Hello everyone. I have a unique medical situation and am seeking flight doctor guidance. I'm asking the peanut gallery to keep the random thoughts, criticism, and banter to minimum. I'm looking for constructive feedback that's relevant to this situation please.
I'm a military pilot (Air Force Reserves) and a new-hire pilot with a Legacy airline. I successfully completed INDOC with my airline last February and had a month off before starting qualification training. While on break some friends and I went to Savannah Georgia for Saint Patricks day. While walking home to my hotel I was jumped randomly and assaulted. Following the attack I was hospitalized for 2 months due to sustaining a traumatic brain injury (Subdural Hematoma; Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage with loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less, Closed fracture of left side of occipital bone; Glasgow coma scale 12-13). I'm being told by many AME's that the FAA will require a 5 years wait before re-issuing my class-1 medical. My question with this is, is it at all possible to accelerate the 5-year timeline, or is "fixed" regardless of actual healing progress (at this point, 5 months later, I feel fully recovered & back to a cognitive state equal to or better than before the attack).
To further complicate the situation, I was drunk at the time of the attack. This was captured in the ER medical records with a high BAC (over .20). I've never had any pervious episodes of substance abuse, DUI, etc, and I wasn't breaking any laws at the time (there's a police report identifying me as the victim of a violent crime). My question is, will the FAA automatically require me to process through the substance abuse pipeline (i.e. HIMS) based solely on a BAC number in a medical record? I've spoken to several AME's and have been receiving mixed opinions on this subject. Some saying I'll be forced to undergo a HIMS substance abuse evaluation and likely be diagnosed with alcohol dependancy. Others saying the FAA will take the entire situation into consideration and possibly consider it a substance abuse event, requiring less serious (and lengthy) treatment. While others further assert that the FAA will do nothing, look at the entire picture, and assess this as an isolated incident with me being the victim of a crime. This part of the situation that's frustrating for me is, I was truly the victim of a criminal act, but feel like I'm going to be punished because I was drinking responsibly at a holiday festival and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. My goal here is to find a way to avoid being labeled as dependent alcoholic so I can eventually recover from this situation and live a normal life in the future (without a lifetime of HIMS).
Again, looking for actual tangible information or stories similar to this with the actual outcome. I'm attempting to gain credible and constructive information if possible. Thanks for your time and responses.
I'm a military pilot (Air Force Reserves) and a new-hire pilot with a Legacy airline. I successfully completed INDOC with my airline last February and had a month off before starting qualification training. While on break some friends and I went to Savannah Georgia for Saint Patricks day. While walking home to my hotel I was jumped randomly and assaulted. Following the attack I was hospitalized for 2 months due to sustaining a traumatic brain injury (Subdural Hematoma; Traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage with loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less, Closed fracture of left side of occipital bone; Glasgow coma scale 12-13). I'm being told by many AME's that the FAA will require a 5 years wait before re-issuing my class-1 medical. My question with this is, is it at all possible to accelerate the 5-year timeline, or is "fixed" regardless of actual healing progress (at this point, 5 months later, I feel fully recovered & back to a cognitive state equal to or better than before the attack).
To further complicate the situation, I was drunk at the time of the attack. This was captured in the ER medical records with a high BAC (over .20). I've never had any pervious episodes of substance abuse, DUI, etc, and I wasn't breaking any laws at the time (there's a police report identifying me as the victim of a violent crime). My question is, will the FAA automatically require me to process through the substance abuse pipeline (i.e. HIMS) based solely on a BAC number in a medical record? I've spoken to several AME's and have been receiving mixed opinions on this subject. Some saying I'll be forced to undergo a HIMS substance abuse evaluation and likely be diagnosed with alcohol dependancy. Others saying the FAA will take the entire situation into consideration and possibly consider it a substance abuse event, requiring less serious (and lengthy) treatment. While others further assert that the FAA will do nothing, look at the entire picture, and assess this as an isolated incident with me being the victim of a crime. This part of the situation that's frustrating for me is, I was truly the victim of a criminal act, but feel like I'm going to be punished because I was drinking responsibly at a holiday festival and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. My goal here is to find a way to avoid being labeled as dependent alcoholic so I can eventually recover from this situation and live a normal life in the future (without a lifetime of HIMS).
Again, looking for actual tangible information or stories similar to this with the actual outcome. I'm attempting to gain credible and constructive information if possible. Thanks for your time and responses.
