P
Philip L
Guest
Hi there,
I've been reading through a number of similar posts, wanted throw out my scenario and see if anyone else has had a similar story.
Last July, I woke up in the middle of the night with what I believed to be heart palpitations. I didn't quite know what was going on, but I know it didn't feel right, and at the time I had great insurance, so I went to the ER to get checked out. They checked my blood pressure, ran an EKG, took a chest x-ray - all looked great. They sent me home.
Followed up with my PCP, who blamed the pre-workout I had been taking. He also took another EKG. It was borderline abnormal, which is pretty much where my typical EKG lies, due to my narrow chest. He ordered an echocardiogram and referred me to a cardiologist. I told him I was nervous about all this, given I'm a 25 y/o male experiencing something uncertain in my chest (wasn't pain, although of course that's what my diagnosis said). He asked if I wanted him to give me something to help me calm down, I said sure. He prescribed me 6 doses of Alprazolam - I filled the script, but never took any - I just found the bottle with all 6 pills still in it. Of course, as I found the other day when looking back in my records, that means there's an "Anxiety" diagnosis on my chart, although I'm not sure of the exact code. I don't have an Anxiety diag on any other visit, nor is it on my "Active Problems" list.
I get the Echo done, see the cardiologist. All good. He says due to my chest, I feel more of the things in my chest than most people do - often, people experience what I did but never actually feel it. Go back to my PCP for another follow-up, things are feeling good by now, not taking pre-workout anymore, all good, everything is resolved here. I had a physical in November, everything came back clean.
At the time, I had no intentions of becoming a pilot, so I didn't think twice about any of this. However, my dad finished his PPL not long after, took me flying, and now I very much want to get my PPL as well.
My question is what do I have to report if/when I apply for my 3rd class medical, and how many hoops/how much $$ is it going to cost for me to get where I need to go? My long-term goal is to fly my wife/kids around, so while sport could work temporarily (no kids yet), I'm concerned about my long-term "plan."
I've read around a little, and so my current thoughts are to call the AOPA and ask for their advice, as well as schedule a consult with a local AME, but I wanted to see what other experiences are out there. And, of course, see if @bbchien might potentially weigh in. Thanks!
I've been reading through a number of similar posts, wanted throw out my scenario and see if anyone else has had a similar story.
Last July, I woke up in the middle of the night with what I believed to be heart palpitations. I didn't quite know what was going on, but I know it didn't feel right, and at the time I had great insurance, so I went to the ER to get checked out. They checked my blood pressure, ran an EKG, took a chest x-ray - all looked great. They sent me home.
Followed up with my PCP, who blamed the pre-workout I had been taking. He also took another EKG. It was borderline abnormal, which is pretty much where my typical EKG lies, due to my narrow chest. He ordered an echocardiogram and referred me to a cardiologist. I told him I was nervous about all this, given I'm a 25 y/o male experiencing something uncertain in my chest (wasn't pain, although of course that's what my diagnosis said). He asked if I wanted him to give me something to help me calm down, I said sure. He prescribed me 6 doses of Alprazolam - I filled the script, but never took any - I just found the bottle with all 6 pills still in it. Of course, as I found the other day when looking back in my records, that means there's an "Anxiety" diagnosis on my chart, although I'm not sure of the exact code. I don't have an Anxiety diag on any other visit, nor is it on my "Active Problems" list.
I get the Echo done, see the cardiologist. All good. He says due to my chest, I feel more of the things in my chest than most people do - often, people experience what I did but never actually feel it. Go back to my PCP for another follow-up, things are feeling good by now, not taking pre-workout anymore, all good, everything is resolved here. I had a physical in November, everything came back clean.
At the time, I had no intentions of becoming a pilot, so I didn't think twice about any of this. However, my dad finished his PPL not long after, took me flying, and now I very much want to get my PPL as well.
My question is what do I have to report if/when I apply for my 3rd class medical, and how many hoops/how much $$ is it going to cost for me to get where I need to go? My long-term goal is to fly my wife/kids around, so while sport could work temporarily (no kids yet), I'm concerned about my long-term "plan."
I've read around a little, and so my current thoughts are to call the AOPA and ask for their advice, as well as schedule a consult with a local AME, but I wanted to see what other experiences are out there. And, of course, see if @bbchien might potentially weigh in. Thanks!
