Preparation for St Luke's Medical Exam

[Al422 221]

Candy's medical exam is in 6 days. She is a smart lady who knows what to do and what to say to accomplish the mission she is on. I have no worry about that, not even a little worry.

But one thing I do set out to accomplish is to prepare her for things that happen that might be considered unpleasant. I want her to walk in there with 100% confidence that nothing that happens will be a problem for her.

But in order to do that I need to know what to expect. For the most part I got my answers, except for one: When they collect the urine sample, do you do that privately, or does a nurse or someone else supervise.

This may seem trivial , but I have everything else covered. I just have this one unanswered question.

[carocaro 22]

I didn't do my tests there, but at another center. I had to leave my purse and coat outside the bathroom for the urine test, but I was not supervised in any other way to get the sample. Usual bathroom privacy.

[JBones 7]

She will do it (get urine sample) privately. She just needs to be prepared for the actual physical exam when she will have to wear a lab gown with nothing underneath it. No worries because women get assigned to female doctors.

Most people have to return another day to get the results. It will also help if she gets there early (as early as 630am).

[Bill and Vicky 25]

Also, there may be a tuberculosis "scratch" test. My wife was surprised by this since she was already here on a student visa, but she tested negative so it wasn't a big deal. It's not painful, and it's probably more to color in a box on a form somewhere, but they may require it so she can be ready.

EDIT: my wife did her exam in the Palo Alto Medical Foundation group in California. I have no idea if this will come up at St. Luke's or not.

Regards,

Bill

Edited May 6, 2014 by Bill and Vicky

[Al422 221]

She will do it (get urine sample) privately. She just needs to be prepared for the actual physical exam when she will have to wear a lab gown with nothing underneath it. No worries because women get assigned to female doctors.

Most people have to return another day to get the results. It will also help if she gets there early (as early as 630am).

Thank you and everyone else for being helpful. We already talked about the physical exam and will probably talk about it more before the main event. Unpleasant things are unpleasant things, and none of them are going to change. But what I can change is to prevent surprise and calm any fears she may have about the things that are not a surprise..

Her biggest fear so far has been the needle for the blood test. I get one of those every two weeks because I have cancer, and I did my best to relate my needle experience to the single one she will get. I am making progress. As those of you who did this already know, it really doesn't hurt.

[JBones 7]

Honestly, I don't remember getting my blood sample taken (I got my medical August 2013). But what I do remember clearly is getting at least three shots (vaccines). You can tell your fiancee this early that so she can mentally prepare for it. The vaccination comes near the end of the whole process. Unfortunately, no exceptions for this.

[AI&RL 0]

My only recommendation is makes sure she is clear of her "time of the month"....

[bendinlar 16]

Honestly, I don't remember getting my blood sample taken (I got my medical August 2013). But what I do remember clearly is getting at least three shots (vaccines). You can tell your fiancee this early that so she can mentally prepare for it. The vaccination comes near the end of the whole process. Unfortunately, no exceptions for this.

Isn't there an exception for those with a bun in the oven? Thus the pregnancy test?

Just sayin.

[JBones 7]

Yeah, you're right. I stand corrected. I forgot about the waiver/question. No vaccination for pregnant women. But if a woman is not pregnant at the time of vaccination, she will be strongly advised NOT to get pregnant for a certain period of time so as not to affect the fetus.

[Al422 221]

There are no "buns in the oven" for us, as we are too old for that. We know about the "red" time of the month and have been careful to steer around that. We know about the shots, which I want her to have anyway because the diseases they prevent are far worse than the shots themselves.

A routine blood draw is not terrible. Believe me I know because with my cancer, I have had over 30 of those in the last two years. Just a matter of convincnig her to not worry about it.

Thank you all for your help.

[Al422 221]

Thanks again for all your help. Candy and I talked last night on Skype, and she is now fully prepared. My definition of fully prepared is 100% confidence by her that nothing that will happen in those two days will be a problem for her. Thanks to your help from everyone, we have reached that goal.

[Al422 221]

And so the journey begins. Candy is at the Hong Kong airport now waiting for her flight to Manila. In less than 24 hours she will be inside St. Luke's.