Kidney Stone

[captainbirdseye]

Had an oh so enjoyable kidney stone a couple of months back.

I have have all clear now – no stones in the system.

I am in my twenties so have been told by a specialist I may get another in my lifetime. I understand I can hold a class 1 medical as long as I remain clear of stones and the situation is monitored.

My question is this – does anyone know if this is going to rule me out of flying for the airlines? Will I fail most airlines medical standards by having had a kidney stone in the past?

Many thanks for the advice

CBE

[glennox]

captainbirdseye to answer your question a friend of mine had a kidney stone 5 years ago just before he did his initial Class 1 medical for an airline job.

He mentioned it to the aero medical centre(AMC) & the airline. The AMC requested he get a consultants report, which he did. Once he got the all clear the airline were fine about it and he got his medical. He has been fine since and it has never been mentioned to him again as far as I know.

To be honest you don't have to mention it to any airline if you don't want to, it's up to you. Kidney Stones are more common than you think so i wouldn't get overly worried about it. My frined hasn't looked back.

[Lou Scannon]

Don't worry. I've had problems with kidney stones (or more accurate Kidney gravel where very small crystals get passed down the ureters into the bladder)....and held a full class 1 for years.

Not an exactly joyfull experience and equivalent in pain level to childbirth (and I got that from a female who had tried both).

Ideally you should keep yourself well hydrated and follow the advice that at least once a day you should pass what looks like clean water (rather than the dark yellow stuff).

It is worth seeing a nephrologist or kidney specialist every year who can take a look at your kidneys with ultra-sound. Your doc can arrange this on the NHS. If you are flying the CAA medics may well require this if they get to hear about your problem.

[powdermonkey]

Don't worry about it!
Had a kidney stone 2 years ago, held a class 2 medical at the time. Got my class 1 a year later before starting ATPL's. I did tell them of my past problem and the Doc at the Aeromedical Center got me to do a test, can't remember the name, essentially they inject a metal -based dye through the system and take an x-ray.
Point is that they were not satisfied with a mere ultrasound as this will not always show the problem. Anyway that was clear and my class 1 was issued. I have been told that it is likely, almost sure in fact, that I will create another one of those little gems, however, I was not told this would stop me from getting a job. If it were to occur once more, my class 1 will suspended until such a time as I am well again........I hope. I do imagine that if you were to do this on a regular basis, then yes, that would be a big problem! Lots of people get them, including pilots!!!
Problem is that it is so totally crippling that it would completely prevent you from operating at the controls, however, you will most likely be flying multi-crew, so risk is minimised I dare say.
BEfore mine happened, I did, on reflection, have a few days of mild pain, nothing bad, and tiny traces of blood in the urine, again hardly noticeable if you were not looking for it. NOW I KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR!!
Advice - as Lou says, drink lotsa water, especially when flying at alt were you will de-hydrate more. Come to think of it, mine occured two months after a holiday in Turkey where I sweated non-stop for 2 whole weeks?

And Oh MY GOD, it was THE most painfull experience of my life.
Roared like a bull, cried like a baby, did hand-stands on the bed, in fact at one stage I think I went under the bed........quite a relief when after 4hrs of it, ( first few hours were spent at home wondering what the f*** was happening to me) the Doc proudly told me I had a Renal Colic and that morphine would be administered presently.............aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! Took 11 days, 2 visits to the operating room and two separate stays at the hospital before the bloody thing went away. Quite entertaining really.
Anyway, I am not worried about it, carry on and if in doubt, get further advice from someone at the Aeromedical Centre.
Ps - they never did find the little bugger of a stone :uhoh:
Cheers :ok:

[roterbaron]

I have also suffered from a kidney stone some years back. I was already holding a JAA Class I medical at the time and did not require any treatment except pain medication while the renal colic lasted. After several days of visiting the lav with a strainer I finally caught the little bugger and once the lab results were in the AME returned me to flying status.

Could anybody comment on the Hong Kong CAD's practice with respect to kidney stones? I will apply for a HK Class I medical early next year and am slightly worried my single kidney stone in the past may prevent me from obtaining the HK medical.

Thanks for any comments,

RB

[captainbirdseye]

Thanks guys. I contacted the CAA and they said they haven't heard of anyone having any probs with the airlines unless it was a regular recuring thing. Which touch wood (and reach for the morphine!) mine will not be!

Thanks again for the info.

CBE