Sleep Apnea

[Unregistered]

Hello folks. I have not held a medical since(drum roll please......1989!).
In 2001 I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. At the time of diagnosis my RDI(respiratory disturbance index) was 32. I could NOT comply with the CPAP machine, so I had SURGERY! To be specific I had both my upper and lower jaws moved forward 10mm. This increased the diameter of my airway and totally eliminated my OSA.
My question is, how the heck to I present all this to the kind folks in OKC, so I can get a medical!
How do I do it BEFORE I go see my AME?
Any suggestions?
Thanks folks for the great board! Glad I found it.

 

[bbchien]

Hello folks. I have not held a medical since(drum roll please......1989!).
In 2001 I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. At the time of diagnosis my RDI(respiratory disturbance index) was 32. I could NOT comply with the CPAP machine, so I had SURGERY! To be specific I had both my upper and lower jaws moved forward 10mm. This increased the diameter of my airway and totally eliminated my OSA.
My question is, how the heck to I present all this to the kind folks in OKC, so I can get a medical!
How do I do it BEFORE I go see my AME?
Any suggestions?
Thanks folks for the great board! Glad I found it.

If the guy following your Sleep Apnea is a pulmonologist or a neurologist, have him write a letter with the specific language in there saying "...has no tendancy to fall asleep beyond normal, since surgical correction to his airway." If there is board certification on the letterhead, this will probably do. If it a family practitioner, you might do better getting a mandatory watchfullness test and submitting that.

Send it to FAA with a cover letter, your Pilot cert # on it; FAA will have to see the document and issue a "letter of eligibility" which essentially permanently absolves you of the diagnosis of sleep apnea for good. A good AME who will submit by fax and follow up can hasten the process. Don't do an 8500-8 until you get the letter.

 

[Unregistered]

Bruce, thanks for the reply. What kind of information should I include in my letter to the FAA? I don't want to tell them more than they need to know.



Should I include my original sleep study and follow up sleep studies?

What about the gory details of the sugery?(ouch!) Do they really need to know about this?

Any info you could lend is much appreciated!

 

[John Recine]

Having been through the entire ordeal myself just last year I can assure anyone involved its no picnic! The sleep studies, medical review and surgical report amounted to evidence against me rather than for me.

The solution for me was to meet the requirements of OKS and have the wakefulness testing done. Once that was completed and there were no episodes of sleep during the nap periods I got my medical restored. The test is not a great deal of fun and pretty much challenges you to not sleep in a dark sleep inducive atmosphere. However once you do jump through all the hoops and all is well the medical does eventually get restored. Dr. Bruce was a great help in getting through the ordeal, and should be consulted privately for his expert assistance. Just my opinion and thanks to Dr. Bruce.

Good Luck

John Recine

 

[bbchien]

Bruce, thanks for the reply. What kind of information should I include in my letter to the FAA?

Best to email me off line...it appears to work from POA but it's also on the "other" site's board. Bruce

 

[Flyboy]

The test is not a great deal of fun and pretty much challenges you to not sleep in a dark sleep inducive atmosphere.
John Recine

As long as it's not Sunday afternoon and my couch isn't in the room I should do fine.