james&nicole

Do we go to where they interview visa applicants? Will they let my wife in if she came along?

What Scott said. I'm not sure about the wife either, in reading the consulate instructions it wasn't clear. I will say it is helpful if you can read upside down. Your file is sometimes annotated as you talk and any info laying around on the desk is fair game in my book. Take in everything you can. Also keep in mind the mindset of the consulate employees. A little social engineering never hurts. You are coming in late in their day, in fact after USC hour some knock off for the day. I heard them talking about where they are going after work. They are just like us at the end of our shift. Sometimes tired, sometimes hungry etc. I'm pretty sure if you have a soul its a tough gig. The decisions they make can really affect lives. I wouldn't want their job. I'm sure some are power trippers, some are just passing time to get to the next pay grade, some just want to be reassigned to Paris. At any rate, if you can get a feel for who they are and how they feel at the time, you will increase you chances of success with your case. IMHO (without consulting urban dictionary I think that means in my humble opinion) If these computer thing catches on I may buy one someday then I'll know all this sh....err....stuff.

I'll know in a couple days what's going on. I'm still going there to talk, but Tuyen still needs a little time to sort things out. At least she's talking to me now.

I screwed up too. She wouldn't open up and tell me what was wrong, so I gave up and didn't push the issue far enough to find out.

Good luck, you are in a tough spot. I wish the best for you two. Just a thought, but it might be good for you to take a step away from her, your family and all of this, take a day to reflect on yourself. What do you want, need, etc. Relationships are thought of as 50-50, but really its more like 100%-100%. Both need total commitments to make it work. Sometimes we can spend so much time working on keeping the technical aspects of the relationship going that we forget the heart and soul of it all. You can build a house but that doesn't make it a home. I'm hoping for the best for you and yours.

Copy that Scott, I was thinking along those lines myself. Figured it would move, I used tuberculosis and tb in the title hoping people who search for the subject would get a hit with either entry. I'm guessing the search function will be the main path to this. It being kind of a niche topic here.

I'm posting this here as I feel it relevant to all K-1 filers. If your significant other has active tb, positive sputum culture or possible active tuberculosis please consider having 'drug susceptibility testing' (DST) done.

DST testing determines which drugs the tb bacteria are resistant to. By the same token it will determine which drugs will work. It is very important to get a jump on the treatment protocol. In our case my fiancee spent one year taking drugs that didn't work. She lost a year of treatment time, gave the tb one extra year to grow and incurred a year of liver damage taking drugs that were ineffective.

If possible talk to you Doctor early and often about getting the DST testing. It won't hurt and could possibly make an important difference in treatment.

If you are currently in treatment please check into it. Treatment is long and difficult. Additionally, I have spoken to folks at the WHO, IOM, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Cho Ray Hospital, two county health agencies in the US and three US Doctors and none of them has mentioned or addressed the behavioral and mental aspects of tb treatment. This is a long term debilitating illness with a potentially fatal outcome. In my opinion the mental and emotional strain on the patients and their families is significant. This appears to be a weak link in the treatment of tb. A strong support group for those involved is essential.

Faith, love , hope, science, drugs, prayer, resolve, courage, etc. Pick the ones (or all) you need. Pack a lunch it could be a long trip. Please give all the support you can to your loved one, they will need it.

DST, check it out.

My experience is in Vietnam and I hope this doesn't get moved as I feel it applies worldwide. Some of my our backstory is posted in the Vietnam regional forum on the dates of Jan 8, Jan 15, June 29 and July 1 of 2010.

If you are in hcm and want to drop by the consulate to check on your case you have tues and wed from 4 to 5pm to drop in. Bring your passport and the case information form available from the consulate website (hochiminh.usconsulate.gov. From the home page go to the visas > immigrant visa page, scroll down about halfway to the "american citizen petitioner" in hcmc section and click on the link). Or you can pick up the form at the window inside the consulate.

You enter from the street, go through security will be told to go to a window to check in. Get your case form at the first window or turn in your completed form from the website. You will be given a number and proceed to the main room.

I have been there four times, twice in 09, once in 10 and once last march. The first three times I went to the right side, in march I went left. The two rooms are mirror images of each other. Institutional metal benches and a series of windows slanted at a diagonal. Bring a book as cell phones are not allowed inside. No angry birds for you.

If you listen you can hear all sorts of informational (and misinformational) conversations. Sometimes you can hear the CO's and USC's exchanges.

A typical exchange goes something like this: "Number 6014 go to window 5" USC approaches, pleasantries are exchanged.

USC--how long will my case take?

CO---i don't know

USC--i cant understand what is taking so long, i did x on y date.

CO---there are many cases ahead of you

USC--but what about......

CO---there are many cases we are dealing with.

USC--how long will my case take?

CO---i don't know, you can submit additional information but we can't give you an answer.

USC--(with increasing urgency) how long will my case take?

CO---i don't know

USC--(gets out soapbox) this is...(insert string of adjectives) At this point the drama really begins, many stories told with varying degrees of emotion.

CO---i'm sorry but i don't know when you case will be resolved.

USC--delivers parting shot and leaves window generally empty-handed.

CO---Miller time. Has spent a long day deciding the fate and future of all caseloads seen. Will be back tomorrow.

It is not always so dour, if you have procedural or technical concerns things are handled easily. Getting results from a bureaucracy is more difficult.

I think it is a good thing to go and show your support and involvement. It is a good thing to put a face on your case file and it is a good thing to demonstrate your love. So if in town by all means stop by, I think it is a positive. Don't expect too much and keep it upbeat (i know it is difficult). Just keep pushing that rock up the hill.

I haven't seen anyone hit it out of the park at the consulate but I've seen a couple singles some long sac flies and some decent bunts to move the runners over.

How is Nicole doin?

Doing well. Had a problem with liver failure due to PTH last Nov. and they had to stop treatment for about a month. Went back on the cocktail without the PTH and has had negative sputum results since. Still getting injections 3x weekly and taking 14 pills a day. But making progress. With any luck we may be done with treatment next March but more likely July of 2012. Thanks for asking. Been a while since I've been on. Have some info to post. At work now got to go.

bumping this thread to ask does this "sputum culture" thing happen more at cho ray than IOM? when we had our vaccinations we talked to another lady that was going through the same k-1/cr-1 process. she called me after the interview to say she also got blue because she said cho ray requested "SC" from her also and the process would take 2-3 months.

i know it's a very small sample size but it seems more of these pop up at cho ray? am i totally wrong in my thinking or IOM is easier? i know "ho lao" is more prevalent in vietnam so it could just be totally random whether you're getting your medical at IOM or CR.

Not sure if one is easier than the other; but as far as the sputum culture goes I think its mainly based on the chest x-ray results. If they see evidence of scarring or previous tb they will ask for the sputum culture. The tb bacteria grow slowly, so it takes a couple months to determine if the tb is active.

maybe I can make the photo bigger

don't know if this will work for the pic. I don't have a home computer and the ones at work won't let me do much since I don't have administrator privileges. But after about 30 mins of trying I got a flickr account with the picture on it.

As far as the drip coffee goes, sometimes I've had it served with the coffee cup sitting in a bowl of hot water. As it drips into the cup the whole arrangement sits in the hot water bath and it does help keep the cup and its contents warmer.

I'm sorry to hear of another loss to your family. TB is a tough one. The treatment process is long and debilitating. It is easy to get discouraged with the side effects and the hassle of going to the hospital everyday to get the meds. There can be a tendency to stop taking the medicine when one feels better. Stick with the treatment plan all the way until the end. As Anh Map says, not doing so can lead to a stronger form of tb. Believe me you don't want to have to take the second line meds, they are expensive and the side effects are much worse.

If possible keep an eye on the doctors. The district hospital told my fiancée 3 times she was better even though she was still coughing and getting worse. In fact that hospital cleared her to go to Cho Ray for the formality of the visa clearance. At that time she had been taking their meds for one year. The strain of tb she has is resistant to the meds she was taking, so we wasted a year of treatment and probably allowed the tb to get stronger.

Cho Ray got the case and within two weeks they had her on a much stronger regimen including injections every day. After a few months of shots five times a week her backside looked liked someone had worked it over with a sock full of golf balls. Add to this headaches, fever, chills, hand tremors, fatigue, nausea, ringing in the ears, and various skin problems including itching severe enough to cause her to scratch her skin off. There were times she could not drive her motorbike the 20 minutes each way to the hospital, so someone had to take her. There was an additional $80 charge per month for these meds.

Fast forward six months and Cho Ray finally has done some testing to see if the new drugs are working. She has had positive sputum results this whole time. The tb is resistant to some of the new drugs. They need to add newer stronger drugs at this time. These drugs are not readily available and will have to be purchased through IOM at a cost of $4,400 cash.

Treatment with those is started and within 3 or 4 months drug induced hepatitis stops treatment altogether. The liver failure makes her very sick with severe flu like symptoms. I went to VN last week to help out. She is feeling better since stopping all the meds but the tb is still with her. She still has positive sputum results but her chest x-ray has shown some improvement. I spoke to the docs at Cho Ray and at PNT. The treatment will continue, they have isolated the drug causing the liver problems and hope to introduce it again at a later time.

So as it stands after two years of treatment we are still at square one. This is the new plan--after her next negative sputum result (hopefully in one or two months from now) Cho Ray will continue the injectable drugs 3x weekly for 6 months and continue the oral drugs for 12 months after that. If her monthly chest x-ray and sputum results show no new growth of the tb she may be eligible to get her visa in 18 to 24 months. If she has even one positive sputum result the 18-24 month clock starts over again. Best case scenario she gets her visa clearance in about 2 years.

As you can see it is a long and arduous process. Your loved one will need a tremendous amount of support and encouragement. And don't neglect yourself, if you need help get it. The strain on the family can be quite taxing. And there are no guarantees. Hope this helps.

there is a dunkin donuts clone at 136 nguyen thai hoc cross street is pnl. Have a pic but i don't know how to post it.

I went to the US consulate while I was In town (HCM). We have been in AP since about Jan of 2010. The consulate has told us they will keep our case active as long as we contact them every six months.

Got my ticket for USC hour and told them to keep our case active while we wait for results from Cho Ray. This could and probably will take another two years.

CO duly noted our case was still active and told me we should be receiving a letter from them soon. He told me he could not tell me what was in the letter as an adjudication officer would be sending it. He also could not tell me when it would come. He did say it would be sent to my fiancees HCM address.

Not much info but it is all I could get from him. If we get the letter I'll post its contents.

Sorry I don't have more info, but I wasn't given much to work with

I just got back from HCM last week and I met with the Doctor in the TB clinic. This is the handbook he uses to treat Tb My link. The title of the book is:

Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

A survival guide for clinicians, 2nd edition. (In case the link doesn't work, which it probably won't because I don't know how to post anything).

The drug prices per month are in chapter 4.

This comes from the Francis J. Curry National Tuberculosis Center. It is my understanding Cho Ray treats tb though

the CDC guidelines. As far as I know this is the playbook for all immigration Tb treatment.

I have been told Pham Ngoc Thach (PNT) Hospital is not obligated to follow these guidelines as they aren't a clearing house for visa approval.

Here is an attachment(I hope) for Nutritional Supplements for people undergoing Tb treatmentCochran 2010 met TB.pdf.

Be advised the Doctor at Cho Ray, the Doctor at PNT and the Doctor in the US I have spoken to are all in agreement prescription medicine, directly observed therapy (DOTS) and hospital treatment are the only way to beat this disease. Vitamins and supplements are NOT going to do the job. I only include it for informational purposes.

Please, please be diligent with your treatment. Take the meds, show up every day for treatment even if you feel better. If you don't the disease can and will mutate into a stronger form.

Also note you can get multi drug resistant tb (MDR) from exposure to someone who has it.

i.e. If I get Tb from my finance, it will be MDR TB. The stain I will get will be the drug resistant one.

Cost--In VN the first six to eight months were free, when Cho Ray got the case and ran the test to find out we had a drug resistant strain of Tb the cost out of pocket to us was/is $80 per month. This includes two inject-able drugs and two of the oral drugs the Tb is not resistant to.

If we go to the next level of treatment the cost will be $4,400, a one time cash up front payment to IOM.

Side effects--she already has hand tremors and her vision has suffered. The Cho Ray Doctor tells me the next level of drugs could have greater side effects.

We will know when the next sputum test come back in August

My Fiancee's interview is scheduled in Guangzhou for March 23rd, 2010. I'm really nervous, and I can't be with her even though I really want to, so I prepared this letter on my behalf.

I'm looking for feedback. Thanks!

-----------------------------------------

Dear Consulate:

My name is Phillip R. Bxxxxx and I am Feifei Fxxxx Fiance and I-129F petitioner. I really wanted to be here today to support Feifei during her interview, but I have used up all my vacation time visiting her two times in Beijing in 2009 and taking off more time to host her and her dad on a 17 day trip the US just this past February 2010.

I met Feifei Fxxxx on a casual chat site called omegle.com. It is NOT a dating site and neither Feifei or myself where looking for a love interest. I’ll never forget that day: May 28th, 2009--Dragon Boat Festival Day in China. Feifei told me she was from China. I had never talked to anyone from China before so this peaked my interest. I asked Feifei for her picture and we exchanged emails (I sent her my picture as well) because I wanted to know who I was talking to. At first we had some problems with the email and I thought she had seen my picture but didn’t like me. Looking back on it now it’s very funny, because as it turns out I met the love of my life that day.

After our pictures where exchanged Feifei suggested that we should do a live video chat. We both had Skype so we each started that up and connected. Wow! I was live chatting with a Chinese girl living in mainland China. When I first saw her on video that day I knew she was a kind, loving and romantic person. The first night we chatted for five (5) hours! The next day I counted the hours until I could connect with her again. We video chatted again, this time for six hours (6) hours. I found her fascinating, and couldn’t bring myself to end the video chat--neither could she. The second told I told her I felt a magic connection and typed my first (of many) chinese words to her: love.

She felt perplexed about this and didn’t know what to do or say to me. She didn’t outright reject me, but told me she needed more time and wanted to see how she felt. I’ll be honest and tell you I was pretty hurt. Here I found what I thought was the love of my life and she was telling me “no.” I told her I had to get to leave for work and rather abruptly ended the video chat. I didn’t know it at the time, but later she told me that night she felt very sad and came to realize that when I left our video chat she felt regret and realized she felt something more for me than just friends.

The next day we talked on video again and both agreed that we wanted to be closer with each other. We exchanged phone numbers and physical addresses. From that point on we have spoken to each other by phone, QQ instant messenger or Skype video chat EVERY DAY (sometimes two (2) times a day)!

At first Feifei’s family was very skeptical of me. After all, I lived half a world away and we met on the internet. Who would believe this could be true love? The next milestone was when I gave Feifei a call at her sister Jie Mei’s house. She couldn’t believe I was actually calling her! Her mom and sister where both there and they kept yelling at Feifei to get off the phone and not to talk to me.We didn’t let this discourage us. We kept talking everyday by phone, video and instant messenger. A few weeks later I gave Feifei a call at her Dad’s place of business. Her dad and I talked on the phone and Feifei assisted with translation. After about 15 minutes of chatting with her dad he was laughing and gave his initial approval of our relationship.

A few more weeks passed and Feifei was chatting with me on Skype as we did daily when her mom poked her head into the video frame. At first her mom was very shy and didn’t want to talk to me. Eventually she relaxed and Feifei assisted with a translation between her mom and me. After chatting a while her mom also gave her initial approval of our relationship. It was time to plan my trip to China.

I got my China visa and booked my plane tickets. I arrived in China on August 10th, 2009. Feifei, her mom and dad met me at the airport. When I saw her smiling face at the arrivals gate I knew the long trip had been worth it. She called my name “Phillip … Phillip…” I’ll never forget that day. I dropped all my things and ran over to hug her. I never felt so much love from another human being as I did that day. We spent 14 wonderful days in Beijing together. I got to know her, her family and more about China. The warm feelings I felt for her and her family told me this was the girl I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The last weekend I was there (August 22nd, 2009) I took Feifei and her parents to The Great Wall. We climbed the wall, and once at the top I asked Feifei to marry me. She said yes! The next day her dad had an impromptu engagement party and about 20 or so of the family and closest friends where there. I returned to the US with a Fiancee and started the I-129F petition.

Feifei and I continued to talk by phone and video every day. As each day passed I felt very sad she and I weren’t together. I decided I would return to China again in November 2009. I arrived in China again on October 31, 2009. Feifei was still going to school so Feifei’s mom and I spent a lot of time together. My Mandarin Chinese really got a boost from speaking it everyday with her Mom. Her mom and I also cemented our relationship which I need feel is very strong (even better than the one I have with my mom). On November 10th, 2009 we said our sad goodbyes at Beijing International and I again returned to the US.

We began planning our next meeting: this time it would be in the US on January 31, 2010. Feifei and her dad got their B2 tourist visas and arrived in the US as scheduled. My dad and I met them at the airport. When we saw each other we embraced so tight.

While in the US Feifei and her Dad met my family and friends. My mom, dad, and sister all loved Feifei and approved of our relationship. I showed her and her dad the sights and exposed them to American culture.

What I want is to be with Feifei permanently and all I ask is you grant her a K1 visa so we can start our life together and won’t have to part ever again, my heart can’t bare the distance!

Thank you!

Phillip R. Bxxxx

Petitioner

I think it sounds pretty good. It gives enough hard info to provide proof of relationship and shows you have feelings for each others families. I would provide all the ticket stubs, pics, phone records etc. to coincide with the visits and I think you have a solid baseline.

Ya, she said they did the both the skin test and also chest x-ray.

I'm looking at her vaccination card from home and I don't see any BCG vacines. am I missing something? Is there a specific name for some of these BCG vaccinations that I should look for in her vaccination card?

1/3 of the worlds population has been exposed to tb. Its common in Asia and Africa. She may be what they call type b. Latent tb, been exposed but not active. They may give her antibiotics for a few months. Get a good Doctor and make sure she is treated if necessary. If caught early the outcome is good. If its a false positive then no worries at all.

On the bright side she is here. If she would have shown a positive two weeks ago in her home country, she would need treatment in Ghana.

I wish the best for you.

If you are in AP they extend the case until a decision is made... unless they put the burden on you asking for something from you that you dont produce (usually documentation of some sort).. in which case they would consider it abandoned or deny it... I assume the beneficiary potentially tested positive for TB and they just need Cho ray to sign off on the health cert? depending on the treatment/tests it could be a few months (like Ronnie and Hang or Joseph) or a year or more in some cases before the Dr's will give a clearance...

Yes that is the case. Cho Ray is telling us it will be 18 months from Jan 2010 until they consider signing off on the health certificate. At the bottom of the white slip it says if we fail to provide additional evidence within one year of our interview date (which was 12/4/09) section 203 (g) requires the application to be cancelled.

Since we won't have an approved medical certificate by 12/4/10. I asked the consulate do we wait around a year, get cancelled and then start the k1 process all over again? They replied as long as we come in every 6 months and notify them she is undergoing treatment they will keep the case active and the file in open status.

BTW I sent my e-mail to the consulate 1/6/10 and got the response 1/13/10 about a 7 day turnaround.

I just got an answer from the HCMC consulate. This is a direct quote "In case the case is pending due to the beneficiary's treatment for tuberculosis, the case is still active until the beneficiary completes the treatment provided she contacts us every 6 months notifying us that she is under treatment to keep the file in open status"

I don't know if this is for all AP cases, but if you are going to be stuck in AP for extended periods you may not have to re-file your intial petition.

1. 
   

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VJ Members currently in AP at HCMC:

• Vi&Art__________________8/5/2009 K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & Timeline
  
• Frank And Duyen (effjaye)___10/20/2009 CR1 Visa - First Blue RFE: Timeline
  

James & Nicole_________________12/4/09 Blue-timeline, ex-wifes address, medical results from Cho Ray

1/4/10 White/AP medical results from Cho Ray

VJ Members who made it out of AP & results:

• Lindal24 ________________7/8/2009 - 10/7/2009 - 91 days in AP - APPROVED
  CR1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & List of Relatives
  
• FrednDaoHoney__________1/17/2009 - 10/15/2009 - 271 days in AP - APPROVED
  
• JohnCali9 _______________8/6/2009 - 10/21/2009 - 76 days in AP - APPROVED
  K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Ex-wife's situation & Timeline
  
• MichaelAndKha___________8/15/2009 - 10/21/2009 - 67 days in AP - Denied
  K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Timeline
  Reasons for Denial: 1.Inconsistent photos, 2.No engagement ceremony, 3.Lack of marriage ceremony details
  
• Andy (not a VJ member)____8/17/2009 - 10/23/2009 - 67 days in AP - Denied
  K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & Timeline
  
• Minh&Nhan (not a VJ member)__09/07/2009 - 10/23/2009 - 46 days in AP - APPROVED
  
• Huong and Phung _________9/8/2009 - 10/27/2009 - 49 days in AP - Denied
  CR1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & Timeline
  
• JeromeBinh______________8/20/2009 - 10/28/2009 - 69 days in AP - Denied
  K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Ex-wife's situation, Timeline & List of Relatives
  Reasons for Denial: 1.Inconsistent Photos, 2.Communiciation not credible, 3.One visit, 4.Small engagement, 5.Engagement shortly after meeting, 6.B has 3 relatives in US, but only listed 2; P lived close to B's relatives, 7.Lack of marriage ceremony details
  
• Ly Trinh _________________8/21/2009 - 10/28/2009 - 68 days in AP - Denied (?)
  CR1 Visa - First blue RFE: Timeline
  
• Ituan __________________8/10/2009 - 09/15/2009 - 36 days in AP - Denied Additional interview granted for 11/11 2nd denial
  K1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & Timeline
  
• ToanTien________________8/20/2009 - days in AP APPROVED
  CR1 Visa - First blue RFE: Proof of Bona fide Relationship & Timeline-- co-sponsor... yes I said co-sponsor
  

A list of VJ member traveling to Vietnam"

Please post your name and date if you are in, going to, or thinking about traveling to Vietnam...

Please DO NOT post interview dates--leave those for your timeline/signature...

CURRENTLY IN VIETNAM

Mr. Saigon..........................................Living In Vietnam (HCMC)

Ralph&Hanh........................................Living In Vietnam (HCMC)

ksoh08..............................................December 5,2009 - March 4, 2010

Huong and Phung...............................December 30, 2009 - January 30, 2010

GOING TO VIETNAM

Ronnie&Hang.....................................January 16, 2010 - February 21, 2010 (revised)

Matt_Steven......................................January 16, 2010 - February 8, 2010

Icarus...............................................Mid-January 2010 - Mid-March 2010

hniHnitsuJ (aka Loi and Suong)............February 2010 for Tet

b_weeks............................................February 2010 for Tet

Mike n Huong.....................................February 2010 for Tet

Kevin and Tuyen................................Will be going for the interview, Jan-Feb (?)

Greg & Lien.......................................March 30, 2010 - April 13, 2010

James & Nicole.......................May 21?-31 2010

Eric, in our case after filing the initial 129f we got an RFE asking for proof of ongoing relationship three months later. I used it to submit evidence of two additional trips to VN and a brief update of our circumstances of meeting. Getting an RFE is not guaranteed so you can't bank on it but my attorney said it is not uncommon.

After reading many posts here I think the "frontloading" concept has merit. If I could do it all over again I would give them all the info I had at every opportunity. In my case they asked for a narrative/timeline of our relationship on three occasions. With the initial filing, with the RFE and again when we got the blue slip at the interview.

Greetings to everyone on this forum from a first time poster! I find myself both nervous and excited as I begin the process that I hope will unite me with my fiancee here in the United States. I'm particularly appreciative for all of the good information posted here by "veterans" of the K-1 process.

I don't expect any major issues with our initial filing, but I gather that the big hurdle will be the determination by the consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. My primary question right now is whether and when we will have the opportunity to submit additional supporting material between the time of our initial I129-F filing and the actual interview.

I feel like this could be very important to our case. For example, we (actually her terrific family!) organized our Dinh Hon celebration on short notice after I proposed to her on my most recent visit to Vietnam in November, and none of my family could be in attendance. My parents are eager to meet her and her family but will not be able to travel until my father recovers from surgery scheduled for later this month. If they are able to go in the near future, I would hope to be able to get that evidence in front of the consular officer.

My current thought is to strive for a relatively short, well organized initial package, but this depends on whether we will indeed have a chance to provide a more complete and current set of evidence later that will be fully considered before she goes in for the interview.

Thanks much,

Eric

Hey Bryon, if you are from ND we spent some time talking on those sweet metal bench chairs down at the consulate Dec. 23. I was number 6012 or so. Good to hear you got the visa. Best of luck to you and Tran.

When Thuy was in the hospital for H1N1, she had to share the bed with another girl the whole week she was there... yep, two people in 1 bed...her mother holding her hand and praying on one side of the bed and the other girls mother doing the same on the other side of the bed... when it comes to sanitary conditions and preventing the spread of things... some folks over there just dont understand... We are hoping for the best for your wife and Linh's brothers...

Thank you.

Some years ago I had a young Lieutenant Platoon Leader who spent time in the Alaska National Guard. Most of his unit was in "bush" Alaska. He was always tired and constantly dragging #### and just generally not doing the job, so like a good Platoon Sergeant I fired him then got knee deep in his behind. He told me TB is fairly common in the bush and he had it. His medicines were doing a number on him. I felt bad for him after that. He pulled through OK and the last I heard he moved to the Little 48 and is doing well. Due diligence is the key to managing any sickness.

Having gone to the pregnancy hospital a couple of times with Linh, I can totally believe the snot rocket doctor. Those hospitals are like farms.

I got some sort of creepin crud (put me out of commission but good and I don't mean maybe) on a visit in May 08 and Linh took me to Columbia in District 1. They seemed to be spot on there and the doctors actually talk to the patient unlike the farms. Maybe that can be a option.

We are all pulling for you.

PS. I let the kid have the Platoon back but had to fire him several more times over the course of his time here. Young Lieutenants. What are you gonna do?

Farms is about what they are, the tb section is like a cattle pen, I mean it was a real eye opener. But honestly when I think a little deeper about it....I'm damn glad it's there. There is medicine (not sure of the quality), there are Doctors (ahem), and with the treatment process there is hope. With what I've seen so far with the way tb works, if you've got tb you are going to need a lot of hope to get through it. It looks miserable, sounds painful and the treatment takes so long. And your right, the due diligence is especially important. With the direct observed therapy (DOT) you have to go to the hospital every day to get the meds. It was a 20 to 30 minute ride to the hospital each way, five days a week. They are telling her to do this for the next 18 to 24 months. And that room was packed with people from all over town doing the same thing. I heard folks will often get an apartment close to the hospital to cut down on the commute.

I'll check into the Columbia in District one. And thanks for the kind words.

I agree, my brothers in law both have the drug resistent strain. They got it because the first brother was diagnosed and started treatment but didn't see it through to the end. So it came back and the other brother came down with it too.

The treatment is really tough. My wife is heading home to VN this weekend to see her family and to try and get some more/better info regarding treatment as well.

If you'd like, let's share info about this and we can get our families through this mess.

I would be happy to share the info I have. It's difficult to get it all together from 15,000 miles away but I'll keep chipping away. I've got some Docs names, e-mail address's and phone #'s from PNT. I'll PM you, maybe you are dealing with them already.