hey fever

[Günther]

Is there anyone who knows, if it's possible to work as a pilot with hey fever?

[FRIDAY]

Well I passed a class one medical and i suffer from hayfever, however only when its provoked i.e fresh cut grass in summer and so on, just a tip if you have'nt got med yet stay away from whatever aggrivates your allergy and for interviews the same before you attend, what they don't know won't hurt.
AND I ain't about to let a sneeze or itchy eye ruin my career.

[schuler_tuned]

c.a.a. web page, go to medicals and look at the f.a.q's . should answer it for you.

[gingernut]

Just a few tips:


Know your season. Hay fever is usually caused by an allergy to a specific "alergen," so some people suffer in May (Trees) and others in June (Rye grass) others in July (Wheat). Know your enemy (allergen).

Symptoms are made worse by pollen sticking to various parts of the body, hence;

Rinse eyes with cold water frequently,

Dab vaseline around the nostrils (no seriously), to stop pollen entering nose,

Drink fluids regularly to avoid itchy palate.
(Pollen is harmless when it reaches the stomach.)

There are some topical medicines available which can help with symptoms (nose sprays / eye drops.) These are available over the counter, and shouldn't cause too many side effects, especially tiredeness.


However, check with your doc, as I am only a PPL student, who can't even fly that straight. (or level).

[Günther]

Thank's a lot for your replies! They will help me!

[Josey]

A pilot-friend of mine has the same problem.
He uses fresh freeze-dried Nettles (caps.) from
Eclectic Institute.
www.eclecticherb.com (http://www.eclecticherb.com)

[Rallye Driver]

One thing to look out for is antihistamines which are common in hayfever medication. They can cause drowsiness as a side effect.

They are also used in cold cure remedies.

One of the contributory factors leading to the fatal Spitfire Tr9 crash at Goodwood last year was thought to be just that. The post mortem on the instructor in the back seat showed he had a significant amount in his system after taking a cold cure. See the report on the AAIB web site (October 2000 G-TRIX), which goes into some detail.

RD

[UniformJuliet]

Hi there,

Don't worry. I just got accepted by BA as a Trainee having owned up on all the BA forms and to the CAA about my "mild to moderate" hayfever. It is not a problem. Believe there is a list of approved drugs (probably on the CAA website). The ones they quoted me were Clarytin (non drowsy A-H) and Beconase (nasal spray).