technolog

So, today was the big day for my K1 visa medical at the Bentinck Street offices of Knightsbridge Doctors.

I have an intermittent history of high blood pressure down the years. I've lost a lot of weight in the last few years and exercise more so it's been much better. However I was a bit worried about it as I'd recently recorded 145/90 and though it might sky-rocket with 'white coat syndrome'. I'd googled quick-fix, short-term measures to reduce blood pressure and found a link which gave a few things to try. So, just before arriving at St Pancras and about an hour before my appointed time for the medical, I found myself chugging down the best part of a litre of beetroot juice . I also had half a litre of water with me but wasn't confident my bladder would play ball if I downed that at the same time!

In all seriousness, I could feel my self getting quite tense about it - not the whole medical, just the BP test. Anyway, I drank the majority of the water whilst sat in the waiting room and also did some slow, deep breathing exercises to give myself best chance of passing.

Back to the beginning...

I arrived at St Pancras and had a short, 10 minute or so trip to Bond Street tube station via a change at Oxford Circus. I'd googled the walking directions and had a look on Street View so had a clear idea of the route. I exited the Bond Street station onto Oxford Street, bearing left and crossing the road before disappearing up the very narrow alleyway that is St. Christopher's Place. A couple of hundred yards further on, I emerged onto Wigmore Street, crossing straight over and carrying on up Jason Court which led onto Marylebone Lane after less than a hundred yards. The Knightsbridge Doctor's is on the near right corner of the junction of Marylebone Lane, Hinde Street and Bentinck Street. The whole journey from Bond St Station to doctor's took no more than 5 minutes at a moderate pace.



The imposing doorway is about 20 yards from said junction, on Bentinck Street, on the right, up a few steps from the street.



[I found the photos on a Visa Journey thread from 2009 so thanks to Laurence+Lauren on VJ and I hope no one minds]

Once inside there's a half-flight of stairs with a lift at the top. There is a door to the right of the lift with a sign saying 'Knightsbridge Doctors - Enter' on it. Inside there, immediately on the right are a couple of windows where you need to check-in with a receptionist. She took my passport, 1 off US passport photo, medical history including vaccination record, police certificate and pre-filled-in medical questionairre (page 9 of the IV 18a medical PDF) and in return gave me another questionairre to fill-in in the waiting room whilst I waited. When I completed it I returned it to the receptionist.

I'd arrived about 20 minutes early so had a little wait until my name was called by the Australian-sounding, south-east asian-looking, woman doctor. She led me into a consultation room and briefly told me what the medical entailed.

First off was a series of questions about my medical history which broadly went over the areas covered by the two previous questionairres. She asked me if I'd ever had chickenpox (which I had) and said my vaccinations were all in order with the exception of influenza. They were out of stock of that though so she said I'd have to have it at the time of my AOS. The US passport photo I'd supplied was affixed at the top of the paperwork. She asked me to sign the front of the photo, avoiding my face. I also had to sign the form itself.

Next up, after asking me to remove my t-shirt, was an eye test, reading increasingly small letters with one eye covered then repeat with other eye. Then she got me to sit on the couch and looked into my eyes with some instrument or other. Next she had a look in either ear and then mouth.

Whilst still sitting, she listened to my heart and chest in several spots, front & back while I took deep breaths in and out.

Next she did the dreaded blood pressure. I told her I was a bit concerned about it being on the high side and she was very good and said she'd give it a few attempts if necessary to give it a chance to drop. As luck would have it, and I'm not making any claims for the efficacy of beetroot juice in this regard, it was 140/88 and although at the high end of acceptable, acceptable nonetheless - YAY!!!

Now she told me to lay on the couch and undo my jeans. She proceeded to palpate my abdomen with a bit more deep-breathing thrown in (from me, not her ). Then, while still lying down, I had to lower my jeans and boxers whilst she had a fleeting visual genital inspection from a distance, followed by asking me to raise my head from the couch and cough.

Finally, with dignity restored, she took a sample of blood while I was still lying down (as I'd told her I had a tendency to feel faint after past procedures).

I put my shirt on and returned to the waiting room. The whole consultation lasted probably 10 to 15 minutes.

Some ten minutes later, I was called by a male radiologist who spent 5 minutes at most taking a chest X-ray. He was able to look at it immediately to check that it was of the correct technical quality.

Again I returned to the waiting room for 5 minutes before the receptionist called my name. She gave me back everything I'd given her on arrival with the exception of the US passport photo (obviously) and the questionairre. She also gave me my vaccination documentation worksheet (form DS-3025) with a note attached saying not to lose it as it was an important document further on in the process. She then asked me for the £235 fee which I paid with my visa debit card. I believe credit cards & cash are also okay but not cheques. Finally she informed me that the blood test results and chest X-ray results would be back by Thursday (48 hours) and would be with the 'embassy' on Friday. With that, I started my homeward journey. The whole process, from the doctor calling my name to leaving took about 35 to 40 minutes.

Oh and beetroot juice makes your wee pink.

mikelincs

Not for everyone, some people have a lack of a certain enzyme (not a problem) to decolourise the anthrocyanin (beetroot juice colour stuff), so wee pink or red. At the start of the salad season we used to have a load of people worrying that their, or thier kids more often, were passing blood in their wee. We just did a simple test to show it was beetroot juice and then they knew for the next time.

civilservant

Like me!

hungryhorace

Blimey, that exam sounds far more comprehensive than the one I had for my adjustment of status here in America. x-rays?! What is that testing for?

The cost is greatly more expensive as well. I think I paid $180 which was fully reimbursed by my insurance.

civilservant

: Evidence of past/current TB infection

hungryhorace

Thanks. Why don't they do the test for that like they do here in the States (I don't know what it's called, TDAP test or something?)?

civilservant

Not sure, does that not take a little time to give a result? When I had one for my current employer they looked at the result a week after conducting the test.

hungryhorace

Yeah, I had to go back 48 hours after for the results.

seawaternow

TDAP is a vaccine, you're probably thinking of PPD where they prick your skin and then read the results in 48 hrs. Often comes up with false positive in people who received BCG vaccine (anti-TB). For that reason you take chest x-ray as the definitive proof you don't have TB.

hungryhorace

Good info - thanks!

Pulaski

The skin test is a test for antibodies, which can be a result of a vaccination OR having had TB, bearing in mind that two of the seven strains of TB are so mild that people often have TB without having realised that they've had it.

Whereas the chest X-ray is a test for having actually had TB, any of the seven strains, as all strains leave "nodules" in the lungs which are visible on X-rays.

RICH

Good info. I just want to say after following the directions, that I have been under a mis-comprehension for a few years. I thought from reading here in the past that this Doctor office was IN Knightsbridge. It is actually not far from the one I went to 10 years ago in Marylebone area, and fairly close to the Embassy (and Harley Street for that matter). Knightsbridge itself is miles from here. I now take it that Knightsbridge is the name of the practice, not the location?

lansbury

Anyone who drinks beetroot juice should be banned on grounds of insanity.

mikelincs

We consume beetroot far more than we realise, did you know it's in many varieties of Ice Cream?.

technolog

Wibble.