in Vietnam in 1969 died in retirement at an early age of about 65 from associated problems that I just had a very, very close call with.
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 who flew combat missions in the Bronco during 1971 was reported to have died from a vascular problem at about the age of 64.
* My own Executive Officer of VMO-2, when I had been the Commanding Officer, died in retirement at about the age of 62 from an apparent vascular problem.
* And, a friend of mine who is currently the Lockheed Martin
consultant/rep to the Spanish Navy called me after my recent two vascular operations telling me that a close friend of his, an Admiral in the Spanish Navy and first Harrier pilot in the Spanish Navy just underwent the very same popliteal aneurysm surgery on one leg and he stated to my friend he thinks it was due to weakening damage to his artery behind his knee years ago where there is no G-suit protection.
* I reported this to my vascular surgeon who was a Flight Surgeon. He said he is looking into this since there is no protection in G-suits
behind the knees.
The specific G-suit I wore in and out of combat was the: Coverall,
Anti-G Cutaway Type Mark 2A, Mil Spec C-23955.
I mention this seemingly far-out theory to all fellow military pilots
that I come across only to warn them that: If you have a bulge,
particularly a pulsating bulge behind one or two of your knees get
right in to see a Vascular Surgeon to have it checked out.
My first visit to my internal medicine doctor with that symptom
resulted in him saying I had a Baker's Cyst that needed removing. Upon my getting an MRI and seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon three weeks later, resulted in the Orthopedic Surgeon telling me I had a severe aneurysm and he sent me immediately to a Vascular Surgeon who said it was the biggest he ever saw. He promptly sent me to the Naval Medical Center (Balboa) San Diego, where two vascular surgeons performed by-pass surgery of the popliteal artery on both legs...and, due to loss of time, I almost lost my life or left leg.
So please pass the above info on to any of your fine feathered flying
friends you have contact with...it may save their lives, if they have
any such symptom behind their knee or knees...whether caused by G-suits' design, extensive roller coaster riding, or maybe even simply flying as a commercial pilot for a lifetime, after a military flying period.
01-05-2016, 01:15 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,756
Thank you, Jetjok. My spouse had a lot of fluid removed after a Baker's cyst diagnosis, not too long ago, and the large bulge is still there. Sending an email to his doctor today asking him about this issue, and seeing if it needs to be followed up on. Seems like the MRI should have shown a serious problem, but all it takes is someone to screw up.
This is important information for us all.
This is important information for us all.
01-06-2016, 12:16 PM
#4
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jan 2015
Posts: 87
Wow, who'd have ever thought that flying combat aircraft (or any aircraft, for that matter) could be hazardous to your health...
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm
Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm
Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.
01-06-2016, 02:28 PM
#5
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2012
Position: Babysitter
Posts: 975
Originally Posted by Jetjok
The following article was sent to me by a ex-squadron mate. I thought that not only you military and ex-military guys, but all who fly aircraft should be aware of this malady that could take your life.
I apologize for the structuring of this letter, as I spent considerable time trying to get it right, before giving up.
For the moderators, if you feel this should be somewhere else in APC, please feel free to put it there.
Best to all, and a happy and safe New Year.
JJ
Some of you know me as Col. Bob, "Cotton", Bob Stoffey, or "Hostage
Uniform" and we all have something in common; we flew military airplanes for a living. Some of you may know me as the author of St. Martin's Press best selling hardcover book, and now in third printing paperback, CLEARED HOT! that covered two of my three combat tours in Vietnam...one flying helicopters and one flying OV-10A Broncos.
The purpose of this Alerting communication is that since we all flew
airplanes we may have similar situations that I just experienced and I'd like to get the word out to those Old Bold Pilots that are age 55 on up.
On January 3, 2002, as I just turned age 67, I underwent a critical
surgery for a popliteal aneurysm behind my left knee. My popliteal
artery behind my left knee had blown up the size of tennis ball. The
vascular surgeon had performed the by-pass surgery replacing the artery behind the knee with a vein just in time before I either died or lost my left leg. The same surgeon then performed the same by-pass operation on January 17, 2002 on the right leg.
After both surgeries and discussions with one of the three vascular
surgeons involved, who happens to have been a Flight Surgeon, we
discussed the following:
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 (OV-10A Bronco Squadron) in which I flew combat missions in Vietnam in 1969 died in retirement at an early age of about 65 from associated problems that I just had a very, very close call with.
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 who flew combat missions in the Bronco during 1971 was reported to have died from a vascular problem at about the age of 64.
* My own Executive Officer of VMO-2, when I had been the Commanding Officer, died in retirement at about the age of 62 from an apparent vascular problem.
* And, a friend of mine who is currently the Lockheed Martin
consultant/rep to the Spanish Navy called me after my recent two vascular operations telling me that a close friend of his, an Admiral in the Spanish Navy and first Harrier pilot in the Spanish Navy just underwent the very same popliteal aneurysm surgery on one leg and he stated to my friend he thinks it was due to weakening damage to his artery behind his knee years ago where there is no G-suit protection.
* I reported this to my vascular surgeon who was a Flight Surgeon. He said he is looking into this since there is no protection in G-suits
behind the knees.
The specific G-suit I wore in and out of combat was the: Coverall,
Anti-G Cutaway Type Mark 2A, Mil Spec C-23955.
I mention this seemingly far-out theory to all fellow military pilots
that I come across only to warn them that: If you have a bulge,
particularly a pulsating bulge behind one or two of your knees get
right in to see a Vascular Surgeon to have it checked out.
My first visit to my internal medicine doctor with that symptom
resulted in him saying I had a Baker's Cyst that needed removing. Upon my getting an MRI and seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon three weeks later, resulted in the Orthopedic Surgeon telling me I had a severe aneurysm and he sent me immediately to a Vascular Surgeon who said it was the biggest he ever saw. He promptly sent me to the Naval Medical Center (Balboa) San Diego, where two vascular surgeons performed by-pass surgery of the popliteal artery on both legs...and, due to loss of time, I almost lost my life or left leg.
So please pass the above info on to any of your fine feathered flying
friends you have contact with...it may save their lives, if they have
any such symptom behind their knee or knees...whether caused by G-suits' design, extensive roller coaster riding, or maybe even simply flying as a commercial pilot for a lifetime, after a military flying period.
I apologize for the structuring of this letter, as I spent considerable time trying to get it right, before giving up.
For the moderators, if you feel this should be somewhere else in APC, please feel free to put it there.
Best to all, and a happy and safe New Year.
JJ
Some of you know me as Col. Bob, "Cotton", Bob Stoffey, or "Hostage
Uniform" and we all have something in common; we flew military airplanes for a living. Some of you may know me as the author of St. Martin's Press best selling hardcover book, and now in third printing paperback, CLEARED HOT! that covered two of my three combat tours in Vietnam...one flying helicopters and one flying OV-10A Broncos.
The purpose of this Alerting communication is that since we all flew
airplanes we may have similar situations that I just experienced and I'd like to get the word out to those Old Bold Pilots that are age 55 on up.
On January 3, 2002, as I just turned age 67, I underwent a critical
surgery for a popliteal aneurysm behind my left knee. My popliteal
artery behind my left knee had blown up the size of tennis ball. The
vascular surgeon had performed the by-pass surgery replacing the artery behind the knee with a vein just in time before I either died or lost my left leg. The same surgeon then performed the same by-pass operation on January 17, 2002 on the right leg.
After both surgeries and discussions with one of the three vascular
surgeons involved, who happens to have been a Flight Surgeon, we
discussed the following:
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 (OV-10A Bronco Squadron) in which I flew combat missions in Vietnam in 1969 died in retirement at an early age of about 65 from associated problems that I just had a very, very close call with.
* The Commanding Officer of VM0-2 who flew combat missions in the Bronco during 1971 was reported to have died from a vascular problem at about the age of 64.
* My own Executive Officer of VMO-2, when I had been the Commanding Officer, died in retirement at about the age of 62 from an apparent vascular problem.
* And, a friend of mine who is currently the Lockheed Martin
consultant/rep to the Spanish Navy called me after my recent two vascular operations telling me that a close friend of his, an Admiral in the Spanish Navy and first Harrier pilot in the Spanish Navy just underwent the very same popliteal aneurysm surgery on one leg and he stated to my friend he thinks it was due to weakening damage to his artery behind his knee years ago where there is no G-suit protection.
* I reported this to my vascular surgeon who was a Flight Surgeon. He said he is looking into this since there is no protection in G-suits
behind the knees.
The specific G-suit I wore in and out of combat was the: Coverall,
Anti-G Cutaway Type Mark 2A, Mil Spec C-23955.
I mention this seemingly far-out theory to all fellow military pilots
that I come across only to warn them that: If you have a bulge,
particularly a pulsating bulge behind one or two of your knees get
right in to see a Vascular Surgeon to have it checked out.
My first visit to my internal medicine doctor with that symptom
resulted in him saying I had a Baker's Cyst that needed removing. Upon my getting an MRI and seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon three weeks later, resulted in the Orthopedic Surgeon telling me I had a severe aneurysm and he sent me immediately to a Vascular Surgeon who said it was the biggest he ever saw. He promptly sent me to the Naval Medical Center (Balboa) San Diego, where two vascular surgeons performed by-pass surgery of the popliteal artery on both legs...and, due to loss of time, I almost lost my life or left leg.
So please pass the above info on to any of your fine feathered flying
friends you have contact with...it may save their lives, if they have
any such symptom behind their knee or knees...whether caused by G-suits' design, extensive roller coaster riding, or maybe even simply flying as a commercial pilot for a lifetime, after a military flying period.
01-06-2016, 05:12 PM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2006
Position: Retired
Posts: 3,717
Originally Posted by jimf15e
Wow, who'd have ever thought that flying combat aircraft (or any aircraft, for that matter) could be hazardous to your health...
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm
Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.Sorry I took up so much of your time. Having flown fighters/attack aircraft for 24 years, I understand and appreciate your humor, however, the difference between the maladies you mention and the one in the article, is that yours can be debilitating, while a popliteal aneurysm can outright kill you. Feel free to diss the article, but remember, knowledge is power. At least in most cases.
JJ
01-18-2016, 08:39 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,756
Kind of hard to believe that after posting helpful information that could potentially save someone's life, that there is a number of sarcastic comments.
Too bad they didn't leave this in the cargo forum. I think it would have been more useful there, though I do appreciate the article. We need all the information we can find to stay healthy and alive, to enjoy our retirement.
Too bad they didn't leave this in the cargo forum. I think it would have been more useful there, though I do appreciate the article. We need all the information we can find to stay healthy and alive, to enjoy our retirement.
01-20-2016, 07:27 PM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Posts: 328
Originally Posted by jimf15e
Wow, who'd have ever thought that flying combat aircraft (or any aircraft, for that matter) could be hazardous to your health...
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.
I'll add "popliteal aneurysm" to the list of things that will keep me awake at night. Other things on the list: radiation poisoning from sitting 6 feet behind a relatively powerful radar antenna, lung disease from breathing "oxygen enriched breathing gas" generated by engine bleed air, permanent neck and back injuries from flying too much BFM, only having daughters because I'm a fighter pilot (oh wait, I have a son), permanent vision and vertebrae damage due to wearing NVG's too much, permanent hearing damage due to insufficient ear protection while sitting 40 feet from two P&W F100 turbofans, and several other issues that I'm SURE the VA will happily grant me some level of disability for.
Sorry, but I think many of us will appreciate my sarcasm
Feel free to post any additional maladies you expect to experience.Lighten up Francis...
I hope you get my sarcasm.
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