What % people have to do sputnum test

[Brainstormery 0]

I have read so many negative comments about people having to do the sputnum test and it resulting in another 8 month delay.

Does anybody know what percentage of people going to St Lukes have to do that test?

Thanks

Rick

[Brian121957 43]

My fiancée had an x-ray a few years ago for an OFW job. She had just gotten over a case of pneumonia. There was some cloudiness on the x-ray and she was rejected. No alternative test, just you fail.

As we now applied for the K1 she was a little nervous. She went to her local doctor and asked for the x-ray a few months early just to see how it would be. It was clear and so was the one at Saint Lukes Medical Center. It was well worth it for the peace of mind.

[james&nicole 2]

Don't know what %. But with a positive skin test and lung X-ray with signs of TB pretty much everyone will need the sputum test. That is a 4-6 week wait for results. If the sputum is negative you may be in the clear. If sputum positive then most likely a 6-8 month treatment period. If someone needs treatment please look into drug susceptibility testing (dst). My understanding is for any country visa all use US govt CDC protocol. See my other posts for more info or search for TB+james&nicole.

[Tahoma 2,291]

I've read here on VJ that St. Lukes is crowded with people undergoing sputum collection.

[Brainstormery 0]

I've also read in several places that you can still come to the US even with an unclear X-ray result if you sign a statement sayin you will get treatment in the US. Is there any truth to that.

MYfiance has no signs of TB and I just don't want to waste 8 months for something that is not needed.

Is there a way to sign something and NOT go through St Luke's 8 month procedure to cure something (especially considering that many people go to a pulmonary specialist and get a clean bill of health - so obviously this is St Luke's problem)

[HopeFaithLove 13]

I've also read in several places that you can still come to the US even with an unclear X-ray result if you sign a statement sayin you will get treatment in the US. Is there any truth to that.

MYfiance has no signs of TB and I just don't want to waste 8 months for something that is not needed.

Is there a way to sign something and NOT go through St Luke's 8 month procedure to cure something (especially considering that many people go to a pulmonary specialist and get a clean bill of health - so obviously this is St Luke's problem)

Hi there! I don't have figure about the percentage, but I noticed while I was there at SLEC, Oct 4-5 there were lots of people who have to go to Pulmonary section for further tests. I was quite anxious when I had my X-ray, but I guess I passed since they had immunized me already and no further tests conducted. I thank God for ever year I usually go for comprehensive medical exams and I got no problem. So good for me !

[babystef 8]

I've also read in several places that you can still come to the US even with an unclear X-ray result if you sign a statement sayin you will get treatment in the US. Is there any truth to that.

MYfiance has no signs of TB and I just don't want to waste 8 months for something that is not needed.

Is there a way to sign something and NOT go through St Luke's 8 month procedure to cure something (especially considering that many people go to a pulmonary specialist and get a clean bill of health - so obviously this is St Luke's problem)

me too when i go to SLEC i have no signs of TB but still they found something on my xray and eventhough i dont like, i will have to go through sputum test and culture test for 2 mos. but thanks God after 2 mos my culture test is negative.That is their procedure and we can't do something about it. just pray that your fiance would have a clear xray when so that she wont going to have sputum test. goodluck

[Tahoma 2,291]

I've also read in several places that you can still come to the US even with an unclear X-ray result if you sign a statement sayin you will get treatment in the US. Is there any truth to that.

MYfiance has no signs of TB and I just don't want to waste 8 months for something that is not needed.

Is there a way to sign something and NOT go through St Luke's 8 month procedure to cure something (especially considering that many people go to a pulmonary specialist and get a clean bill of health - so obviously this is St Luke's problem)

It's my understanding that everyone over 14 years old is required to have a chest x-ray, and if they see an abnormality on the x-ray, they will require the sputum collection, the smear tests, and the culture.

I have never heard of signing a waiver to circumvent the process.

By the way, not everyone who has TB shows obvious symptoms.

[Brian121957 43]

Not sure where i herd this, The women with the long hair should have it tied up very well. Some have had their hair down there back and it caused a "mark" on the x-ray and then they had to do more tests.

[TeddyHoney 42]

Is there a way to sign something and NOT go through St Luke's 8 month procedure to cure something (especially considering that many people go to a pulmonary specialist and get a clean bill of health - so obviously this is St Luke's problem)

The only way she will have to go through the TB treatment is IF they see something "suspicious" on her lung in the x-ray and IF her sputum AFB smears are positive and IF her culture test is also positive. If her sputum AFB smears are positive (2 of 3 - I think!), they will start treatment and not wait for the culture test (but they will still do it, they will just start the treament before the results are complete). If her sputum AFB smears are all negative then she will wait the 8 weeks for culture results. If those results are negative then she completes her medical exam and move on to her interview.

So, if nothing suspicious on her lung on x-ray - no problem

- If something suspicious on her lung in the x-ray - 3 days of sputum collection and AFB smears

- If sputum smears negative - 8 weeks wait for culture results

- If culture test result is negative - complete medical exam and on to interview

- If sputum smears positive - 6 month treatment starts

- If 8 weeks culture is positive, 6 month tereatments starts with 8 week repeat culture test at the end of the 6 month treatment.

I have not heard of 8 month treatment but after the 6 month treatment she would have another sputum collection and culture test so another 8 weeks/2 months so maybe that's why some say the treatment is 8 months

I have not heard of anyone, at least that has posted here on VJ, that has positive culture results after 6 months treatment. Not saying that never happens, just that I have not read or heard of that.

[james&nicole 2]

We have had a positive result after the 6 month treatment period. In fact after over a year treatment we were positive. If you have case of multi drug resistant TB it can take 18 to 24 months of treatment or more. If possible get drug susceptibility treatment done ASAP.

[Brainstormery 0]

Did your fiance show symtoms of TB before she got the test?

Hope God intervenes for you and your wait period is less than expected. :-)

[TeddyHoney 42]

We have had a positive result after the 6 month treatment period. In fact after over a year treatment we were positive. If you have case of multi drug resistant TB it can take 18 to 24 months of treatment or more. If possible get drug susceptibility treatment done ASAP.

Wow! I am really so sorry to hear that. As I said I had not read of that here on VJ before. I pray that situation gets resolved for you both asap and will send prayers for that. Thanks for posting so others can know about this and do the drug test that you suggest.

God bless you both!

[james&nicole 2]

Did your fiance show symtoms of TB before she got the test?

Hope God intervenes for you and your wait period is less than expected. :-)

Hello, this is how it happened for us. This is the Cliffs notes version-we meet in Dec 08, she is just starting to be sick. She goes to her hospital in HCMC and they start her on meds. We are both nieve to the gravity of the situation. Her docs don't provide much info, just pills and off you go. I Google the meds and find out they are for TB. Ok I've heard of that, growing up in the US it has never been a concern to me however...kind of like polio, malaria, cholera. TB is curable, she taking meds, under a doctors care, all is well. I of course am a dumbass (not judging). She, as many people do has faith in her doctor and just follows orders. Never questioning the doctors knowledge. She is given the standard protocol for regular TB, isoniazid (inh), rifampin (rif), ethambutol (emb) and pyrazinamide (pza).

I start the k-1 process about June 09. Six month wait for interview. She is getting sicker, by Nov she is coughing up blood, I tell her to get a second opinion, she has no concept of what a second opinion is. In her world the doctor is not questioned, they are educated, they are right. I have experience with misdiagnosis. My ex almost died from one. You know the old joke, "what do they call the person who graduates last in their class at medical school? They call them Doctor. Just because you are one doesn't mean you are a good one. Question authority. She get a second opinion and X-ray, the results are not good. Nov of 09 I contact the WHO they put me in contact with pham ngoc thach (pnt) hospital in HCMC. Astonishingly her District hospital in HCMC clears her, as far as they care she is good.to go.

Since she is now a k-1, and as such must be attended to under US CDC protocol and mandate for entry into the US, cho ray hospital in hcm gets involved. We get lucky. The US has a different standard of treatment. If we never meet and decide to marry, there is no review of treatment and she most likely does not do well. Cho Ray starts sputum testing in earnest. They determine her TB is resistant to the some of meds she has been taking, there has been no improvement in her symptoms so far. After almost a year if treatment she still has active TB.

Jan of 2010-Cho Ray changes her meds. She now.gets ofloxacin and amikacin injections 5x weekly. emb and pza are continued. INH, RIF and streptomycin don't work. The TB is.resistant to them. At this time the treatment must last for 18 more months as long as her sputum results are negative. She will need to give sputum every month during this period.

Batter dying on phone must file the now

[james&nicole 2]

Hello, this is how it happened for us. This is the Cliffs notes version-we meet in Dec 08, she is just starting to be sick. She goes to her hospital in HCMC and they start her on meds. We are both nieve to the gravity of the situation. Her docs don't provide much info, just pills and off you go. I Google the meds and find out they are for TB. Ok I've heard of that, growing up in the US it has never been a concern to me however...kind of like polio, malaria, cholera. TB is curable, she taking meds, under a doctors care, all is well. I of course am a dumbass (not judging). She, as many people do has faith in her doctor and just follows orders. Never questioning the doctors knowledge. She is given the standard protocol for regular TB, isoniazid (inh), rifampin (rif), ethambutol (emb) and pyrazinamide (pza).

I start the k-1 process about June 09. Six month wait for interview. She is getting sicker, by Nov she is coughing up blood, I tell her to get a second opinion, she has no concept of what a second opinion is. In her world the doctor is not questioned, they are educated, they are right. I have experience with misdiagnosis. My ex almost died from one. You know the old joke, "what do they call the person who graduates last in their class at medical school? They call them Doctor. Just because you are one doesn't mean you are a good one. Question authority. She get a second opinion and X-ray, the results are not good. Nov of 09 I contact the WHO they put me in contact with pham ngoc thach (pnt) hospital in HCMC. Astonishingly her District hospital in HCMC clears her, as far as they care she is good.to go.

Since she is now a k-1, and as such must be attended to under US CDC protocol and mandate for entry into the US, cho ray hospital in hcm gets involved. We get lucky. The US has a different standard of treatment. If we never meet and decide to marry, there is no review of treatment and she most likely does not do well. Cho Ray starts sputum testing in earnest. They determine her TB is resistant to the some of meds she has been taking, there has been no improvement in her symptoms so far. After almost a year if treatment she still has active TB.

Jan of 2010-Cho Ray changes her meds. She now.gets ofloxacin and amikacin injections 5x weekly. emb and pza are continued. INH, RIF and streptomycin don't work. The TB is.resistant to them. At this time the treatment must last for 18 more months as long as her sputum results are negative. She will need to give sputum every month during this period.

Batter dying on phone must file the now

Cell phone charger dead I'm on car battery now.

Sept 2010-Cho ray determines her TB is resistant to Oflo they remove it from regimen and add para-amino salicilic acid (PAS) and prothionamide (PTH). Sputum still good. 12 months to go with treatment then maybe.visa. Oct 2010-side effect- PTH Cases liver hepatitis and must be discontinued. Nov 2010-sputum now positive again--the clock starts anew. You must have 18 months of consecutive good sputum results to get medical clearance. They docs are now worried about adding more.meds due to fallout from the side effects.

2011-so far so good, sputum tests monthly and ok. Side effects managable. So.far. Can't type more this phone making me crazy.