Posted: 6/20/2013 12:08:03 PM EDT
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Have private. Have not flown in 20 years. I have been getting the itch to give it a go again. Probably on a limited basis for a few more years until the kids are out and the house is paid for.
I am slightly concerned (not overly) so about the 3rd class medical. My big concern is from what I understand if I fail it I am done even in Light Sport. Where as if I just leave it the way it is then I could still fly light sport. Here is the long story. I will try to keep it short. Two years ago I was having a lot of neck pain and getting tingling in my fingers (it is much better now changed the way I sleep some). Had an MRI went to a neurosurgeon he said there is some slight bulging but not enough to cause the issues I was having. He asked if I had ever had my heart checked. I said no. I was sure it was a pinched nerve or disk issue based on the symptoms. He recommended a stress test. So I asked my regular Doc what he thought and he said probably wouldn't hurt since I also have a Right Bundle Branch Block(RBBB) I don't know why he had not told me about this before maybe he didn't look close at the ECG's he was charging me for or maybe since I had no other issues he didn't think it was worth mentioning since they are generally benign without other symptoms.  But that is another story.
So went to do the regular stress test they stopped it because of the complete RBBB and said I had to do nuclear stress test to get good results. I did the nuclear and it showed some issues. I met with a heart specialist he said where it is it is probably a false positive particularly on a big guy like me but for peace of mind he scheduled an angiogram. I had the angiogram and it turns out the pipes are completely clear no problems nuclear test was a false positive and other than the RBBB the ticker is good to go. My question is do I need to even mention the RBBB to the AME? It is not symptomatic and has been proven to be benign. Will they do an ECG on a class 3? If they do and find the RBBB will I have to go through all the testing again or will they accept the info from my heart doctor? Other than that I have High BP but it is treated and well under the limits they look for. I am over weight (working on that) and my cholesterol is very good. In general good health. I am 47. |
"We're the FAA, and we're here to help!" Yeah, sure, they're there to help us..... The less they know the better. I've dealt with them before over medical issues, and a friend of mine is trying to negotiate the maze of FAA bullshit right now. Another poster mentioned joining AOPA; I used their medical cert. people and they were very helpful. AOPA membership is money well spent. Be VERY careful what you divulge to the FAA or your AME until you talk to someone at AOPA. I hope everything works out for you.
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