St. Lukes Extension for Medical Visa

[Ellen Grace 0]

My parents has a regular medical checkup and lab test. I was amaze by same story with most of the people I've known with regards on the Sputum (TB test) experienced. The physician who examined my dad told that he has possible TB which is kinda funny and insult because my dad was 65y.o and yet is an active byclist that can able to bike more than 180km straight. Its a whirlwind emotion because Ive been working for this for such a long time and now there's another delay and adding to expenses. Also my mom needs to return for repeat examine. 

[African Zealot 1,455]

2 hours ago, Ellen Grace said:

The physician who examined my dad told that he has possible TB which is kinda funny and insult because my dad was 65y.o and yet is an active byclist that can able to bike more than 180km straight.

That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have TB . He could possibly have a latent TB infection. Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease and exhibit no symptoms.

[jskibo 588]

Just went through it with both parents in January.  A month into the culture test Mom popped positive and has been going to Manila daily for the pill.  Dad cleared, passed interview and is waiting on his visa for the past two weeks.  Hang in there!

[Crazy Cat 42,097]

4 hours ago, Ellen Grace said:

My parents has a regular medical checkup and lab test. I was amaze by same story with most of the people I've known with regards on the Sputum (TB test) experienced. The physician who examined my dad told that he has possible TB which is kinda funny and insult because my dad was 65y.o and yet is an active byclist that can able to bike more than 180km straight. Its a whirlwind emotion because Ive been working for this for such a long time and now there's another delay and adding to expenses. Also my mom needs to return for repeat examine. 

Where did you get your medical training?  Latent TB is a real thing requiring treatment.  It is very often asymptomatic.  The Xray is just a preliminary diagnostic tool.  Hopefully, your Dad  is disease free.  Good luck.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[Chancy 6,243]

6 hours ago, Ellen Grace said:

The physician who examined my dad told that he has possible TB which is kinda funny and insult because my dad was 65y.o and yet is an active byclist that can able to bike more than 180km straight.

 

Why would it be an insult?!  TB bacteria does not care if the host is rich or poor, young or old, active or inactive.  It just infects lungs it gets access to.  And simply living in the Philippines, being out and about among people, and breathing the same air means getting exposed to TB, because the Philippines has one of the highest rates of TB infection in the world.  Just google "Philippines highly endemic TB".

 

By the way, I also had to go through sputum testing at SLEC Manila.  I tested negative for active TB, so I cleared my medical after just 2 months.  When I came to the US, the state health department asked me to get TB screening.  The doctor here in the US said that I definitely do not have active TB disease, but the blood test they gave me confirmed that I had been exposed to TB and that I do have latent TB infection.  I already knew that, because my previous pulmonologist said no one bothers with blood testing for TB for adults in the Philippines because most would test positive for latent TB infection anyway.  That's why chest x-rays for active TB screening is routinely done in the Philippines.  Here, most US-born adults, like my USC husband, have never had a chest x-ray in their life.

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Chancy
clarification

[Crazy Cat 42,097]

1 minute ago, Chancy said:

 

Why would it be an insult?!  TB bacteria does not care if the host is rich or poor, young or old, active or inactive.  It just infects lungs it gets access to.  And simply living in the Philippines, being out and about among people, and breathing the same air means getting exposed to TB, because the Philippines has one of the highest rates of TB infection in the world.  Just google "Philippines highly endemic TB".

 

By the way, I also had to go through sputum testing at SLEC Manila.  I was cleared of active TB.  When I came to the US, the state health department asked me to get TB screening.  The doctor here in the US said that I definitely do not have active TB disease, but the blood test they gave me confirmed that I had been exposed to TB and that I do have latent TB infection.  I already knew that, because my previous pulmonologist said no one bothers with blood testing for TB for adults in the Philippines because most would test positive for latent TB infection anyway.  That's why chest x-rays for active TB screening is routinely done in the Philippines.  Here, most US-born adults, like my USC husband, have never had a chest x-ray in their life.

 

I have been treated for TB exposure, myself.  In 1978, I reacted to a TB tine test.....and had to take Isoniazid for 6 months.  

[Chancy 6,243]

Just now, Crazy Cat said:

I have been treated for TB exposure, myself.  In 1978, I reacted to a TB tine test.....and had to take Isoniazid for 6 months.  

 

The treatment for latent TB is shorter now.  Just 3 months of Isoniazid and Rifapentine, plus vitamins (Pyridoxine).  I'm on month 3.  Almost done!

 

[Crazy Cat 42,097]

1 minute ago, Chancy said:

 

The treatment for latent TB is shorter now.  Just 3 months of Isoniazid and Rifapentine, plus vitamins (Pyridoxine).  I'm on month 3.  Almost done!

 

I think I took only INH....not the Rifapentine combination...but that was a long time ago...LOL.

[Chancy 6,243]

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

I think I took only INH....not the Rifapentine combination...but that was a long time ago...LOL.

 

Maybe the combo made the treatment shorter.  The most surprising thing for me is having to take 10 pills in 1 day every week.  The folks at the clinic said it's weekly, not daily pills anymore.

 

[LexieJ 44]

My dad went though the same thing but this was back in 2011, he had TB when he was a teenager and of course had a scar in his xray. he did the sputum test and it was negative. When he arrived here in the US his information was sent to the county clinic for surveillance, the doctor offered a short course multi drug therapy for latent TB but I refused as his sputum was negative and he had been asymptomatic all these years, he has other chronic condition that he takes lots of medications and adding this MDT(multi drug therapy) can potentially affect his liver so I declined and the doctor was not persistent for him to have the treatment, he has been doing really well since they moved here. 

[PWB 213]

22 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

I have been treated for TB exposure, myself.  In 1978, I reacted to a TB tine test.....and had to take Isoniazid for 6 months.  

SLEC and their protocol for TB testing is without a doubt a tough obstacle to get past.  I am no challenging  the seriousness of TB but not sure if it is necessary for "them" to do some of what they do to people.  For example; wife failed fist sputum and went through the 8 week protocol she was negative.    Physical timed out and  SLEC required another 8 week culture without an x-ray and of course the results were negative.  Once she arrived the state health department required more TB testing and results were negative, her x-ray was clear, unlike the x-ray at SLEC.  Our pulmonologist said she did not have TB and her lungs were clear.  Two times we had to repeat x-rays for I-693, which is a story that I will tell later. SLEC catches a lot of heat, but is the real problem CDC and USCIS?

[Chancy 6,243]

8 hours ago, PWB said:

Once she arrived the state health department required more TB testing and results were negative, her x-ray was clear, unlike the x-ray at SLEC.  Our pulmonologist said she did not have TB and her lungs were clear.

 

The pulmonologist at our state health department also said that my chest x-ray was clear, but my blood test was positive for TB exposure.  Did your wife not do the TB blood test?

 

[PWB 213]

59 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

The pulmonologist at our state health department also said that my chest x-ray was clear, but my blood test was positive for TB exposure.  Did your wife not do the TB blood test?

 

The state did an AFB Smear, Nuclidic Acid Amplification test and a culture which were all clear as well as a clear chest x-ray.  In total my wife did four chest x-rays.  The only negative x-ray  was SLEC which showed a slight white line.  Then to top it off she had to do another chest x-ray for the I-693 because the last one was over six months old.  Our private pulmonologist said my wife never had TB. Hope this makes sense.

[PWB 213]

10 hours ago, PWB said:

SLEC and their protocol for TB testing is without a doubt a tough obstacle to get past.  I am no challenging  the seriousness of TB but not sure if it is necessary for "them" to do some of what they do to people.  For example; wife failed fist sputum and went through the 8 week protocol she was negative.    Physical timed out and  SLEC required another 8 week culture without an x-ray and of course the results were negative.  Once she arrived the state health department required more TB testing and results were negative, her x-ray was clear, unlike the x-ray at SLEC.  Our pulmonologist said she did not have TB and her lungs were clear.  Two times we had to repeat x-rays for I-693, which is a story that I will tell later. SLEC catches a lot of heat, but is the real problem CDC and USCIS?

Let me clarify, her original chest x-ray at SLEC showed a white line.  Culture was negative.  Because of the time out on her physical SLEC did a second culture without taking  an x-ray.  Second culture was negative.  Sorry for the confusion. 

[Chancy 6,243]

11 minutes ago, PWB said:

The state did an AFB Smear, Nuclidic Acid Amplification test and a culture which were all clear as well as a clear chest x-ray.

 

As far as I know, AFB, NAAT, culture testing, and chest x-rays are diagnostic tools for active TB disease.  IGRA TB blood test screens for latent TB as well.  It seems your state clinic did not do a blood test to screen your wife for latent TB infection.  All the staff who talked to me at our state clinic emphasized that I do not have active TB, and that the treatment prescribed to me was preventive, to minimize the risk that my latent TB would develop into active TB.