Hey all,
An update for anyone who is browsing the threads searching for anything neurological:
Contrary to the advise of certain individuals, I kept on pursuing ways to minimize the damage by working with the Consultant in OK. I had also recontacted Dr. Chien, who had me get my Blue Ribbon file from the FAA which contains all internal notes on me (very interesting reads) as well as the report from the other FAA Consultant who recommended a denial. His report was very, very over the top and he has a horrible (i.e. horrible for any pilot seeking certification) reputation with regards to being conservative.
Dr. Chien's recommendation was to stand down, comply 100% with their outrageous demands for follow-up testing, and at the 2 year mark we should be able to get this done.
The FAA Consultant in OK wrote a rebuttal letter to the FAA, arguing against the other Consultant's report. FAA's response was, "Yeah, all valid points. We're going to go with the more conservative opinion. Denial sustained."
Cog screens can be very pricey, however my airline allows our pilots to take the test at no cost at HQ. Given that fact, the Consultant in OK recommended I get a fresh Cog screen done. Even though the FAA indicated that no testing would be accepted before a certain date, we figured there was no harm in getting testing done if it cost nothing.
Did the Cog Screen and this second round of testing was dramatically and exponentially better than the previous one that raised concerns. The Consultant in OK wrote yet another letter, reiterating his original arguments against further imagining studies, and indicating that, at his recommendation, I had done another Cog Screen and the results emphatically indicate normal/above average cerebral function.
Got another letter back from the FAA that began with, "We are unable to establish your eligibility at this time," as apposed to the usual, "We invite your attention to our previous denial letter dated....."
The letter went on to request 2 single items: an MRI and an EEG. That was it. No need for another Neurological evaluation (which we had already done, just not sure they would accept it), no need for further cognitive testing (HUGE win, since the original denial letter demanded a Cog Screen AND full core battery Neuropsychological testing. Finally, they now wanted 1 EEG as opposed to 2. To request 2 was unheard of to begin with, and that was at the recommendation of the Consultant who recommended denial.
That's when I got in touch with Dr. Chien again. We had something to work with, now. He guided me through the final steps. His attention to detail is amazing. He really is a pro at this. I finally went to see him for the 1st Class Exam at the 25 month mark, and he had my paperwork and the discs containing the EEG and MRI studies sent off to OKC that same day.
He followed up with them/me pretty regularly, and my case ended up being sent to the FAA's quarterly Neurology panel (as opposed to just a lone consultant reviewing and opining). I follow up by calling the "Interest Airman" number every other day, and finally the good news came that I had been cleared.
I had them fax me the Medical. No Special Issuance -- was a straight unrestricted. The hard copy plus their letter of eligibility stating the terms/conditions of continued certification (i.e. symptoms of our event re-present and/or you need treatment for anything related to this you are to self-ground, etc. etc.) finally came in the mail some 2 weeks later.
I just completed sim training and my first flight back is in a few days -- some 2.5 years after this all started.
This is really, really a very VERY condensed account of the last year. There was much more to it than this, however the full story could go on for pages. It'd be a short novel. Some impressions on the ordeal.
1. Dr. Chien should be strongly considered by anyone with a potential "difficult case." I didn't think my case was all that "difficult" until reading the denial recommendation by the FAA's other consultant. He certainly made it a "difficult case."
2. AMAS was very helpful in gathering the required info. Naturally, if you've never gone through this, you're going to need help. If you have access to AMAS services through your union, by all means use them to get the ball rolling. You could have Dr. Chien get you started on all of this, as well, but that may end up raising your bill with him since he does charge for his time (except to assess your situation initially).
3. NEVER, EVER take formal Cognitive testing on any level without knowing what you're getting yourself into. These tests are, for the most part, totally unlike anything we're used to and a poor performance, even on one of the sub-tests, can raise all sorts of red flags. Spend a lot of time with Lumosity or other types of Cognitive testing first. I bombed the deductive reasoning part of the test because I didn't get what was going on, and that just led to problems. Being familiar could have saved me a lot of headache.
If I could go back, would I do anything different? Oh hells yea. Without a doubt. I followed some not so great advice along the way and it possibly ended up costing me time/money. Is there any way to get around the 2 year wait? Perhaps -- but it's clearly become very difficult if not damn near impossible. During a time when the FAA has become more liberal with certain conditions (i.e. increased freedom for AMEs to issue on-the-spot as opposed to deferring), they have become much tougher on Neurology cases.
Anyhoo, hope this helps anyone that's unfortunate enough to go through this or anything similar........