time line of medical check and interview

[tevolo]

Hi, I'm wondering what the time line looks like re getting interview date, and medical check with civil surgeon.

We're trying to avoid the flu shot requirement, which means if we book in with civil surgeon April 1st onwards, we'll avoid it. But looks like we'll get our interview in April, possibly the first week....

Is it possible to book in even a week before your interview, or is there a longer processing time needed?

The civil surgeon where we are will send the results straight to the consulate.

Does anyone know if seeing the Doc one week prior to interview is ok? Thanks!!!

 

[tevolo]

4jaacc

Does anyone know the process? They take your blood and do the x ray at the civil surgeon's office??From my possibly limited understanding on this, they do....

I know they send the results to the consulate. Does anyone know how long this takes? Is there some standard recommendation on timing to get into your medical check? Thanks to anyone who responds. I'm a bit overwhelmed and thought I knew more than I do!! Bit nervous as we expect our notification letter of interview in about 2-3 weeks.

 

[Centrino]

Does anyone know if seeing the Doc one week prior to interview is ok? Thanks!!!

When I phoned the doctor the first time to get an appointment, he suggested that I visit him one or two weeks before my interview date at the embassy, which is on February 23. However, I insisted to get an earlier appointment with him (for the sake of peace of mind...), which was OK.
This is how it went in my case:
- January 5, 4 pm: First appointment with the doctor. Paperwork + blood sample. He measured my length and weight, listened to my heartbeat and breathing, asked me a question about the glasses I wear, asked about medical history. He gave me 2 prescriptions: one for a tetanus/diphteria vaccine (to be bought at a pharmacy) and one for a chest x-ray to be taken by a specific radiologist a few blocks from his office.
- January 12, 3 pm: chest x-ray taken (2 photos, one frontal and one from the side)
- January 12, 4 pm: second appointment with the doctor. He injected me with the vaccine and completed the forms DS-2053, DS-3025, DS-3026, DS-3024. All the paperwork, including blood test results and chest x-rays, was handed over to me. The only thing I will have to hand over at the time of the interview at the embassy were these 4 forms, and the 1-page medical questionnaire (from the country-specific instructions) which I had to fill in and sign myself. It's not necessary to give the x-ray photos to the embassy, he said, since he had written everything on the forms.
Which means that I am able to read everything the doctor has written, and I know that my medical results are totally OK. And the only time I had to take some clothes off, was for the x-ray.
But be aware that this can differ from country to country and from doctor to doctor...

 

[tevolo]

Thank you so much. That was really helpful!

I am surprised you had to purchase vaccines at pharmacy. I know we have to pay for the vaccines but I just assumed Doc would have them.

You didn't require many vaccines. Did you have records of having had them earlier?

I have had the triple antigen shot as a child (diptheria, tetanus and pertussis) but have no evidence of it...nor any evidence of any vaccines I have had, though I did get a blood test showing what I am and am not immune to. I wonder if I don't have evidence of getting polio shot (for instance), would I then require this shot in absence of evidence....

Thanks again for your informative response and all the very best for your interview!!!!!

 

[Centrino]

You didn't require many vaccines. Did you have records of having had them earlier?

I had some unofficial notes about vaccines I received as a child: polio, varicella, tetanus, diphteria. But since these vaccinations have been mandatory in Belgium for a long time for all children, it's a good guess that everyone has received these vaccines.

I have had the triple antigen shot as a child (diptheria, tetanus and pertussis) but have no evidence of it...nor any evidence of any vaccines I have had, though I did get a blood test showing what I am and am not immune to. I wonder if I don't have evidence of getting polio shot (for instance), would I then require this shot in absence of evidence....

It depends from what the doctor thinks. Anyway, tetanus vaccination has to be renewed every 10 years if you want to keep your immunity active. So even if you were vaccinated as a child, you will have to get the tetanus shot again. And it's almost always a combined vaccine with diphteria, and if necessary with pertussis and/or polio, all in one injection.

I felt a little bit sick the day after the injection with the tetanus-diphteria vaccine. Don't know if it's because of the antigens or because of the aluminum adjuvant in the vaccine. I took a lot of vitamin C and drank a lot of water, and on the second day after the injection I felt totally fit again.

 

[tevolo]

Cool, thanks. We r all taking lots of vitamin c in prep too. I grew up in a different country to the one I am living in now, and citizen of--and in both countries, vaccines were not mandatory, so I am thinking you were OK with informal documentation bc of this.

With us, not so sure...I also think it is up to individual docs too.

we might need up to 8 vaccines for husband and I. NOT looking forward to that and unsure if we should go ahead and start getting some now, to avoid all at once....but we also do not want vaccines injected into us if we dont have to...so in a bit of a muddle about what to do. Oh well....

I really appreciate your info

Cheers!

 

[makeiteasier]

I hate them too!!!

Cool, thanks. We r all taking lots of vitamin c in prep too. I grew up in a different country to the one I am living in now, and citizen of--and in both countries, vaccines were not mandatory, so I am thinking you were OK with informal documentation bc of this.

With us, not so sure...I also think it is up to individual docs too.

we might need up to 8 vaccines for husband and I. NOT looking forward to that and unsure if we should go ahead and start getting some now, to avoid all at once....but we also do not want vaccines injected into us if we dont have to...so in a bit of a muddle about what to do. Oh well....

I really appreciate your info

Cheers!

I cant stand vaccines too! Good luck to you and your husband.

The country where I was born, and the other country where I grew up...I do not think they were mandatory, but the so called affluent parents like mine ensured that we got them since we travelled a lot them days. They even gave us Yellow Fever every 10 years when we were growing up! I had no single record of these! None whatsoever so the civil surgeon did blood work to check immunity, and I only needed one booster (don't remember which one - been a while).

I also did mine during an off-flu season and didn't need a flu shot (that was May 2011). Unfortunately my interview is in 2 weeks and there is no escape. I got the shot last week, and will take it with me to interview. I would rather have too much than too less of these documents.