The Doctor is in! Ask a Flight Surgeon!

[Flash]

Hey guys, i’m having some neck issues,tightness, etc sometimes causing me dizziness. I was planning on going to a chiropractor to see if they can help. Does anyone know if those records can be accessed by Nami?

Please go to a real doc and not a chiropractor quack.

 

[BradL17]

SNA currently in CandiO phase at OCS. I have two waivers, one for Cardiology and one for Behavioral Health. The cardiology waiver is for a history of palpitations and chest tightness in 2021 when I was an idiot and decided to take 2 scoops of pre workout before lifting. I didn’t go to the ER or anything, I just told my parents that my heart felt weird and they insisted I go to the doctor to be safe. My PCP referred me to cardiology and I did an EKG, holter monitor, and echo. Everything came back unremarkable except for some occasional asymptomatic PVCs, mild mitral valve regurgitation, and evidence of 1st and 2nd degree (Mobitz Type 1) AV blocks. It was noted by the cardiologist that the AV blocks were likely due to me being an athlete my whole life and the vagal tone of my heart. He was not concerned and did not recommend any treatment.

However, they noticed my blood pressure was high 140/90+ each time I came in for a visit so they did end up putting me on BP meds. I took these for about 2.5 years and now I’ve been off meds since Feb of 2024. Just needed to make some lifestyle changes and my BP has been under 140/90 since.

Fast forward to today, I had the same tests done while I am here at OCS and everything came back normal. The cardiologist noted that any conduction delays during the holter monitor were only occurring during sleep when my heart rate would drop to like 48 BPM avg. There were also pauses during my sleep with the longest pause being 2.49 sec (200 pauses total over 2 sec during a 48hr period). Echo came back great and there were no signs on mitral valve regurgitation, only trace signs of regurgitation on my tricuspid and pulmonic valves. Also did a stress test and everything came back normal. All 3-4 EKG’s I’ve had done here have come back normal.

My behavioral health waiver is for generalized anxiety. I went to my PCP back in 2022 for an annual check up and she asked how I was feeling. I told her I was feeling a little stressed after moving to a new city and starting a new position at my job. Long story short she prescribed me meds and I took them for 9 months and then stopped completely. The BH specialists I’ve seen here recommended me for worldwide deployment and all aviation duties.

Posting here to get some insight from anyone, preferably a current or ex flight doc on how likely it is I’ll receive waivers. I’ve been a lurker for a long time so I understand the NAMI process for the most part, just want to set some realistic expectations for myself and hopefully help anyone else going through a similar situation. My package is getting sent to NAMI within the next week or two. Preparing for the worst, praying for the best!

Lastly, according to my actual flight physical notes everything was listed as CD WR. They are going to submit to AERO as NPQ/AA DIACA SNA WR. No idea what DIACA means.

Just got cleared today!

 

[ChillBeast69]

Just got cleared today!

Congrats man! Must be a relief.

 

[Gymrat512]

Good evening. I am a senior at a University in Florida with a 3.9 GPA in Sociology. Over the past year I have fallen in love with flying and am looking to join the military after college. I am currently working towards my PPL but am not sure. I have talked to some Officer recruiters from the Navy and Marine Corps at job fairs. I have also done research on all the branches but am struggling to develop a solid plan for after graduation. I am not sure with what branch to go with. A concern I have is regarding my medical record. For starters, I wear glasses. The Marine Corps recruiter said I may need PRK. I previously enlisted in the Coast Guard and needed waivers for an adjustment disorder and ideation from a singular incident that was from almost 6 years ago. I was also medically discharged from the Coast Guard with an RE-3 for adjustment disorder. I was told these are easy waivers, but I was concerned about the NAMI flight physical at flight school. I know I should take one thing at a time, but I am concerned I get through everything and these issues prevent me from getting through flight school.

 

[ChillBeast69]

Good evening. I am a senior at a University in Florida with a 3.9 GPA in Sociology. Over the past year I have fallen in love with flying and am looking to join the military after college. I am currently working towards my PPL but am not sure. I have talked to some Officer recruiters from the Navy and Marine Corps at job fairs. I have also done research on all the branches but am struggling to develop a solid plan for after graduation. I am not sure with what branch to go with. A concern I have is regarding my medical record. For starters, I wear glasses. The Marine Corps recruiter said I may need PRK. I previously enlisted in the Coast Guard and needed waivers for an adjustment disorder and ideation from a singular incident that was from almost 6 years ago. I was also medically discharged from the Coast Guard with an RE-3 for adjustment disorder. I was told these are easy waivers, but I was concerned about the NAMI flight physical at flight school. I know I should take one thing at a time, but I am concerned I get through everything and these issues prevent me from getting through flight school.

You get Nami physical at OCS and then again in pensacola from what I understand. As far as I know if you fail flight physical at OCS you can leave the Navy all together or re-designate to a different job like SWO, Intel, etc. Look up the nami waiver guide and see if your eyesight is acceptable or waiverable? I believe over a certain threshold you would need to get PRK or Lasik. I’m sure other people can back me up or correct me.

 

[Mouselovr]

For starters, I wear glasses. The Marine Corps recruiter said I may need PRK.

https://www.airwarriors.com/community/threads/the-eyes-have-it-all-things-vision-related.8968/
This forum has a lot on eye requirements/LASIK experiences.
See the NAMI waiver guide for the published eye standards. Lasik/prk waivers are really easy. If your eyes are less than 20/20 but within standards, you can wear corrective lenses in the cockpit and skip surgery.

I previously enlisted in the Coast Guard and needed waivers for an adjustment disorder and ideation from a singular incident that was from almost 6 years ago. I was also medically discharged from the Coast Guard with an RE-3 for adjustment disorder. I was told these are easy waivers, but I was concerned about the NAMI flight physical at flight school.

https://www.med.navy.mil/Portals/62...MI/ARWG/Waiver Guide/AWRG COMPLETE_231227.pdf
p.309
Adjustment disorder can be waivered as long as you can demonstrate the factors that affected you are now resolved.

 

[Gagarin]

So, I've just been given an OCS date, selected SNA. From reading here I understand that aviation designators undergo a stricter flight physical, assessed by NAMI rather than N3M, after arriving at OCS. I've been reading this aeromedical reference guide , and I have a few questions.

A.) If I have been given a waiver by N3M for a condition that NAMI considers disqualifying but waiverable, how much weight does that N3M waiver hold when I'm being considered for flight status?

B.) Is it a bad idea to proactively gather the documents mentioned in the aeromedical reference guide if I know I'm going to need a waiver? I know they'll have access to the electronic documents I submitted when I went to MEPS, but some of the documents that would support waivers I will likely need according to the NAMI guide were not necessary to get me through MEPS. I've seen some people on this forum say that showing up with more documents in hand is a red flag - how should I handle this?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

So, I've just been given an OCS date, selected SNA. From reading here I understand that aviation designators undergo a stricter flight physical, assessed by NAMI rather than N3M, after arriving at OCS. I've been reading this aeromedical reference guide , and I have a few questions.

A.) If I have been given a waiver by N3M for a condition that NAMI considers disqualifying but waiverable, how much weight does that N3M waiver hold when I'm being considered for flight status?

B.) Is it a bad idea to proactively gather the documents mentioned in the aeromedical reference guide if I know I'm going to need a waiver? I know they'll have access to the electronic documents I submitted when I went to MEPS, but some of the documents that would support waivers I will likely need according to the NAMI guide were not necessary to get me through MEPS. I've seen some people on this forum say that showing up with more documents in hand is a red flag - how should I handle this?

Those are commonly asked questions. Search around and check out the NAMI guide.

 

[Gagarin]

Those are commonly asked questions. Search around and check out the NAMI guide.

I have searched around extensively, that's how I found the NAMI guide I linked. I have not found the answer to A.), and the reason I'm asking B.) is because my searching has found two contradictory answers, so I'm not sure if it's a good or bad idea. I've seen people state in this thread that bringing medical documents with you to OCS after getting cleared by N3M is bad news and gets you unwanted attention from NAMI, but I've seen others mention getting consults and bringing the results to OCS, and I want to know which side I should listen to or if there's some extra step to take to do this correctly.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I have searched around extensively, that's how I found the NAMI guide I linked. I have not found the answer to A.), and the reason I'm asking B.) is because my searching has found two contradictory answers, so I'm not sure if it's a good or bad idea. I've seen people state in this thread that bringing medical documents with you to OCS after getting cleared by N3M is bad news and gets you unwanted attention from NAMI, but I've seen others mention getting consults and bringing the results to OCS, and I want to know which side I should listen to or if there's some extra step to take to do this correctly.

The “I was cleared by N3M now how about NAMI” situation questions are asked very regularly. I don’t need to know the specific condition, but odds are if you search around - can likely see responses.

Concerning medical docs, if you had to submit medical documents to MEPS, that entire record is mailed to OCS.

I would recommend discussing these details with your recruiter.

 

[Mouselovr]

A.) If I have been given a waiver by N3M for a condition that NAMI considers disqualifying but waiverable, how much weight does that N3M waiver hold when I'm being considered for flight status?

B.) Is it a bad idea to proactively gather the documents mentioned in the aeromedical reference guide if I know I'm going to need a waiver? I know they'll have access to the electronic documents I submitted when I went to MEPS, but some of the documents that would support waivers I will likely need according to the NAMI guide were not necessary to get me through MEPS. I've seen some people on this forum say that showing up with more documents in hand is a red flag - how should I handle this?

A. Depends on the kind of waiver. Generally, zero. N3M is a different standard than NAMI. They'll use the paperwork/tests/doc consults from the N3M waiver, but NAMI isn't going to greenlight if you aren't in their parameters.

B. I highly encourage you to gather and bring your own paperwork. Anything you've already declared will be reviewed by NAMI. Depending on the nature of your condition, you'll be sent for consults regardless of an N3M waiver and/or paperwork from a civilian doc.

For your N3M waiver, bring hard copies of everything previously submitted.
For all your "potential" NAMI waivers, bring the paperwork and allow the flight doc to do their job. At the end of your flight physical, you'll have an understanding of waiver status and if there's value in handing in your civilian records.

During my time at OCS, simple waivers (like LASIK/PRK) relied heavily on civilian doc paperwork which was lost frequently and consistently by the people who put our med packages together. Those who brought their own copies, were able to supply the documentation and clear sooner.

It cant hurt, so bring em all then toss em.

 

[ladiesman2179]

Hello, I have a pretty interesting case here. I’m in pursuit of applying for NFO and going to OCS. My past medical history is intriguing. Towards the end of my senior year my father who is a doctor gave me escitalopram (around 2019) to take because I was feeling a little anxious. I mostly just took it because it would make me feel better. Fast forward 2 years and with some stresses in my life I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see a psychiatrist to find out if I really do have anxiety. During my visit with the psychiatrist I made a mistake of treating the visit like a therapy session and just told him how I felt. He diagnosed me with unspecified anxiety disorder. He then prescribed me escitalopram, that way I could get escitalopram in a more medically ethical way. I never even picked up the prescription, I just kept using the bottle I had. I would take this pill probably once a week or so just because I mainly used it as a “supplement” for when I felt “anxious”. I stopped using this pill completely around the end of 2023. I’ve only met with my psychiatrist for that one time because mentally I’ve never felt like I needed any emotional help, just for that brief time in 2021. Is there a chance I could get through MEPS or even NAMI if I ever get that opportunity? I’m still new to this process please forgive me. Anyway am I cooked? Thank you!

 

[Gatordev]

From a personal perspective, I'm not a fan of throwing drugs at a problem, but sometimes that can be the answer. So if you took a drug and it made you feel better AND you saw a professional and they then diagnosed you after you were honest with them, it kind of seems like you did need emotional help. That's not a bad thing, but I wouldn't discount the potential reality of your mental state.

At the end of the day, move forward with the application process and find out what happens.

 

[FiveSevenK9]

Unfortunately everyone has to roll the dice in the Navy with their medical clearance. If you want guaranteed clearance before joining then you’ll have to go marine corps and do your flight physical before training. Otherwise you’ll do your flight physical at Newport and hope for the best while in OCS. If you get dq you can leave or redesignate to something else possibly. I think you gotta shoot your shot regardless and embrace what happens. Good luck.