Medical Experience

First day: 26th of April 2011


I arrived at SLEC at around 9 am with my ever loving mom. :) Before going inside,the guard asked if I'm a US visa applicant and I said yes then he asked for my eligibility letter and passport. I showed him those and asked me if I have a photocopy of my eligibility letter. I forgot to photocopy it so he told me to make one.There are stores in front of SLEC so I headed there and photocopied my eligibility letter. It cost me 2 pesos for just a copy. >.<  (TIP: Never forget to bring a xerox copy of your eligibility letter or whatever documents you're going to hand them and also a black pen. I mistakenly brought a blue ink pin so I bought another one for 10 pesos. Can you imagine that?! When I could have bought one for just 5 or 6 pesos. Silly me. Oh well,there's nothing I can do about it now. ;P) So I went back to the guard and showed him my photocopied letter. He gave me my PDSF (PATIENT DATA SHEET FORM) and told me to fill it up to be submitted to the reception area.He then put a stamp in my hand and also my mom's. But he told my mom to just sit in one of the chairs there. So that's what we did since mom can't walk that well too. I went to this table like thing located in the left portion of the clinic and filled up the forms. One tip here: Make sure you know the address of your fiance and his phone number and if you have any relatives living in the US. I thought I was able to save my fiance's address in my phone but unfortunately,it wasn't stored there so I had to call my sister and asked her if she could look for my fiance's address in one of my files and send it to me ASAP. It took only a few minutes when I received a txt from her stating the address.Whew! Thank God,my lil sis is at home or else I wouldn't be able to write something in the address line. After filling up the forms,I went to the reception area and fall in line. The guard approached me and asked for my eligibility letter so I handed it to him together with my passport. Then he gave it to the receptionist and the lady told me to wait for my name to be called. So I sat down and waited for her to call me. It didn't take that long when she said my name. I went back to the reception area and she asked me some infos such as what is the type of my visa,when is my birthday,am I currently working,am I a college graduate (I didn't know a question like this would be asked..hmmm...),was I ever issued a US visa,etc.She also told me to submit 3 pcs.of my 2x2 pics in which I wrote my full name on the back of each pics. Then after that moment of truth LOL, she led me inside this room wherein she took a digital photo of me and did my finger scanning. After that,I was instructed to go to 5th floor to pay for my medical fee. I took the elevator. I'm glad there wasn't a long line at the cashier's area. So I paid the fee in pesos.The conversion for that day was 43 something. The total amount for my med.fee was 9,387.50 pesos. The standard rate for the medical fee in US dollars is 213.35. The lady then stapled the receipt along with my forms. She asked me to proceed to 3rd floor for my x-ray. I again gave my passport and my forms and she asked me when is the first day of my last menstruation.Thank goodness,I didn't forget the date.haha! Then she told me to sit down and wait for my name to be called.I went back to the lady personnel and asked me to sign in a bond paper. After which,I headed to the dressing room.I removed my top wear and wore a patient's gown. Just the top,okay? =) And remember to bring a clip or a ponytail .My ponytail wasn't in good shape anymore so the radtech fixed my hair again and pulled into a bun. How kind of her,right? :-)I uttered a prayer before the x-ray test began. I then proceeded to 4th floor for my blood extraction and urine test. I can say that until now my arm that got extracted is still bruised. OUCH! Believe me I'm not scaring you guys. Everybody has to undergo this test either you want it or not. Anyway after those tests, I went to 5th floor for my physical exam. They'll advise you to go the US counter to show your passport and again wait for your name to be called. There,I was given an eye test, vital signs test ( checking of your BP and pulse check ) ,height and weight measurement and of course,the PE itself. I was told to go to room #5. You'll be then asked to undress. Everything even your undies.Lol! But don't you worry cause you'll be wearing a patient's gown instead. While examining my body,she was asking me questions at the same time. Like if I took cocaine or any other form of drugs (of course I said NO),if my family has a history of illness,and did I commit suicide.In which I undoubtedly said NO. :) Remember guys to NEVER ever bother to say YES to any of those questions.If you don't want to be given a VISA denial. I mean it still is up to you if you want to give out an honest answer. This is just a piece of advice from me. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
After that I was told to go to the 2nd floor for my immunization interview. I approached the lady personnel but it seems like she was having her mood swings.haha! I was just standing there and waiting for her to get my passport and the receipt. At last,I showed it to her and she asked me if I'm already done with all the tests and I told her yes. She said to go back tomorrow at 9:30am for my immunization interview. It was kind of relief to hear that cause I've read that some were asked to have their sputum test. I felt sorry for my new found friend cause she was asked to do one and it's gonna take 2 months for the result to be given. :( Oh well,all I can do is pray for her and give her some words of encouragement. <3 
I, then, went downstairs to fetch mom. She looks starving already. hehe Sorry mom. So we went to Robinson's Place and I treated her to a Mongolian resto. And oh before I forget, my first day finished at around 12:30 to 1pm which isn't bad at all. I read that some applicants took longer hours in doing their medical. I feel blessed that it only took me 3 and a half hours! :)) It wasn't that great of an experience but I can say it's a fulfilling one. It just makes me feel getting closer to my future hubby. :-*




Second day: 27th of April 2011


I felt sick and had an upset stomach that I wasn't able to arrive at the scheduled time. My supposed to be 9:30 appointment turned out to be 10:30. An hour late,huh? ^.~ I entered SLEC premises and showed the guard my passport and receipt and then he stamped it with Immunization Interview 2nd Floor. I went up and gave the lady personnel my stamped receipt.She asked me to sit down again and wait for my name to be called. There were quite a lot of applicants waiting and I was happy I met this lady and her shy daughter. :) We had a good time talking with each other. But sad to say,she was also asked to undergo a sputum test. I cheered her up and told her that everything will be okay and that nothing is impossible with God. She's one cheerful lady and with a positive attitude like hers,I'm pretty sure she'll get a good result. Then I heard my name being called so I excused myself from them for a while. I went for an interview with a kind lady doctor. She asked me if I had chicken pox before and I said yes then she asked me if I could show the scar to her. I told her it was located on my belly but she insisted that I show it to her.LOL! She said I'll be getting 2 vaccine shots. Whoa! There goes the needle again. Then she told me to wait again for the actual immunization. I got out of the room and went back to my seat. Had a little chitchat again with the lady. After some time,my name got called and that ended my conversation with the cheerful lady. Too bad,I wasn't able to ask for her e-mail or something so I could add her up on FB. 
I went inside the immunization room and sat next to this pretty nurse. She asked me some questions and then I showed her my vaccination record.Thank God,I brought it with me. I was only given one shot! woo hoo! What a pleasant day,I said to myself. Others were given 3 or 4 shots at the most. It must be really painful. Anyway, I had a good talk with the nurse too. She was friendly and even asked for my e-mail address so she can add me on FB.haha!  I got out of the room smiling and with only one shot given,who wouldn't care to put a smile on their face? (: I checked if the cheerful lady was still there and yup she was. She gave me a thumbs up sign (if the immunization went well or not) and I nodded my head and gave her a thumbs up sign. I know she was happy for me. Then we bid each other goodbye. I hope to meet them again. They seem like a nice family. 
Finally,I'm on to the last stage of the medical- the RELEASING PART. I sat down beside my mom and our stomachs are already growling. LOL!  We thought of going out to take our lunch first but I said I think it's much better to wait for the result first. She agreed with me. ;P We waited for like an hour or two for the result. Arrghh! I went to counter F and sat down in front of the male personnel. I again went into an interrogation (but I kept saying to myself,this will be the last so I have to endure it a little more :) ). He told me to sign at the back of my PDSF and he handed me my x-ray CD stapled to a vaccination worksheet. I knew I passed it! But he gave me back my passport and told me to just bring it on my interview. (As far as I know, SLEC will be the one to forward it to the US embassy. hmmmm... ) So as soon as I got home, I told my fellow PL members about my concern. And they told me that not to worry about it as some applicants also brought their passports with them too on their interviews. Whew! I felt kinda relieved. Thanks PL. They never fail to support and encourage one another. And one more thing that put me at ease was when I read the status of one VJ member and we were in the same situation. Her passport was also returned to her and was told to bring it on her scheduled interview. I'm positive that we both passed the medical exam. :)
All thanks to God for making this medical journey a successful one. To God be the glory!