What I did Today by The Phoenix (aka Birmingham visa medical)
Apr 16th 2005, 11:30 pm
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
What I did Today by The Phoenix (aka Birmingham visa medical)
"No battle plan ever survived first contact with the enemy"
The plan was simple, or so I thought; get a lift from Mum to the train station in order to catch the 5:45am train to Birmingham so I could arrive at the medical in plenty of time and then return home in the afternoon. How did it actually turn out? Well......
The plan fell to pieces due to the fact that Mum and I both somehow slept in, so at 6:05am I was frantically getting dressed and checking for alternative trains instead of being sat on the train to Stafford. As it turned out, there was another train at 6:35 which would take me to Birmingham 2 hours later leaving me just enough time (in theory) to get to the hospital. Fortunately, it turned out that the train ticket I purchased just over a week ago was valid for any train going to Birmingham so I managed to make it onto the train with about a minute to spare. The train arrived in Birmingham on time and I hot-footed it to the information desk, finding out in the process that the train to the hospital left in 3 minutes time and the ticket desk was around the corner with a queue at every available window. Having obtained a ticket, another mad dash resulted in me getting onto the train just as the doors were closing. I could have gotten a taxi, but £1.40 vs a 15 minute taxi journey? No contest. The train itself was quite quick and we arrived at the University stop in about 10 minutes. The little map that Nuffield had sent wasn't bad but could have been a little clearer. Never the less, 15 minutes later I arrived at the hospital with about 2 minutes to spare. If anyone reading this is considering getting the train from Birmingham city centre to the University stop and then walking, I would recommend you allow about 20 minutes for the walk to be on the safe side.
The hospital itself is a small but modern building set just off the main road in a quiet area. After talking to the woman at the reception desk inside the main entrance off Somerset Road, I was sent upstairs to the first floor where I was met by a doctor who took me to the small waiting room. There was only one other person there, a guy who had flown over from Ireland the previous day. After a short wait, the nurse came along to get everything started. We went into a consulting room down the corridor and she went over the paperwork, asking for my passport and interview letter along the way. After that, we got my height and weight checked out and I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that I was actually right in the middle of the range for what was considered healthy for my weight. I guess that change of diet last year actually did some good after all. Anyway, moving right along there was a short eyetest although unlike ukmancoll, I wasn't asked to go outside and across the corridor.
Another short visit to the waiting room later and I was called by the doctor for the physical examination. He did the talk about HIV, AIDS and syphilis and went through some more paperwork with me. It turned out that my vaccination record included measles but not MMR, so I had to get that done as well as the tetanus shot. I opted to have it done there rather than go to my GP because I just wanted it out of the way. The doctor asked me to strip for the physical examination and left the room while I did so. Herein lies a minor problem. The way the room was situated there wasn't sufficient cover from the screen, so just about anyone walking in to the hospital (and there were a fair few people) could look up and see me stripping to my underwear. I'm not ashamed of my appearance but I did feel a little uncomfortable about being on display so to speak. The room had window blinds, but I couldn't see where the string was to close them. Having gotten past that particular issue, the examination was swift and without incident. The "please cough" and check of the balls was over in just a few seconds, I got the impression he wasn't any more keen to do it than I was to have it done *chuckles*. Next stop, the x-ray department. After a short wait, I was taken to a cubicle and asked to strip to the waist before following the nurse into the x-ray room. After striking the camp muscleman pose against the x-ray plate, I was asked to "take a deep breath but keep your shoulders down", not the easiest thing in the world to do.
One last trip upstairs for the vaccinations, I was waiting for about 30 minutes before I actually had them because the guy giving them kept being called away to other things, not his fault though. The injections and the blood sample were no big deal, unfortunately I had to go and pray to the god of porcelain shortly afterwards though. I didn't realise I'd eaten so much on Friday *wry look*. After a sitdown and some water to get over that, the doctor who greeted me when I first arrived came in to go over what happens next with the paperwork. He reckons that I should get the results in the post by Friday at the latest, but he would let me know if there is going to be a problem in getting them to me in time. The journey home was largely uneventful apart from a surprising 20 minutes or so on the train where it felt like I had a delayed shock reaction or something from the injections (I've had a thing about needles since I was a kid).
All in all, it went very well and I have to take my hat off to Nuffield for the way the entire process was handled as quickly and professionally as possible. Now if I could just get over the nausea caused by the vaccinations, I'd be happy.
The Phoenix
The plan was simple, or so I thought; get a lift from Mum to the train station in order to catch the 5:45am train to Birmingham so I could arrive at the medical in plenty of time and then return home in the afternoon. How did it actually turn out? Well......
The plan fell to pieces due to the fact that Mum and I both somehow slept in, so at 6:05am I was frantically getting dressed and checking for alternative trains instead of being sat on the train to Stafford. As it turned out, there was another train at 6:35 which would take me to Birmingham 2 hours later leaving me just enough time (in theory) to get to the hospital. Fortunately, it turned out that the train ticket I purchased just over a week ago was valid for any train going to Birmingham so I managed to make it onto the train with about a minute to spare. The train arrived in Birmingham on time and I hot-footed it to the information desk, finding out in the process that the train to the hospital left in 3 minutes time and the ticket desk was around the corner with a queue at every available window. Having obtained a ticket, another mad dash resulted in me getting onto the train just as the doors were closing. I could have gotten a taxi, but £1.40 vs a 15 minute taxi journey? No contest. The train itself was quite quick and we arrived at the University stop in about 10 minutes. The little map that Nuffield had sent wasn't bad but could have been a little clearer. Never the less, 15 minutes later I arrived at the hospital with about 2 minutes to spare. If anyone reading this is considering getting the train from Birmingham city centre to the University stop and then walking, I would recommend you allow about 20 minutes for the walk to be on the safe side.
The hospital itself is a small but modern building set just off the main road in a quiet area. After talking to the woman at the reception desk inside the main entrance off Somerset Road, I was sent upstairs to the first floor where I was met by a doctor who took me to the small waiting room. There was only one other person there, a guy who had flown over from Ireland the previous day. After a short wait, the nurse came along to get everything started. We went into a consulting room down the corridor and she went over the paperwork, asking for my passport and interview letter along the way. After that, we got my height and weight checked out and I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that I was actually right in the middle of the range for what was considered healthy for my weight. I guess that change of diet last year actually did some good after all. Anyway, moving right along there was a short eyetest although unlike ukmancoll, I wasn't asked to go outside and across the corridor.
Another short visit to the waiting room later and I was called by the doctor for the physical examination. He did the talk about HIV, AIDS and syphilis and went through some more paperwork with me. It turned out that my vaccination record included measles but not MMR, so I had to get that done as well as the tetanus shot. I opted to have it done there rather than go to my GP because I just wanted it out of the way. The doctor asked me to strip for the physical examination and left the room while I did so. Herein lies a minor problem. The way the room was situated there wasn't sufficient cover from the screen, so just about anyone walking in to the hospital (and there were a fair few people) could look up and see me stripping to my underwear. I'm not ashamed of my appearance but I did feel a little uncomfortable about being on display so to speak. The room had window blinds, but I couldn't see where the string was to close them. Having gotten past that particular issue, the examination was swift and without incident. The "please cough" and check of the balls was over in just a few seconds, I got the impression he wasn't any more keen to do it than I was to have it done *chuckles*. Next stop, the x-ray department. After a short wait, I was taken to a cubicle and asked to strip to the waist before following the nurse into the x-ray room. After striking the camp muscleman pose against the x-ray plate, I was asked to "take a deep breath but keep your shoulders down", not the easiest thing in the world to do.
One last trip upstairs for the vaccinations, I was waiting for about 30 minutes before I actually had them because the guy giving them kept being called away to other things, not his fault though. The injections and the blood sample were no big deal, unfortunately I had to go and pray to the god of porcelain shortly afterwards though. I didn't realise I'd eaten so much on Friday *wry look*. After a sitdown and some water to get over that, the doctor who greeted me when I first arrived came in to go over what happens next with the paperwork. He reckons that I should get the results in the post by Friday at the latest, but he would let me know if there is going to be a problem in getting them to me in time. The journey home was largely uneventful apart from a surprising 20 minutes or so on the train where it felt like I had a delayed shock reaction or something from the injections (I've had a thing about needles since I was a kid).
All in all, it went very well and I have to take my hat off to Nuffield for the way the entire process was handled as quickly and professionally as possible. Now if I could just get over the nausea caused by the vaccinations, I'd be happy.
The Phoenix
Apr 17th 2005, 12:24 am
#2
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Joined: Feb 2003
Location: West Sussex, UK
Posts: 348
Re: What I did Today by The Phoenix (aka Birmingham visa medical)
Hey there,
Glad that you got it all over and done with, and that the day wasn't too traumatic.
It's interesting to note the subtle differences in our experiences. Just small stuff like the eye test, the Doctor not leaving the room when I stripped, the X-Ray (I had to strip and wear a robe), the Doctor talking to you after, etc.
When I was sitting on the train on the way back home, I was hit a little sideways also. I started to feel a bit sick and weak. I figured it was the vaccinations. I carried on feeling nauseaous for the next couple of days, but it did get better as the time went on.
I don't know if you read my post today, about not recieving my medical results in time for my interview, but I don't exactly agree with you on how quickly and effeciently everything has been dealt with. One thing I will say though is that everyone has been very polite and friendly - which goes along way.
When is your interview? When do you plan to fly out? Where does your fiance live?
Keep us posted. Congrats for today again.
Matt
Glad that you got it all over and done with, and that the day wasn't too traumatic.
It's interesting to note the subtle differences in our experiences. Just small stuff like the eye test, the Doctor not leaving the room when I stripped, the X-Ray (I had to strip and wear a robe), the Doctor talking to you after, etc.
When I was sitting on the train on the way back home, I was hit a little sideways also. I started to feel a bit sick and weak. I figured it was the vaccinations. I carried on feeling nauseaous for the next couple of days, but it did get better as the time went on.
I don't know if you read my post today, about not recieving my medical results in time for my interview, but I don't exactly agree with you on how quickly and effeciently everything has been dealt with. One thing I will say though is that everyone has been very polite and friendly - which goes along way.
When is your interview? When do you plan to fly out? Where does your fiance live?
Keep us posted. Congrats for today again.
Matt
Apr 17th 2005, 1:35 am
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
Re: What I did Today by The Phoenix (aka Birmingham visa medical)
Originally Posted by ukmancoll
Hey there,
Glad that you got it all over and done with, and that the day wasn't too traumatic.
It's interesting to note the subtle differences in our experiences. Just small stuff like the eye test, the Doctor not leaving the room when I stripped, the X-Ray (I had to strip and wear a robe), the Doctor talking to you after, etc.
When I was sitting on the train on the way back home, I was hit a little sideways also. I started to feel a bit sick and weak. I figured it was the vaccinations. I carried on feeling nauseaous for the next couple of days, but it did get better as the time went on.
I don't know if you read my post today, about not recieving my medical results in time for my interview, but I don't exactly agree with you on how quickly and effeciently everything has been dealt with. One thing I will say though is that everyone has been very polite and friendly - which goes along way.
When is your interview? When do you plan to fly out? Where does your fiance live?
Keep us posted. Congrats for today again.
Matt
Glad that you got it all over and done with, and that the day wasn't too traumatic.
It's interesting to note the subtle differences in our experiences. Just small stuff like the eye test, the Doctor not leaving the room when I stripped, the X-Ray (I had to strip and wear a robe), the Doctor talking to you after, etc.
When I was sitting on the train on the way back home, I was hit a little sideways also. I started to feel a bit sick and weak. I figured it was the vaccinations. I carried on feeling nauseaous for the next couple of days, but it did get better as the time went on.
I don't know if you read my post today, about not recieving my medical results in time for my interview, but I don't exactly agree with you on how quickly and effeciently everything has been dealt with. One thing I will say though is that everyone has been very polite and friendly - which goes along way.
When is your interview? When do you plan to fly out? Where does your fiance live?
Keep us posted. Congrats for today again.
Matt
Still, it should be all over by Tuesday so hopefully I'll be able to help my sister and her boyfriend move into their new house.As for the rest, my interview is on the 26th but I'm travelling down the night before and staying over in a hotel. Assuming all goes well, I'll be flying out to the Dallas Fort Worth area a couple of weeks later after the first May bank holiday.
I saw (and replied) to your post, it does seem a bit disconcerting to think that they're only just getting around to the blood test. Thinking back to the conversation I had with the doctor shortly before leaving, I can only assume from your conversation they were referring to the doctor having to sign off on the results. If that is the case then theoretically it is possible the embassy could get the results on Monday, I'd imagine Tuesday would be more likely though. I realise that like myself and most everyone else, you don't want to be delayed any more than is necessary so I do sympathise with the situation. When you consider how bad the delay could have been though (ie not having the medical until after the interview), one day isn't too bad.
Still, my fingers are crossed for you and the Best of British Luck for Monday
The Phoenix
