Medical Examination Discrepancy (Manila)

[ThomasL 0]

Greetings.....this is my first posting. My wife and I were alerted by the NVC via email last month (while I was in Cavite, Philippines, visiting her and her family over Christmas) that our paperwork has been completed and that all that was left to do was have her report to St. Luke's in Manila for her medical examination and that her final interview would be on February 3rd. So, earlier this week, she went to St. Luke's for her exam and while I waited all day for her to contact me (due to the time difference) with the details of what happened, she managed to send me a message and it was obvious she was upset. We talked later and she told me that the doctor who examined her was extremely mean and asked her if she had ever given birth, to which she replied "No." The doctor then made her read a statement on the form and repeat it to her in Tagalog regarding making untruthful statements to her. My wife told her she had never given birth and the doctor made a big deal out of some stretch marks that she has (because her weight had fluctuated in the past few years, and she now weighs only about 105 pounds) and the doctor didn't believe her and marked a box on the form that she believes my wife is not being truthful. Seeing this, my wife asked "Why did you do that? So what happens now?" and the doctor replied, "It's up to the embassy to decide." My wife then completed the rest of the examination, to which the hospital sealed her results and took her passport to send to the embassy. She was so upset that afterwards, she went to her family physician to be examined by them, and she explained to them that almost 3 years ago she had a pregnancy scare (because she was very late) and a few weeks later had bled profusely, which to me means a miscarriage (she told me about it when it happened back in 2007, a couple weeks after I had visited her). The doctor told her that even though her cervix was deformed only slightly (due to being pregnant a short time), that there was no way she had ever given birth. What are we supposed to do now? I don't want the consular officer to see the form and think my wife is a liar. I've been to the Philippines 5 times since June of 2007 (one of those times for 2 months) and there was no way she was ever pregnant (aside from the time mentioned above, which was only for a couple of weeks). Any recommendations, or are we screwed because of a few stretchmarks and this unprofessional and ornery doctor? I'm sorry for the long length of this posting.

[Calypso 464]

If St. Luke's kept her passport after the vaccinations, she must have passed the medical exam. If you are worried about what the CO would say during the interview, let your wife tell him/her the real story.

FAE

[GuardianAngel 1]

Its only in rare cases that the consul will look into the medical results. Based on my observations, what matters to the consul are the documents of relationship that you will bring during the visa interview.

On the good side, SLMEC sealed and gave your fiance the CD, thats a good enough proof that you passed. Also, I agree with the above post, its best that if the consul will mention anything about the medical, let her explain in details her situation so the consul won't be able to form misconceptions in his/her head.

All for the best! Good luck on your interview.

[journeyingwithyou 0]

Greetings.....this is my first posting. My wife and I were alerted by the NVC via email last month (while I was in Cavite, Philippines, visiting her and her family over Christmas) that our paperwork has been completed and that all that was left to do was have her report to St. Luke's in Manila for her medical examination and that her final interview would be on February 3rd. So, earlier this week, she went to St. Luke's for her exam and while I waited all day for her to contact me (due to the time difference) with the details of what happened, she managed to send me a message and it was obvious she was upset. We talked later and she told me that the doctor who examined her was extremely mean and asked her if she had ever given birth, to which she replied "No." The doctor then made her read a statement on the form and repeat it to her in Tagalog regarding making untruthful statements to her. My wife told her she had never given birth and the doctor made a big deal out of some stretch marks that she has (because her weight had fluctuated in the past few years, and she now weighs only about 105 pounds) and the doctor didn't believe her and marked a box on the form that she believes my wife is not being truthful. Seeing this, my wife asked "Why did you do that? So what happens now?" and the doctor replied, "It's up to the embassy to decide." My wife then completed the rest of the examination, to which the hospital sealed her results and took her passport to send to the embassy. She was so upset that afterwards, she went to her family physician to be examined by them, and she explained to them that almost 3 years ago she had a pregnancy scare (because she was very late) and a few weeks later had bled profusely, which to me means a miscarriage (she told me about it when it happened back in 2007, a couple weeks after I had visited her). The doctor told her that even though her cervix was deformed only slightly (due to being pregnant a short time), that there was no way she had ever given birth. What are we supposed to do now? I don't want the consular officer to see the form and think my wife is a liar. I've been to the Philippines 5 times since June of 2007 (one of those times for 2 months) and there was no way she was ever pregnant (aside from the time mentioned above, which was only for a couple of weeks). Any recommendations, or are we screwed because of a few stretchmarks and this unprofessional and ornery doctor? I'm sorry for the long length of this posting.

Don't worry. She won't be in trouble as long as St. lukes let her go for the interview. Just tell your wife to be confident when facing the consul. Tell her not to allow this incident bother her because she might not be asked at all about her medical.

Edited January 21, 2010 by journeyingwithyou

[PhiLandShiR 18]

Maybe you can get her doctor to provide papers on this matter that she could take with her to the interview?? This way if she is asked, she would have evidence to support her claims.

-Phil

[adiiann 163]

Be with her in the interview to give you more peace of mind as well as giving her more moral support.

St.Lukes is a screwed up institution, I hope there would be a petition to change institution where you could have medical examination for visa purposes. Canadian embassy have 3 options for medical examination can be held.

[chinese_mutt 11]

had the same problem with st. lukes about stretch marks, they did lots of poking on me and released me.

i was never accused of anything though since i never did have any miscarriage or pregnancy.

did she tell the doctor in st. lukes about the miscarriage? maybe that is why flag her results for untruthful statements.

i would advice that you get an affidavit from the doctor/hospital who admitted her when she had a miscarriage 3 years ago.

i don't know if miscarriage is considered pregnancy but it sure doesn't sound the same as giving birth.

[ThomasL 0]

had the same problem with st. lukes about stretch marks, they did lots of poking on me and released me.

i was never accused of anything though since i never did have any miscarriage or pregnancy.

did she tell the doctor in st. lukes about the miscarriage? maybe that is why flag her results for untruthful statements.

i would advice that you get an affidavit from the doctor/hospital who admitted her when she had a miscarriage 3 years ago.

i don't know if miscarriage is considered pregnancy but it sure doesn't sound the same as giving birth.

My wife did not tell the doctor that she had a miscarriage because the question asked was "Have you ever given birth?" She did not go to a doctor when she had the miscarriage 3 years ago because she did not know for sure that she was pregnant and did not figure out it was a miscarriage until some time after the fact. She also told me she had a messed up menstrual cycle before when she was much younger and just figured it was another instance of that and therefore did not seek medical attention at the time. She has suffered no ill effects from it. I told her to go and get at least 3 letters from different doctors (after they examine her again) stating that she has never given birth, so that she will have SOMETHING to show the consul if she is asked. My biggest fear is that the consul won't care about those letters because they aren't from "accredited" or "authorized" doctors like at St. Luke's and the time and expenses of getting these additional exams done will be for nothing. My other fear is that if they think she is not telling the truth about this then that will throw our whole case in jeopardy.....like they will think she's lying about other things too. Attending the interview with her is not an option because I am here in the US and attending college full time and I just left the Philippines a little more than 2 weeks ago. I'm only 25 and I'm going to be bald from pulling my hair out over this by the time of the interview next month.......

[Gumbolette 58]

The doctor knows better.

If the doctor asked your wife if she ever had given birth, and your wife answered No, then your wife should have mentioned that she had a miscarriage. In that way, the doctor in St. Lukes was prompted that her answer is TRUE, that she didn't gave birth, BUT, she had a miscarriage. Because I think, the doctor thought she was telling a lie when doctor had noticed that she did had signs of pregnancy.

SOME cases, even you have lied to people in St. Lukes, but the results shows the truth,(ex. having signs of pregnancy, but you said you didn't have) they will still send you to your interview, because 1.) If you are not positive for HIV, 2.) you just had some discrepancies of the truth, and YES, its really up to the consul to decide if he will approve your Visa.

Edited January 23, 2010 by LÜvtechwifey

[STEPHnRIA 2]

a miscarriage and giving birth is not the same thing. if the question was- have you ever been pregnant? then i think there's a need to explain about the miscarriage that happened three years ago. Bringing a letter from a different doctor is a waste of time. The consul won't believe it. They think you got it from Recto or any bogus doctor. That's how they think. I think the big deal was the stretchmarks, so if asked, then explain about the weight gain/ weight loss. The interview is usually brief and short. Only answer questions being asked. Do not give more information. Sometimes, it can be used against you.

[chinese_mutt 11]

a miscarriage and giving birth is not the same thing. if the question was- have you ever been pregnant? then i think there's a need to explain about the miscarriage that happened three years ago. Bringing a letter from a different doctor is a waste of time. The consul won't believe it. They think you got it from Recto or any bogus doctor. That's how they think. I think the big deal was the stretchmarks, so if asked, then explain about the weight gain/ weight loss. The interview is usually brief and short. Only answer questions being asked. Do not give more information. Sometimes, it can be used against you.

Agree. Don't over explain anything if she is not asked about it.

I would also suggest that bring the old photo where she hasn't lost her weight yet and bring a recent updated slim one.

I don't think it will matter anyway. :-) She might not even be asked about it.