St. Luke's Results - Flagged for Sputum Test

[six7one 17]

My Fiancee got flagged for the Sputum Test because of the results of her CXR. Naturally, she's pretty bummed and upset but I reminded her that her health is more important and a delay is just that, a delay. We were sort of expecting them to detect the spot as her medical checkup in February first indicated this to us. She's been on medication for PTB since that February checkup. Our hope now is the sputum and culture tests will be negative. Another 8 weeks of waiting sucks, but all we can do is hope and pray for her to be OK.

My advice for anyone required to get the medical exam at St. Luke's: Have your beneficiary get checked for TB (with CXR) well in advance. I didn't come across this tip until the week I got the NOA2. All my Fiancee and I can do now is hope the medication had a chance to do its thing for her health.

I wanted to write this post to remind everyone that the underlying importance here is not the delay in Visa process. The importance here is your partner's health. For me, it's my Fiancee and her daughter. By the way, my future step-daughter passed all tests and got all her immunizations. Mommy and I are happy our girl is fine.

Thank you for all your support and continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Means a lot to us.

[Thomas&Cleofe 358]

That is good advice....but don't do to far in advance because I think the medical is only good for 6 months. I think I will send my wife to the medical exam at St. Lukes as soon as I receive the NOA2.

[kcir-is-love 4]

She just found out on February that she has PTB? Well, great advice though. You're right, a delay is just a delay. Hope all goes well for you!

[CristiFur 15]

Six awee so sorry about that bro, but your right about her health is the most important thing. I hope her results will be negative and continue on with the process.

I had though about that having my Fiance get and advance check up just to be ready but we never got around to it. In February her daughter got sick so she had her do PTB test and thank god her skin test was negative.

Anyways best of luck.

[TeddyHoney 42]

Well, my wife Ritchie and I were in almost the exact same spot last year at this time, that you are in now. Now, I don't know what they will tell you at St. Luke's in your case and I will not speculate on that, but i will tell you what happened to us.

Ritchie and I filed our I-129f petition Oct 2010 and got noa2 in March 2011. I was scheduled to go visit her for the second time in march 2011. But she had come down with a bad cold in early March and was not getting better and she went to see a doctoer and they took CXR and said they could not tell if she had pneumonia or PTB. As a precaution, they started her on some kind of antibiotic first, for one week and then as her cold and caugh cleared up they did a skin test which had positive results and they started her on PTB medication. This was early to mid-March 2011. Though we were disappointed, we thought "oh well, taking the meds can't hurt", because we never thought she had active PTB anyway even though the skin test was positive because one can be exposed to TB and the body fight the virus but leave a scar and you will test positive on the skin test but still not have active TB. Anyway our noa2 came later at the end of March and we scheduled her interview for late May, knowing they would find something on her lung and require the Sputum Test. We figured "Okay we know we will wait 2 months longer". So we expected it. She had her medical exam in early May and of course they did see whatever they saw on her lung and she had to do the 3 day sputum. Oh and BTW her local doctor had referred her to a Pulmonologist that did the CXR and review with her and discussed what they saw in her results which showed she did not have active TB but showed some other things that had very medical names and meanings but basically said she was okay. So St. Luke's said they would cancel her interview (which they never did) and then Ritchie was scheduled to come back for Pulmonary evaluation. In that evaluation Ritchie told the doctoer at St. luke's that she had seen a pulmonologist in March and was put on PTB medication. She presented the documents from her local pulmonologist of her 2 months PTB treatment (so at the time of her medical and Sputum she had been on the PTB meds from her local doctor for approx 2 months). They told her they would not do a culture test because the PTB meds would interfere and that they wanted her to completed the PTB treatment her local doctor had started her on over the next four months only starting immediatley on the DOT at St. Luke's! What a shocker! We thought that the 2 months PTB treatment best case would clear her lung so no scar would show and worst case just be discounted and we would just wait the 2 months culture and be on our way - NOT! Instead of 2 months it was 4 months we waited for her to complete the PTB treatment to equal 6 months and then another 2 after that for the repeat medical after her culture came back negative (had to pay again for second medical exam). So instead of her getting her around May or June as we first thought before she even ahd the pneumonia, then maybe mid-summer we thought after we new she would have to do sputum culture, we ended up having to wait until the end of October 2011 until her Cutlure test came back negative and we rescheduled her interview (after she waited 10 days for evaluation and to get her results in hand!) for the next available date which was December 8, 2011! Everything went fine from there. She finally got here January 4th 2012.

So, again, while your case is so very similar to ours in that your fiancee is on PTB meds for 2 months, that does not mean they will make her continue the PTB treatment at St. Luke's for another 4 months like they did us. But they might so just be prepared as our case is proof that it could happen.

But you are correct in that your fiancee's health as is my wife Ritchie's, is so much more important and no matter how long it takes this is a serious condition and it will have been dealt with and addressed. Frustrating - Yes, but their health is not worth risking just to speed the process along and save a few or even several months. Some have to wait much longer if they do not live near St. Luke's or even on Luzon and cannot stay there in Manila for their DOT,much longer so we are fortunate in that Ritchie did live near Manila.

I hope this helps but it probably didn't because it may be bad news. But I thought it important to let you know about our case because so similar and when Ritchie and I were going through this I never found here in VJ or anywhere a K-1 Phjilippines couple with situation the same as ours with having been on PTB meds for two (or some) months and then medical and then told to complete meds, etc. Your is the first I've seen like ours. So in that respect I hope this at least helps you to be prepared if they might have your fiancee continue and complete the 6 months PTB and then do 2 month sputum culture test.

Oh, and I did end up going to visit the second time but I waited until May between her medical exam and her 3 day sputum I visited her!

God bless to you 3 and I hope you do not have to wait longer like we did.

[six7one 17]

Six awee so sorry about that bro, but your right about her health is the most important thing. I hope her results will be negative and continue on with the process.

I had though about that having my Fiance get and advance check up just to be ready but we never got around to it. In February her daughter got sick so she had her do PTB test and thank god her skin test was negative.

Anyways best of luck.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. Best of luck to you as well in your process.

[six7one 17]

Well, my wife Ritchie and I were in almost the exact same spot last year at this time, that you are in now. Now, I don't know what they will tell you at St. Luke's in your case and I will not speculate on that, but i will tell you what happened to us.

Ritchie and I filed our I-129f petition Oct 2010 and got noa2 in March 2011. I was scheduled to go visit her for the second time in march 2011. But she had come down with a bad cold in early March and was not getting better and she went to see a doctoer and they took CXR and said they could not tell if she had pneumonia or PTB. As a precaution, they started her on some kind of antibiotic first, for one week and then as her cold and caugh cleared up they did a skin test which had positive results and they started her on PTB medication. This was early to mid-March 2011. Though we were disappointed, we thought "oh well, taking the meds can't hurt", because we never thought she had active PTB anyway even though the skin test was positive because one can be exposed to TB and the body fight the virus but leave a scar and you will test positive on the skin test but still not have active TB. Anyway our noa2 came later at the end of March and we scheduled her interview for late May, knowing they would find something on her lung and require the Sputum Test. We figured "Okay we know we will wait 2 months longer". So we expected it. She had her medical exam in early May and of course they did see whatever they saw on her lung and she had to do the 3 day sputum. Oh and BTW her local doctor had referred her to a Pulmonologist that did the CXR and review with her and discussed what they saw in her results which showed she did not have active TB but showed some other things that had very medical names and meanings but basically said she was okay. So St. Luke's said they would cancel her interview (which they never did) and then Ritchie was scheduled to come back for Pulmonary evaluation. In that evaluation Ritchie told the doctoer at St. luke's that she had seen a pulmonologist in March and was put on PTB medication. She presented the documents from her local pulmonologist of her 2 months PTB treatment (so at the time of her medical and Sputum she had been on the PTB meds from her local doctor for approx 2 months). They told her they would not do a culture test because the PTB meds would interfere and that they wanted her to completed the PTB treatment her local doctor had started her on over the next four months only starting immediatley on the DOT at St. Luke's! What a shocker! We thought that the 2 months PTB treatment best case would clear her lung so no scar would show and worst case just be discounted and we would just wait the 2 months culture and be on our way - NOT! Instead of 2 months it was 4 months we waited for her to complete the PTB treatment to equal 6 months and then another 2 after that for the repeat medical after her culture came back negative (had to pay again for second medical exam). So instead of her getting her around May or June as we first thought before she even ahd the pneumonia, then maybe mid-summer we thought after we new she would have to do sputum culture, we ended up having to wait until the end of October 2011 until her Cutlure test came back negative and we rescheduled her interview (after she waited 10 days for evaluation and to get her results in hand!) for the next available date which was December 8, 2011! Everything went fine from there. She finally got here January 4th 2012.

So, again, while your case is so very similar to ours in that your fiancee is on PTB meds for 2 months, that does not mean they will make her continue the PTB treatment at St. Luke's for another 4 months like they did us. But they might so just be prepared as our case is proof that it could happen.

But you are correct in that your fiancee's health as is my wife Ritchie's, is so much more important and no matter how long it takes this is a serious condition and it will have been dealt with and addressed. Frustrating - Yes, but their health is not worth risking just to speed the process along and save a few or even several months. Some have to wait much longer if they do not live near St. Luke's or even on Luzon and cannot stay there in Manila for their DOT,much longer so we are fortunate in that Ritchie did live near Manila.

I hope this helps but it probably didn't because it may be bad news. But I thought it important to let you know about our case because so similar and when Ritchie and I were going through this I never found here in VJ or anywhere a K-1 Phjilippines couple with situation the same as ours with having been on PTB meds for two (or some) months and then medical and then told to complete meds, etc. Your is the first I've seen like ours. So in that respect I hope this at least helps you to be prepared if they might have your fiancee continue and complete the 6 months PTB and then do 2 month sputum culture test.

Oh, and I did end up going to visit the second time but I waited until May between her medical exam and her 3 day sputum I visited her!

God bless to you 3 and I hope you do not have to wait longer like we did.

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. Needless to say, it's not encouraging but we are all at the mercy of the processes and procedures at St. Luke's. We try to stay positive about our situation and will just follow whatever instructions we are given in regard to their PTB guidance. I've told my mahal to be truthful and honest about her treatment if/when asked. Again, its about her health and not about expediting the exam for the sake of rushing to get to an interview. FYI, I just cancelled our scheduled Interview that was supposed to be next week. Instead she will go for the sputum tests next week and we are hoping and praying that they will go in favor of us. At the very least I will be on a short 3.5 hour flight to be with my mahal and step-daughter tonight. I'll be spending next week in Manila (I scheduled being there for the interviews as a just in case she passed). Being with them always brings comfort to my fiancee. This trip will make it my 3rd one week trip this year to be with and that's a great way to establish proof of relationship anyway. Not a wasted trip in my book.

I am in total agreement with limited information about PTB and CXR at SLEC on VJ or anywhere else on the Internet. What I do know is that SLEC experiences vary on the CXR, Sputum/Culture test, and their guidance. What remains the same is that if they see anything in the CXR, you will get the Sputum test. No doubt about that. Indeed you and I have similar situations. Trying to figure out what to do has been quite stressing leading up to the SLEC exam. I'm sure you had the same feelings leading up to it. It's unfortunate that many individuals who don't have access to information will go to SLEC and get their disposition to PTB then and there. What a surprise to walk out of SLEC knowing you've got a spot in your CXR you didn't know existed. At the very least we knew my fiancee would probably be flagged just as your partner experienced. I hope that our our posts here in VJ will at the very least help a few so that they don't go in SLEC blindly and know some of the things to expect.

God Bless us all and again, Thanks.

[TeddyHoney 42]

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. Needless to say, it's not encouraging but we are all at the mercy of the processes and procedures at St. Luke's. We try to stay positive about our situation and will just follow whatever instructions we are given in regard to their PTB guidance. I've told my mahal to be truthful and honest about her treatment if/when asked. Again, its about her health and not about expediting the exam for the sake of rushing to get to an interview. FYI, I just cancelled our scheduled Interview that was supposed to be next week. Instead she will go for the sputum tests next week and we are hoping and praying that they will go in favor of us. At the very least I will be on a short 3.5 hour flight to be with my mahal and step-daughter tonight. I'll be spending next week in Manila (I scheduled being there for the interviews as a just in case she passed). Being with them always brings comfort to my fiancee. This trip will make it my 3rd one week trip this year to be with and that's a great way to establish proof of relationship anyway. Not a wasted trip in my book.

I am in total agreement with limited information about PTB and CXR at SLEC on VJ or anywhere else on the Internet. What I do know is that SLEC experiences vary on the CXR, Sputum/Culture test, and their guidance. What remains the same is that if they see anything in the CXR, you will get the Sputum test. No doubt about that. Indeed you and I have similar situations. Trying to figure out what to do has been quite stressing leading up to the SLEC exam. I'm sure you had the same feelings leading up to it. It's unfortunate that many individuals who don't have access to information will go to SLEC and get their disposition to PTB then and there. What a surprise to walk out of SLEC knowing you've got a spot in your CXR you didn't know existed. At the very least we knew my fiancee would probably be flagged just as your partner experienced. I hope that our our posts here in VJ will at the very least help a few so that they don't go in SLEC blindly and know some of the things to expect.

God Bless us all and again, Thanks.

Thanks and I hope the same about our posts here.