Additional medical tests required - didn't see that coming?

Fortunately, it's been a few days since the letter from the Canadian High Commission (CHC) London dropped through the door, so I've managed to calm down to an acceptable level or rage.

The fuel to my fire of fury is the poxy additional medical checks I have now been asked to provide. The only saving grace is that I'm not the only one they've been picking on it seems.

Having had a pretty bad chest infection a couple of years ago, my Army doctor (in Canada) sent me to have a TB sputum test, pulmonary function test and a CT scan. The sputum test came back negative for TB but the CT scan showed calcified nodes in my chest caused by the infection. A year or so later when I arrived back in the UK the Army doctor sent me for another CT scan to make sure nothing had changed. Sure enough, everything was OK and the case was closed. My Army fitness grading remained 'fully fit' and life was good (so I thought).

So, when I went for my immigration medical I thought it best to provide the DMP with all the above mentioned documentation in order to avoid the fiasco that many other's have been experiencing. As expected, my immigration X-ray came back clear and I obviously thought that would be that.

How naive could I have been - too naive it seems! Having had my medical results for over 6-weeks, CHC have now decided they need the following:

"Sputum smears and cultures for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, taken on 3 consecutive days and incubated for 6 to 8 weeks, and then repeat chest x-ray (actual report and film required) Posteroanterior on/after: 26 April 2010."

I'm now wondering why I even bothered. What possible need can there be to have the same tests done again? Words fail me.....

Anyway, I had a chat with my DMP and she's furious with CHC. I'm the second referral of this nature she's had this week. Might be some light at the end of the tunnel though; she wants me to get a copy of the full report from my last CT scan so she can argue the toss with CHC. If that fails then we'll have to bite the bullet and get the tests done. Fortunately, we're only talking £16 for the sputum tests and the hospital will do another x-ray for free as a gesture of goodwill.