Kenny Phillips
Final Approach
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2018
- Messages
- 6,572
- Display Name
- Kenny Phillips
I flew a small plane for the first time since I sold mine, nearly a decade ago. I retired last year, found out about some health issues, and am deciding whether to continue flying. Of course, one flight, and I'm back in the game (even in hazy 95°F bumpy weather, wearing a diaper!)
But the day after I retired I had an annual physical (that I'd not quite been doing annually) and found out that I had high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason 4+5=9, for those familiar, final pathology.)
I volunteered for a clinical trial at the NIH, and six weeks back had my prostate removed (along with some ancillaries, such as 27 lymph nodes.)
Function is improving (I was told up to 1.5 years for sexual function, but that came back as soon as the catheter was out. I'm still wearing adult Pampers, but don't really need 'em, a pad would do, I'll be good in a few weeks. YMMV, many of us will get this cancer.)
So whilst in the trial I decided to get my cataracts taken care of. Left eye was worse, so I did that first. But the improvement wasn't what it should have been; I had a pretty good visual field deficit. We thought (ophthalmologist and I) that replacing the lens would take care of stuff, and it did, where the field was intact. 20/30 on the chart, but I have to "hunt around". Note that I was punched in the eye, 25 years back, and it took quite a while for vision to return to "normal-ish".
Did the right eye a couple of weeks later, and it's awesome (20/15).
Eye pressures were normal (~19-20), so I hopped on the Humphrey Visual Field test machine and didn't do too well with the left eye.
Worse, the right eye shows a tiny bit of field encroachment. It's absolutely fine in daily use, even flying, and we don't actually have a baseline to compare it to, so it may have always been that way.
But ... the doctor says "presumptive normal tension glaucoma" and puts me on drops, which knock the pressure down to ~16 or so (depending on who's measuring).
For the prostate surgery at the NIH, they are hyper-vigilant with the "do no harm" ethic, ordered an MRI of my head (which showed that the left optic nerve was smaller) and did another full workup of my eyes the night before surgery (as I would be in the Trendelenburg position for four to six hours). The results of the exam were identical, and their ophthalmologist agreed with the NTG diagnosis, and OK'd the prostate surgery. No visual harm was done in the relatively short time inverted.
If the right eye field had tested OK (and it's possible I never had the full field, can't know) it would simply be traumatic glaucoma for leftie. I believe a SODA would be required.
But with NTG not so much.
The Humphrey results for leftie look horrible on paper, but I can actually use that eye for stuff, and my brain fills in missing bits. I've always favored my right eye, for photography, shooting, astronomy, and really never noticed the field issues.
I'm long-winded, but reading six-year-old posts here has me worried.
What would I need to do to get a normal third class, or can I?
But the day after I retired I had an annual physical (that I'd not quite been doing annually) and found out that I had high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason 4+5=9, for those familiar, final pathology.)
I volunteered for a clinical trial at the NIH, and six weeks back had my prostate removed (along with some ancillaries, such as 27 lymph nodes.)
Function is improving (I was told up to 1.5 years for sexual function, but that came back as soon as the catheter was out. I'm still wearing adult Pampers, but don't really need 'em, a pad would do, I'll be good in a few weeks. YMMV, many of us will get this cancer.)
So whilst in the trial I decided to get my cataracts taken care of. Left eye was worse, so I did that first. But the improvement wasn't what it should have been; I had a pretty good visual field deficit. We thought (ophthalmologist and I) that replacing the lens would take care of stuff, and it did, where the field was intact. 20/30 on the chart, but I have to "hunt around". Note that I was punched in the eye, 25 years back, and it took quite a while for vision to return to "normal-ish".
Did the right eye a couple of weeks later, and it's awesome (20/15).
Eye pressures were normal (~19-20), so I hopped on the Humphrey Visual Field test machine and didn't do too well with the left eye.
Worse, the right eye shows a tiny bit of field encroachment. It's absolutely fine in daily use, even flying, and we don't actually have a baseline to compare it to, so it may have always been that way.
But ... the doctor says "presumptive normal tension glaucoma" and puts me on drops, which knock the pressure down to ~16 or so (depending on who's measuring).
For the prostate surgery at the NIH, they are hyper-vigilant with the "do no harm" ethic, ordered an MRI of my head (which showed that the left optic nerve was smaller) and did another full workup of my eyes the night before surgery (as I would be in the Trendelenburg position for four to six hours). The results of the exam were identical, and their ophthalmologist agreed with the NTG diagnosis, and OK'd the prostate surgery. No visual harm was done in the relatively short time inverted.
If the right eye field had tested OK (and it's possible I never had the full field, can't know) it would simply be traumatic glaucoma for leftie. I believe a SODA would be required.
But with NTG not so much.
The Humphrey results for leftie look horrible on paper, but I can actually use that eye for stuff, and my brain fills in missing bits. I've always favored my right eye, for photography, shooting, astronomy, and really never noticed the field issues.
I'm long-winded, but reading six-year-old posts here has me worried.
What would I need to do to get a normal third class, or can I?
