Shoulder Surgery

[Kgomes61bravo]

I'm planning on getting shoulder surgery to tighten up my left shoulder which has dislocated on multiple occurrences throughout the last decade. I want to do this before I proceed any further through my commercial training. How will this affect my career as an aspiring professional pilot? Also, If I am going to take an absence from flying due to surgery and physical therapy to get the shoulder working well again, how would I go about the "medical" situation? Please let me know!!!

 

[Eboschung]

I can't really answer any of your questions but will tell you shoulder surgery hurt, it hurts badly. I had a 360 degree labrum tear and had to have nine anchors plus my bicep reattached.

Get a nice recliner, that's the only way you will be able to sleep for about three weeks. And do the post op physical therapy like it's your job.

Good luck dude, it's rough.

 

[frfly172]

Your problem will be with the rehab,if done correctly ,the surgery should not affect your medical. Good luck.

 

[Hank S]

It all depends on what's being done. Much of my recovery pain & discomfort was because "while we're in there," the doc ground 1/2" off the distal end of my collar bone. He swore that without that, recovery would have been a snap.

Do ALL of the exercises they give you. Take the pills, they really help, and suffering needless pain will only extend your recovery time. Wear the sling the way they tell you to, and sleep in it so you don't roll over funny in your sleep and twist it.

My surgery was before I started flying. I did begin limited driving in just under two weeks; fortunately it wasn't too difficult (just incredibly awkward) reaching through the steering wheel to insert & turn the key with my left hand. I made an airline trip for work in less than three weeks, against my better judgement but at my manager and director's very strong urging. No problems there.

The doc told me no lifting or exertion with my right arm for three months, then it took some time to get strength and full range of motion back. Wait until then to fly yourself, but you can certainly go up with someone else in the meantime. Don't push it too hard, you really won't feel up to it for a while.

Good luck! Hope everything goes well for you.

 

[wilkersk]

Be careful who you go to to get your next medical after your surgery/rehab. You'll have to divulge a great deal of info about your surgery and its outcome.

Ask local pilots or flight schools about AMEs in your area and find one that is a real aviation medical examiner, not some occupational medicine hack who's added the AME credential to his title to add a few cash-paying customers to supplement his regular constituency of L&I insurance claims. And read all you can about FAA medical exams and the deferral process. I even read through the AME Guide. Its available online from the FAA for free.

I was deferred on a class III for a simple torn meniscus. After 4 months of being strung along by this "doctor's" staff, I finally (with the help of the AOPA) learned that once he deferred me, he washed his hands of me and it was up to me to figure out what to do from there.

I wrote letters from the primary care doc and the surgeon to the FAA (in the proper format) myself. I carried them to the doctor's offices, ran the gauntlet of office staff and nurses to finally get to each of the doctors in question, and explained to them what the deferral was all about and why the letter I wrote, on their behalf's, was worded the way it was, and got them to agree that the letters accurately reflected the facts. Then I explained to them how I needed them to reproduce those letters on their professional letter head and with their signatures, titles and contact info. I then forwarded those letters plus all the other info required to the proper FAA office (again with the AOPA's help) and waited. Another 2 months and I had my 3rd class medical.

About a month later, I went to a seminar and met an AME who confirmed for me that the AME that Deferred my medical 7 months previously had had no reason to defer me, that a torn meniscus with a prognosis of normal recovery is not a reason for deferral as long as the range of motion and strength has returned to within normal limits.