Medical 4th January

[C and J 1]

Well, yesterday was my medical examination. I left home at 7:30am and caught the 8:30 train to Ealing Broadway. I didn't want to take a later train because of the snow warnings we'd had the day before. Just as we were pulling into the station, the Central Line train was getting ready to depart, so a very quick walk to the other platform and I just managed to catch it *phew* We got to the next station on the CL and were held there by a red light... boy, was I fretting about it being a big problem and missing my appointment (turned out someone had taken ill at Bond Street station).

Got to Bond street around 9am and apparently took the wrong exit out of the station because the map I printed out wasn't much help at all. So jumped into a cab and asked the driver to take me to Bentinck Street. Cost me £3 but gave him £4 because I was just happy to be there! I was standing outside the Mansions at 9:20 and had a long time to go until my 10:30am appointment, so I stood around for about 10 minutes before pressing their buzzer. For some reason the damned thing wouldn't work for me so the receptionist actually had to come to the door

As soon as I went in to the waiting room, another receptionist/secretary (South African lady) asked for all my paperwork and told me to sit down and wait. There was a couple who must have been in their 50s and also a man originally from South Africa (he was talking about that with the secretary). 10 minutes went by and she gave me another questionnaire to complete. One thing which I believe was different, is that the question on mental health asks for any MAJOR occurrences, where as the one from the embassy just asks a general question. So I put yes on the one from the embassy and no to the one at the doctors (I suffered from mild depression in 2006). This was the question which really had me worried.

Handed back the questionnaire to the receptionist and waited again. Another 10 minutes passed and a nurse came to take me into another room, she looked over my vaccination records and told me that I was one short on MMR so I need to get that done by my GP. She must have thought I was stupid because several times she repeated the same thing to me "you do not have to contact us once you have the required vaccination". Probably because I had told her previously that a K3 was a non-immigrant visa and she was having none of that either She was adamant that a K3 was an immigrant visa but... oh well, I just let that one slide (wish I had had my P3 letter with me to prove it ).

Then I was shown into a second waiting room and was there only a few minutes before I was seen by a male doctor. I was quite expecting the South African lady that many people have spoken about previously. He was very pleasant and the only thing I had to take off was my shoes! He did the normal things: blood pressure, taking blood, pulse, lungs, hernias, checking for breast lumps etc. He had a very nice conversation with me about my past medical history and didn't say much at all about my weight (which I was also worried about). He said all was fine, pending the results of my blood test and then asked me to wait in the second waiting room again. Another 5-10 minutes and a rather chatty man took me to have my chest x-ray done. That was pretty straight forward as well.

All of that took me to 10:45, so I'm very glad I went there early, and I even managed to find my way back to the station following the directions on my map

Not only was the medical a breeze to get through, but when I got home I had a letter from the Iowa congressman to say that London had scheduled me for an interview on the 1st February. I'm really hoping that I don't hear back from Knightsbridge doctors (if I don't hear back from them within a week, all is well) and then I just have wait for the interview date to arrive

[Silas 0]

Glad to hear it went well and that's great news about the interview.

[Lansbury 19]

Glad all went well and your concerns were unfounded

[weedebz 0]

thanks for the post. I'm there for my medical on friday.

[Jeraly 4]

Glad to hear it went ok - didn't realise they asked about mental health - I suffered from depression as well back in 2001

[MargotDarko 0]

Glad to hear it went ok - didn't realise they asked about mental health - I suffered from depression as well back in 2001

To be safe, I would get prepared in advance and ask your doctor (best if it's the doctor you saw at the time)for a letter about the period of depression, how it was handled, and saying that you're fine now. If they have reason to think you may harm yourself or others, they will ask for medical back up, and if you can't provide it (either at the time or by mailing it in later), they may not approve the medical.

EDIT - I don't mean to sound all gloom and doom! Just want everything to go smoothly for everyone.

Edited January 7, 2008 by MargotDarko

[C and J 1]

To be safe, I would get prepared in advance and ask your doctor (best if it's the doctor you saw at the time)for a letter about the period of depression, how it was handled, and saying that you're fine now. If they have reason to think you may harm yourself or others, they will ask for medical back up, and if you can't provide it (either at the time or by mailing it in later), they may not approve the medical.

EDIT - I don't mean to sound all gloom and doom! Just want everything to go smoothly for everyone.

Not doom and gloom at all, MargotDarko. It doesn't hurt to be prepared

I actually took a letter with me from my GP stating exactly what you have mentioned above (no harm to myself or others, mild depression, the medication taken and length of time suffering from it, also that there have been no reoccurring symptoms since). The doctor at the medical read the letter, seemed happy with the comments and didn't ask me anything at all about it.

[Mags 112]

Glad to hear it went ok - didn't realise they asked about mental health - I suffered from depression as well back in 2001

To be safe, I would get prepared in advance and ask your doctor (best if it's the doctor you saw at the time)for a letter about the period of depression, how it was handled, and saying that you're fine now. If they have reason to think you may harm yourself or others, they will ask for medical back up, and if you can't provide it (either at the time or by mailing it in later), they may not approve the medical.

EDIT - I don't mean to sound all gloom and doom! Just want everything to go smoothly for everyone.

Sound advice, I second this.