A career ending condition...?

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Right... a long and unusual question here.

Basically the last few months I have developed a rare, non life threatening, throat condition. (Eosinophilic oesophagitis, for anyone that is interested ) Essentially it is like asthma, only in my gullet. My throat is swollen and i have to eat very slowly to avoid food getting stuck. The treatment is very long term (could be more than a year before i regain full swallowing abilities), but I've been assured that it will be sorted eventually. {Medication for the rest of my life though... yay!)

Now, the question... I'm sitting on an offer from CMT. Obviously they will need to know about it when i get my medical etc. Do you reckon they would be able to guarantee me a sponsor that stays pretty local to Britain? Like Red Funnel group or something? Reason being if I were to choke on food on a ferry down at Southampton it would only be a minor problem, i could just go to the hospital and have it shifted. Obviously if i were to choke on food in the middle of the Atlantic then it would be much more of a problem
(NOTE: me choking on food has not happened for a long time now, its not regular as such)

I am gutted about this, as my condition only really came to light after I'd applied. If Clyde couldn't give me some sort of guarantee then I'm going to have to reapply for a later date, or maybe give up on the dream completely

Any advice/knowledge of Clyde would be appreciated. (And maybe some sympathy )

[Superdandroid17 Find all posts View Profile Close Superdandroid17]

Re: A career ending condition...?

Hmmm basically a question for the doctor who does the medical exam.

You could try asking Clyde what they of the chances of it being a problem or not.

You might need to wait until the current problems are over then re apply.

Ongoing medication is not always a problem so long as the side effects and consequence of not taking it etc are not going to interfere with you being able to work.

An ongoing potential for choking would be seen as a problem.

Your best bet is speaking to one of the doctors/med agencies who do the eng1 explain it all and ask for their advice. Depending on how nice they are you might actually have to have the medical first and be told come back in a year once it is sorted out.

[D-Triv Find all posts View Profile Close D-Triv]

Re: A career ending condition...?

That's awful to hear, though thankfully not life threatening as you said. I'd be totally honest and inform them of it at the medical and see where it goes from there.

[Just Ben Find all posts View Profile Close Just Ben]

Re: A career ending condition...?

Im glad to hear your condition isn't life threatening.

With CMT you don't get to choose what company you're with, if you pass your medical you may be able to ask them specifically for a uk operating company but I don't know. May be worth dropping them a line.

I don't mean to be put a dampner on you but whether you're on ship to asia or the isle of (white?) if you start choking that's quite a big deal. (i'm having trouble wording this). You might be okay as you say you haven't choked in a while.

Stick at it though, and I hope its something that you'll be able to do.

All the best.
Ps: don't give up on your dream... At least not without fight.

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[alistairuk Find all posts View Profile Close alistairuk]

Re: A career ending condition...?

You would need to speak to one of the MCA approved doctor's for their advice and also your company about this.

Regardless of what they say however, do bare in mind that even 'coastal' you will be a few hours away from hospital if required. (Even on the IoW Red Funnel ferries, you could be waiting at least an hour until you would reach a hospital!)

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Re: A career ending condition...?

Cheers for the replies guys.

I should probably clarify "choking." It just means that I would have food lodged in my gullet, leaving me unable to swallow. Not a pleasant experience of course, but provided I stay calm its not greatly dangerous. Though obviously i would need to get to a hospital relatively quickly! Unfortunately in my current condition it would just be downright irresponsible for me to be part of any deep sea work. UK based though there shouldn't be any major issues. (I haven't "choked" since last summer.)

As I said though, I'm undergoing treatment now which is already making a difference. By September it will hopefully be a hell of a lot better! But my Doctor has admitted that he doesn't really know how long it will take.

I guess the only way is to get in touch with Clyde themselves, and see what they say. I just wanted to see what you lot made of it all.

[penfold Find all posts View Profile Close penfold]

Re: A career ending condition...?

The only person who can answer this is an MCA approved medical examiner. Speak to Clyde, but they will probably say go and get a medical. When you go take a letter from your consultant or GP(from a consultant will be better) outlining the condition, its treatment and any medication you're on.

An ENG1 is the key here, if you can't get one you aren't going to sea professionally. For more info you could google MSN 1765; it outlines the MCA guidelines for reportable medical complaints and the criteria examiners use when deciding if someone can serve afloat safely or not.

[GuinnessMan OC's Resident Grumpy Old Man Find all posts View Profile Close GuinnessMan]

Re: A career ending condition...?

I would imagine you would get an ENG1 (restricted) for this, but it depends on the doctor and how they feel about it and how well you explain it to them (they may not know about this condition and saying choking on your food might cause an issue...).

[BanterMan Find all posts View Profile Close BanterMan]

Hey guys. I ain't posted on here for a long, long time now...

Basically I was the anonymous guy that started this thread (no idea why I felt the need to be anonymous mind..) and unfortunately I failed my ENG1 application because of said problem. I was devastated, and hence stopped visiting the site.

Since then though, my condition has been brought under control giving me the same chance of choking as your average person. =D I'll need to be on medication indefinitely (only an inhaler mind, nothing drastic) and so long as I keep taking it the chance of my throat getting worse again is between 0-1%. So basically, all is good again!

I plan on making an appointment with the Doctor that assessed me for my ENG1, to see whether he will be able to pass me for the next intake. (I see little reason why not, now.) Then I'll ask Clyde really nicely if they'll have me back! (or whether I'll have to go through the whole application process again :/ Even if I had too though, I've done it once so I can do it again, right? =D)

Anyway, I just thought I'd update you lot! It feels good to be back.

[D-Triv Find all posts View Profile Close D-Triv]

I wish you the best of luck with your second ENG1, I'm sure if you only need an inhaler to keep on top of things and you're otherwise fit and healthy you'll be passed through, fingers crossed.