Medical exam issue/vent

[Holliday 4]

So I went for my medical exam yesterday in Montreal. It wasn't a whole lot of fun. Perhaps I'll write up a proper review later, but for now I'll just try to stick to some of the stuff relevant to what the problem is. This is still going to be kinda lengthy, and I apologize for that, but I'm just a little freaked out right now and could use some reassurance or advice or something.

I guess for anyone who doesn't want to read the novel below (and I don't blame you!), it all boils down to 2 questions that I have: 1. Any idea if a blood pressure reading of 148/88 could cause a problem for me with approval at the interview? 2. Any idea why Medisys needs a letter from my doctor stating that I'm being "treated" for ADD with amphetamines?

If anyone has any similar experiences or advice to share, I would really appreciate it!

Now for the back story...

It all started out okay (relatively speaking), except I was a big old nervous wreck, because well... that's just how I roll when it comes to medical stuff, I guess. And I was especially stressed out because this exam is such a big deal. The first time I had my blood pressure taken, the nurse was pretty surprised (I don't know what the reading was, but I guess it was pretty bad) and asked if I was nervous/stressed, to which I replied "YES!!" So she said she wouldn't record those results on my form and she attached a note to the paper to request that the doctor try again later. I tried to relax, but no dice, I guess.

Later on when I was in the room with the doctor for the actual medical exam part, she asked why my blood pressure wasn't recorded, and I said "there should be a note there. The lady wanted you to take it because it was pretty high because I'm nervous." So the doctor said (nicely) that I'm going to have to relax because they need a good reading, so I said I'd try. She then said that she'd have another nurse try again after, because usually people have worse results with the actual doctor. I guess she changed her mind after the physical exam and she tried the blood pressure again... It was 160/90! Yikes! I swear I was trying to relax, but I guess I suck at it. Especially when someone tells me that I have to relax. So she told me that she was going to send me back to sit in the waiting room and chill, and even nap if I have to, and that I NEED to calm down and then a nurse would call me back in a while and try again using a different type of cuff. She also said that if I don't get a better reading, she'd have to call my family doctor and I'd have to go on blood pressure medication, or something to that effect. I wasn't too concerned about that, because I know that my blood pressure is always higher than it should be, but it's never been THAT high before, and my family doctor monitors it pretty closely and feels that although it's consistently high for someone my age, it's not severe enough to warrant trying to correct it with drugs.

So I went back to the waiting room, and tried to continue to relax. Maybe 15 minutes later, a nurse called me back to try again, using the same type of cuff, but she checked my left arm rather than my right arm. It had dropped down to 148/88, and she said that's better, and it's fine, and to go back to the waiting room and a receptionist will let me know if they need anything else from me. About 10 minutes later, the receptionist called me up and said I was good to go. So I went.

Oh, but we're not done yet. Blah. This morning I got a call from someone at Medisys saying that they need a letter from my doctor saying that she's treating me for ADD (the only "medical" condition I have...) and detailing what drugs I take for it. That's not good news, since my doctor is on holidays for most of the month of August. I do have a letter from her saying that I "have a history of ADD and depression, but have been free of symptoms of depression and stable for at least 6 years" (I grew out of it, luckily) and I "currently only require medication for ADD". To be honest, I'm a little uncomfortable divulging personal details like that on a message board, but perhaps it's relevant to my situation, so there it is. I told the lady from Medysis that my doctor is away so I won't be able to get a letter detailing my prescriptions, and I told her about the letter that I DO have, and she said that is insufficient because it doesn't name the drug I'm on. So I said my family doctor occasionally has given me my prescription for ADD, so perhaps I could get a letter from her instead? The lady from Medisys said that along with the other letter should probably be okay. Of course when I called my family doctor's office, I learned that she's on vacation too! There goes that plan. Bah! So now I'm all freaked out and confused about why this is even necessary, considering yesterday when I was talking to the Medisys doctor, she asked what medication I'm on and I told her and I offered to show it to her, but she said she didn't need to see it. So what's going on then? Eventually I got back in touch with the lady from Medisys and told her that both doctors are on vacation and asked what on earth can I do to give them what I need? Can I fax a copy of my prescription history and some receipts from the pharmacy that show the doctor's name? She said no, and instructed me to fax the letter I already have to her, and that will be fine. Ugh. Will it really be fine? Why wasn't it fine 3 hours earlier? What the heck is going on here?

Anyway, I guess that's my vent. I'm pretty concerned now that I'm going to have trouble at my interview because of the blood pressure issue, and because of this issue with my medications now. For the record, the drug that I'm on doesn't have impact on blood pressure at all, so I don't think my two issues here are related. It's really frustrating, because the doctor yesterday didn't want to look at my prescription bottle, and it was a non-issue to her. What changed? Has anyone heard of similar experiences? Am I freaking out over nothing? Thanks in advance! And again, sorry for the novel.

[Wis-Can 0]

So I went for my medical exam yesterday in Montreal. It wasn't a whole lot of fun. Perhaps I'll write up a proper review later, but for now I'll just try to stick to some of the stuff relevant to what the problem is. This is still going to be kinda lengthy, and I apologize for that, but I'm just a little freaked out right now and could use some reassurance or advice or something.

I guess for anyone who doesn't want to read the novel below (and I don't blame you!), it all boils down to 2 questions that I have: 1. Any idea if a blood pressure reading of 148/88 could cause a problem for me with approval at the interview? 2. Any idea why Medisys needs a letter from my doctor stating that I'm being "treated" for ADD with amphetamines?

If anyone has any similar experiences or advice to share, I would really appreciate it!

Now for the back story...

It all started out okay (relatively speaking), except I was a big old nervous wreck, because well... that's just how I roll when it comes to medical stuff, I guess. And I was especially stressed out because this exam is such a big deal. The first time I had my blood pressure taken, the nurse was pretty surprised (I don't know what the reading was, but I guess it was pretty bad) and asked if I was nervous/stressed, to which I replied "YES!!" So she said she wouldn't record those results on my form and she attached a note to the paper to request that the doctor try again later. I tried to relax, but no dice, I guess.

Later on when I was in the room with the doctor for the actual medical exam part, she asked why my blood pressure wasn't recorded, and I said "there should be a note there. The lady wanted you to take it because it was pretty high because I'm nervous." So the doctor said (nicely) that I'm going to have to relax because they need a good reading, so I said I'd try. She then said that she'd have another nurse try again after, because usually people have worse results with the actual doctor. I guess she changed her mind after the physical exam and she tried the blood pressure again... It was 160/90! Yikes! I swear I was trying to relax, but I guess I suck at it. Especially when someone tells me that I have to relax. So she told me that she was going to send me back to sit in the waiting room and chill, and even nap if I have to, and that I NEED to calm down and then a nurse would call me back in a while and try again using a different type of cuff. She also said that if I don't get a better reading, she'd have to call my family doctor and I'd have to go on blood pressure medication, or something to that effect. I wasn't too concerned about that, because I know that my blood pressure is always higher than it should be, but it's never been THAT high before, and my family doctor monitors it pretty closely and feels that although it's consistently high for someone my age, it's not severe enough to warrant trying to correct it with drugs.

So I went back to the waiting room, and tried to continue to relax. Maybe 15 minutes later, a nurse called me back to try again, using the same type of cuff, but she checked my left arm rather than my right arm. It had dropped down to 148/88, and she said that's better, and it's fine, and to go back to the waiting room and a receptionist will let me know if they need anything else from me. About 10 minutes later, the receptionist called me up and said I was good to go. So I went.

Oh, but we're not done yet. Blah. This morning I got a call from someone at Medisys saying that they need a letter from my doctor saying that she's treating me for ADD (the only "medical" condition I have...) and detailing what drugs I take for it. That's not good news, since my doctor is on holidays for most of the month of August. I do have a letter from her saying that I "have a history of ADD and depression, but have been free of symptoms of depression and stable for at least 6 years" (I grew out of it, luckily) and I "currently only require medication for ADD". To be honest, I'm a little uncomfortable divulging personal details like that on a message board, but perhaps it's relevant to my situation, so there it is. I told the lady from Medysis that my doctor is away so I won't be able to get a letter detailing my prescriptions, and I told her about the letter that I DO have, and she said that is insufficient because it doesn't name the drug I'm on. So I said my family doctor occasionally has given me my prescription for ADD, so perhaps I could get a letter from her instead? The lady from Medisys said that along with the other letter should probably be okay. Of course when I called my family doctor's office, I learned that she's on vacation too! There goes that plan. Bah! So now I'm all freaked out and confused about why this is even necessary, considering yesterday when I was talking to the Medisys doctor, she asked what medication I'm on and I told her and I offered to show it to her, but she said she didn't need to see it. So what's going on then? Eventually I got back in touch with the lady from Medisys and told her that both doctors are on vacation and asked what on earth can I do to give them what I need? Can I fax a copy of my prescription history and some receipts from the pharmacy that show the doctor's name? She said no, and instructed me to fax the letter I already have to her, and that will be fine. Ugh. Will it really be fine? Why wasn't it fine 3 hours earlier? What the heck is going on here?

Anyway, I guess that's my vent. I'm pretty concerned now that I'm going to have trouble at my interview because of the blood pressure issue, and because of this issue with my medications now. For the record, the drug that I'm on doesn't have impact on blood pressure at all, so I don't think my two issues here are related. It's really frustrating, because the doctor yesterday didn't want to look at my prescription bottle, and it was a non-issue to her. What changed? Has anyone heard of similar experiences? Am I freaking out over nothing? Thanks in advance! And again, sorry for the novel.

[Wis-Can 0]

I have blood pressure issues, three different meds a day. I never have a normal reading...except the day I went for my medical which was hilarious!! I don't think he took it right cause and hour later I took it at a drug store across from the hotel and I got my normal "high" reading. I took a letter from my doctor stating my medical conditions and what meds I took, and they didn't even want to look at them. I went to Medisys too. Your reading is not that bad, mild hypertension I think you would call it. But something worth following up on. You should never fool around with it. It could have probably been that fact that you were worked up. It definately reflects in your reading. My doctor always has me sit for a few minutes before taking mine, then 10 minutes later takes it again. Always gets a different reading. I can't imagine it being enough to stop your visa. Best of luck.

[mikey78 6]

Neither ADD nor high-blood pressure can make you inadmissable...you should be fine! relax and take care of that blood pressure

[SapphireDreams 71]

I agree with the above poster. It will not make you inadmissable!

At my medical they found a slight heart murmur... she must've noted something because the interviewer asked if I had health insurance when I moved. So make sure you have health insurance in case they ask!

I went to my Dr. to check about the heart murmur and I don't have one, so I'm not sure why they seemed to have heard one... oh well..

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I have a diabetes, a chronic medical condition as well, and it wasn't a problem.

I am wondering if perhaps they asked about the prescription or medication in case the medicine showed up in your bloodstream and they just wanted to account for its presence. The fact that you have the letter stating you are on the medication should be fine. If either of your doctors are back before you have your interview perhaps you can get that letter from one of them then identifying the medication, as well as bringing your prescription bottle/information with you to the interview. That way, if on the very off chance the matter does come up at the interview, you have additional information for them that supports your position. Good luck and try not to worry. You should be fine.

[Carlawarla 1]

Neither of your medical conditions make you inadmissible, so please...take a deep breath and relax. Your BP is very high. No doubt about it, even after your 15 minute wait, it was still really high. While it won't make you inadmissible, you should have it checked out. There might be a notation on your medical for you to follow up on it in the U.S.

One thing I don't understand, is why your Doctor's office, whether he's on vacation or not, can't write a letter with their letterhead detailing what medication you're on if that's all they need. Is there another Dr. in the same office that could write a letter from information from your file? I can understand that if the Dr. is away, no one who is not a Dr. might not want to write the letter, but it could be prepared, and another Dr. could sign it, if that is all the information that they want. Check that out.

Barring that, the only thing I think you can do, is to get your Dr. to write that letter up as soon as he/she is back from vacation. If he/she isn't back before your interview, then if that is the only thing holding things up, you're just going to have to send in the letter after your interview. It might delay getting your visa by a week or two, but better to know this now, than at the interview.

This couldn't have come at a worse time. I am glad they found out about the high BP though.

I'm still hoping you can have this worked out before your interview.

Edited August 5, 2009 by Carlawarla

[SomberCat 0]

As others have said, neither of those issue would make you inadmissable. You'll definitely want to follow up on the BP reading though. They should have done what my doctor does when mine is high - turn out the lights, lay down on the table and chill for five minutes with your eyes closed. It usually does the trick for me. Don't sweat it babe. We're going to be standing in line outside of the embassy together two weeks from today and all will go well. If your BP is through the roof while we're in line, I'll just dump some cold water on you.

[carslo 0]

I believe it stated in the information from Woking Clinic in Vancouver that you needed to have a Dr's letter with any medication that you take recorded on it present at the medical. It appears they are only asking for what you were already required to take. I only use an inhaler sometimes after I have a cold to prevent asthma. My personal physican said, "if they ask for it you need to have a letter from me to document the medication," she wrote my 2 meds upon a RX pad and charged me $60.00 for it - sadly.

Please try not too worry - get a letter from the dr and get your elevated BP looked at.

Janet

[Hugglebuggles 60]

When I went for my medical I was rather nervous as well and he commented that my blood pressure was extremely high. I believe it was 155/90. I calmed down a little and they took it again and said it was still high but lower, but still high. He said it that they would just attribute it to anxiety and that I should ask my family doctor about it. I never did, I know I don't have high blood pressure... I'm 21 and have no symptoms, I was just a nervous wreck. Anyways, it never caused any issues for me, so I don't believe the blood pressure issue will even come up.

As far as the ADD goes, it doesn't make you inadmissible, like the others said. Getting a note from your doctor will be annoying and take some time, but after that you will be good to go! I was missing a shot and had to wait over a week to get it from my doctor, then she faxed confirmation to Seiden and I received my medical results the next day.

[Holliday 4]

Thanks so much for all of the feedback, suggestions, reassurance, etc. I truly do appreciate it. It has eased my nerves a bit. I was just really concerned that I'd be in for a nasty surprise at the interview and find out that I'm inadmissible.

I haven't heard anything back from Medisys to say that the letter I faxed them was not acceptable, so I assume that is good news. I'll give them a call tomorrow to see if the results are ready or if they need still need something else for me. I'm still confused why they didn't ask for it when I was actually at the medical and had it, along with my prescription bottle, but I suppose there's no point wondering about that.

My plan of action will be to try to get an appointment with my family doctor for the day before my interview (cutting it close, I know, but I think it's the best I can do!) and get a letter detailing the prescription I'm on, and maybe also get her to write down my usual blood pressure results from the last little while to show that it's not normally that high. I'll bring all that to the interview along with proof that I'm already covered under my husband's health insurance, and just hope for the best.

Anyway, thanks again guys!

[JillA 2]

When I went for my medical I was rather nervous as well and he commented that my blood pressure was extremely high. I believe it was 155/90. I calmed down a little and they took it again and said it was still high but lower, but still high. He said it that they would just attribute it to anxiety and that I should ask my family doctor about it. I never did, I know I don't have high blood pressure... I'm 21 and have no symptoms, I was just a nervous wreck. Anyways, it never caused any issues for me, so I don't believe the blood pressure issue will even come up.

As far as the ADD goes, it doesn't make you inadmissible, like the others said. Getting a note from your doctor will be annoying and take some time, but after that you will be good to go! I was missing a shot and had to wait over a week to get it from my doctor, then she faxed confirmation to Seiden and I received my medical results the next day.

Huggles, just so you know, high blood pressure is known as the "silent killer" as there are often NO symptoms... so when you say you have no symptoms, that doesn't mean a thing. I'm not saying you actually have high BP, but your reading at the medical was pretty high even for nerves.

Well as for the BP, I had high BP since age 21. I was on 3 different meds at the time of my medical in Toronto, I had no letter from my doctor. I just wrote down the meds I was on, that's all. It was controlled at that point so the reading was fine. The interviewer DID ask me about it though, he asked why such a young, seemingly healthly lady had high BP. Luckily since moving here and I found a great doctor, I am off all medications and my BP is normal