FAA medical adventure...

[BoilerUP]

And if you're not ALPA, you can call Virtual Flight Surgeons (they're the same people as ALPA Aeromedical) and they'll fix you right up for a very reasonable fee.

 

[shearedshaft]

Although I completely agree with everyone else here (get a new AME, one that is looking to flunk you, will flunk you, as you found out. I bet your AME is not a pilot, it shows), I would like to take this a little further:

You have borderline (in this case, high) blood pressure. That is really bad juju for all sorts of things like later neurological disease, kidney disease, of course, it very well may lead to you also failing the cardiac ECG at some point...

It is very easy to treat. I fought it every year, calming myself, going for a run before my medical because I could get the BP down (it was lower than yours, by the way) for the exam.

Finally I went on BP medication and...no big deal. Should start it a couple days before flying (no real guidance, I think 48 hours to check for allergies and side effects) then you simply bring in a form from your general practitioner every year.

As you age, this happens. Don't pretend that the high BP isn't doing organ damage and setting you up for bad stuff. High BP is very often mostly genetically related being passed down from the mom's side of the family tree. If you ask your mom and your grandmother and they both say, "The doctors have been hounding me about my blood pressure for years", then it's time to go on a BP medicine.

Trust me, the BP eval your evil AME ordered is nothing (nothing!) compared to a full cardiac eval which he'll have to order if you fail the ECG.

 

[shearedshaft]

Oh yeah, and if you're union, talk to your medical consultant. If you're not, go to virtual flight surgeons. You want someone on your side telling you what mistakes not to make.

 

[ex j-41]

I went in and when they took my blood pressure the doctor said it was high. I said my appointment was at 2pm and i didn't get in here till 3pm....

He said fair enough!

 

[AutoBus]

I went in and when they took my blood pressure the doctor said it was high. I said my appointment was at 2pm and i didn't get in here till 3pm....

He said fair enough!

know what you mean...