[CjChris]

...Well, there are a few things that I'm not sure about on our medical results.

First of all, we felt pretty good about our medicals because we are all four in good heath, have low BMI, we eat healthy, we exercise, we are rarely sick, etc.

OH's cholesterol is a bit concercing--7.3, but mainly, I'm worried about my chest X-ray! :uhoh

The dr. checked off all the boxes for "normal" and "no evidence of"...yet the X-ray report says this:

"There is a scoliosis of the thoracic spine noted. The cardiac silhouette is within normal limits. Mild degenerative change involving the thoracic spine is present. A few scattered granulomata in the right upper lobe are noted.
IMPRESSION: Scoliosis, no acute cardiopulmonary disease."

Ok, so I know what the mild degenerative change means, and I'm not concerned about that at this point. But, the scoliosis part worries me because it is reported as a finding; the scattered granulomata part worries me, too, because it indicates something is growing in there ..what? I've never had TB, I have never smoked, I haven't had more than two chest colds in my whole life! So, I'm not sure what to think about the granulomata. My doctor did not comment upon it at all, and surely he would have had he been concerned?

Now, my question is this: do I need to send my chest X-ray with my medicals because of this statement made by the radiologist even though the X-ray form is signed and all boxes ticked off saying I'm OK..?

Sigh. So much to figure out!

I was glad to see that my thyroid panel came back OK (the dr. thought my thyroid felt enlarged when he examined me).

By the way, thanks to all of you for your help. It is so good to know I can come here to ask questions or just vent!

Christine

[zardell]

Hi.

I can only reply from a UK perspective.

Unbeknown to me, I had an abnormality show up on my chest X-ray (nothing to be concerned about, so I won't bore you with the details)

Anyway, the doctors only returned to us the medical reports, but did not give us the actual X-rays.

I sent off the medicals with the ITA and later, when we were allocated a case officer, the case officer contacted us and asked for the X-ray. Apparently, if an abnormality shows up, the doctor should give you your X-ray to send in with the medical forms. NZIS then send it onto their own doctor to assess.

We obviously then had to chase up the X-ray from the doctor and forward it onto NZIS.

If you have been given you X-ray, maybe this is why..........

Personally, I would send it in with the ITA.

If you are concerned about the results, you can always check it out with your doctor and ask exactly what they mean and how (if at all) this will affect you and your future health.

Julie

xx

Send it in with your ITA

[CjChris]

Thanks, Julie. I appreciate your reply. I didn't get to speak with my doctor yesterday--his intern called me back instead, which annoyed me because I wanted to speak with him!! She said she didn't think the granulomata are anything to worry about but he would call me back...and he didn't! Now it is Saturday and he is not working again until Monday..grr!

I will get the X-rays (have to check them out at the hospital) and include them in my ITA. I do think I need to get my doctor to add comments regarding the results on my medical form. He didn't write anything about it...shouldn't he address the results? I think not addressing the results looks bad!

Anyway, I'll get this taken care of, and all we can do then is hope for the best. I'm not feeling as unsettled about it as I was at first; I just need to keep the faith that everything will work out.

Christine

[SarahEDH]

hi Christine -- wanted to share my experience on this. On the medical form, my radiologist made a brief notation about a "slight abnormality", which my GP and I decided was enough comment to make me send in the Xray. My GP wrote his own statement next to hers, saying that in his opinion the issue in question was minor and "of no clinical significance". I didn't ask him to do this but thought it was nice that he did. No one at NZIS asked about it. Good luck with yours, too.

[jdbob]

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=14

http://www.rad.washington.edu/mskbook/scoliosis.html

[willsken]

We were given copies of our x-rays. We were told to keep them but not sent them off. Was there any mention at all of an abnormality? If there was send them off, if there wasn't are you inviting further investigation that isn't needed??

[CjChris]

Thanks Julie, Sarah EDH, jdbob, and willsken for your replies.

jdbob, I recall a note being sent home about my back in grade school, but mom couldn't afford to have me checked out, so we never saw a dr. regarding the scoliosis. It has never caused me trouble, and it is not noticeable unless you are looking for it (and I'm nude, of course). Thank you for sending me the links. I'm glad I don't have the bad version depicted in that Xray link!

Willsken, as for sending the X-rays, my delimma is that while the radiologist checked off all the appropriate boxes on my NZ X-ray form to show that I'm healthy, the physician who did my medicals gave me printed off sheets on all my lab results and X-rays. The X-ray print-off is written by the radiologist. It says (which I quoted in first post in this thread):

"There is a scoliosis of the thoracic spine noted. The cardiac silhouette is within normal limits. Mild degenerative change involving the thoracic spine is present. A few scattered granulomata in the right upper lobe are noted.
IMPRESSION: Scoliosis, no acute cardiopulmonary disease."

So, based on this wording, and assuming I'm supposed to send all the print-offs my doctor gave me, shouldn't my doctor address these comments on my medical form (which he has not)?

The doctor checked off all the appropriate boxes to to indicate I'm healthy, signed where he is supposed to, and made no further comments about anything anywhere.

That's what's bugging me (in addition to the radiologist's printout).

Maybe I'm confusing the issue. I feel like I'm talking in circles. Let me back up----and ask this.....

Did anyone else receive computer printed copies of all lab work and radiologist report?

If so, are these supposed to be sent with medical and X-ray report?

[willsken]

I'm sorry I can't answer that. All mine came in a large sealed envelope and I just sent it off without opening it. It would make sense to me that lab reports and radiologist reports were included though.

[Serene]

Yes, I was given computer printouts of all lab and radiologist reports and I send those too.

[wiki]

OH got the computer print-out of lab reports - we're taking them in to NZ House tomorrow, so I'll let you know if they say we don't need them. OH wasn't given the x-rays at all, so hopefully they won't be asking for that!

[willowshouse]

The only bit of your medicals that you're not required to send in is your x-rays IF they have been signed off as normal. That said, you just know that if you don't send them in your Case Officer will want to see them!!

I would phone .. tell them that the clinician has recorded some notes about the findings of the x-ray BUT THEY HAVE SIGNED IT OFF AS 'NORMAL' and ask your Case Officer whether he wants the X-Rays or not.

Don't worry about it - at worst, it will just be a small hoop to jump through.

Best of luck,
Dawn