Should be getting my medical back....but...

Mortimer, I just read the AOPA site again, It says that weight loss
is not an acceptable treatment for sleep apnea. How did you get away
with that one?


On Jan 27, 5:27 pm, "Mortimer Schnerd, RN" mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com
wrote:
Greg wrote:
Are you speaking from experience? I have heard second hand stories of
people not being required to take even one MWT, but never first
hand...

Anyone?I never took a MWT... don't even know what one is. I was treated for sleep
apnea some years ago; had a sleep study where they said I desatted into the 50s
(no wonder I always felt tired)... used CPAP at night for some years with very
good effect. I ended up having a gastric bypass, lost a bunch of weight and
came off all meds and the CPAP.

When I went to get my flight physical back (earlier yanked for some EKG
irregularity later proven to be bogus by a heart cath), I just provided all the
progress notes provided by the cardiologist attesting to the false positive, and
notes from my primary care physician stating I was no longer being treated for
diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea. I never heard another word from the FAA
but I walked out of the AME's office with a third class in my hot little hand.

--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Policies change from time to time, and what may have been true in the past
is not necessarily true today. Personally, I've experienced a few changes
with regard to my low pressure open angle glaucoma in terms of required
followup and duration of the medical.
--ron

Thanks for the info. Things do change. The more I talk about this
the more I think I just need to doctor shop for an ME with a more
liberal attitude towards this situation. Sounds like some want the
MWT every year and others, like Mortimer, never had one.

Greg writes:

Mortimer, I just read the AOPA site again, It says that weight loss
is not an acceptable treatment for sleep apnea. How did you get away
with that one?

Reading the FAA's own site indicates that all they care about is proof
that the sleep apnea is cured or no longer clinically apparent. How
that is achieved is irrelevant, unless it involves a continuing
program of medication (but that wouldn't be the case for apnea).

I note that each time someone says something about this or that being
disqualifying, a look at the actual FAA texts reveals that the reality
is more liberal, and apparently depends a lot on the examiner's and
the FAA's interpretation of individual cases.

I still think it's all too draconian, though. Riding a motorcycle is
just as dangerous as being a GA pilot, but I don't see the same
extreme medical requirements for motorcycle riders.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

I note that each time someone says something about this or that being
disqualifying, a look at the actual FAA texts reveals that the reality
is more liberal, and apparently depends a lot on the examiner's and
the FAA's interpretation of individual cases.


It is interesting to note that what the FAA describes as the process
doesn't seem to me what has happened to anyone I've talked to. about
this. Furthermore where does the AOPA get their information? It
seems to contradict the info on the FAA site. This is why I was
looking for as many recent real world experiences as possible. If I
am reading correctly on the FAA site my certificate decision must be
deferred to the RFS. Am I reading this correctly? I'd like to know
how long this might take as I need to make arrangement to get back
into a flying club. It will be 3 weeks before I can go to the ME with
the required documentation.

From the FAA site...

An FAA physician provides the initial certification decision and
grants the Authorization in accordance with 14 CFR § 67.401. The
Authorization letter is accompanied by attachments that specify the
information that treating physician(s) must provide for the re-
issuance determination. If this is a first time issuance of an
Authorization for the above disease/condition, and the applicant has
all of the requisite medical information necessary for a
determination, the Examiner must defer and submit all of the
documentation to the AMCD or RFS for the initial determination.

Greg wrote:
Mortimer, I just read the AOPA site again, It says that weight loss
is not an acceptable treatment for sleep apnea. How did you get away
with that one?


I don't know. I don't have sleep apnea any more. I'm told I snore loudly at
times but I don't stop breathing. I don't fall asleep during the day. Anyway,
my medical history is quite involved and it might have gotten lost in the
details. I'm not inclined to bring it up.

Maybe the FAA feels guilty for screwing me out of 15 years of flying because of
their unreasonable requirements. Back in 1990, I was asked to submit to a
cardiac stress test because of something they saw on my EKG in Oklahoma City.
Nobody here saw anything wrong with my EKG. But pleading did no good. I didn't
have the money for the test... I was working as a cargo pilot and was living
hand to mouth. I just walked away from the industry and went to nursing school
instead.

To make a long story short, I was being worked up for surgery in 2003 and had
another EKG. This one was abnormal and suggested I'd had a heart attack
sometime in the past. (You'd think I'd have noticed something like that.) That
led to a stress test (TA DA!!!!), this time paid for by my HMO. That led to a
heart cath where the cardiologist pronounced my coronary arteries completely
clear.

I've been a multi trauma and have had (I think) 18 surgeries... mostly fixing
fractures with hardware, I&Ds (cleanups), multiple skin and bone grafts, a hip
replacement and a gastric bypass. I was being treated for the sleep apnea,
hypertension, and non-insulin dependent diabetes.

Screw 'em.... I walk without a limp, take no meds for anything, and I'm back
flying again. I'll never do it for a living again since I've found a more
lucrative line of work but I do get to go every so often.

I think I just beat them down.


--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

("601XL Builder" wrote)
From WebMD

Excessive daytime sleepiness, which is falling asleep when you normally
should not, such as while you are eating, talking, or driving.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil
Also used as a "smart drug."

http://www.modafinil.com/
"Modafinil is increasingly used as a 'lifestyle drug' - a lucrative
'off-label' market its makers have not been unduly keen to discourage. Some
prescribing physicians have reportedly been surprised at a previously hidden
epidemic of narcolepsy among hard-working young professionals..." g


Montblack