Oof, in the hospital with a kidney stone
Posted by stoodentpillow@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 25 comments
I'm unfamiliar with the process of medical stuff, just a student pilot here but I do have my first class medical.
Do I report this? I've never had a kidney stone in my 33 years.
inneranalog@reddit
Don’t do anything until to you go to a urologist and find out why, and if it will happen again. Drink water.
butthole_lipliner@reddit
I had one back in my 20s because my friends and I lived off of Diet Mountain Dew and monster ultra. We had an empty can tower of DMD in our living room that was taller than our natty light tower 🤦♀️
Turns out that stuff will dehydrate you real bad, obviously, along with all the beer I was consuming. Thankfully it either dissolved on its own or I didn’t feel it pass. I cut way back on energy drinks and don’t drink soda or alcohol anymore. Water is my bestie. Haven’t had any kidney issues since and my skin looks 100000x better too
stoodentpillow@reddit (OP)
Just got my medicine and discharged. Was told to drink a LOT of water. They can't predict if it will happen again because it's based strongly on lifestyle. Do I talk to my AME? Is there something I'm supposed to report?
chuckop@reddit
Get into the habit of drinking a lot more water daily for the rest of your life.
It’s not always lifestyle. It just means your body produces/takes in more of one thing and not enough of the thing that dissolves it.
A chemical analysis of any passed or retrieved stone will help.
Crystal Light with citric acids plus gobs of water will help.
If you got a CT scan, it’ll show if anymore stones/grains are in your kidneys. They probably are, even if they don’t show up. They will grow over time, eventually getting big enough to be washed into the ureter and causing pain.
You can slow the rate of growth and prevent formation of new stones by drinking lots of water and whatever else your doctor says.
Notice how I keep saying to drink water? Because you must. Drink as much as you can tolerate and then drink some more.
TobyADev@reddit
Maybe have a word with AOPA first
onetwentyeight@reddit
"and imaging (such as a KUB) verifies no
retained stones"
That's the critical bit. If you passed a single stone without complications but imaging studies show additional stones then you are not ok.
TobyADev@reddit
In all fairness I suspect that’d show you maybe shouldn’t be flying anyway, as they haven’t all passed. And from friends who’ve had them, they’re awful
onetwentyeight@reddit
Yeah. I can't imagine trying to land in a stiff crosswind while dealing with debilitating pain, let alone trying fly an approach in the soup to minimums.
Celebration_Dapper@reddit
Off-topic, but OP is a student pilot with a first-class medical?
Also, I'm certificated in three countries, and in my experience, each has their particular aeromedical obsessions; for the FAA, kidney stones is one of them.
carl-swagan@reddit
I advise all my students that intend to fly commercially to get a 1st class. Would you rather find out you have a disqualifying condition on day 1, or after paying for 250 hours of training?
Celebration_Dapper@reddit
Good point. Curiosity got the better of me, as in the US, first- or second-class medicals are only required to exercise the privileges of a commercial or ATP certificate. In Canada or UK, it's the other way around - relevant commercial/ATP medical is a prerequisite for the commercial/ATP ticket.
Towe1ey@reddit
Probably got the first class medical to make sure that they could continue going past that, I was told that I should get a first class medical if I planned on going further than a PPL so that I don't end up wasting my time later on in life realizing I couldn't pass one.
missionarymechanic@reddit
Were you able to stand and walk, or did you have to crawl/be carried? Because if it's the former, you have no idea how badly one is capable of hurting.
Yes, speak to a urologist and report. These things can completely incapacitate you with very little warning. Women consistently rate the pain as higher than childbirth. I've had two, and there's a 1 cm one that remains. I won't touch a plane until I get that one removed.
parc@reddit
You’ll need to report it and you really want to figure out why you had one. You absolutely will need radiographic evidence of no more stones. For the purposes of retaining your medical you want a KUB, not a CT (unless they already gave you a CT). If you can capture the stone and get a flame test on it, that’s best, but not required. If you have retained stones you’ll have to do repeat visits to establish if they’re mobile or not, and you want to get moving on whatever diet and medication path to fix the underlying issue.
On the plus side, after 7 years the FAA no longer cares about them even if you’re a repeat stone generator.
Source: I’ve passed 7 stones over my lifetime, the last 13 years ago. The first KUB I had showed 20 just hanging out. I’ve been on medication for them now for 12 years with great success.
stoodentpillow@reddit (OP)
Do I report it to anyone in particular as soon as possible? Like you would with a change of address? Or do I report it at my next AME exam in just under 5 years?
parc@reddit
I reported it at my next AME visit, but my other SI conditions mean I’m visiting every year. I’d do an AME consult to be sure, but go get what you need from the urologist first. If there’s no stone retained it’s a straightforward process.
Tricky-Tree-1983@reddit
I’ve had 3 with a second class. Report it
stoodentpillow@reddit (OP)
This is the part I don't fully understand. Do I report it to someone ASAP? Like a change of address? Or would it be at my next AME appointment in 5 years?
Matuteg@reddit
I had a kidney stone. Basically was it one? Did you pass it? All I needed was an X-ray once I passed it to show my AME and he did the paperwork during the renewal.
shrunkenhead041@reddit
You will need the urologist to examine the CT or X-ray, whichever you have, for evidence of additional stones. If there are more stones, or if you haven't passed the current one, you'll need another X-ray or scan in 90+ days after the first to determine if any more stones are mobile. Do not get a CT if you have only had an X-ray, as the CT can show more that are likely inconsequential. After that, your urologist will need to write a letter that you are stable and do not have stones that are likely mobile. Get a copy of the Kidney Stone CACI requirements from your AME and review with your urologist.
Good luck, and follow your urologists advice on how to avoid a repeat.
Celebration_Dapper@reddit
No need to ask AME for kidney stone CACI requirements, as they're here: https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/media/CACI_Retained_Kidney_Stones.pdf
cyberzl1@reddit
When I got my 3rd class medical I had previously had kidney stones. It was given a lot of scrutiny.
Reason being is, since you've had them, kidney stones are pretty disabilitating. If in flight as PIC could easily lead to a much worse situation.
300blkdout@reddit
Oof sorry brother. Kidney stones are the worst. You do have to report it on your next medical, but it shouldn’t give you a problem as long as you don’t have any retained stones. There is a CACI for this and you can ask the AME for a consult so you know what he’s going to ask for.
Av8tr1@reddit
You’re fine. Report it on your next medical. You’ll need a letter from a doctor that you are either stone free or it’s stable.
There is a medical CACI on the guide for AMEs that you can review.
I’ve had three and was flying within days of passing. Two of them happened on trips, one was a hospitalization. Was flying two days after with my AMEs blessing.
Don’t sweat it.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I'm unfamiliar with the process of medical stuff, just a student pilot here but I do have my first class medical.
Do I report this? I've never had a kidney stone in my 33 years.
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