High cholesterol
So as I said in a previous post my blood tests for the medical flagged up high cholesterol. The OLRS doc wanted me to have further testing done due to my aviation trade. This was a shock as my diet isn’t bad and I keep myself in reasonable shape. Maybe all the boozing in Brunei has caught up with me.
My GP didn’t see this as much of an issue at first and didn’t authorise the testing the OLRS doc wanted. After weeks of frustrating conversations I was left with no option but to go private and have the testing done at my own expense. I figured it would probably be quicker anyway given how messed up the NHS is. I phoned Nuffield and made an appointment.
Turns out I have genetically high cholesterol but passed all the tests the OLRS doc needed with no issues. The results were sent off to the team and in the meantime I have been prescribed a statin to combat the high cholesterol issue. I have to take the statin everyday now and at the age of 40 its not ideal.
I had a reaction to the first type of medication which just made me laugh, all this medical stuff was now getting me down. 23 years in the Army without a scratch and now I’m having a fight with high cholesterol – thankfully the new medication is working and its all sorted…I hope.
lump in my lung
One of the tests the aussie doc wanted was a CT scan of my heart to prove I wasn’t about to drop dead or have a stroke. My heart is apparently in tip-top shape but an unwanted guest photobombed the scan.. a 9mm lung nodule in my left lung – apparently they are very common but it was another issue that now needed to be delt with. I felt like pandoras box had opened and all I got was a VIP pass to more tests and I was starting to panic. It cost a cool 3k to have all the tests done privately.
I had another CT scan 9 months later which showed no change to the lump but they recommended another scan in around 12-18 months time. This was now another worry as I thought they would want me to wait in the UK for the 3rd scan but they haven’t said anything about it and I passed the visa medical with them knowing all of this this….thank f@@k. Let me know if you have had a similar issue. Hear I am 9 months later with a lung lump I’ve nicknamed “Dave” and a cholesterol level more rebellious than my 14 year old daughter not to mention the extra cost!
Read About my Visa Medical assessment https://newadventuresdownunder.com/visa-application/
Aviation Medical Clearance
After all of the above I still needed clearance from the aviation medical team. My file was sent to the Avmed team back in Nov 23 and we didn’t hear anything until Feb 25 when they asked for an updated dental form. In April 24 they then asked for more blood tests, a Spiro test and the reports from my follow up CT scan. Annoyingly the OLRS team had lost this info when I sent it months ago adding further delays. Apparently there’s one doctor looking through tens of applications each week, if your trade involves having an aviation medical then you will need to factor this in. I wasn’t told about this at the selection board chat with the OLRS doc.
Finally on the the 3rd May 2024 my aviation medical was approved and we are all cleared and finally good to go! Its taken in total 6 months to get this cleared.
The link to the Visa medical info is: Arrange your health examinations (homeaffairs.gov.au)