Hodgkins Lymphoma

CApilot55

CApilot55

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Jul 18, 2013
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Sacramento,CA
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CApilot55
Hello all...

Just curious if any of you have gone through chemotherapy and are in remission and still flying? So as of now I have one chemo treatment left!! Praise god! The oncologist thinks that is it, I have only been on compozine and zofran for nausea, although I do get 1mg of ativan before each treatment. My next PET scan is in the beginning of November. How soon after that and I am in remission would you guys think it would be a good time to attempt to get a new medical? I am 25 years old, no other medications other than the ones mentioned ( that I plan to never take again after the last treatment) Also no other health problems. Will it require an SI? Or would my AME be able to do it right in his office. Thank you
 
Seriously glad you're doing well. Have seen too many people go through that silliness.

All the pilots I've met who've fought any form of cancer have all had an SI for a while.

As always, contact Bruce for details of what FAA wants and what the process looks like from the inside.

Frankly cancer is so sadly common, even a phone call to your usual AME should yield some information about what they've had to do for other patients also.
 
Congratulations on achieving remission, Greg. I am in remission from Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. I received a SI that was removed after 7 years of being cancer free. During that time I was required to send reports yearly. Not a big deal, as I had to visit my oncologist yearly anyway.

As mentioned above, contact Dr. Bruce. He can tell you what is needed to qualify for the SI. Follow his direction and it should be achievable with little, if any, delay.
 
Perhaps by the time you finish up the FAA will have the PBOR2 stuff in place and you wont need a medical or the way it's written if it takes a year you can just act as if it has passed.

Glad to hear your doing well. I have nothing rules compliant to say about cancer.
 
I have nothing to add from the above, but I'm happy to hear you're in remission! Fantastic!:)
 
I have maybe a dozen guys with lymphoma in remission flying. And after five one year issuances, if you are still good, you get put back into the regular issuance pool, e.g. declared "eligible" vfor normal issuance, e.g, you don't have it any more.

You need:

The path report
The staging images
A good oncololgist's narrative describing your chemo and presence/lack of side effects left over.
A declaration that you are in remission and the scientific basis for that declaration.
 
From one Greg to another, good luck & congrats. bbchien is a fantastic resource if you need him. Get that last treatment behind you and get started with the rest of your life!
 
Bruce knows all with this type of issue. Also glad to hear you are doing well! I wish you good health!
 
Congratulations on only one chemo left. My daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin"s on her 22nd birthday. Stage 3. That was seven years ago. She had ABVD and the response was excellent. She has been cancer free since and just had my first grand baby here in the picture. I hope your course goes just as well!
 
Thank you all so much for the kind and positive messages. It has been a long road but I am very much looking forward to getting back up in the air. So your saying theres a great chance of me getting airborne again...lol Thank you all again.
 
Good to hear you are doing well.

My friend went thru the same thing 10 years ago, insurance company refused one last precautionary chemo that was advised by Mayo Clinic and ended up having to do a full bone marrow transplant 12 months later. He has been flying ever since, regular checkups the first few years, ton of paperwork to Oklahoma. Oddly the only side effects is that is bacame allergic to a few things like onions and tomatoes, cats and a few other things I can't remember.

His advise, never skip a checkup, even years later. Early detection is key.
 
My aunt missed follow ups for her cancer. Three years later she was dead. Do not miss followups.
 
Very glad to hear of these remission stories. Lost my Mom to Hodgkins in 1963 when they didn't have a clue what would work. But their work on her added to the body of knowledge that eventually would be saving lives now. Good luck to you!
 
UPDATE!!!!

I am happy to report I have been in remission since October! Everything has been going great! I am also happy to announce that as of 2 days ago and a 6 month process I have been given a 3rd class SI! I can't wait to get my flight review done and get going again! Thank you all again for your support and kind words!

P.S.- Anyone have any recommendations for flight schools with good rental/rates in the Sacramento,CA area? Or aircraft partnerships?
 
CApilot55 said:
UPDATE!!!!

I am happy to report I have been in remission since October! Everything has been going great! I am also happy to announce that as of 2 days ago and a 6 month process I have been given a 3rd class SI! I can't wait to get my flight review done and get going again! Thank you all again for your support and kind words!

P.S.- Anyone have any recommendations for flight schools with good rental/rates in the Sacramento,CA area? Or aircraft partnerships?
Click to expand...

Great to hear that outcome! Thanks for the update post.:thumbsup:
Now get out there and get flying.
 
Best wishes for full recovery!
This killed my mother in 1963. But all the things they tried on her was part of the groundwork leading to what saves people today.
 
Great news, congratulations!

Also, just a reminder: since you have held a valid medical at least once, you do NOT need to maintain the SI unless you want to fly something large, in the flight levels, professionally, or internationally. You have the BasicMed option now; Hodgkin's (and cancer in general) is NOT one of the disqualifying conditions requiring an SI.
 
I have about a dozen guys who have done the special issuance for this- it's pretty easy.
Get the:
pathology report that made the diagnosis.
Summary letter from your oncologist giving the history.
Copies of the evidence that you are in remission (Scans, etc).

If you received ABVD (Bleomycin) they might want to see the post treatment echocardiogram, which just about every oncologist gets these days....
 
bbchien said:
I have about a dozen guys who have done the special issuance for this- it's pretty easy.
Get the:
pathology report that made the diagnosis.
Summary letter from your oncologist giving the history.
Copies of the evidence that you are in remission (Scans, etc).

If you received ABVD (Bleomycin) they might want to see the post treatment echocardiogram, which just about every oncologist gets these days....
Click to expand...

Just got the SI the other day, it was pretty easy. Although my Oncologist had never had a pt who needed a letter so the first one I sent was rejected because it did not have a detailed what they were specifically looking for. Once they sent the denial letter stating exactly what they wanted my Oncologist to answer, it was much easier to get it done. Thank you all!!
 
Congratulations! I am not sure where in Sac you are, but there is a club at Lincoln with I think 3 planes. There are rentals at just about every local airport (not sure about McClellan or Mather, though). UC Davis has the lowest rates for rentals (KEDU). There are a couple school/rental places at Sac Exec. There is a rental place at Lincoln, as well and two in Auburn. I have rented from Executive Flyers at Sac Exec and Sunshine at Auburn and they are both pretty good.
 
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