Cured Tuberculosis

[Tatiana_shamrock 1]

5 hours ago, David & Zoila said:

You're not planning on sharing this with your fiance?  Or doctors?  This is the strangest thing I have ever heard.  If I were your fiance and you never told me you had gone through such a horrific experience I would be so pissed.  I would forever lose my trust for you.  And you cannot lie to the doctors either.  And I am willing to bet you had active and not inactive TB.  My wife also tested positive for non-active TB (exposure) but never had to undergo chemo or surgery.  She had to take a pill once daily for 6 months and was supervised/monitored closely by the Health Department. It appears you are having trouble with honesty.  You CAN'T LIE TO THE DOCTORS.

Read my post more carefully! I'm NOT saying I'M NOT GOING to tell MY FIANCE or DOCTORS about it. I know that i must share it with my boyfriend and i will - i just don't want to do it because i'm embarrassed and scared. and i believe there are very few people with the same experience who wouldn't be confused to discuss this topic in person even with the nearest and dearest. Moreover, that is obvious the "secret" will be revealed during my medical screening and the doctors will know everything. So I'm aware how stupid it would be to hide it. My question is NOT about HIDING the fact. It is about the probability of denying my visa because of the TB record.

[randomstairs 303]

I can see how you may feel embarrassed if your culture strongly associates TB with "disadvantaged groups". But I can assure you that the bacterium does not discriminate among any particular groups. Poor urban people, hospital workers, prisoners or homeless are more likely to get infected because they spend more time in larger groups and indoor spaces, thereby increasing exposure. They don't get it because they are "disadvantaged". There is no shame in being infected - it's a biological/physical consequence of spending time in certain environments beyond anyone's control. 

 

Be honest about it. The doctors will naturally appreciate that and so will your boyfriend. And, as others said, you'll be fine with the immigration process even if it may result in minor delays. Best of luck!  

[Unidentified 2,930]

He's going to see your scars eventually so I don't get the whole "I don't want to tell him" deal. I think I found out about my, now husband, surgeries (heart and spine) on our 3rd or 4th date, possibly even earlier because he told me what he'd been through. Would I have been pissed if he didn't tell me? No. Would I have felt comfortable marrying someone who kept secrets? No. 

[NoProblem 69]

Once your sputum test comes out to be negative, you are clear to proceed with your K-1.  The existing doctor or clinic doing your medical may need to see your earlier treatment records but I am not sure lack thereof can lead them to not clear you up for medical.  Embassy wont have an issue as long as your medical is clear to proceed.  Upon arriving at the US you will be ask to show up for checkup at your local CDC affiliated hospital or clinic.  

 

If you are not given clear medical report based on your history with TB and you dont have active TB then you may be able to get a waiver by filing form I-601.  Your fiance would need to get this I-601 singed from his local city or county health department.  

[display n 5]

On 7/16/2018 at 10:24 PM, jlc201 said:

There is nothing to be afraid of, you will not be denied a visa simply because of a history of TB infection. But you should tell your spouse, and your physician, because they will both find out during this process. To clarify, what you had was active TB which required a full course of treatment. You are now in remission, but still have inactive TB lingering in your system and there is the possibility that it could revert to active disease again in the future. (Lots and lots of people have been exposed to TB and have inactive disease that never causes a problem. Although there may be social stigma involved with TB infection, it is not a disease of the disadvantaged and there is no shame in acquiring an infection.) The reason this background is important is that USCIS' primary objective in requiring immigrants to undergo a medical exam is to prevent the spread of TB and other infectious diseases inside the US. Therefore, someone who has had TB in the past but is now cured or in remission, and is not a risk of infecting other people, is of little or no concern to USCIS. Their objective in the screening process is to make sure you are not one of those (infectious) people and, if you are, to make sure you are not infectious when you immigrate to the US. Since your examining physician will readily figure out that you have a history of TB (if you have a PPD test placed--which you should not--it will come back positive and they will order a chest x-ray, where your lobectomy will be apparent), what they will do is to require you to provide 3 sputum samples over 3 consecutive days. These samples will be cultured for 8 weeks to see if there is any Tb growth. If there is (which is unlikely, based on what you report), then you are still infectious and will require additional antibiotic treatment, and will then have to repeat the above process until the cultures are negative. If there is no growth after 8 weeks (i.e., cultures are negative), then you will not require any additional treatment and will be allowed to continue the immigration process. (You will also be required to notify the public health department where you live in the US, but that is just a formality.) Bottom line, your immigration process is likely to be extended by an additional 8 weeks while you wait for the results of the culture testing, but you will not be prevented from immigrating to the US. And you should tell your spouse because it's nothing to be ashamed of. 

Well said.

[tomigaoka 8]

On 7/16/2018 at 9:55 AM, Tatiana_shamrock said:

Hi guys!

 

My bf and I have finally decided to apply for K-1 Visa. That's good news. The bad news is that i have some health issues I want to share neither with my fiance nor with doctors during the medical check-up. The problem is that in 2011 i was diagnosed with inactive tuberculosis. i was sent to the hospital and went through thorough treatment including special chemo and a surgery on my destructed lung - a lobe of it was resected. After this nightmare, i went on taking meds for a couple of months. And for about three years i had to go through regular medical check-ups at a TB-hospital. The checkups included blood and sputum tests + X-ray twice a year. My tests were always good. After these three years, the check-ups were over and I, finally, became just a 'normal' person. According to the medical rules of my country, all the citizens have to do chest X-rays once a year. And I do them. Everything's absolutely fine with my lungs. The only thing that shows that something was wrong is the scar (and the obvious absence of one lobe) i have after the surgery. Even if i say i've never had TB, the doctor will see my X-ray. I have no doubts, s/he will ask me about the origins of the scar. Will the situation i face be the reason for my visa denial? 

 

Any updates here? Just curious

 

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by tomigaoka

[TBoneTX 45,522]

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