Are there any pilots on here? Are you able to work while on ADT?

@azp52
My last time flying was in a Piper Cherokee with my son as the PIC…he still teases me about it because I had to pee in a water bottle lol.

@jeffmarc It's like the others have said, it's not as blanket as Drug name is OK or not, but, and this is FAA only! Here's what one of the largest medical certfication consulting companies will tell you...

Orgovyx = ALLOWED, Underlying Condition Likely Requires Special Issuance

Lupron = ALLOWED; Requires 2 weeks observation after initial administration (For prostate cancer likely requires Special Issuance)

Firmagon = Allowed but underlying condition likely requires Special Issuance after 30 day trial

Eligard = Allowed but Condition likely requires Special Issuance

The FAA guide to Aeromedical examiners (AME) indicates that the Aeromedical Examiners in the field (doctors who qualify for this) Should not issue a medical for anyone being treated for Prostate Cancer with medications.

Here's what the guide actually says in chart form, title is DO NOT ISSUE (DNI) MEDICATIONS
CANCER TREATMENTS Including many chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy medications, whether used for induction, maintenance, or suppressive therapy.

What this means is the applicant, with the help of his AME, has to file for a Special Issuance (SI) directly to the FAA's Aeromedical Branch in Oklahoma City. They look at all your documentation and make a determination, often after asking for more documentation....

I'm told the 7 mos I waited was a VERY quick determination to issue based on fellow pilot's experiences.

I had the same experience initially as @gmarkos1 , I stopped flying on my own, had the RARP when I had a note from my surgeon telling me it was okay to work, I applied for a medical, since my doc said I was good to go, I just went back to work. I wasn't on any meds at the time.

It was the chemical recurrence that made me ineligible until the SI was issued. The SI wouldn't be revoked until I hit .17 PSA according to my AME. How they came up with that arbitrary number is a mystery to both of us.

Clear as mud? Still confuses me.

@cjflyguy I read your post, and it sounded like something I'd write. My last private flight was with my son in a Piper Cherokee, and the infamous 'bottle.' We were on a long XC, and since we were both pilots, we could take control while the other used the 'bottle.' Not as easy in the Piper as it was in the Cardinal 177 I used to fly. Fond memories.

Mayo clinic has an aviation department that issues class 1 medicals. They have AME’s that are previous FAA medical examiners and Mayo has a direct line to Oak city for any issuance problems that may arise. If you are a career pilot , I highly recommend Mayo. They are in your corner to get you back flying the line.

Just curious about flying with "the bottle." Do military pilots use a container or do they have super absorbent diapers?

@n227rv

During WW2, US female pilots were not allowed in combat but flew transport aircraft across the Atlantic. They carried boxes of Kleenex & used those as a pad. When a box had been used, they opened that little window (about 3"x6") on the side of the large window, & jettisoned the entire box over the Atlantic.

@n227rv Second-hand info here, but military aviators sometimes have/had "relief tubes". It wasn't an issue for fighter pilots, because their bladders could generally outlast their fuel tanks, at least before the advent of in-air refuelling.

I once read a sad story about a tail gunner in WW2 who had his heated suit fail, his relief tube freeze up, and ended up needing at least one leg amputated from extreme frostbite.

On the civil aviation side, my former single-engine Piper PA-28-161 had a total endurance of 6 hours to empty tanks, which meant I never flew longer than 4 hours IFR or 4.5 hours VFR (add an hour for preflight, taxiing, and tie-down). Before prostate cancer, my bladder could *just* make it without needing a bottle, though sometimes I ran straight past the check-in desk at the FBO as they pointed me to the washrooms (they're used to that 🙂).

For female pilots, there's something called a "GoGirl": https://go-girl.com/