Approaching Departure, Visas and Medical Checks

                                       

 Well, things are moving along. We have shipped over all of our academic credentials including: degrees, credentials, and birth certificates. A few weeks  later we were sent our health clearances, which to put it plainly, were alarmingly through. Everything needed to be tested, urine samples, glucose level, thyroid, cholesterol, hepatitis, HIV, full drug panel, full physical, and countless other tests I'm not fully aware of. They wanted the results of these in a matter of days. We had them in a few weeks. I wish I could convey the disappointment I have with the machine we call health care.

1. Make primary physicians appointment
2. Request countless test
3. Make appointments for blood test
4. Go back to primary to get results of blood tests
5. Get all tests certified my the physicians office
6. Pay $78 dollars to have our entire medical histories shipped off to be carefully examined

I would describe this process as both exhausting and hillaruos.

Case and point- Steve could not have Kaiser perform his drug screening. I mean this is only his health care provider, its not like they were completing all of his other tests, except that they were.

So we have to drive down the hill on a Friday afternoon to our not so local drug screening facility. Now, if you have never been to a drug screening facility, don't go. Turns out the people which frequent these business are not always there by choice, and they are not always pleasant, or even human.

*We had the guy to my immediate right. A 20 something kid who was there for the second time in two days. He was ordered here by the court, for the safety of his child. He was more than happy to describe the process, along with all of his experiences, to us in great detail as he was the local authority on the subject.

* There was the SUPPER skinny blond pregnant girl. This was also a multiple visit for her. Evidently babies are the new filers since her las test was inconclusive due to a lack of urine in the test. Thats right her urine is water. This turned into a dramatic monologue by the woman regarding how she is supposed to dehydrate herself and her baby for the court.

* Lastly there was the large woman to my left. I mean scary large. She was Samoan with more fascial piercings than I could count in my fleeting glances. She was angry, and insisted that she didn't need her ID for this.  She lost that battle but won the count for profanity for this expedition. Its a good thing she brought her 10ish son to witness her triumph.