X-rays and Medicals... Never as easy as you think it will be

Well heres a bit of fun for you.. it just took me 7 hours to get my chest x-ray sorted.... yes I did say 7 HOURS!!!!

I set out this morning at 9 am after following the advise of the immigration website. I obtained from them a list of places in London where I could get my chest x-ray done prior to my Medical in two weeks time.. thought this looks easy.. called Ealing Hospital (closest on the list) chest clinic open from 9am to 12 noon Mon-Fri .... great booked the day booked off work... Good start ... it only took 25mins to get there and that with district line playing up and there being water works on the roads...

Walk in with all my papers to be told "No private X-rays done on a friday" although the chest clinic is open on Fridays they only normal referals because they have no where to keep money over the weekend.. They could have told me that on the phone..

So think bugger this and off I go to Charing Cross.. open all day (9am to 4:30pm) .. Get there great friendly and helpful staff and they can do x-rays on fridays as they have seperate payment dept on 15th floor for private patients .. only problem got to have referal form completed by my Doctor..

So off I go to my docs.. very nice and understanding... docs sorts out a referal form in his lunch break for me .. off I go back to Charing Cross.. (by the way docs is in Victoria.. just never bothered changing surgeries after moving to hammersmaith)

Get to Charing Cross 1:30.. to be told wrong form but don't worry they'll contact my surgery directly and get them to fax the right form over... 2 hours later still trying to sort it out only now hospital phone system playing up so can't receive fax...

Engineers called.. mean while I'm stood there thinking glad I booked the whole day off.. and there was me worried about the x-rays being clear and all.. So finally things fixed.. right form faxed through 15:25.. x-ray done immediately (all clear and normal no signs of anything fishey) .. now to get the consultant radioligist to sign forms off.. 20 mins later he arrives with forms all signed and validatied..

I can finally go home.. what should have taken a hour maybe two at a maximum has taken the whole day.... but at least its done now.. the morale of the story.. Don't expect things to go the way you plan and NEVER go to do this with a time limit on you...

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed, does it?

Glad you finally got sorted out. Bet you were exhausted by the end of the day.

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You have to laugh ... if only at the stupidity of it all! At least your x-ray was OK. How did the blood tests go? This subject always reminds me of hubby who became hyper and nearly fainted when faced with the needle, and we had to go back the following week for a bit of hynotherapy and a second attempt.

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:icon_biggrin: I am pleased to say my blood tests have all come back and everything seems to be fine, other than cholesterol being high.. but was expecting that..
GGT that seems to have others worried came back as 44.. not sure what the level should be where ever I look I get differing figures.. some say should be below 35, others 52 and more saying 60.. does anyone know what level triggers the immigration authority asking for other tests to be done?

Congratulations on the blood test results. That?s one thing out of the way at least. There?s some discussion on here about GGT levels. Hope the rest of it goes well for you.

You'll love this then.
I'm currently upgrading my WHV to work to residence as I've secured a nice job here in Aukland, and needed another medical.
So off I went to my doctors, 2 minutes walk from my house. Walked in, asked about the medical, they wanted a copy of my passport (no probs), and 3 passport photos which I had (had been told).
Sat for 3 minutes, invited in, did all blood and urine tests on the spot, sent me through to the on site X Ray dept - yes at the doctors, everything done in 25 minutes. Back to work 15 minutes before the end of the lunch break.
Went back 2(!) days later when the Xrays and tests were back. 10 minutes chat, and everything signed off and done. $340 later, piece of cake.

Now I'm just waiting for Lincolnshire Police to get off their backsides for a current police certificate - they're only valid for 3 months, and even though I've been in NZ all the time, I still have to reapply for a new one. 24 days and counting.....

Ady, I thought the police certificates are valid for 6 months. It's the medical certificates that expire after 3 months. Not sure how long you've been in NZ as to whether that helps you or not.

Sorry - typo! Yeah Police certs are 6 months. I've been here 9 months now. I'm just hoping the police certs are back before the medicals expire!

I hope all is well for you now!
We had our medicals done a couple of weeks ago and I had to go back to my doctors in my own town, (meds done out of town).... to ask for a cholesterol test because of my waist measurement! The immigration doctor wasn't impressed with this relatively new demand by the consulate but nevertheless, after drinking lots of water before meds and not getting the doctor to pull the tape-measure tighter and carrying a little surplus baby weight... :icon_eek: (only about a stone over weight!!)... tut ... I re-measured myself the following morning and my waist measured the exact cut off point! So I rang the immigration doctor to see if I could 'forget' having to go through the lengthy procedure of waiting a week to just even see my doctor, then another week to be booked in with the practice nurse for more blood tests etc..... but no, it would have looked a bit suspect if the doctor changed it! Grrr... so tomorrow is the test... I'm dreading it, I have eaten more fatty, sugary foods in the last 2 weeks than ever before... (something I do when I worry!!!).... Imagine if I had to tell everybody that we couldn't go to NZ afterall because I was too 'chubby' to be let in!!!! :icon_redface: I've even started practising what I'll say.... ha.
I think it's a shame it wasn't taken into account that I'd swelled on water and was still carrying a little baby weight!
Well I'm fasting at the moment for this test in the morning...
Thankyou for allowing me to rant on... (it's taken my mind off food for a while! :icon_wink: )

Good luck with that test in the morning, debd. The doctor should have realised that we can't all have personal trainers and dieticians to get us into shape after having a baby! Grrrrrr.

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