Sputum Test

[RLJC 0]

Hi Vjers,

Just have a quick question about SPUTUM TEST? Last week had my medical at St. Lukes. Unfortunately, x-ray result says that i have scar in my lungs.

So, they gave me new schedule for SPUTUM TEST this coming AUG 5, 6, 7. I am completely frustrated how my medical turned out to be so negative. Doctor told

me that i do have a normal lungs, it's just that USEM is so particular when it comes to lung issues. Was there any instances or experiences that SPUTUM TEST

wrongly diagnose to a patient which resulted to undergo 6 months medication? I am bit worried right! please help...

God bless to all!!!

[michael_angelie 0]

Hello. I'm sorry to hear that. Just thinking of that makes me nervous and a bit paranoid when I will take my medical exam. Have you had tried to do a chest xray for yourself before you went to SLEC? I am thinking of maybe I will have my Chest xray done here in Cebu before my I go to SLEC. Since then I always have negative results on my chest xray which is required at work. I just hope and pray that it will be the same result at SLEC

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K1 Process to Phil Regional Forum~

~Inquiry is country-specific~

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hi Vjers,

Just have a quick question about SPUTUM TEST? Last week had my medical at St. Lukes. Unfortunately, x-ray result says that i have scar in my lungs.

So, they gave me new schedule for SPUTUM TEST this coming AUG 5, 6, 7. I am completely frustrated how my medical turned out to be so negative. Doctor told

me that i do have a normal lungs, it's just that USEM is so particular when it comes to lung issues. Was there any instances or experiences that SPUTUM TEST

wrongly diagnose to a patient which resulted to undergo 6 months medication? I am bit worried right! please help...

God bless to all!!!

SLEC had to follow the requirements from CDC regarding TB (a contagious and deadly disease). You will do the first phase of the SPUTUM testing over three days, then you will have to wait for 60 more days as they watch for culture growth. At the end of the 60 days if the results is negative for TB you will complete the balance of your medical and are ready to attend your interview.

[Enigma23 68]

Hi!

My fiance has finished his treatment and we are now waitng the last test results. I will do my best to answer anything that is not covered under this thread I wrote to help others...

Try not to worry too much right now.... I have not heard of anyone undergoing treatment wrongly... but you'll learn alot here.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/489654-tuberculosis-screening-and-applying-for-a-visa-sdo/#entry6927343

[tolitzpogi 37]

Hi Vjers,

Just have a quick question about SPUTUM TEST? Last week had my medical at St. Lukes. Unfortunately, x-ray result says that i have scar in my lungs.

So, they gave me new schedule for SPUTUM TEST this coming AUG 5, 6, 7. I am completely frustrated how my medical turned out to be so negative. Doctor told

me that i do have a normal lungs, it's just that USEM is so particular when it comes to lung issues. Was there any instances or experiences that SPUTUM TEST

wrongly diagnose to a patient which resulted to undergo 6 months medication? I am bit worried right! please help...

God bless to all!!!

Hello there... let me share my experiences and see if this makes a difference to what you're feeling...

My fiancee has pretty much the same situation as you... we had our K1 interview scheduled for July 22nd and so I had her go to SLEC on July 3rd for her medical exam. Note that there is no history of TB or any other critical or contagious diseases in her family, and the tests were done including the x-ray and other checkups, and she was asked to come back the following day for her immunization... the fact that they said she should come back tomorrow for her immunization gave her high hopes that the medical was fine and we were on schedule.

Well, she came back the next day and she was devastated for being blindsided with a "sputum test" mark on her medical - they said they found lung scarring in her x-ray and that she should come back on July 15, 16 & 17 for the sputum test. The person from SLEC who gave her the news was really rude and said it so matter-of-factly that he might as well have been ordering her to get him a soda... anyway, on the way home she started questioning her health and even her future because she believed she had TB (note that I was with her throughout the whole process, texting and messaging her for more than 3 hours)... and I kept reassuring her that it was normal in the Philippines to get sputum tests for TB due to the environment... but she was so totally demoralized that she fell into depression for about 2-3 days after the news. Cancelling that July 22nd K1 interview was so painful...

So after countless nights of stress and depression, we finally got to the day of the sputum tests... I checked her in at Casa Bocobo because she is coming from Rizal and she won't make it on time for the 6am appointment everyday if she commutes from there (and it's dangerous for a woman to start commuting at 4am in the morning). She was healthy and didn't have any cough, cold or anything that would make it easy for her to expel sputum, so those three days of trying to cough out sputum was HELL... and did I mention that she was doing the sputum tests in the midst of typhoon Glenda and not seeing her two kids in Rizal throughout the whole ordeal? But she got through it was asked to come back on July 21st (which would've been the eve of her K1 interview but oh well...)

Throughout that weekend we were praying and hoping that she will pull through, and my reassurances were constant, every hour at one time because she couldn't sleep from all the stress... so the day came and she went there at 2pm, still depressed and stressed but a lot more hopeful... They separated those in line for the results into two - one marked A and the other marked B... she got assigned to the A line and she was 12th in the queue. She noticed that those in the B line didn't look as healthy as those in the A line, and she messaged me that she is hoping that it was a good sign for her being in the A line... and when she noticed that everyone in the A line so far has gotten negative tests (she had been chatting with them), and at the same time she aw people in the B line all going to the D.O.T room (Direct Observation Therapy, where they give pills to those who are TB positive), she got a lot more hopeful and excited, but still reserved and preparing for the worst...

So when her time came, I didn't hear from her for about 10 minutes... and the next text that came removed all my stress and depression for the last two weeks, because she said "see you in two months, babe..."

The ordeal is definitely hard, and we have been through a lot... looking back it might have been minor and we kept reassuring ourselves that sputum tests are common occurrences to people in the Philippines, but we just have to keep hopeful... we have 7 weeks to go, and we hope to God that we call them first...

[snappy 2]

I undergone sputum culture too. Dont worry too much. Just keep on praying,do things normally and you'll be fine. In my experience i did repeat sputum collection because in my first three sputum collection they cannot pressume if im negative or not. Maybe,in my observation the sputum collected isnt enough. So make sure to spit more than enough sputum. My first sputum collection was may7-9 then evaluation is may14 only to be told to come back for repeat sputum may19-21 then evaluation may 27 and i was assigned in group A and its negative. Yes i noticed also that most of the groupB went to DOT room and their folders are in red color. Orange folders are negative and mine is orange. God is good.

I was told to call july 21 for the result of my 2months culture. But told also that the end of the culture is july16 and that the visa will expire 3months from the day the result came out therefore i have to leave the country before october 16. Came july 21 i was so tense when i called st lukes and in God's grace its negative. Got my immunization last friday july 25 and my visa interview is set on aug 25 which is not very favorable to me cause i have to come back to manila again for the fifth times for the interview.

God is good all the time.

So stay positive vibes. Dont get paranoid not good for the health.

[RLJC 0]

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys... That's also my question tolitzpogi, how can you give them enough sputum if you don't have cough? but all of you are

right, i just need to pray for it... God bless you all!

[hotmom17 3]

the medical team in st lukes will teach you how to do the coughing technique for you to spit out enough sputum. its kinda scary but its very easy and you have to relax. good luck.

[tjnielsen 2]

hello:

so i have read some of these responses. currently my father-in law is in st luke's doing the sputum test. and i was wondering what the average timeline was for one of these test start to finish. some of the post where confusing. also they have told him he has to have 3 injections done up in north in quezon city. and i was wondering if anyone knows what that's about and if there is any other cost  with those injections

[Greenbaum 12,259]

38 minutes ago, tjnielsen said:

hello:

so i have read some of these responses. currently my father-in law is in st luke's doing the sputum test. and i was wondering what the average timeline was for one of these test start to finish. some of the post where confusing. also they have told him he has to have 3 injections done up in north in quezon city. and i was wondering if anyone knows what that's about and if there is any other cost  with those injections

He will do the first phase of the SPUTUM testing over three days, then he will have to wait for 60 more days as they watch for culture growth. At the end of the 60 days if the results is negative for TB he will complete the balance of his medical and then schedule and attend his interview.

 

I don't recall any "up north" for injections. He will have his vaccination shots when completed with the TB at SLEC. Up north could be the 3rd floor at SLEC for the injections.