Hey everybody, I have a quick question. I had a right cerebellar stroke on the morning of 27 DEC. Within in a weeks time I'm almost back to 100% and I should be as good as new in three weeks time. The cause was a small clot in that part of my brain. I'm on baby aspirin and Lipitor, but I should be off the Lipitor soon as my cholesterol is already pretty low (94 LDL). So far they've find no reason for the clot which is actually a good thing because if they find a reason it means something wrong. I know a friend of mine had a clot in her leg and there was no reason for it... mine just happened to move to my head.

My question is this: does this disqualify me from a first class medical? Or will I have to see a doctor to get this question answered?

Thanks for your time.

 

you need to speak to an AME.

 

On the contrary, I would avoid speaking to an AME before you get independant advice. You would never talk to a police detective, or give testimony which may incriminate yourself without consulting a lawyer first, would you? Check out Pilot Medical Solutions ( www.leftseat.com ). They can give you neutral and independant advice without having to disclose anything to the FAA. I've used their services myself and highly recommend them.

 

Interesting enough, but how would you reconcile what medical people you have visited and for what, on your questionaire?

 

Pay $30 for an AOPA membership and then give their membership services number a call. They can be quite helpful in directing you to the right folks to talk with.

 

Good luck to you! The AOPA advice is good - they can be very helpful. Consulting with them makes more sense first. They can help organize your thoughts on what and how you should present your information to the AME.

 

First of all, let me say that I'm very sorry. Its a terrible thing to happen to anybody. Secondly, doesn't the fact that you had a stroke mean somethings wrong? I'm certainly no medical expert, but personally I think I would want a reason so that a treatment could be developed. That's just my 2 cents.

As for your medical, a doctor (specifically AME) is really the only person to ask, but you can also call the AOPA medical hotline for some advise as well. If you run into problems or it starts becoming complicated, send me a PM. A friend of mine had a heart attack a couple years ago and used a firm located in OKC that works hand in hand with CAMI and can expidite the process immensly (like 50% reduction in time).

Good luck, and god bless.

 

Google 'Virtual Flight Surgeons' - they are the same folks that provide Aeromedical services to ALPA.

I worked with them in the past and was 110% happy with the end result.

 

I talked to a stroke neurologist about this exactly. Other than the stroke (Ha!) I'm perfectly healthy and have a low chance of a repeat ever happening. Assuming all the tests come back negative (some of them take a couple weeks) it looks like it is just one of the freak things.

Also, thanks for everybody's quick reply and good advice. It's been very helpful.

 

One other word of advice-

Don't go to an AME until you have consulted with other Non-AME doctors. Remember, although an AME is the person that you're going to have to go through to get a medical, they are not there to help you get your medical. Ultimately, they are there to ensure that you meet the FAA standard for medical qualification.



That doesn't mean that a GOOD AME won't help or offer assistance. It is important to realize though that an AME is legally bound to report your condition and the information that he/she has about it to the FAA. CAPIP is right in that eventually you will need to talk with an AME to get your medical. That said, simply going into an AME without getting your ducks in a row can result in a timely, costly, and frustrating experience simply because your form gets checked "Yes" to stroke and then sent on to Oklahoma City. Trust me- if you proceed without caution and diligence, you will end up with problems. Once that happens, it's entirely out of your AME's hands, and it's often too late to take "preemptive" measures that you might have been able to before hand (through a place like AOPA or Virtual Flight Surgeons.

If you really want to fly for a living, take some time and consult with a NON-AME medical professional that is familiar with FAA procedures for special medical certification. There are even some places out there where you can provide your situation anonymously and still receive advice on how to proceed.

The old adage that you should have one doctor to do your FAA stuff and another that doesn't know you're a pilot for your regular health stuff is a good one.