Hello VJers!

I had my medical yesterday with Knightsbridge Doctors, 10-11 Bulstrode Place, London. The time of appointmet was 2:45pm.

I had booked my flight tickets with RyanAir, from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to London Stansted. Here's how the day went:

Woke up at 7am, got to Glasgow Central Station at 8am to catch the 8:20 train to Prestwick Airport. Arrived at Prestwick at 9:30am to catch flight to London Stansted at 10:20am

The flight arrived at London ahead of schedule at around 11:15am, took the Stansted Express to London Liverpool Street, which took about 55 minutes. Arrived at London Liverpool Street at 12:57pm, hundreds of Barcelona fans here to see the Chelsea-Barcelona Champions League (football/soccer) clash tomorrow. Go Chelsea!!!

I had two options from London Liverpool Street Underground: Regent's Park Underground or Great Portland Street Underground. I took the Tube to Great Portland Street as it required no changes and was the shorter route. Here are some pictures for you guys (took them from my phone, so they're not great)





So here's where I got off, Great Portland St. Underground. Knightsbridge Doctors are hardly 10-min walk from here, so no need to pay a taxi unless you are really rich, in which case buy me the ticket to USA
If you stand where I am standing (use the nice building with pillars in the background as reference point), start walking in the opposite direction, keep walking until you see Devonshire Street...turn right onto Devonshire Street (sorry didnt take pics of that). Keep walking down Devonshire Street, you should see Embassy of Turkey and Chile. Keep walking until you can go no further. You will now see Marylebone High Street and you can either turn right or left onto it...turn LEFT onto Marylebone High Street. Here's a view of if below



Keep walking down this street until you see Marylebone Lane on your left. Enter Marylebone Lane, after less than 30 seconds of walking, u will see a small alley. Thats your destination, Bulstrode Place! (see pics below)





That little blue sign board outside is the entrance to Alliance Medical Imaging Centre, go in there and head straight to the 2nd Floor!


I had my little Acer n35 PDA with GPS Navigation so it wasnt too hard to find the place.

They gave me a form to fill in, then took a chest x-ray after a while. Then another nurse comes and takes me into another room to discuss vaccinations. Since I didnt have any previous records, I was given 2 jabs, one for MMR and other for Tetanus; one on each arm. The MMR really stings when it goes inside u...ouch!
I mentioned to the lady that I would require the DS-3025 for vaccinations and she didnt have a clue. I told her its needed in the USA for AOS process. Then she told me that they will give me a copy of vaccination record which will be sent to the embassy and showed me the form. It did look like the DS-3025, hopefully that is whats needed.

Then the docotor saw me, was a nice guy from South Africa. Asked me to read a board on the wall to check my eyesight, then looked in to my ears and throat, measure my weight and height...and took blood from my left arm...that's the third time i got stabbed but if that is what it takes to be with my sweetheart then so be it, she's worth it so I wont complain.

They said that results of X-Ray and blood sample will come in a day and they will then forward everything to the Embassy.

So that was it, all over in about 80 minutes. Thank God for another step being completed smoothly. Just one more step to go...can not wait to become husband to lovely Christine!

I love u honey!!! Thank u for pushing me to take the pictures

Good luck to all!

Jahan.

Oh by the way, here's the day in money terms:

Return ticket from Glasgow Central to Prestwick Airport: £9.00
Return flight from Glasgow to London: £34.00
Stansted Express to London Liverpool St: £25
London Liverpool St to Great Portland Street: £4.90
Cost of medical: £160 + £25 MMR + £35 Tetanus vaccinations = £220
Knowing I am only one step away from being with my soulmate: PRICELESS!!

Morning Jahan, I must say this is one of the best posts that i've seen in ages, very informative and pictures too. Well done to you.

Janice

Thanks Janice, wanted to share you all in my day!

Nice account......thanks...

excellent post dude! AND you suppport Chelsea! Sweeeet

Wow! What a wonderful post for those who still have the London medical experience ahead of them!!

Is there anyway to move this to the embassy forums and/or possibly pin it to the UK regional forum?

What a great idea....if the capt is reading plz can this be pinned

Thankyou

Janice

OOOH Thanks for all the great info !!!! Now I don't have to worry about getting lost!!!!

Wow thanks so much for all the info. My fiance will be going for his Medical in April. I thought this post would be helpful to him so I emailed it to him.


Great job and thanks for taking the time to do this,

Oh and congrats on getting this part done and over with.

Baileyj

I never got round to post this on VJ.
(I posted both my medical and interview experience on www.diveintoamerica.com. Copying it to add here.)
Anyway, here goes.



My appointment was at 2:45pm. We were half an hour early so we decided to just go anyway. The Alliance Medical Imaging Centre was in a secluded spot in Bulstrode Place however the map emailed to me was accurate. It's very easy to find it from Bond Street Station.


The main door was open even though there was a sign outside saying press the buzzer to enter.. etc. Just try pushing the right door and you're in.

The lady at reception was giggling with her mate. I told her that I had an appointment for a medical and she asked if its Knightsbridge Doctors I wanted, I said yes.
If your medical is coming up, just ask the main reception for Knightsbridge Doctors.

She gave me some weird directions on where to go (through the double doors, then right on the left)

We found out that she should have said 'Take the lift and go to the second floor'
The lift is on the right just before the double doors.'

Once on the second floor, a girl with an Australian/south African accent checked the schedule to confirm my appointment. She said I was a bit early, I said I know!

Anyway, she took my passport, vaccination history, photo and completed questionnaire. She also asked for the appointment letter from the Embassy. I said I didn't have it. She said it's OK as long as I'm sure the case number on the questionnaire is correct, which was the case.

I sat down in the waiting area and waited for a bit. A lady (Vaccinations nurse) called my name and then asked me if I knew if I've ever had Chicken Pox. I said yes I did. She also gave back my vaccinations booklet telling me I didn't need any vaccinations and that I was up to date. I waited a bit more.
Another chap called my name and then took me to a room for a chest x-ray.
You can see the machine below. It's a simple matter of pressing your chest against a plate near the wall and zap. All done.





He shook my hand(!) and then I went out and waited a bit more.
The receptionist called me and told me to complete a form. It was a medical worksheet issued by DoS. Form number was DS-3026. Very similar to the medical questionnaire sent from the Embassy. I also had to sign a form explaining the consequences of a positive HIV outcome. I signed that and handed it back in to reception. She then told me to go to the 1st floor and wait in another waiting room. She handed back the passport and also gave me my medical 'case' to give to the doctor who was going to perform the medical and blood test. The room was empty. While waiting I took a pic of the 'case' in my hand.


You can clearly see that they have cut the photo down to UK size, even though the Embassy specifies US size for the medical. The photo was stapled to a DS-2053. This is the medical sheet that is used officially as a part of the immigrant case. It's a kind of summary, that was only partly completed.

I was eventually called in and the jolly and humorous chap confirmed the answers I gave in the questionnaire and DS-3026. He also asked if I've had any mental problems or operations etc. He asked me to sign a paper, and to sign across the photograph onto the form using a marker.
The medical was a very quick affair. He took me round behind the blinds and told me to remove my shoes, jeans and top.
He then weighed me and checked my height.
He then told me to lie down on the bed thing.
He then got a phone call telling him that they are no more blood tubes used to send off for checking. They ran out!
He came back round and checked my reflexes by knocking a hammer on my knees and checked my legs and stomach for anything 'diseasey'. He told me to pull down my pants. I did and he said almost immediately OK that's fine, so I pulled 'em back up!
He prepped a needle and then took blood filling the last container they had! There were two people in the room outside waiting that were probably delayed because of this.

Everything was done and he said there were no problems. He asked if I had any questions. I asked how long it would take to get to the Embassy and how it's transported there. He said that it takes 2 days for the blood results to come back and another day for the results to get to the embassy. He said that they are sent using a private courier.
He gave me back my medical 'case' with all the blanks filled in, to take back to reception.
He came in the lift with me to reception to sort out the 'no blood containers' dilemma. Whilst we were going back up to second floor, I asked him how many patients he has daily. He said there are two medical locations and each one gets about 15-20 a day.

Once back at reception, the receptionist was flustered and wandering around aimlessly for a bit. She then got back apologised and asked me to pay the £160 bill. I paid, she gave me a Vaccination sheet and receipt. She also said the results will be sent in 24 hours which was a little different from what doc told me!
Anyway, that's it! All done..

It took 50 mins start to finish. We had a late lunch at Wagamama behind Selfridges and then headed back.

sanc

PS. I got the passport photos done today here http://www.passportphoto.co.uk Its close to the Embassy.
Super service. We got 4 US photos for £11.90. An we were in and out of there in literally 5 minutes.

WOW great post, Sanc! I'm bookmarking it for my fiance when the time comes. The pictures are awesome, not to mention the link for the photo place.

I think we ought to pin this thread.

Nice !!!!
That is just BRILLIANT !!
Sent that link to my dear husband to check out !!!

Fantastic photos : )

-Rose

I agree Sanc... great post... also sending it to the hubby!!

Congrats on the visa!

Any clue if living in Ireland one has to use the US embassy of London or do they do stuff here as well?

I think this all depends on WHERE in Ireland you live!!

Wow, thanks for all the info! I'm going to email this to my fiance, as he's awaiting packet 3 (hopefully he'll get it this week!)

This is very helpful to give me a rough idea of what will happen and it might help me find the place. Thanks very much for the pictures too.

congratulations too.

OK. this is very detailed and informative. Thanks. I have just one question. Did they take a hair sample, or even suggest it?

Seems silly, but I just want to know.

No hair sample................

Excellent. Thanks.

but i would still lay off da wacky backy




just kidding Tracy

Fantastic post mate!! what a you are .I will be coming from Glasgow too so you pretty much covered my whole journey.. ( when the time comes) London is so scary.. this helps loads! Cheers very much!

Great post and love the way you talk about being with the love of your everything!
Also, Chelsea supporter....NICE!!!!

I had my medical today at Bentnick Mansions in London; at 10.30.

I arrived at 10.30 and was asked first of all to hand over my photograph, passport, vaccination proof and the form I'd signed. Then I had to fill in a 2nd identical form- same questions but different font and layout- and sign a form to say I understood the implications of having a positive HIV result!

Whoever said it is mostly waiting, was right! It was past 11.00 before I got called in by the doctor- male, young, german- he was very pleasant and welcoming but at times hard to understand.

He went over the form I'd filled in, repeating the same questions -I'd answered no to everything so there were no 'complications'. I was then asked to strip to my underpants and lie on the couch. (I'd asked for a chaperone and she came in at this point.) He examined my throat, ears, listened to my chest and back, took my pulse on my feet, again on my wrist, took my blood pressure, examined my breasts for lumps and then had a quick look down below to check I was all female!

(I asked him about this last bit afterwards- did they really get females who turned out to be males; he said yes, they'd had 3 this year already! But he said they really do that as a way of finding out about syphillis. hardly anyone admits 'yes' on the form when asked if they've had a sexually transmitted disease, but when they are asked to pull their underwear down they become nervous or agitated and refuse- he said that's a dead give away that they've had something!

Just thought I'd share that with you....I'm nosy like that and I'm always finding out useless bits of information by asking questions!)

Then he had me read from the eye chart, took blood to test for syphillis and HIV, and told me to get dressed. He then spent a while chatting to me- telling me about his work in tropical diseases, asking me about my family etc. Afterwards he said that was to 'get an idea of my mental state of mind- to see if I was angry, aggressive or agitated! Apparently anyone who fits that description is referred for a psychiatric evaluation, he showed me that he had ticked 'normal' on my form! As if I expected anything else

I asked him what the Embassy were looking for- what would make them turn me down, and he said that, apart from HIV and Syphillis, and anyone who would be a danger to themselves or others, they were looking to see if I would be a drain on their resources. he gave an example of a woman aged 70 who put on her form that she was on an nhs waiting list to have a hip replacement- she'd been on it 8 months and was told it would be another year at least. She failed the medical and was turned down for her green card because 'she needed surgery and would be a drain on their resources'.

It hadn;t really occurred to me that it was all about money- although I knew about the HIV and syphillis; I'm quite naive!

That part was finished. I then waited another half hour before being called for my chest x-ray. Then I had to pay- although it was £170.00, not £180.00 as I had been told on the phone in early Jan when I booked it!

I asked whether the results would be ready for the Embassy by Monday, which is when my interview is. the doctor said it usually took 2-3 days to get them back and that i should tell the receptionist to mark them as urgent.

When I told the receptionist, she said-
'no, it takes 5-6 working days to get your results back and they won't be ready for Monday, and the doctor does not understand how this works!!!' Then she said that if the results aren't at the Embassy on Monday, I won't be told whether I have been approved at the interview- they'll have to wait for the result before they can stamp my passport and send it to me.

Which SUCKS!!

Dude, you guys are awesome!! My fiance has his interview tomorrow, and I just sent him this link to read in the morning. So helpful to have photos, and know why they are doing what they are doing.

And 3 people this year who not only tried to claim they were of the opposite sex but thought they could make it through a medical?! I suppose it must be a sign of commitment, or desperation, but I just can't believe it's 3 this year!

I would hazard a guess that the good doctor's tongue was firmly in his cheek when he gave that statistic

I had my medical today... nothing really to report

I was first slot of the day, so there was no real waiting around of any length; I filled in the paperwork while waiting, and they copied my passport and embassy letter etc, and then went in to see a lovely woman doctor (can't remember her name though I did see it; she was very attractive with dark skin and hair)... very professional and straightforward; we had a brief chat about the various things on my form, and a few random bits and pieces, then the physical, which she said was more an 'inspection' of the body: eye exam, then I had to undress from the waist up, and she did the gender check, as stated above, and a breast check, looked at all my limbs ('no prosthetics' she said) then gave me a gown and had me lie down, first for a blood pressure check and then for the blood sample... I told her that I've fainted giving blood before, which I have; I'm not scared of it, but still just don't seem to cope with it all that well, but she was great with that, and had me talking the whole time, and kept me lying there for a couple of minutes, still asking me random questions while she went across to her desk to write up whatever she was writing up
so no fainting THIS time

then down the hall with all my stuff, still clothed from the waist down and in my gown from the waist up; a five minute wait in another waiting room, and then the x-ray guy came along; very jovial man, and friendly; asked me to put my hair up on the top of my head and take my necklace off; everything else could stay on... he inspected the first x-ray, chatting the whole time, and decided to do a second one because the edges were pale; after the second one I was free to go

£170 later I was outside; the whole thing probably took just over an hour

Had my medical at Bentinck Mansions on Tuesday 12th March.

Bentinck Street is fairly easy to find and about a 5 minute walk from Bond Street Tube station. As you leave the tube station and come out onto Oxford Street make sure that Selfridge's is on the same side of the road and to your left then walk down Oxford Street away from it until you reach Marylebone Lane. You can then follow Marylebone Lane all the way to Bentinck Street. You will cross over Wigmore Street before reaching Bentinck Street. Bentinck Mansions is the first large building on your right. Press the bell for Flat 4 and the door is opened.

Inside you will find two windows, at the second window the lady took my passport, vaccination records, one US size photograph and the questionnaire that came with packet 3. She will not ask for payment until the medical is done.

In the waiting room you will fill out a second questionnaire and sign off an HIV test consent form. The questionnaire is, as reported, much like the first one you filled out but slightly different wording in places. When complete hand this back to the office staff and await the doctor or x-ray technician to call your name.

I was called first for X-ray. He was, as reported, very jovial and made me feel completely at ease. I had to strip off the top half of my clothing including bra and necklace and put on a gown. He took the X-ray and guided me into a waiting area where the doctor would come and collect me. I waited around 20 minutes here before the nice Irish doctor came to collect me.

The Doctor asked me to take a seat and went through the questionnaire with me and asked some further questions. If you tick any of the boxes (except for the smoking one) ensure you have a supporting letter from your GP which refers to your medical records, treatment and prognosis. This way you will avoid any delays in medical clearance and possible referral to an independent specialist.

I was told I would need more evidence for a period of depression that occurred over 4 years ago. Unfortunately my medical records had been in transit between two surgeries for a couple of months and my GP was unable to give factual evidence of treatment in the letter she had written for me or given an assurance that the depression would not return. I was told at this stage that this would delay my medical results and if an unsatisfactory response was received by my GP then I would need to have a psychiatric evaluation. I said 'ok' and asked a few calm questions to ensure that I knew exactly what was required. He assured me that this would not stop me from getting the visa but that it would just mean more time waiting. The US government want everything to be black and white. He was very kind to me about it and although it was difficult to hide my disappointment I made sure I kept calm throughout.

Next the physical examination. He asked me to lie down on the bed and he checked my ankles and stomach. He then asked me to sit up whilst he listened to my chest, heart and took my blood pressure. He then made a bit of small talk with me about how J and I met, where I would be living, the weather etc. whilst taking a blood sample. After the blood was taken he asked me to get dressed behind the curtain and he continued to chat to me whilst he filled out the remaining paperwork. He asked me if I'd had chicken pox and ticked the medical exemption section for varicella on the vaccination record. He reassured me again about the evidence required and told me not to worry then asked me to wait outside in the waiting room.

Out in the waiting room I realised he hadn't checked down my pants and felt pleased that I had got away with that part of the medical. After about 5 minutes he came back out to see me with a letter for my GP and he gave me a reassuring wink as he passed it over. I then paid my £170, received my vaccination record and left the surgery.

My GP got really involved at this stage and I discovered after my interview at the embassy yesterday that the Senior Doctor at Bentinck Mansions had signed me off on Thursday night and that my medical clearance would arrive at the embassy on Monday. Phew!

Hope this helps anyone awaiting a medical. Make sure you have a letter from your GP explaining any periods of illness that are covered on the medical questionnaire, treatment received and prognosis. Make sure it is completely black and white!

Thanks so much to all for the invaluabe advice & info in this thread

I am a LONG way off from my medical, but Im worried as I do have a few medical conditions. Do we get a copy of the medical questionnaire in advance (packet 3?) or is it just presented on the day? I want to make sure I have the correct medical evidence from my GP.

Apologies for my ignorance, I just want to make sure I have everything I need in place.

Yes, you will get a copy of the medical questionnaire in your packet 3, which you need to fill in before your medical. That is one of the first things they will ask for when you get to your appointment

Good luck!

They will also want you to back up anything you tick yes to - for example I had to have a letter from my doctor about my depression I suffered from seven years ago I'll post my med review here as well when I have written it but am sooo tired!!

Ok…

I left the pub opposite Bentick Mansions where I had been sat for a pint with my mum beforehand. I was really nervous because even though I knew what to expect… well, this time it was happening to me. My appointment was for 3:10pm.

I noticed that it said Knightsbridge doctors was on the 4th floor, so I walked in expecting to go upstairs – I apparently was already on the 4th floor though as it was right in front of me! I walked up to the reception window where a young but grumpy-looking receptionist greeted me with something along the lines of:

“Have you got your passport, photo, questionnaire, vaccination records…”

I dutifully handed it all over to her and she told me she would return it to me shortly and that I was to wait in the waiting room around the corner to the right.

I wandered around to the waiting room – there were a few other people in there as well but they were all sat separately and quietly. I just sat down nervously, wondering how long it was all going to take. The room was a typical old high-ceilinged affair with cream walls and white coving and details. The lead windows had a design in lead on them and I noticed one of them was slightly different to all the others for no apparent reason. I was that bored (read “scared” and trying to take my mind off of things!”).

The receptionist popped her head over the counter that opened out into the waiting room and handed me back my passport and gave me a clipboard with another medical questionnaire. It was pretty similar to the one you have to fill in beforehand but the print is smaller and it seemed a bit more confusing. I was petrified I was going to tick the wrong thing and be quarantined – truthfully though it was prolly just the nerves.

I ticked all the relevant boxes and left it on the reception desk in the waiting room.

A little while longer passes and I notice the trailing wire next to a radiator, the pile of magazines that no-one appeared to be reading. At this point I had seen a jovial male doctor wandering around and so I was surprised when a female nurse called my name.

She led me into a little room and talked to me about my vaccinations. Apparently I needed three – I knew one of them was HPV (don’t we all!?) and she wanted to know where and when I was going to get them done – as a K-1 applicant I didn’t need them for the visa, but I needed them to adjust status. I told her I was going to have HPV done in the US as it was much cheaper and we proceeded to discuss the pointlessness of having a vaccine such as HPV for the particular visa I was applying for – especially at the age of 26!!! Nevertheless, it still has to be done eventually… I asked what the other two vaccines I needed were and she advised me that I needed tetanus, diphtheria and polio (I pointed out the vaccination record she had missed – I actually had them done a couple of months ago so she scribbled that out!). She also told me that I needed an MMR booster… apparently because I had it over ten years ago the mumps part needed to be updated… or something… I didn’t really understand it but nodded and smiled and dutifully said I would get it done at my GP where it was free.

Job done. She signed off my vacs, handed me the sheet and explained I would need it for AOS and pointed me in the direction of the jovial doctor.

I went into his room and he was really friendly. Middle-aged, chatty and approachable he explained briefly what he was going to do along with anecdotes of people he had met and worked with and patients that were in different situations (all the while maintaining anonymity and being professional ). He explained that I needed to remove my necklace, bra, top and jumper and tie my hair up. This is when he started looking for his “elastic band things… I know I saw them earlier. Do you have something to tie your hair up with?” I said that I probably did and said I would look in my handbag. He dashed up the corridor just as I dug out my hairband so I called him back. I stripped to the waist and put on a soft blue cotton gown – a bit like a lightweight bathrobe in style.

The doctor had me rest my chin on top of a metal device that held a metal plate up. I had to squash against the plate, push my shoulders forward so they were touching the plate as well and put my hands behind my back to hold… something… It was squashy if that helps He had me breathe in and out while he took the x-ray and that was it! I was then told to grab my things but remain robed and taken to wait in another waiting room.

The doctor came and sat with me and we had a chat about bits and pieces (his story about Nigel Mansell was pretty funny ) and then another, female doctor came in.

Dr Sayed was a youngish Asian lady. I quickly learned that she had a different approach to her job to the other doctor and so joking and laughing didn’t really come into it. She was nice but abrupt and matter-of-fact. Word of advice – if you get her, just tell it like it is and don’t bother to elaborate unless she asks (sounds like Immigration Officers ) as it appears to fall on deaf ears and I was left just feeling a little stupid…

She asked me a bunch of questions, particularly about the depression I suffered seven years ago then noticed my hand. The previous night my cat had decided that she would really like to play with my hand and so I had about 6 scratches going across the back of my wrist. I had said to my mum earlier that I *knew* something was going to be mentioned… so she asked me what they were and I told her that my cat had scratched me the previous night. Then she started asking me if I had ever had any history of self harm, ever tried to commit suicide and asked me to roll up my sleeves so she could check for scars from self-harming… She didn’t find any

She then went into a long lecture about depression and how it isn’t always depression, it is just not coping well with a difficult situation etc… Fine. I was asked to go over to the bed and she came to examine me… yay – I was really looking forward to this – not. I was asked to remove my robe so she could look at my breasts. I have acne on my face, back and chest so I was quite self conscious and she picked up that I scratch and told me off about that too – I can’t say I wasn’t expecting that Then she asked me to pull down my jeans. So I did. Then she asked me to pull down my pants as well *cringe* so I did. She obviously decided that I was a girl as she told me to get dressed then lie down on the bed.

I got dressed (thankfully) and laid on the bed. She came back over and listened to my chest and said:

Her: You are aware you have a heart condition, aren’t you?
Me: Umm, no?
Her: Yes – you have a heart murmur.
Me: Oh. Right… What does that mean then?

She tells me she thinks I have had it for quite a while and that if it hasn’t caused me any problems so far then I should be fine but it was something to consider. At least I got something for my £180!!!

(NB: If anyone is interested, Lily Allen also has a heart murmur)

She checked inside my mouth and then took my blood. Ouch. It stung a bit as the needle went in but it wasn’t anything worse than I was expecting. She finished and put some cotton wool on my arm and held it there tightly for a while before asking me to take over, which I do.

She potters around before coming back to me, informs me that I haven’t been pressing hard enough and that it was a really big needle and that it was in a pulmonary vein or something and that it will bruise really badly. She then proceeded to tourniquet my arm!!!

Eventually, she was satisfied that I wasn’t going to bleed out and instructed me to not carry anything with my right arm and that I need to keep pressing on it. I nodded, smiled and was dismissed after she told me that everything was fine, obviously pending blood test results.

That was it! I went back out to the reception and paid my £180 using my maestro card and went on my merry way!!

Excellent review Jeraly!

I was reading that laughing and nodding my head.. I had the Asian doctor too... She is most certainly VERY direct...

She refused to take blood from my arm because apparently I had scarring (She made me feel like I had been shooting up for the last 10 years!) She examined my arm for bloomin ages and then decided to take blood from my hand! She made me sit clutching it that hard that it hurt cos she was worried about bruising! Didn't get the tourniquet though... She was skeeeeery, so I didn't dare not do what she said

I am sooo glad it wasn't just me!! I was so scared!! She kept telling me off about everything - when she said everything was fine I was like "what about all the billion and one things you just told me are cr@p??!?"

Very scary lady indeed.

OMG that sounds pretty crazy...first I don´t like people that are so ignorant that they don´t even listen to you and then leave you feel stupid cuz it´s them who should feel stupid in the first place....and second...why do they wanna see your bits and pieces? I mean at my medical, the furthest I had to go was down to my underwear.
I had to go early in the morning cuz only that way I could get the test results back in the afternoon...if my appointment was in the afternoon I´d have to come back another day for the results...

man, that is so similar to my experience with her too

I was pressing so hard on the damn vein my fingers were going white but that still wasn't enough for her... she told me I would bruise too, and I DO bruise easily (very pale, almost translucent skin in places) but I never got a mark after that

gad, she must just run through her script every time... I bet it gets boring

Yeah - my arm aches a bit but no bruise... prolly hurts because of pressing so hard

The Asian doctor is scary!!

She gave me a right telling off for my small beer belly!!

Then she started questioning me about my cleft, and how other people with a cleft palate tend to feel sorry for themselves more than most.

I thought she had something against me, until she asked me about my job. I work for m&s, after that we were the best of pals.

So they ask about Depression and stress?

It's on the medical form - it will have a list of the things they want to know about on there - anything you tick yes to other than smoking requires additional information from your doctor I know depression is on there but not sure about stress - I just got my doctor to write a letter saying I was ok now.

My medical experience today........

Well, firstly my SO called and woke me up at 5am to make sure I had allowed myself enough time to get to London - and when I was all ready I drove to Newark train station to catch a 7am train to London. I arrived at Kings Cross at 8.35am (yep it was a fast train) and set about tackling the London Underground. I've been to London twice in my life before and I haven't liked it either time. I guess me and public transport are just not the best of buddies...

Anyway - I made it to the medical at 9.20am, and my appointment wasn't until 10.10am but they let me in, took my documents and passport and gave me another questionaire to fill out while I waited. (I'd already handed the one back that came with packet 3).

From there it was simple. They did my chest x-ray and I had a nice male doctor who was really cheerful and happy so we chatted a little and I asked him what they were looking for on the x-rays. He told me it was to identify possible cases of Tuberculosis, and that since i'd had the injection against it I shouldn't worry, I was unlikely to have a problem. He then sent me to another waiting room where I waited for about 20 minutes for a young lady doctor, (blonde with a foreign name) to call me through for the blood test and physical. She ran through the questions on the form, then reconfirmed that I was happy to have an HIV test done and if I had any concerns about it. I said no, that I was a blood donor and that I wasn't in the least concerned about the results. She smiled and said that was good. She then took my height and weight, checked my eye sight and told me to lay down on the bed. I was wearing just a gown at this point and she took my blood pressure, pulse and then listened to my chest. She did a breast exam, pressed around my abdomen and then peeked down my underwear (not sure what she was looking for really!! LOL)

She then asked me about the surgery I had done last year for an ovarian cyst removal - but I had taken all copies of hospital documents, discharge papers and follow up appointment letters confirming I was all clear. She said everything appeared fine, told me I could get dressed and said that the results would go to the embassy in 4 days, but that unless I heard anything from them, then I should assume everything was fine.

Other than the travelling to London - the whole thing was very easy.......

Ok all.. here's Kris' 'review' for his medical today... not much but he tends to keep things um.. tightlipped LOL

Basic rundown, I got to London about 2 hours early, parked up and went for drink near to the clinic. Headed into the office about 30 minutes before my appointment, figuring, if theres any paperwork, I can get that out the way. They took all my documents and my passport, and then I sat down. They photocopied what they needed to and gave me a questionnaire to fill in. Once that was done, I was called for my chest x-ray...they asked if I had any problems, which I said I didn't, and that was done. Back to the waiting area. Then I was called by the doctor who took me in her room. Talked about the depression...about why I was off so long and if I'd ever taken any medication for it, or was referred to the counselor by the GP. When I'd given my answers, she said everything was ok and as far as they were concerned it wasn't classed as major depression and I didn't need to worry about it. Shoes and socks off, measure height and weight and then I had to strip and lay down. She checked my breathing and such, stuck me with another needle for my blood test and I was then allowed to get dressed. Paid and that was it. The whole thing easily took less than an hour.

So.. he was happy (save getting another jab with a needle) and all should be green for the interview.

Great wee pub isn't it? I got hammered there afterwards ... lol.

R

Hi all. Just got back from London. Glyn had his medical today at Bentinck Mansions. His appointment was for 3:10 and of course since I am paranoid about being late we ended up sitting across the street at the pub for an hour with diet coke in hand. Finally went over at about 14:45 and they let us right in. Gave us the forms to fill in. Glyn was called in after about 10 min. Had his chest x-ray. Sent into another waiting room. About 15 minutes later the male doctor whom Glyn thinks may be Irish came and got him. Not even 30 minutes later he was done. No problems. Asked about his anxiety and said that he would put on his record that he has General Anxiety Disorder and not to worry about it (we had a note from his GP).He needed no jabs as he had them at his GP yesterday. All in all it went well, but it was a long day. We got off the tube at Oxford Circus and missed the turn for Marlybone Lane. If I had my way, we would have still been walking down Oxford Street. Good thing Glyn is better with directions than me and I have promised to leave the navigating to him from now on.
Very hot and sticky now so we feel yucky and are both going to go have something cool to drink.

Thought I should add my medical review before I forgot all about it.

The few notable things about my medical were;

When I arrived I was a little bit late, so I was delighted to find the office is not as advertised on the outside, on the 4th floor, it was on the ground floor. I had forgotton to fill in my questionaire, I just took it to the waiting room, and handed in to them when I was finished. Shortly after I had to fill another one in, with mostly similar questions on it. Also had to sign that it was ok for them to test my blood for HIV.

Was called in to the nurse next. Handed over my booklet with my vaccinations. She told me that I had some outstanding, and I told her I was scheduled to have them that afternoon. She seemed happy enough with that, and I was sent to a second waiting room to wait for the doctor.

The Doctor was a youngish Irish guy. He seemed nice enough. He chatted throughout the medical, asked about where I was going etc. I was weighed, height measured, he ran through the questions on the forms I filled out. No history of any disease, ever been in hospital, smoked, done drugs etc. He asked my to sit on the exam bed. I was wondering when I had to take my top off and whether there would be a chaperone, but no. Checked my breathing, lay down, had to undo my jeans button for some kind of test, but never got the 'knickers check'. I suppose the guy thought that a nice Irish girl like me wouldn't lie about that!!!

Back to the second waiting room for a bit, and off to the chest xray guy. He put me behind a screen and I stripped to my waist and put on a gown. Stood in a funny postition and had the chest xray. The guy was chatting on all the time, in what sounded like a well rehearsed bit of chatter. Waited for a few minutes while he got the xray processed. He came in and had a look at it. Decided everything was fine, and I could get dressed.

Went back to the receptionists to pay, meanwhile I hear the xray guy repeat his entire spiel to another person. I put my credit card further in to the red, and left the building.

ooh. that xray guy. lol

if he's the same middle aged-ish kind that did mine he went one better with me.

as i've been somewhat overly blessed in the breast department he had to redo my xray. he then proceeded to tell me that his wife was a 38dd.

all i could say was ''really'' that must be nice for you.

oh and by the way the whole experience cost me, for my son and myself £270

and also meant that i had to force myself to not go into any of the shops i passed on the way making mental notes of what i wanted to buy.

lol!

Hi all

I had my medical at Bentick Mansions today. The X-ray guy is lovely, he really puts you at ease.

I had to have the HPV; the nurse told me all about it, and she was equally nice. That was first, after the form filling. I only waited about 15 minutes.

Then they move you to a smaller waiting room, where I waited for 3/4 minutes...

I had a female doctor, and she was really nice;she admired my wedding ring, said it was gorgeous (thanks to my hubby!)

She asked me some q's, but I have a clean bill of health,so was pretty straightforward. She did the checks which was fine and she didn't make me feel uncomfortable, even though I naturally was a tad, just because, but best to go to your happy place for that 3-4 minutes and it's all over! Took some blood, height and weight measurements, then waiting room.

The cheery xray guy did his bit, and told me all about some of the strange people he's met who are going to LA - he said I seemed quite normal, and hoped I would fit in. I also got to see my chest x-rays, which was sightly eery, but it looked like what I remember in biology, so i'm ok with it

Its the same as everyone else, so i won't go into much detail, and it only took less than 1 hour.

It all cost me £300, which was slightly painful, but whatever, I just want it done with! Roll on interview next thursday.

Just wanted to say I'm so glad I read all your posts before I went; it helped with the orientation and made me more at ease...wonder what those who have not discovered VJ do to calm themselves? Maybe the pub across the road has something to do with it

Hey

Just got back from my medical at Bentinck Mansions - really wasn't looking forward to it as I have a 'thing' about needles and doctors in general. Anyway, I walked in and had to hand over my passport, a photo and the medical questionnaire. I then sat in the waiting room and was asked to fill in another questionnaire about previous illnesses, and had to sign a consent form for the HIV test.

I was then seen by a nurse who said I needed two vaccinations but could have them done at my GP or in the US when I adjust status. I knew I would get stabbed in a few minutes with the blood test needle, so I decided to get them out of the way right there and then. I warned the nurse that I have been known to pass out after receiving injections in the past, she was fine with that and simply moved me to another room and had me lie down whilst giving me the injections.

Afterwards (no passing out this time), I then had my X-Ray taken and went back to the waiting room. The X-Ray lady then came back and said she needed to do it again as the plate she used wasn't big enough and didn't include the whole of my chest (not sure if that means I am fatter than she initially thought!).

After that, I was seen by the Irish doctor - he really puts you at ease, which was good as I think that perhaps for the first time ever I was able to give a blood pressure reading that wasn't influenced by anxiety! I was measured, weighed, had my ears and eyes looked into, had my chest and heart listened to, was poked and prodded and he took a quick visual 'down below'. He took the blood which was absolutely painless; I had worked myself up over nothing.

That was about it - all in all I guess I was done in around an hour.

- Martin