What should I do? - paranoid anxiety

[Teddy406 0]

Hello,

I am about to go for my interview and have become increasingly worried that I may have misrepresented a fact on my medical.

I had one bout of depression a few years ago, i was put on meds and recovered very quickly. When I got my packet 3, i went through all the questions with my doctor and asked if they applied to me and my medical record because i wanted to make sure I had declared the correct things and not "overstated" / "understated" anything.

Before going to my medical I got a doctor's note explaining what type of depression i had, the treatment, the fast recovery and the fact i was not pyschotic.

I asked my doctor about me saying somethings that could have indicated suicidal tendancies and she laughed and said it was nothing to worry about, I was never a threat to myself or others. I asked her to put this in the letter but again she laughed and said, "don't be silly!"

When I did my medical the doctor was very pleased with me letter and said it helped greatly, I passed all the physical aspects and he asked me at the very end "any thoughts of suicide?"

I replied "no".

I thought he meant the "serious" thoughts and that my vague "i feel like i could just jump out the window headfirst" werent "thoughts of suicide" since I never considered myself suicidal or a risk and neither did my doctor.

I believed my worst mistake was "thinking" , when checking later, my medical record does contain the words "thoughts of suicide" . I didnt think they were the same as "i've wrote this note and im going to do this, this and this on xxx day" but now I've seen how i should have probably said something else which covered that. I can honestly say every other thing my fiancée and I have done has been to acquire a visa for us to be together legitimately, and we/I honestly didnt set out to deceive.

The words hit me hard since technically I said "No" to something that WAS on my medical record.

I've become certain that I didnt describe my depression adequetly at the time of being asked about a symptom. The Doctor was happy with what I said at the medical and said "yep, you look all fine".

What should I do?

regards, Teddy.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Teddy,

First of all, don't panic. From what I understand, neither the consulate or the panel physicians who perform the medicals HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS .- So there is really not much to worry about.

Since your personal physician gave you a letter with the details, bring it to the interview, but don't bring it up unless the consular officer asks for it or if there are any questions surrounding mental health.

A lot of VJ members have or had mental health issues and it did not seem to be a deal-breaker from what I 've heard... unless you are a threat to yourself or others.

I know this sounds trite, but try to stay calm - the interview will probably be stressful enough - don't worry about things waaaaay too much. Good luck!!!

L.

[Teddy406 0]

Teddy,

First of all, don't panic. From what I understand, neither the consulate or the panel physicians who perform the medicals HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS .- So there is really not much to worry about.

Since your personal physician gave you a letter with the details, bring it to the interview, but don't bring it up unless the consular officer asks for it or if there are any questions surrounding mental health.

A lot of VJ members have or had mental health issues and it did not seem to be a deal-breaker from what I 've heard... unless you are a threat to yourself or others.

I know this sounds trite, but try to stay calm - the interview will probably be stressful enough - don't worry about things waaaaay too much. Good luck!!!

L.

Thanks for your timely advice...

Well, I've done my medical and already submitted my letter at the time of the medical to the examining physician, he said it was excellent and exactly what was needed.

If the USA cant see your medical records, then it begs the question "why bother being honest about medical stuff all together? "

I certainly dont agree with that, and I know 99% of people here dont! I really dont want to do anything approaching "misrepresentation" and honestly, common sense wise, I would agree with you, my family and fiancée but if i need/should do "something" now regarding the situation, I'd rather do it.

[TimsDaisy 0]

If the USA cant see your medical records, then it begs the question "why bother being honest about medical stuff all together? "

you could make the same statement about 99% of this process. if anyone wanted to, you could hoodwink the government 8 ways from tuesday and probably not face any serious consequences. except of course, if you get caught . . . .

in THIS case, however, i don't think you've misrepresented anything. they are not going to subpoena your medical records from your private doctor. they weren't submitted. and you took a whole letter with you upfront and everything.

i wouldn't open up that can of worms later by creating a problem you worry *might* exist. from what you've said, it doesn't.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Thanks for your timely advice...

Well, I've done my medical and already submitted my letter at the time of the medical to the examining physician, he said it was excellent and exactly what was needed.

If the USA cant see your medical records, then it begs the question "why bother being honest about medical stuff all together? "

I certainly dont agree with that, and I know 99% of people here dont! I really dont want to do anything approaching "misrepresentation" and honestly, common sense wise, I would agree with you, my family and fiancée but if i need/should do "something" now regarding the situation, I'd rather do it.

Teddy,

I DID NOT advised you to do anything illegal or to lie to the consular officer - I did say you don't have to bring things up unless they ask you. Consular officers are that: consular officers - they are not MD's and hence have little experience about the complexity of health in general, and mental health in particular.

Like TimsDaisy said: why open a can of worms? But, at the end of the day, you will do what you feel is right for you.

Good luck in your journey, L.

[Teddy406 0]

Thanks for your timely advice...

Well, I've done my medical and already submitted my letter at the time of the medical to the examining physician, he said it was excellent and exactly what was needed.

If the USA cant see your medical records, then it begs the question "why bother being honest about medical stuff all together? "

I certainly dont agree with that, and I know 99% of people here dont! I really dont want to do anything approaching "misrepresentation" and honestly, common sense wise, I would agree with you, my family and fiancée but if i need/should do "something" now regarding the situation, I'd rather do it.

Teddy,

I DID NOT advised you to do anything illegal or to lie to the consular officer - I did say you don't have to bring things up unless they ask you. Consular officers are that: consular officers - they are not MD's and hence have little experience about the complexity of health in general, and mental health in particular.

Like TimsDaisy said: why open a can of worms? But, at the end of the day, you will do what you feel is right for you.

Good luck in your journey, L.

Sorry, I think we were getting our wires crossed, I wasnt implying you advised a lie to a consular officer, I tried to explain further on that I'm not prepared to do that and, more, if anything, have infact asked "Is this a situation requiring further action before i turn up at the interview? If the officer asks certain questions, I want to be ready, I dont want to leave myself open to accusations that i was dishonest intentionally"

Which is why I have asked the question, I appreciate I cannot take it as legal gospel but if someone said "yeah, you've blatantly and clearly defrauded the process, get a waiver"; I'd probably get a cosnultation with a lawyer. People might say "if you believe your medical records are wrong or misleading then, speak to your GP about why this is".

Sorry for that misunderstanding.

Peace, and good luck to yourself.

Teddy

[TimsDaisy 0]

Teddy - this is what I'm getting from your posts so far: you had an issue with depression in the past. You got a letter from your doc now that was not so bad, and had no indication of suicidal thoughts. In your medical interview, they asked about suicidal thoughts. You said none. The doctor's note confirms none.

Later on, you went home, read something in your medical file that indicated yes, suicidal thoughts?

Most people don't routinely read their medical files. The Embassy won't get your medical file unless it's part of a legal record to which they have access or it's part of something you handed over to them during this process.

If what you said matches what was in the doctor's note you took in, then you sound like you're in good shape. If they magically turn up with that other paper, then your honest answer would be - at least it seems from what you said here - "i don't know why that's there, the doctor even said in the letter i brought that i didn't have those thoughts. i honestly don't recall what that could be about." if that's the truth, it's the truth.

in the meantime, you can speak to your doctor about what's in the file and ask why that popped up in the file but NOT in the letter. clear up the file is a lot - a LOT - more sensible than starting a long drawn out battle, potentially, with the embassy.

[Teddy406 0]

If the USA cant see your medical records, then it begs the question "why bother being honest about medical stuff all together? "

you could make the same statement about 99% of this process. if anyone wanted to, you could hoodwink the government 8 ways from tuesday and probably not face any serious consequences. except of course, if you get caught . . . .

in THIS case, however, i don't think you've misrepresented anything. they are not going to subpoena your medical records from your private doctor. they weren't submitted. and you took a whole letter with you upfront and everything.

i wouldn't open up that can of worms later by creating a problem you worry *might* exist. from what you've said, it doesn't.

Sorry there! I didnt mean had that attitude, rather, implying i didnt want to do the "they cant see your records so who cares?" routine, since i believe honesty is the best policy and I'd rather take action now to correct a situation than risk greater punishment later, for example, if i have to do a second medical because our AOS isnt within a year of my original. What should I do then? Will I need an identical copy of the letter I submitted to the examining medical officer? Will I have to indicate the same medical history again? Or is it just changes from my inital K1 medical?

Teddy

Peace,

Teddy

[Teddy406 0]

Teddy - this is what I'm getting from your posts so far: you had an issue with depression in the past. You got a letter from your doc now that was not so bad, and had no indication of suicidal thoughts. In your medical interview, they asked about suicidal thoughts. You said none. The doctor's note confirms none.

Later on, you went home, read something in your medical file that indicated yes, suicidal thoughts?

Most people don't routinely read their medical files. The Embassy won't get your medical file unless it's part of a legal record to which they have access or it's part of something you handed over to them during this process.

If what you said matches what was in the doctor's note you took in, then you sound like you're in good shape. If they magically turn up with that other paper, then your honest answer would be - at least it seems from what you said here - "i don't know why that's there, the doctor even said in the letter i brought that i didn't have those thoughts. i honestly don't recall what that could be about." if that's the truth, it's the truth.

in the meantime, you can speak to your doctor about what's in the file and ask why that popped up in the file but NOT in the letter. clear up the file is a lot - a LOT - more sensible than starting a long drawn out battle, potentially, with the embassy.

Yeah, that's pretty much it, except for my initial letter from my GP (the one that treated me) didnt mention suicidal thoughts.

When asking my GP for the letter, I asked if any of my actions or statements during my depression were considered 'suicidal' or whether i was a danger to myself or others. I asked her, "If there is anything that that was relevent to those issues, please put it on the letter" . My GP said in conversation "i wasnt suicidal nor was i danger to myself or others", she didnt actually put that on the letter though.

Edited June 25, 2007 by Teddy406

[Teddy406 0]

Teddy - this is what I'm getting from your posts so far: you had an issue with depression in the past. You got a letter from your doc now that was not so bad, and had no indication of suicidal thoughts. In your medical interview, they asked about suicidal thoughts. You said none. The doctor's note confirms none.

Later on, you went home, read something in your medical file that indicated yes, suicidal thoughts?

Most people don't routinely read their medical files. The Embassy won't get your medical file unless it's part of a legal record to which they have access or it's part of something you handed over to them during this process.

If what you said matches what was in the doctor's note you took in, then you sound like you're in good shape. If they magically turn up with that other paper, then your honest answer would be - at least it seems from what you said here - "i don't know why that's there, the doctor even said in the letter i brought that i didn't have those thoughts. i honestly don't recall what that could be about." if that's the truth, it's the truth.

in the meantime, you can speak to your doctor about what's in the file and ask why that popped up in the file but NOT in the letter. clear up the file is a lot - a LOT - more sensible than starting a long drawn out battle, potentially, with the embassy.

Yeah, that's pretty much it, except for my initial letter from my GP (the one that treated me) didnt mention suicidal thoughts.

When asking my GP for the letter, I asked if any of my actions or statements during my depression were considered 'suicidal' or whether i was a danger to myself or others. I asked her, "If there is anything that that was relevent to those issues, please put it on the letter" . My GP said in conversation "i wasnt suicidal nor was i danger to myself or others", she didnt actually put that on the letter though.

Final clear up :

1)I asked my doctor if what i thought was considered suicidal, if i ever was considered suicidal or if i was a risk to others she said no, and didnt put it on the letter; I asked her to and she said something like "there's no need"

2)I go to US medical, doctor happy with letter, said it was very good and explanatory but at the end of the interview, I get asked "thoughts of sucide?" along with other questions about general stuff : I say "No", Examining Doctor happy and says "yep, this is all good pending the blood and x-ray"

3)Subsequently I find out my GP held medical report has the phrase "thoughts of suicide" in it

4) Panic.

When doing the Visa medical I just wanted to answer truthfully based on my medical record and not create something that wasnt there, now it looks like i have done the opposite and lied about a fact on my medical record.

I just wish I had not followed the GP's advice and described to the examining physician what I believed to be the case was and I would have been much better off.

[TimsDaisy 0]

You followed your doctor's advice. That's hardly wrong.

Teddy, don't panic. And you've got some information here, you'll have to decide what you're most comfortable doing and do it.

[Ron/Sharon 0]

From what I read you did the medical and no further information has been requested, to me that means you passed. I did mine on June 7 and still I am not done because clarification and further documentation is required, did your dr. tell you that you could be denied, no, well mine did right there in her office and I'm not half as stressed as you seem to be. Don't give yourself a heart attack now that you're nearing the end of the trip.

[Teddy406 0]

You followed your doctor's advice. That's hardly wrong.

Teddy, don't panic. And you've got some information here, you'll have to decide what you're most comfortable doing and do it.

Well, I'm not really sure what I can/should do..that's the problem.

I have "its not a big deal, carry on as planned" or try and take on my surgery about what constitues "thoughts of suicide".

Should I consult a lawyer?

Edited June 25, 2007 by Teddy406

[Teddy406 0]

You followed your doctor's advice. That's hardly wrong.

Teddy, don't panic. And you've got some information here, you'll have to decide what you're most comfortable doing and do it.

Well, I'm not really sure what I can/should do..that's the problem.

I have "its not a big deal, carry on as planned" or try and take on my surgery about what constitues "thoughts of suicide".

Should I consult a lawyer?

Or should I get a further letter from my GP?

Edited June 25, 2007 by Teddy406

[TimsDaisy 0]

No and no.

Why would you consult a lawyer? Does the Embassy have a document that says you were suicidal? They don't second guess what the embassy doctors tell them as far as i know. What will a lawyer do for you? You can go to your doctor and say change the damn file because what you said isn't what is written on the paper there, but past that, i don't think you need to worry. There are pitfalls in this process, what you've described doesn't seem to fall into one of them.

Have you tried calling the State Department to see if your medical results were entered into the file and if there's any noted problem with them? They might not be able to say anything past what you know now, but perhaps.

You should check out Linababe's story in the UK regional forum. She had some problems with her medical exam because of past depression issues, but that was a problem AT the medical exam itself. It created later problems because she has to wait for her visa pending the final medical exam results.

Again, the choice is yours, none of us here have complete access to all the facts nor too-special insight into the minds of the docs and how the COs view the docs. I don't think anyone here will give you a definitive answer, so if that's what you're looking for, I think you'll be disappointed.