Medical Clearance

The next part of our migration process required us to get our medical clearance and we had signed up for it as detailed in our last post on migration, so today, we went off to get our health checked.

SATA CommHealth in Bedok

We had opted for the medical branch in Bedok as it was open on a Saturday and offered both medical and radiological checks. The location wasn't difficult to find and it was a rather leisurely drive.

Upon arriving, register at the counter and obtain a queue number - do mention that you are there as a family for visa application health check as it would expedite things. You will have to pay up before any of the tests begin and there's a weekend charge too. We ended up paying for the adults, $148.73 - which covers the HIV screening, medical examination, urine test and chest x-rays. The children paid $75.97 but they only had to do the medical examination and urine test.

We started off with the x-rays and were done in no time. It was really efficient.

Following that we underwent a consultation with a doctor - who would peruse your medical history and run through some general checks - medications you are on, past hospital stays etc. As there were four of us, this took a bit of time.

Next up was Room 12, where the urine tests, height, weight, visual acuity, blood pressure and drawing of blood for the HIV screening, was to take place. J and the kids zipped through the tests without any complications and the kids had fun with their first experience of peeing into a cup.

It was a different story for me however. First off, I failed the urine test and had to redo it. That entailed many cups of water and a lot of waiting. The second test luckily showed that I had nothing to worry about. I blame the sugarcane drink I had had the night before. To be on the safe side though, I am going to cut down greatly on the amount of sugary drinks I consume. Forewarned is forearmed after all.

That wasn't the end of my misery though as my blood pressure was high, in the region of 160/100. More waiting ensued during which I sent J and the kids off for lunch without me. Despite various attempts, the best reading I had was 144/98 or thereabouts. Room 12 sent me back to the consultation doctor who told me to come back soon for another measurement of my blood pressure once I got back on my medication.

Yeah ... I need treatment

You see, I had been told by my general practioner that I needed to be on meds to control my blood pressure but being the stubborn mule that I am, I had decided to tackle that with weight loss and a healthier diet. Now we all know where that has gotten me.

I am pretty sure though that being in a hospital setting did not help much. I have grown over the years to dread being in a hospital but that is a different story for another day.

I queried the good doctor as to a good timeframe to return if I got back on my meds. The answer was three to four days. The target? Bring my systolic pressure (that's the upper number) below 140. I did not ask what would happen if I failed to get my blood pressure under control - I did not want to know the answer.

Am not blind to the fact that a high blood pressure carries significant danger to my health - much more in fact than a failed visa application but at that moment it was all I could think of. If you are anywhere near the vicinity of the same boat as me - take your meds, get your medical situation under control before you head for that medical clearance.

Feeling down at the moment, might need to reassess our plans.