How to get your medical back ASAP
 

I thought I'd post this as I'm currently on medical leave and trying to get a new 1st class issued so I can get back to work. From talking to various AMEs and trolling the message boards I have discovered something most good AMEs probably already know but to me seemed hard to find out. Apparently when you apply for a medical and you have experienced a disqualifying event previously that needs to be reported, you can take the class I exam and have your AME fax all your new documentation (medical tests, doctor notes, etc) to the regional flight surgeon. After a few days, your AME can then call the regional flight surgeon and ask for a verbal approval over the phone to issue a medical certificate. If the verbal approval can't be given due to the nature of the condition or for other reasons, the documents must be sent to the FAA for review (currently a 4-6 week wait). This was great news for me that I might have a chance of getting my medical back in as quick as a week since I was dreading the 4-6 week wait.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone else as this information wasn't readily available to me. I considered using leftseat.com since they claim to help you get your medical back in a week but after reading the horror stories thankfully I did not send them a retainer. Turns out your regular AME can almost as effective with a phone call (sometimes).