Hi folks. Been a while. I promised to keep this thread updated so here goes. Finished my one cycle of BEP chemotherapy summer 2019. No drastic side effects to start with however this turned into many many months of pretty terrible fatigue; yes much worse than any summer flying schedule. On a whim, my Vitamin-D was eventually tested and found to be virtually non-existent (apparently some studies indicate BEP chemo can zap this out of you). Course of high-dosage supplements and a few months later I was feeling much better.
My biggest concern before starting treatment was the Bleomycin and how it can have a detrimental effect on lung capacity. Thankfully this did not materialise and my lungs were not affected whatsoever. It’s interesting that up until recent years that Bleomycin was a “disqualifying” medication in the eyes of the CAA. Some AMEs have old literature about this so they might require a gentle prod to check with the CAA if they still tell you it’s disqualifying.
CAA accepted the “15 point report” kindly written up by my oncologist, reinstating my medical with an OML applied for 2 years from the date my chemotherapy ended.
More than happy to discuss in more detail and give advice should anyone be in the unfortunate position of having a recent diagnosis.