No, No ! b ein g single is an indicator of on average shorter life span. with a wife you get fed a little better, go to th e doctor more often for things you'd put off if single, etc etc. i hate to say it with divorce being about 50% or worse, but i th in k if you are married you end up bein g happier also.

dan g, looks like my keyboard needs that update to fix the extra space keystrokes.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Don't delay, do what you want now because you never know what will hit you tomorrow. At our EAA chapter, we have 2 or 3 guys who have been diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure in the last year or two. Others have been surprised with other medical problems that could cost them their medicals. Several years ago, one of our members was driving a semi out of Salt Lake City and noticed a pain in his chest & decided he had better pay attention to it. 400 miles later, when he got to Boise, he made a routine call to his wife--a nurse--and happened to mention this pain. She yelled at him to get to an ER right away. So he hopped into his 18 wheeler and drove to the hospital. They threw him into surgery & he had something like a 4 way bypass--more than I had ever heard of before. Another guy, flying to a pancake breakfast in his Glasair with his wife in the plane, suddenly lost consciousness. She didn't know how to fly, although she was able to turn it around and fly back to their home airport. About the time they got to the pattern, he woke up and landed the plane. Electrical problem with his heart. No one expected any of these changes in their condition, although the guys with a lot of extra pounds probably knew it could happen, they probably didn't expect it actually would.

2. Set a limit on your weight and don't let it go any higher. If you hit that limit, take the weight off, shooting for a lower target, say 5 lbs less than the limit. If you are not fat, that's the best way to avoid getting fat. It's easier to take off 5 lbs than 50 or 150. It just takes discipline.

3. There's a lot of wisdom in the phrase in the Lord's prayer, "lead us not into temptation". Don't bring home any junk food so you don't have it around. You don't have it, you don't eat it. Look for healthy snacks--snack on bananas, not burgers. Read nutrition labels. 117 calories per day, every day amounts to a pound per month, either up or down. Cut out 117 calories a day and you lose or stop gaining a pound per month. Find a new snack you like and eat that every day & you'll gain a pound per month. Don't go near McDonalds, Burger King, etc. Go for Subway or get a sandwich at a deli. Drink water, not soda--even diet soda, but if that's all you have diet soda can make you hungry. I had a 350 pounder working for me as a forestry technician. Could hardly do his job because it takes a lot of work to haul that kind of weight up a 30 degree slope thru the brush. He had a Pepsi every day, often two. "John, why not Diet Pepsi? One per day is worth over a pound a month." "Oh, I hate that stuff." That was about 15 years ago. Now he is losing weight the hard way because they are chopping off his feet due to diabetes problems. If he had tried the diet soda for a month, he would probably gotten used to it.

4. Take advantage of opportunities for a little exercise. Don't park as close as you can to the store entrance--park across the lot where the spaces are easier to find and you'll probably walk into the store before the guy who drives up and down row after row looking for a space close to the door. Walking briskly rather than a mall walk & you burn more calories. Need a break from working on the RV? Don't go for a snack, go for a walk. The biggest muscles burn the most calories, and walking uses the biggest muscles, so walking is good.

No guarantees in life, all you can do is improve your odds. The foregoing nos. 2-4 is how I have lived and I weigh only 3 lbs more than I did when I got married 43 years ago. When I went for back surgery a couple months ago, 2 people at different times volunteered that I looked like I was in great shape for someone 66 years old. Then a couple months later a new problem came up that could end my flying--a problem unrelated to fitness. The docs are still looking into it. No guarantees! Do it now!

Wow, what timing for this thread.

Today is my first day home from the CCU after suffering a heart attack Saturday while my wife and I were picking up trash along the side of the road. Got my first helicopter ride as a result.

Glad to see that there is at least hope in getting a medical someday.

Yep, most likely as long as your stable, you will be able to get a special issuance medical.

You will be down at least 9 months because you must wait 6 months before you can get the required test that the FAA will require and after you jump thru all those hoops, it will take at least 3 more months to get processed. There is info on the FAA site about what they will require. You must follow that list exactly or it will delay your application. Once approved, you most likely will get a 5 year waiver that will allow your ME to give you your medical once per year as long as you do what they want you to as listed on the waiver on a yearly basis.

Glad you are still with us!!!!

Again, to speed the process...After 6 months from your release from the hospital, get the required test listed on the FAA website (exactly as they require them) and take them with you to your ME and have him send it in with the original request for a special issuance medical. Show the requirements to the people performing the test because the FAA wants you to do stuff a little different than they normally do. If you do not do this, you will be wasting time as all they will do is a few months later turn around and ask for this stuff sending you back to the end of the line. Whenever you do your testing, require the Dr. office to give you all the reports, strips, dictations etc. For the treadmill test, they want the full tracing beginning to end and it must be the original copy as printed by their machine. You will end up with a stack of papers an inch or two thick.

If cost is not an issue, there are services out there that will help you thru the process to speed it along. They might be worth it for folks that need to fly to get paid, but for me it was not.

Holy Cr#$%
 

Wow, Randy, we all hope you are doing all right. You have been an inspiration to a lot of us slooow builders. I hope the process of getting back into the air for you goes smoothly and quickly. We need you flying.

I have your website book marked for reference and use it all the time for the "definitive How-To".

Best of luck

Randy, hang in there!
 

Randy,

I too have benefited from your EXCELLENT website and it aided me duing many 'now what' episodes! And you are a true craftsman!

I am sorry to hear about your recent heart event but thankful you are back typing about it and not the alternative.....not yet! I have recently gone thru the FAA special issuance process and it was not that tough and my experience was that most cardiologists know 'that FAA' requirements and my package came together quickly. In fact, one week after my waiting period, I had all my tests complete. My waiting period was two months so look and see your requirements specifically. They have changed to less time recently. The key being if you are stable in your current condition.

My paperwork is at OKC/FAA awaiting the cadio board which meets every two months-ish. Once I get the definative word, I'll outline the process and my exact timeline here.

In the meantime get airborne with your friends soonest and often. After all, time spent airborne is not subtracted from your life span!

Tailwinds,

Every night it seems like i tear up looking at my dog, she has bone cancer.

I think there isn't much i can do to help, but it also makes me think i should take my health and each day as a gift.

I'm glad you are still with us Randy, I hope your health improves and am glad you didn't have worse results.

RV Cardio Support Group?
 

Wow,
I didn't realize there are so many of us who have been through the cardiovascular wringer! It really shouldn't come as a surprise, though, because we RV folks are just a small crosscut of the general population.

I actually started a blog before my mitral valve surgery last April, but after two heart surgeries, I just didn't really want to finish it.

As for my special issuance, my six months waiting period ended last October, and my family doctor recommended a prostate biopsy because my PSA was elevated. So if any of you guys have to wear a urine catheter for an extended period of time, as I did, be aware that there are some urologists (not mine) who admit you can get an elevated PSA reading. My prostate biopsy was completely benign and guess what? Three months later, my PSA test result had dropped from 5.3 to 4.3!

Anyway, my FAA cardio tests were done in January, and my exam by an AME was done on March 3. In February, as an AOPA Medical Services member, I requested AOPA to review my files. They said they didn't see any problems, but with over 300 pages of files (:eek:) they said I shouldn't be surprised if the FAA Medical folks come back and ask for more info. Well, yesterday I got the letter...

They want more informaion.

So today I am calling doctor's offices and hospital medical records offices to get the information. I have 30 days from the date of their letter or the whole process has to be re-started...if I want to continue flying.

I could have quit building my RV-7 and started an RV-12 so I could fly LSA, but I really want to fly the RV-7 first.

Maybe we could start an RV Cardio Support Group to share info and encouragement.

Randy, I too have admired your craftsmanship through your web pages. I wish you continued good health and recovery. Hang in there, and take one day at a time. :)

Don,

It is easy to get an extension on the 30 days. All you need to do is write them a letter requesting an extension. If yours was like mine, the letter came to my house 15 days into the 30 days....send the letter to the same address requesting the info.

One more thing for those that may read this. If you do your test before your waiting period, they won't take em. Also if the test are more than 3 months old when the review board gets around to looking at them, they won't take em.

It is a major circus but it is worth it in the end...

Thanks, Brian.

Right now I don't think the 30 days will be a problem. The letter was dated 3/25 and I got it four days later (yesterday). I am coordinating my response with the AOPA medical folks to make sure I will be sending them what they are asking for.

My first reaction was that they were asking for records which I had already sent them, but after my over-reaction settled down, I could see that one item had not been submitted. They want the results of a test done before my surgery and it wasn't on the FAA list, but hey, if that's what they want, I'll give it to them. The other items should be easy to get, even though I think I have already sent them everything Vanderbilt Hospital has on me.

If anyone has any questions about mitral valve repair surgery and mitral valve replacement surgery, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be glad to discuss what I know since I have had both surgeries!