She went into her medical exam and the examiners said they saw spots on her chest x-ray. They didn't give any details on the size of the spots or the seriousness of this. They did tell her to come back three mornings in a row for a sputum test. Then they said to wait 10 weeks for the results. It will have been 7 weeks this next Friday, May 30.

I am wondering if this is a very common occurrence and there is a percentage statistic of her chances of having TB? I thought I read somewhere that the chances of her having active TB is around 5%???

I just don't want her to have to wait any longer for her visa. If she has active TB it will delay everything for another 6 months!!!

Does anyone have any stories with happy endings, useful statistics, or helpful information for us??

Thanks a lot,

Nathan & Diana

Sorry to hear about this, man. Even if medical doctors are members of VJ (and some probably are), they couldn't do anything but speculate. A lot depends on your fiancee's medical history. Perhaps you could encourage her to see a (good) doctor on her own; that doctor could take a history and new X-rays. If the "official" examiners conclude that the spots were from TB or anything else, the independent doctor could provide information to corroborate or refute the first opinion.

It could even be that the first X-rays were faulty for mechanical reasons unrelated to your fiancee's health. Without details or an outside opinion, you'll simply go bananas wondering.

there are a lot of lungdeseases that cause scarring. asthma can aswell. only more tests well tell you if it really is TB, but chances of it being an active TB are small. that ofcourse doenst mean it cant be TB. (speculation, like Tbone said)
and look at it from the bright side: if it is TB: you caught it early and minimized the damage. it may delay your process 6 months, but you'll have a healthy wife 6 months later.

wishing you the best,

marjan

The Difference Between Latent TB Infection and Active TB Disease
A Person with Latent TB Infection
• Has no symptoms
• Does not feel sick
• Cannot spread TB bacteria to others
• Usually has a positive skin test or QuantiFERON-TB® Gold test
• Has a normal chest x-ray and a negative sputum smear
• Needs treatment for latent TB infection to prevent active TB disease

A Person with Active TB Disease
• Has symptoms that may include:
- usually feels sick
- a bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
- pain in the chest
- coughing up blood or sputum
- weakness or fatigue
- weight loss
- no appetite
- chills
- fever
- sweating at night
- May spread TB bacteria to others
- Usually has a positive skin test or QuantiFERON-TB® Gold test
- May have an abnormal chest x-ray, or positive sputum smear or culture
- Needs treatment to treat active TB disease

Either way, if it is indeed Tb whether latent or active she will need treatment if she's never been treated before. The link below describes the specifics. Each case is unique as has been said here already. Alot will depend on risk factors, medical history, and family history. It doesn't mean she won't be able to come, but it could delay her if she needs to be treated. Treatment is 9 months usually. I wish you the best & hope the spots are something else that is not serious.
CDC info regarding TB

I called the clinic today. They told me if her results are negative she can get her visa right away and if she is positive then she needs treatment. She still has about 3 more weeks to wait for the results. Diana told me that the medical examiners said there was a very very very tiny spot on her lung. She is 21 and was born and raised in Acapulco.

Do you think there is a very high chance of her having tuberculosis? I know it is a silly question, because I am guessing you do not have a medical background and you do not have the x-ray in your hand, but I am just curious as to what you think.

I am sorry that I cannot help as to whether this is a serious case or not. I am praying that everything will work out for you though.

Hey The greatgate,

I am sorry to hear this man, and I know you are VERY worried and stressed out, however I just don't see the point in asking people on Vj who have probably absolutely no idea. I mean this in the NICEST, most positive way, but your situation is impossible to diagnose over a small post on visa journey, and by asking for others advice on here you will only worry yourself more and cause more stress. I recommend you go speak with YOUR doctor, tell him the situation, give him the facts, and ask what he/she thinks. That way at least you have a professional doctor giving you opinion rather than a 22 year old college student (me) giving you an opinion on something I have no idea about haha.

I hope everything works out for you, I really do, and I am SURE it will as well.
Let us know when you find out!