152small
21st Feb 2008, 14:06
Hello to all
Has been a good while since I posted anything or had a good read of anything, as I effectively went from being a flyer to a non flyer, and it is hard to listen to other peoples exciting flying adventures when your own ability to fly has been removed.
Around the time I was finishing off my flying training for my PPL, I started to get migraine like blinding headaches which were a lot worse than the occasional migraines I had as a kid. All of the classic symptoms were there, Spots before the eyes, "buzzy" fingers and general struggling to do anything, but put it down to spending too much time in front of a PC (I work in IT). These hew headaches left me useless for a couple of days when they happened, and though they shared many similarities with the odd teenage migraine, were much more disruptive. I went to the Doc's and sure enough they said sounds like classic migraines, for which I was given medication for when they happened. They happened once or sometimes twice a month. 2 months after they started I passed my PPL at the second attempt (took a wrong reference point of the first and annoyed myself so much there was no chance of a recovery) and was over the moon. Went up a few times in the next month 3 or 4 months, and was really starting to think " I am really starting to build upon what I have learnt here", when the frequency of the headaches increased.
Went back to see the Doc (different one this time by chance) and said that these migraines were much worse than my teenage years. The symptoms are migraines are hard enough to explain at the best of times as you are not at your best when you have them, but he was able to understand the difference in severity compared to the ones I used to have. A normal consultation is 8 mins, I was in there 35 mins while he id all sorts' of neuro response tests on me , before telling me he just had to make a phone call. When he came back he said he was 80% sure that his colleague had guessed right at migraines, but he would never send anyone out with a 20% doubt, so said he would send me for a scan "to rule things out". I asked when this would be expecting a few months and he told me they were expecting me today. Out in the car park the fear kicked in as I know the type of things they look for with head scans, but reassured myself that this was just a covering exercise.
Was admitted and had the scan, and had to wait a night to be let out home again. Expecting to be released, I chased up a nurse as to when I could escape, when she said someone was coming to see me. My world fell apart when she told me they had found something and I would not be going anywhere, while more scans were done to figure out what it is. I was expecting them to say brain tumour, but diagnosis was a giant aneurysm (in laymans a stretching of an artery) on the left internal carotid artery (the one where you can feel the pulse on your neck). Had an appointment with the specialist a few days later, and in between had contacted my AME who immediately suspended my Class 2 medical. I was glad to have qualified before this happened as it looked like I wouldn't get the chance had this happened before.
When the specialist put my scans on screen, you really didn't need to be a neuro surgeon to see what was wrong, it was massive. If the aneurysm bursts then a massive brain haemorrhage follows, and he stated if that had happened with mine I would be dead on the spot. In the few months that followed while they decided how to deal with it, great waves of frustration hit me. I wouldn't wish the fear of facing death on anyone, but in my grumpier moments was thinking that people who aren't active and do things like flying would not feel the pain of losing them if the same thing had happened to them me, their lifestyles would be unaffected, only to be immediately annoyed at myself for thinking that.
They were looking at various options including cracking my head open, but rules it out as the Doc said we stand just as much chance of killing me as fixing me. The only option they were left with was the block of the artery from the inside, by feeding up up too balloons from the artery in the groin. Maybe that was proof that blokes brains are connected to their pants.
On the day of the Op, I had to sign consent forms acknowledging the fact they could kill me, give me a massive stroke or generally leave me in a mess. After signing that there was no way they were taking me to theatre in the wheelchair they brought, as if the worse came to the worse this could be my last walk, so was followed by the porters like some death row candidate.
I was awake for the entire operation which lasted approx 3 hours, and believe me, a lot goes through your mind at this time and it seems like 3 weeks you are in there. The operation apparently went well, but they gave me the worst headache in the world before they wheeled me out to a high dependency ward. 3 days later I was released,and although walking like john Wayne from the entry point in groin, was otherwise in good shape.
Many more consultations followed, and at every appointment I reminded the consultant that I used to fly, and he usual story of its not my decision its the CAA's, but the CAA would need the consultants opinion and it looked like a litigation covering nightmare. The medical guys at the CAA were great and were doing their best to get more information on my condition. they said that to fly I would need a less than 1% chance of incapacitation, which seemed pretty slim. They were sent a copy of scans and contacted all sorts of people getting further medical opinion, in short they worked like Trojans on my behalf.
Just before Christmas during a massively stressful week at work, I got a letter telling me that I could hold an unrestricted class 2 medical as long as I had yearly heads cans with good results. I am led to believe that I am the first person to be reclassified in the UK after such a procedure, a move that I never thought would happen, but almost 4 years after I lost the medical I got it back, words could not describe me elation. I passed the medical with no problems a few days before I went away to New Zealand for a month, best start to a holiday ever. Although I had flown 2 or times since losing the medical, it was pretty hard having to have my hand held all the time every time I wanted to fly, although my flying instructor is a top bloke who I enjoy flying with, it felt like I had lost my independence and had my wings clipped.
On Sunday 17th Feb, I was at the controls of a still 152small for the first time in nearly 3 years accompanied by my instructor. I expected the wheels to have come off big time, but had a really good flight practising stalling, slow flying and circuits, and put 3 good landings in (well, one with a slight balloon but managed to recover it and land softly). It felt brilliant to be back up, and he reckons I could be ready for MY GFT in another 3-4 hours.
Apart from sharing my good news, the point of this ramble is to say if you ever get your medical pulled, don't give up trying to get it back, even if you find yourself as a unfortunate medical pioneer like myself, as the results can far, far outweigh the pain of getting it back. I am absolutly elated! :D:):D:ok:
Hopefully some full license restoration news to follow, watch this space.
Cheers.
152Small
Has been a good while since I posted anything or had a good read of anything, as I effectively went from being a flyer to a non flyer, and it is hard to listen to other peoples exciting flying adventures when your own ability to fly has been removed.
Around the time I was finishing off my flying training for my PPL, I started to get migraine like blinding headaches which were a lot worse than the occasional migraines I had as a kid. All of the classic symptoms were there, Spots before the eyes, "buzzy" fingers and general struggling to do anything, but put it down to spending too much time in front of a PC (I work in IT). These hew headaches left me useless for a couple of days when they happened, and though they shared many similarities with the odd teenage migraine, were much more disruptive. I went to the Doc's and sure enough they said sounds like classic migraines, for which I was given medication for when they happened. They happened once or sometimes twice a month. 2 months after they started I passed my PPL at the second attempt (took a wrong reference point of the first and annoyed myself so much there was no chance of a recovery) and was over the moon. Went up a few times in the next month 3 or 4 months, and was really starting to think " I am really starting to build upon what I have learnt here", when the frequency of the headaches increased.
Went back to see the Doc (different one this time by chance) and said that these migraines were much worse than my teenage years. The symptoms are migraines are hard enough to explain at the best of times as you are not at your best when you have them, but he was able to understand the difference in severity compared to the ones I used to have. A normal consultation is 8 mins, I was in there 35 mins while he id all sorts' of neuro response tests on me , before telling me he just had to make a phone call. When he came back he said he was 80% sure that his colleague had guessed right at migraines, but he would never send anyone out with a 20% doubt, so said he would send me for a scan "to rule things out". I asked when this would be expecting a few months and he told me they were expecting me today. Out in the car park the fear kicked in as I know the type of things they look for with head scans, but reassured myself that this was just a covering exercise.
Was admitted and had the scan, and had to wait a night to be let out home again. Expecting to be released, I chased up a nurse as to when I could escape, when she said someone was coming to see me. My world fell apart when she told me they had found something and I would not be going anywhere, while more scans were done to figure out what it is. I was expecting them to say brain tumour, but diagnosis was a giant aneurysm (in laymans a stretching of an artery) on the left internal carotid artery (the one where you can feel the pulse on your neck). Had an appointment with the specialist a few days later, and in between had contacted my AME who immediately suspended my Class 2 medical. I was glad to have qualified before this happened as it looked like I wouldn't get the chance had this happened before.
When the specialist put my scans on screen, you really didn't need to be a neuro surgeon to see what was wrong, it was massive. If the aneurysm bursts then a massive brain haemorrhage follows, and he stated if that had happened with mine I would be dead on the spot. In the few months that followed while they decided how to deal with it, great waves of frustration hit me. I wouldn't wish the fear of facing death on anyone, but in my grumpier moments was thinking that people who aren't active and do things like flying would not feel the pain of losing them if the same thing had happened to them me, their lifestyles would be unaffected, only to be immediately annoyed at myself for thinking that.
They were looking at various options including cracking my head open, but rules it out as the Doc said we stand just as much chance of killing me as fixing me. The only option they were left with was the block of the artery from the inside, by feeding up up too balloons from the artery in the groin. Maybe that was proof that blokes brains are connected to their pants.
On the day of the Op, I had to sign consent forms acknowledging the fact they could kill me, give me a massive stroke or generally leave me in a mess. After signing that there was no way they were taking me to theatre in the wheelchair they brought, as if the worse came to the worse this could be my last walk, so was followed by the porters like some death row candidate.
I was awake for the entire operation which lasted approx 3 hours, and believe me, a lot goes through your mind at this time and it seems like 3 weeks you are in there. The operation apparently went well, but they gave me the worst headache in the world before they wheeled me out to a high dependency ward. 3 days later I was released,and although walking like john Wayne from the entry point in groin, was otherwise in good shape.
Many more consultations followed, and at every appointment I reminded the consultant that I used to fly, and he usual story of its not my decision its the CAA's, but the CAA would need the consultants opinion and it looked like a litigation covering nightmare. The medical guys at the CAA were great and were doing their best to get more information on my condition. they said that to fly I would need a less than 1% chance of incapacitation, which seemed pretty slim. They were sent a copy of scans and contacted all sorts of people getting further medical opinion, in short they worked like Trojans on my behalf.
Just before Christmas during a massively stressful week at work, I got a letter telling me that I could hold an unrestricted class 2 medical as long as I had yearly heads cans with good results. I am led to believe that I am the first person to be reclassified in the UK after such a procedure, a move that I never thought would happen, but almost 4 years after I lost the medical I got it back, words could not describe me elation. I passed the medical with no problems a few days before I went away to New Zealand for a month, best start to a holiday ever. Although I had flown 2 or times since losing the medical, it was pretty hard having to have my hand held all the time every time I wanted to fly, although my flying instructor is a top bloke who I enjoy flying with, it felt like I had lost my independence and had my wings clipped.
On Sunday 17th Feb, I was at the controls of a still 152small for the first time in nearly 3 years accompanied by my instructor. I expected the wheels to have come off big time, but had a really good flight practising stalling, slow flying and circuits, and put 3 good landings in (well, one with a slight balloon but managed to recover it and land softly). It felt brilliant to be back up, and he reckons I could be ready for MY GFT in another 3-4 hours.
Apart from sharing my good news, the point of this ramble is to say if you ever get your medical pulled, don't give up trying to get it back, even if you find yourself as a unfortunate medical pioneer like myself, as the results can far, far outweigh the pain of getting it back. I am absolutly elated! :D:):D:ok:
Hopefully some full license restoration news to follow, watch this space.
Cheers.
152Small