***Question about the SPUTUM TEST in the Philippines***

[Trey7Sarah 0]

Hello,

We had planned to have my fiancee do her medical on the 19th and 20th. I am not able to be there with Sarah for the medical nor interview so Sarah has her aunt for support. Sarah had already gone to the first day of her medical. She has gone to her second day today but St Lukes had sent her home. Sarah has told me everything had checked out fine except for her X-rays. They told her she had some phlegm on the X-rays. I hate this long distance when I am talking to Sarah because I don't hear everything clearly. St Lukes has scheduled her to come back for the sputum test on Oct 3,4, and 5. Why???? I want to call St Lukes but I want to get some input from the members first! MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN. Anyways my questions are:

* Do you think there is a concern considering her physical and blood tests checked out fine?

* There is not a spot of tb is from what I am told by Sarah so why the sputum test?

* Why do they schedule the sputum test so far out like two weeks?

* Do you think I can call to schedule a closer date for the sputum test?

* Or please advise on my situation....

THANK YOU

[vic-vic 0]

Hello,

We had planned to have my fiancee do her medical on the 19th and 20th. I am not able to be there with Sarah for the medical nor interview so Sarah has her aunt for support. Sarah had already gone to the first day of her medical. She has gone to her second day today but St Lukes had sent her home. Sarah has told me everything had checked out fine except for her X-rays. They told her she had some phlegm on the X-rays. I hate this long distance when I am talking to Sarah because I don't hear everything clearly. St Lukes has scheduled her to come back for the sputum test on Oct 3,4, and 5. Why???? I want to call St Lukes but I want to get some input from the members first! MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN. Anyways my questions are:

* Do you think there is a concern considering her physical and blood tests checked out fine?

* There is not a spot of tb is from what I am told by Sarah so why the sputum test?

* Why do they schedule the sputum test so far out like two weeks?

* Do you think I can call to schedule a closer date for the sputum test?

* Or please advise on my situation....

THANK YOU

if sarah has need a sputum you have to wait for 2 months after the result..

Edited September 20, 2011 by vic-vic

[Trey7Sarah 0]

Please tell me something different or tell me it is not so.

[calibob 73]

It's true, but the good news is 90%+ have no TB. We went through the same thing as my wife had a "blemish on the film" with her test. Better safe than sorry I suppose and it really stinks but this is how the 700 lb. gorilla in the room wants it.... Hang in there and it'll be over soon. Adversity will bring you closer so best of luck with it and keep us posted!!

Bob

[sunshinearizona 21]

Please tell me something different or tell me it is not so.

sputum specimen needed every morning x 3. it takes 2 months for culture/sensitivity/staining to come back. if the specimens are negative, then she can go ahead for her interview. if she's positive, she will be put on anti-tb meds for 6 months.

[rixx 1]

hello! for what i know is that since she has some "phlegm/blemish" seen in her xray, St lukes just want to really make sure that she doesn't really have TB that's why they want her to undergo sputum test. even if her physical / blood test are fine, it doesn't really mean that she is clear of TB.

sputum test is done every morning for 3 consecutive days. she can't eat breakfast cos it might affect the result of the sputum test.

they schedule sputum test on its availability and i guess since alot have been undergoing this the earliest available dates are oct 3, 4 & 5.

don't worry. just pray that her sputum test will be negative. results will be released after 2 days. then, some have to wait for the culture of the sputum which take up to 8 weeks. the nurse there said that once you're waiting for the culture (which is 8 weeks)and if you were called before that time, it means that your culture is positive of TB and you need to start treatment which lasts for 6 months

my son who is 5 y o had his sputum test and he was positive on the sputum smear. and now we're waiting for the culture. the doctor said that once it is positive it can be TB, TB resistant to some medicines or other bacteria.

i do hope i answered your questions. just pray pray and pray. miracles happen when you have faith

[rixx 1]

hello! for what i know is that since she has some "phlegm/blemish" seen in her xray, St lukes just want to really make sure that she doesn't really have TB that's why they want her to undergo sputum test. even if her physical / blood test are fine, it doesn't really mean that she is clear of TB.

sputum test is done every morning for 3 consecutive days. she can't eat breakfast cos it might affect the result of the sputum test.

they schedule sputum test on its availability and i guess since alot have been undergoing this the earliest available dates are oct 3, 4 & 5.

don't worry. just pray that her sputum test will be negative. results will be released after 2 days. then, some have to wait for the culture of the sputum which take up to 8 weeks. the nurse there said that once you're waiting for the culture (which is 8 weeks)and if you were called before that time, it means that your culture is positive of TB and you need to start treatment which lasts for 6 months

my son who is 5 y o had his sputum test and he was positive on the sputum smear. and now we're waiting for the culture. the doctor said that once it is positive it can be TB, TB resistant to some medicines or other bacteria.

i do hope i answered your questions. just pray pray and pray. miracles happen when you have faith

hello! for what i know is that since she has some "phlegm/blemish" seen in her xray, St lukes just want to really make sure that she doesn't really have TB that's why they want her to undergo sputum test. even if her physical / blood test are fine, it doesn't really mean that she is clear of TB.

sputum test is done every morning for 3 consecutive days. she can't eat breakfast cos it might affect the result of the sputum test.

they schedule sputum test on its availability and i guess since alot have been undergoing this the earliest available dates are oct 3, 4 & 5.

don't worry. just pray that her sputum test will be negative. results will be released after 2 days. then, some have to wait for the culture of the sputum which take up to 8 weeks. the nurse there said that once you're waiting for the culture (which is 8 weeks)and if you were called before that time, it means that your culture is positive of TB and you need to start treatment which lasts for 6 months

my son who is 5 y o had his sputum test and he was positive on the sputum smear. and now we're waiting for the culture. the doctor said that once it is positive it can be TB, TB resistant to some medicines or other bacteria.

i do hope i answered your questions. just pray pray and pray. miracles happen when you have faith

[Phil&Ley 2]

Let me tell you, St Lukes is a money pit. They love giving sputum test, because they can charge us, and get some $$$. If they so much as see a spec, on the x-ray, it is an auto Sputum test. They are going to take a culture, and watch it for 8 weeks to see if anything "grows". It is all over the top BS. They let Filipinos come to U.S. all the time, on visitors visa, without even testing for TB. So it a scam, and St. Lukes is just raking in the $$$. Sorry you have to go through this B.S. too........

I would not be overly concerned with your fiance health. Unless she is not feeling well. Weight loss is the key symptom of TB, so unless she is having that, she is fine.

Edited September 25, 2011 by Phil&Ley

[LarryandChristine 1]

Sorry to hear that but I will also be going to have the sputum test this coming Oct 3,4,5. My husband was also devastated that they don't schedule the said exam a day after the 2nd day of the medical exam. When the St Luke staff announced that bad news, I asked her if I can do it the next day so I don't need to stay in Manila and considering the cost of the hotel accommodation and the plane fare going back and forth the province. She just told me that they still need to prepare the solutions used for the sputum which is unbelievable because it is not an isolated case, well what can we do but follow their policy and wait...

Edited September 27, 2011 by LarryandChristine

[Trey7Sarah 0]

Thank you all for replying. I was so put out by having to do the sputum test, but we are here again waiting patiently. We are suppose to call St Lukes on 11-30-11 for the result of the tb culture. We are praying all will be fine. I have done a few searches on the sputum test here but could not really pinpoint answers to these questions.

1. What is a good contact number to St Lukes for the result? Sarah has tried to call today which is 11-29-11 but cannot get through. Is there a number for me to call? Is this normal that she is having a difficult time of getting through to someone?

2. Will she need to be present at St Lukes for the negative or positive(I hope not) result or can she get the result over the phone since they told her to call on 11-30-11? She lives in Cebu so she will need to fly to Manila.

3. If she is negative, how soon can the interview be scheduled and who schedules it? I was reading that St Lukes schedules the interview but I also read that we can schedule it. Which is best considering I have not paid for the interview until I know the result is negative? I will then have Sarah go pay the $350 at the bank for the interview.

4. I KNOW I should not have done this but I booked her flight to Dallas for the 13th of December. What is the likelihood of accomplishing this and please help with suggestions?

Thank you and God bless!

[Tahoma 2,292]

1. What is a good contact number to St Lukes for the result? Sarah has tried to call today which is 11-29-11 but cannot get through. Is there a number for me to call? Is this normal that she is having a difficult time of getting through to someone?

Yes, it can be difficult to get ahold of St. Lukes. I believe Sarah should already have the contact number for St. Lukes. Didn't St. Lukes give her their contact number when she underwent her sputum collection?

2. Will she need to be present at St Lukes for the negative or positive(I hope not) result or can she get the result over the phone since they told her to call on 11-30-11? She lives in Cebu so she will need to fly to Manila.

Protocol should prevent St. Lukes from disclosing the results of the TB culture over the phone. However, according to reports here on VJ, St. Lukes has told some patients the results of their tests by phone.

Since Sarah is at the end of her eight-week culture and she has heard nothing from St. Lukes, her culture is almost certainly negative for TB. So, if she has to fly to Manila to find out the results, it won't be a wasted trip because she'll receive her immunizations and be done with her medical.

3. If she is negative, how soon can the interview be scheduled and who schedules it? I was reading that St Lukes schedules the interview but I also read that we can schedule it. Which is best considering I have not paid for the interview until I know the result is negative? I will then have Sarah go pay the $350 at the bank for the interview.

St Lukes used to reschedule interviews for people who underwent the TB culture, but now you do it yourself. I don't know how soon you can get an interview date. I remember someone here on VJ recently scheduled an interview very soon after the culture. I can't remember if they enlisted St. Luke's assistance to do so or not. Sarah might want to check it out.

4. I KNOW I should not have done this but I booked her flight to Dallas for the 13th of December. What is the likelihood of accomplishing this and please help with suggestions?

Anything is possible. However, your plan doesn't sound very probable. I suggest you have a contingency plan which includes enough money to change her ticket to a later date. Good luck on the rest of your journey.

[Trey7Sarah 0]

1. What is a good contact number to St Lukes for the result? Sarah has tried to call today which is 11-29-11 but cannot get through. Is there a number for me to call? Is this normal that she is having a difficult time of getting through to someone?

Yes, it can be difficult to get ahold of St. Lukes. I believe Sarah should already have the contact number for St. Lukes. Didn't St. Lukes give her their contact number when she underwent her sputum collection?

Yes she did but I was trying to help if necessary.

2. Will she need to be present at St Lukes for the negative or positive(I hope not) result or can she get the result over the phone since they told her to call on 11-30-11? She lives in Cebu so she will need to fly to Manila.

Protocol should prevent St. Lukes from disclosing the results of the TB culture over the phone. However, according to reports here on VJ, St. Lukes has told some patients the results of their tests by phone.

Since Sarah is at the end of her eight-week culture and she has heard nothing from St. Lukes, her culture is almost certainly negative for TB. So, if she has to fly to Manila to find out the results, it won't be a wasted trip because she'll receive her immunizations and be done with her medical.

Yes it's great to know that if she hasn't received a call from St Lukes, the results should be negative. I have already booked her a flight to Manila 12-1-11. Do you know how many days it will take to complete her medical now?

3. If she is negative, how soon can the interview be scheduled and who schedules it? I was reading that St Lukes schedules the interview but I also read that we can schedule it. Which is best considering I have not paid for the interview until I know the result is negative? I will then have Sarah go pay the $350 at the bank for the interview.

St Lukes used to reschedule interviews for people who underwent the TB culture, but now you do it yourself. I don't know how soon you can get an interview date. I remember someone here on VJ recently scheduled an interview very soon after the culture. I can't remember if they enlisted St. Luke's assistance to do so or not. Sarah might want to check it out.

I will have her ask about it at St Lukes during her medical. I will have her pay at BPI when she arrives in Manila and then try to schedule online or call.

4. I KNOW I should not have done this but I booked her flight to Dallas for the 13th of December. What is the likelihood of accomplishing this and please help with suggestions?

Anything is possible. However, your plan doesn't sound very probable. I suggest you have a contingency plan which includes enough money to change her ticket to a later date. Good luck on the rest of your journey.

Thank you for at least being somewhat optimistic

Thank you for the quick response Tahoma! Great to have you on this site because you are a great blessing to all.

Any further suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[southcalhog 43]

1. What is a good contact number to St Lukes for the result? Sarah has tried to call today which is 11-29-11 but cannot get through. Is there a number for me to call? Is this normal that she is having a difficult time of getting through to someone?

Yes, it can be difficult to get ahold of St. Lukes. I believe Sarah should already have the contact number for St. Lukes. Didn't St. Lukes give her their contact number when she underwent her sputum collection?

Yes she did but I was trying to help if necessary.

2. Will she need to be present at St Lukes for the negative or positive(I hope not) result or can she get the result over the phone since they told her to call on 11-30-11? She lives in Cebu so she will need to fly to Manila.

Protocol should prevent St. Lukes from disclosing the results of the TB culture over the phone. However, according to reports here on VJ, St. Lukes has told some patients the results of their tests by phone.

Since Sarah is at the end of her eight-week culture and she has heard nothing from St. Lukes, her culture is almost certainly negative for TB. So, if she has to fly to Manila to find out the results, it won't be a wasted trip because she'll receive her immunizations and be done with her medical.

Yes it's great to know that if she hasn't received a call from St Lukes, the results should be negative. I have already booked her a flight to Manila 12-1-11. Do you know how many days it will take to complete her medical now?

3. If she is negative, how soon can the interview be scheduled and who schedules it? I was reading that St Lukes schedules the interview but I also read that we can schedule it. Which is best considering I have not paid for the interview until I know the result is negative? I will then have Sarah go pay the $350 at the bank for the interview.

St Lukes used to reschedule interviews for people who underwent the TB culture, but now you do it yourself. I don't know how soon you can get an interview date. I remember someone here on VJ recently scheduled an interview very soon after the culture. I can't remember if they enlisted St. Luke's assistance to do so or not. Sarah might want to check it out.

I will have her ask about it at St Lukes during her medical. I will have her pay at BPI when she arrives in Manila and then try to schedule online or call.

4. I KNOW I should not have done this but I booked her flight to Dallas for the 13th of December. What is the likelihood of accomplishing this and please help with suggestions?

Anything is possible. However, your plan doesn't sound very probable. I suggest you have a contingency plan which includes enough money to change her ticket to a later date. Good luck on the rest of your journey.

Thank you for at least being somewhat optimistic

Thank you for the quick response Tahoma! Great to have you on this site because you are a great blessing to all.

Any further suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I 2nd that!! "Tahoma" is a blessing to all on here. He always helping others with issues that he is familiar with and have already gone through! I hope your issue get solved also Trey! Good Luck and hang in there! :thumbs:

[Trey7Sarah 0]

That is true and thank you Southcalhog and Tahoma! Sorry I am under a lot of pressure with work, studies, and this. Any suggestions to make speed this up is greatly appreciated.

[Tahoma 2,292]

Do you know how many days it will take to complete her medical now?

I believe she can complete her medical the same day. All she needs to do is to complete her immunizations and pick up her x-ray CD, etc. While she's at St. Lukes, she should ask them for help to expedite an interview appointment. I think they can help.

Sarah should also complete the CFO seminar while she's in Manila. She can do it the day after her medical. That way, all she has to do when she receives her visa is to pick up the CFO sticker at the CFO main office...or at the airport before she flies out. If she decides to pick up her CFO sticker at the airport, it's critical to call them in advance to make sure someone will be at the CFO office at the terminal she's leaving from. The CFO has offices in two or three terminals, but they only have one person who rotates between the offices.

If she can get a quick interview appointment, and if all of her paperwork is in order, and if her visa is delivered within a week, she could still make her scheduled flight. It wouldn't hurt for her to tell the consular officer about her travel date.

Guys...Thanks for the kind words. I know how difficult this process can be and I thank those who came before Chinook and I and helped us through our visa journey.