Medical - TB Test

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vicky_p

Registered Users (C)
Recently I have completed my medical exams.
They gave me TB skin test first which became positive .. (Asian)
Later the Family physician asked me to take the Chest X-rays.
It came also negative... Everything is clear.
After he sent the X-ray report to my INS doctor(I have the copy of the X-ray report)
I thought everything is over.

All of sudden my fam doctor asked me to go to state health for 6-9 month antibiotics treatment just in case....
I cannot understand the reason. He said State Dept needs to be notified if anybody tested positive of TB skin test.

How bad it will be if you are not going... INS will issue a RFE.. or in Future could this be a problem ?
I knew the liver is affected by the treatment. I am not sure..

Did anyone have situation like this .. Please help me to understand how you handled

Thanks a bunch

Vicky_p
 
I am not an expert in this area, but here are my thoughts.

You are likely to get a positive result ( meaning there is TB)in the skin test if you EVER had an attack of TB earlier.

So, if there was ever an attack of TB earlier you should tell your
doctor that fact, so they are prepared for the outcome.

But the chest X-ray should eliminate that doubt. I do not know
why your family physician thinks you need TB medication now.

Raju
 
TB Info

Raju:

The reason why we (indians) test positive is due to the fact that we have vaccination (BCG) taken for TB. This will show up as a prior mild TB infection. Here in US this vaccination is not required.

So it does not mean that somebody withheld any information from the doctor.

I am not a medical doctor..but this is the way it was explained to me by my family doctor.

DMN
 
Guys, what happens if you test positive on skin test and x-ray? Does it mean end of GC processing- no hope, it will be denied, or does it mean they ask you to get treatment?

Also, I have heard that chest x-ray sometimes shows past infection which is now inactive. In that case does the INS doc report it as positive or negative?
 
Can medicals be done in India?

My wife is currently in India, and I am wondering if she can do her medicals there before coming here for filing 485.
 
You most likely get a positive skin test result if you have ever been vaccinated against TB ( since this means you have the anti-bodies in your body and you will react to the skin test) . If you are - like me - from a developing country but are sure you do not have tb - I would definitely NOT take the antibiotics !! I am a pharmacist and believe me - I would not let any of my family take these antibiotics for 6-9 months knowing for sure that they do not have tb. There is 10-20 % chance some of them are going to wreck your liver -- but the USA would rather have you wreck your liver than have a remote chance of having some one bring in some tb - so do your research and decide for yourself - I would DEFINITELY NOT take them. ( if your x-ray was negative you should be fine and they cannot force you to take them)

ps - I am a pharmacist working in retail in an area where there are plenty of people like you - I dispense loads of tb meds to people who are told to take the stuff and put their kids on the stuff - I think its an outrage!!!!
 
by the way - when our family went for our 1-140 medicals I knew up front that all our skin tests would come up positive as in my country we are vaccinated for this - so I chose to go straight to x-ray instead - and there was no problem. I recommend this route to anyone who is from a country in which tb vaccinations are done. Doctors here panic when they get a positive skin test as they are not use to them - then they recommend this 6-9 month therapy - rather just refuse the skin test and go straight for the chest x-ray = it comes back negative and no one asks you any further questions - or expects you to ruin your liver for their peace of mind !!!!
 
I have the same problem and i am also taking the drugs and my doctor has recommended that every month i go for a lever test and based on the lever test he has asked me to take the drugs, so far everything is okay,

But the INS will not do anything even if you don't take those drugs

Hope this helps
 
No recomendation from INS Doc

I have just got the report form ( copy of I-693 or something) from the INS doctor. He did not mention anywhere in the form about the INH prescribed ??


My question really is do I have to still go for INH for 6-9 months as recommended by my family doctor ... If I refuse to go ,does this affect my green card process ???

Thanks guys for the great support.

Vicky_p


Richard ::

I am not sure about INH.. I am getting different opinions about the sideeffects.
 
Vicky,

If your chest X-ray comes negative.The health dept. gives you option whether to take TB meds or not.You can tell health dept. nurse that you don't want to take meds and they will close your file.However, they always encourage you to take TB meds.So use your judgement. In my case:- I told them I am not going to take TB meds.So no problem with INS.
 
Thanks Megb.

However my family doc asked over the phone to go to State Health to have INH. I haven't received any mail from the fam doctor office neither State health Dept yet. it may not come.. I am not sure. But to be on safer side if I ever receive the letter from Health dept, then I will consider your suggestion.

Thanks again
Vicky
 
Me and my wife both tested +ve for TB skin test. Later we took the chest X ray which was clear.

Health Dept people asked us to take the TB medication and told us we could decline if we chose. We gave the copy of the X ray results and declined to take the medication. They have kept the copy of the X ray results on the file.

Should not be a problem for the GC process if the X ray is Clear.
 
Vicky:

I was in a similarly situation. I tested positive is because I had vaccination (BCG) taken for TB in Africa. Despite X-ray showed negative but Tennessee Heath Dept placed on medication for nine months. I did not have TB, the officials told me they taking a precaution measures.
Americans do not take this kind of vaccination:

If you are cleared by INS Doctor, you would be fine. It would not affect your green card. If health required you to take it, do it. It wouldn’t hurt you. Moreover, it is free in Tennessee.
 
you guys don't seem to get it - the medication has a high rate of damaging your liver - so its free !!! Great - come to America and damage your liver for free !!!! My advice is if you don't have tb per the x-ray - don't even take one pill !!!!
 
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