Cancer and ATPL/H
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Derby
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Cancer and ATPL/H
I'm a very fit 54 year old police helicopter pilot recovered from surgery and chemo for bowel cancer. The CAA have imposed a 5 year dual pilot only limitation on my license, effectively destroying my remaining career in police aviation and possibly further afield. This is despite the fact that both my consultant surgeon and oncologist strongly disagree with the CAA and have written on my behalf. I still have post chemo tests to complete and thereafter, tests every 3 months for 3 years and every 6 months for 2 years (routine, not CAA initiated). The CAA speak of tumour return and "sudden incapacitation"...."inconceivable" in the eyes of my consultant. I briefed both BALPA and a senior independent AME some weeks ago and await their response. The silence from BALPA concerns me. I have had sight of JAR FCL3 and am not convinced by its arguements. Like most of us, I am probably more at risk from heart attack or aneurism. I have the full support of both the police and my employers but this is an uphill struggle. Does anyone out there have any helpful advice?
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Cancer at 21
I can sympathise with you, I wish I could offer something positive.
18 years age I had testicular cancer and this spread to liver, lungs and stomach. I lost my class 1 medical as I expected, but after 5 years and still having yearly check ups and scans at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) the CAA only granted me a class 3 with a safety pilot restriction.
I discussed this with RMH and they were somewhat surprised at the restricition imposed. My cancer, if it was to return would be caught early enough to treat and not in their eyes and years of experience a safety risk. A medical Proffessor at The RMH wrote to the CAA, but unfortunatly nothing was done.
It was felt the CAA was over cautious.
It took a further 5 years to get my class 1 certificate back.
I would like to think that with the more modern drugs and lower side affects that the CAA would have caught up with the times and see that Cancer can be treated and that it shouldnt affect your flying as long as your hospital is constantly monitoring you.
18 years age I had testicular cancer and this spread to liver, lungs and stomach. I lost my class 1 medical as I expected, but after 5 years and still having yearly check ups and scans at the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) the CAA only granted me a class 3 with a safety pilot restriction.
I discussed this with RMH and they were somewhat surprised at the restricition imposed. My cancer, if it was to return would be caught early enough to treat and not in their eyes and years of experience a safety risk. A medical Proffessor at The RMH wrote to the CAA, but unfortunatly nothing was done.
It was felt the CAA was over cautious.
It took a further 5 years to get my class 1 certificate back.
I would like to think that with the more modern drugs and lower side affects that the CAA would have caught up with the times and see that Cancer can be treated and that it shouldnt affect your flying as long as your hospital is constantly monitoring you.
Join Date: Jun 2006
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The big C
Dear Gunner and Tony,
I too had a cancer at 32 years of age.
I was flying with both a CAA and FAA license at the time and rather unusually the CAA were far faster in removing the restrictions than their American counterparts when I eventually got a clean bill of health.
Life insurance, mortgage etc.. became harder to come by and eventually the FAA aquiesced and my pilot medical was granted.
I thought fighting the cancer was supposed to be the tough part - turns out that fighting the bureaucracy created by it once you have come out of the other side and survived can be just as hard.
Good luck with the authorities, we are the lucky ones,
SB
I too had a cancer at 32 years of age.
I was flying with both a CAA and FAA license at the time and rather unusually the CAA were far faster in removing the restrictions than their American counterparts when I eventually got a clean bill of health.
Life insurance, mortgage etc.. became harder to come by and eventually the FAA aquiesced and my pilot medical was granted.
I thought fighting the cancer was supposed to be the tough part - turns out that fighting the bureaucracy created by it once you have come out of the other side and survived can be just as hard.
Good luck with the authorities, we are the lucky ones,
SB
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I do feel for you, particularly being ex job. Did the CAA ever give any explanation for their astounding medical decision and what reference sources they used to justify 'sudden incapacitation'?
Organisations like the CAA can always benefit from high-profile publicity. Why not? I'd be writing to Blair as PM, own MP, the Press et al. Sometimes smug and unfeeling eunuchs need shaming into action.
What have you got to lose?
Good luck.
Organisations like the CAA can always benefit from high-profile publicity. Why not? I'd be writing to Blair as PM, own MP, the Press et al. Sometimes smug and unfeeling eunuchs need shaming into action.
What have you got to lose?
Good luck.
A lot of it has to do with the chemotherapy regime you are on I think...
I'm due for my last dose next week after Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in the guts, only found 'cos it blocked the flow so to speak...landed from a job and promptly threw up while the coppers refuelled.
Major surgery to remove it, nice scar and a follow up chemo course as a precaution to zap any bits that got away from the knife.
Got my haematologist to write to the CAA saying that any relapse would be non-incapacitating in nature (as you have done with your consultant) and got a letter back recently with the details of how to get the medical back...
Review by the consultant 6 months after the final chemo, then
cardiac review to include:
1-exercise ECG
2-24hr ECG
3-echocardiogram, then if that's all OK they give the go ahead for a renewal Class1...
...for an unrestricted certificate.
thereafter blood tests every 6 months (blood counts, biochemistry and liver function tests), regular follow up reports from the consultant haematologist, and an annual cardiology review.
In the attached notes it states that if I only need an OML (operational multicrew limitation) then the cardiology review interval can be increased to 24 months.
If all goes well it'll be just over a year off work. Latest scan was all clear and chemo was reduced from 8 sessions to 6 as a result so here's hoping.
For info the chemo regime I'm on is called R-CHOP, consisting of:
Rituximab (at about £9000 a dose I did try and take the money instead but those nasty nurses were having none of it...
)
Vincristine
Doxorubicin
Prednisolone
Cyclophosphamide
plus the extra stuff in the week after getting dosed up like Domperidone the anti-nausea tablet which, wonder of wonders, makes me feel sick
PM me for a chat if you want more details.
Nasty side effect - wide awake at 0135 and on the computer looking at proon
I'm due for my last dose next week after Non Hodgkins Lymphoma in the guts, only found 'cos it blocked the flow so to speak...landed from a job and promptly threw up while the coppers refuelled.
Major surgery to remove it, nice scar and a follow up chemo course as a precaution to zap any bits that got away from the knife.
Got my haematologist to write to the CAA saying that any relapse would be non-incapacitating in nature (as you have done with your consultant) and got a letter back recently with the details of how to get the medical back...
Review by the consultant 6 months after the final chemo, then
cardiac review to include:
1-exercise ECG
2-24hr ECG
3-echocardiogram, then if that's all OK they give the go ahead for a renewal Class1...
...for an unrestricted certificate.
thereafter blood tests every 6 months (blood counts, biochemistry and liver function tests), regular follow up reports from the consultant haematologist, and an annual cardiology review.
In the attached notes it states that if I only need an OML (operational multicrew limitation) then the cardiology review interval can be increased to 24 months.
If all goes well it'll be just over a year off work. Latest scan was all clear and chemo was reduced from 8 sessions to 6 as a result so here's hoping.
For info the chemo regime I'm on is called R-CHOP, consisting of:
Rituximab (at about £9000 a dose I did try and take the money instead but those nasty nurses were having none of it...
)Vincristine
Doxorubicin
Prednisolone
Cyclophosphamide
plus the extra stuff in the week after getting dosed up like Domperidone the anti-nausea tablet which, wonder of wonders, makes me feel sick
PM me for a chat if you want more details.
Nasty side effect - wide awake at 0135 and on the computer looking at proon
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If you were to have regular surveillance, including, say, colonoscopies and brain and abdominal CT scans it would be extremely hard / inconceivable to see how a tumour return could cause sudden incapacitation.
QDM
QDM
One of our pilots, 32 yr old with oesophagul (spelling) cancer had his Class 1 removed after chemo and surgery. The CAA stated it was because his risk of a cardiac event in flight was greater than 3%. (Due to the damaging effects of the chemo on his heart). This was what prevented him from obtaining a single pilot ticket.
Anyway, he managed to get his cardiologist to write to the CAA cardio dept with evidence that his chances were less than this. They reduced his multi time ticket from a five year wait to a 12 month wait provided he was closely monitored during thes 12 months. He lost his police job, took a year out, then got a job with Bristows shell for 12-18 months. After 12 months the CAA gave him the all clear.
Do you have LOL insurance?
Anyway, he managed to get his cardiologist to write to the CAA cardio dept with evidence that his chances were less than this. They reduced his multi time ticket from a five year wait to a 12 month wait provided he was closely monitored during thes 12 months. He lost his police job, took a year out, then got a job with Bristows shell for 12-18 months. After 12 months the CAA gave him the all clear.
Do you have LOL insurance?
