Denied my medical :(

[Guest Johnny]

Good day to all...Today is a sad day for me. I was getting ready to start flight school and went to go get my 3rd class medical today. I knew there might be difficulties because of my type II diabetes (hyperglycemic). I actually don't show any signs of it and my sugar levels are perfect due to the atkins diet, and a low dosage prescription my doc has me on. Any way I was honest on the form and even though they couldn't find any signs of diabetes in my urin test(s) they automatically denied me.The next step is my primary care doc has to write up a summary of my treatment and results to give back to the AME to submit to the FAA. I also understand that this process can take up to 3 months if not longer.So I was wondering if anyone out there has experience similar situations and what was your outcome? How long did you have to wait before you heard from the FAA on your outcome? I am considering still starting Flight school in a week or two with the understanding that I cannot solo until I am able to get the FAA approval. I figure if things look positive from my pimary care doc then there shouldn't be much of a hold up. At least I can get my ground school out of the way and just about all of my instructor/student flights done in this time. So let me know your thoughts or if you know of anyone who went through this too and what happened.Thanks,JohnnyBumming in KTUS...

[Guest Ken_Salter]

I'm sorry to hear that. Just to let you know you can still take lessons and fly with an instructor, but you will not be able to solo without the 3rd class medical. And being honest of the form is commendable.The FAR on that reads as follows (67.313):a) No established medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus that requires insulin or any other hypoglycemic drug for control.I'm not trying to dash your hopes. I would definitely continue with ground school and your pre-solo work (maybe not at the flight school but with a free-lance instructor). Even if you are not granted the license, you will still get to fly.Best of luck!

[Guest Johnny]

Thanks Ken...The good thing I have going for me is I am not insulin dependant. I have hyperglycemia which means I just have higher blood sugar levels. However through proper diet I can maintain my sugar, I just can't eat anything good or tasteful! ;) The only medicine that I am on is just something to help my body use the insulin I already produce. According to my doc I am an insulin producing factory, my body is just resistant to to it. I never go low or get hypoglycemic on my blood sugars. As I stated above had I not told them about it, they would not have found it. However honesty has always been a bad character flaw of mine. I can't help but tell the truth. Ask my wife for instance... (she's a little on the heavy side) and I told her too! hahahahaha. Yeah it hurt when she smacked me but I probably had it coming!As for the FAR, I had read that and paniced severly but I am confident that all will be fine in the end. According to the AME I will have to go through this every year and have my Doc write a report of my condition and show testing of the AC1 blood work.Once all of this gets Fedex'd to the FAA next week I am thinking I should get started on my ground school and do all of my studying and at least try to get the written testing done?!!!Thank you again for the response!JohnnyKTUS

[Guest Ken_Salter]

I hope it goes through quickly for you, but this is the government you know ;-)

[Avcomware 1]

Hi, Johnny.Sorry to hear about your problem, but I think you will be better off, in the long run, that you did disclose your problem. If it would have been found later, by the FAA, you could have lost your license and probably worse. I do not know how old you are but if you are young, you could later find a way to control it without medication and not have to worry about it.Hang in there you have a very good chance of getting it, if not you can still fly with other organizations CAP, clubs, etc., not solo, even if you do not have a medical. Good luck. TV

[Guest Johnny]

Thanks TV.I am sooooooo very old now approaching the ripe old age of 35. Technically I can control the diabetes without the medicine. I only take it because my doctor wanted to give me that extra assurance. I can understand where they are coming from worrying about diabetics, because we have a guy at work and he is a type I (hypo) and I can't tell you how many times we have had to call the ambulance for him because he was all screwed up on it. Honestly... they only thing that goofs me up is Orange Juice. Kind of funny that I could sit here and eat cake and ice cream and all that happens to me is I get a heachache and my sugars spike. I don't get all messed up on it except for orange juice. I think they need to evaluate diabetes a little better because there are many different levels of folks out there and just because we (I) have been diagnosed it doesn't mean that we have a serious issue with it. Other than this denial of my medical the diabetes has been a great thing for me. It had forced me to re-evaluate how I was eating and what I was doing to my body. So now I eat better, work out much more and all around just feel great. I lead a perfectly normal life. Let's just hope the FAA see it that way too!Again thank you for commenting!JohnnyKTUS

[Guest]

Don't get the written exam done before you know approximately when (if, in your case, as well) you will be able to take the practical.The results are valid for a limited period only I think (they are in Europe, that I know) and you don't want to waste money retaking the written exam...

[John_Cillis 2,406]

If worse comes to worse, there will be sport pilot soon (www.sportpilot.org). Some restrictions on flying, but if you simply want to enjoy flight, and are healthy enough to drive a car, then your car license will suffice for a medical.-John

[Guest prichards]

I'm sorry to hear that also!Too bad you dont live downunder! Here you can still get your PPL with diabetes! But you cannot get a CPL!Pete

[Splash_One 0]

>Any way I was honest on the formI was listening to some folks talk at my flight school about a high school girl who was going for her Class III medical and in the part where it asks about if you have had or have depression, she put yes. Because of this, she was denied her medical, plus she was sent for some therapy and given anti-depressant pills. Please, comon! She is a high school girl! Of course she is going to be depressed sometimes, try to find one girl who hasnt been! Friends, Work, Boys, School, Boys, college, Friends, Boys, Boys, etc!:(-Jay :-wave

[Guest jrewing]

Hi Johnny,If you are not a member of AOPA, you might consider joining to gain access to their FAA medical information. Check out www.aopa.org. Here is an excerpt from their web site regarding diabetes:"Pilots with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus controlled by diet alone are considered to meet the medical standards and are eligible for medical certification under the revised Part 67 medical standards. Medical documentation of your control is required at the time of the FAA medical examination. The aviation medical examiner may issue a certificate if your diabetes is diet controlled and you have the supporting documentation. You will need a report from your treating doctor and a current report of hemoglobin A1C."I'm a CFII, not a AME, but it appears frow what you have said and what I read that you stand a good chance of obtaining a class III medical after your primary care doc provides all the necessary info to your AME and the FAA.AOPA has an interactive web page called "Turbo Medical" that helps members determine "red flags" prior to going for their medical exam. It's too bad you didn't know that they required documentation of your condition before you took the medical exam, otherwise you could have arrived with the necessary documentation and probably would not have been deferred.Hang in there!JohnP.S. I don't work for AOPA, I'm just a satisfied member.

[Guest Johnny]

Thank you everyone for your comments! ;)Here's what has transpired so far. My doctor (primary care not AME) is currently writing my medical report for my condition. My A1C is one month old and my Doc considered it current. I am to pick this up next week and deliver it to the AME for review and to send to the FAA. Yes, I have already joined the AOPA and did some reading. So far I am remaining positive that this will all work out. I have been in touch with my CFI and will go down and sign up for school tomorrow. For now they are going to train me as a Part 61 student and we will accomplish as much as possible up to the point that I should solo. At that point I will be in a holding pattern (HAHA!) pending the outcome of my medical from the FAA. If I am passed then I can continue on. If they deny me, maybe I can appeal, I don't know the procedure, however if it is a total denial and I can't do anything about it then at least I got some cool training and I got to fly an airplane. It is a win-win situation either way. Again I wanted to thank you all for reading my post and putting your two-cents in. JohnnyKTUS

[Orlaam 306]

What kind of stuff keeps you from getting approval? I know seizures and other disorders like that. Depression?? Are they serious? That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard. Is there a list or something that is an automatic deny?That girl shouldn't have told them. Why tell them something they can't prove.

[Guest Johnny]

Well, I went and gave them my money for the training today. I start my first flight on Sunday, then have another on Monday. My instructor (CFII) seems to be a very nice gentleman and is reassuring me that things will probably work out in the end. So as of now I am a part 61 student and when my medical comes back approved they will move me to a part 141. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will spend most of the day in front of the computer going over my first couple of lessons for the ground school. So I will go from here and just get done what I can and move on from there. Ugh...Thanks everyone! ;)JohnnyKTUS

[Avcomware 1]

Hi, Johnny.Keep us posted, and keep on keeping on. We will find a way to get you into the air. TV