Dental:
First of all, I knew from former PC volunteers that Peace Corps will inquire about wisdom teeth, which I've never had extracted. I was scheduled to visit my dentist for my regular biannual dental cleaning in January 2013, so I told my dentist that I was applying and would prefer to have my wisdom teeth out as soon as possible if need be. I only have two wisdom teeth oddly enough, and I insisted that I prefer to keep them if its not urgent for me to remove them. My dentist seemed to think that I should have them removed, but he referred me to an oral surgeon. In February 2013 I visited the oral surgeon, who was also on the fence about removing the wisdom teeth. Apparently there is a nerve close to one of them, and removal could affect it. After a few minutes of back and forth, he signed off on allowing me to keep my hidden white pearls.
Six months later, I went back to the dentist in July 2013 for my cleaning and told him I was tentatively scheduled to leave for service in January 2014 and asked if there is anything I should do before then while I have insurance. He said that since I'll be away for so long, I should get all of my old silver fillings from candy-eating middle schools replaced with new white resin fillings. Luckily, I received my invitation and necessary documentation two weeks before I was scheduled to get my fillings replaced. I called the office to let them know that I would be bringing my documentation. (They had told me to let them know, as it takes about an hour for them to fill it all out. I also let them know the exact x-rays that I needed.) When I arrived to get my fillings done, they pulled by four biteway x-rays, which met Peace Corps' time requirements. However, my full 360 degree panoramic x-ray was just over two years old, which is the limit for Peace Corps. My dentist did a really nice thing and told me that even though my insurance wouldn't cover it, he would give me the $80 x-ray for only $40 because I was doing a respectable public service. After finishing up with the unpleasant fillings (and four shots of Novocaine!), I went to pay, and the office decided to give me the entire x-ray for free! What a pleasant surprise after so many bills. Many thanks to Dr. John Tsaknis at Dental Bug in DC!
Other Medical Documentation:
During the initial Peace Corps application, you must fill out a Health History Form (HHF), which details any health issues (allergies, surgeries, medications,etc.) that you've had in your life. Once you receive your invitation, you will get the HHF back, and it will be one thing your doctor must sign off on saying that it is true and nothing has changed in the past few months since you applied. The most important and longest form is the physical exam form. The doctor will do a full exam and fill out many questions about your overall health. The full list of lab tests that must be run is listed in the form. I went in to the doctor's office as soon as I got my invitation to get my lab tests taken and scheduled the full physical exam for the following week once the lab results came in. One of the tests for the physical is a shot to prove you don't have Tuberculosis (TB). It must be read negative two days later. Since I went on Friday to get my blood drawn for lab tests, I had to get the TB shot on the following Wednesday during my physical exam, which required a third visit to the office two days later (Friday) to prove the negative reading.
Additionally, you must provide proof of immunity to Polio, Varicella (chicken pox), Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR), and Tetanus and Diptheria (Tdap). I had to call a bunch of pharmacies, and only one Walgreens in DC (Foggy Bottom) had the Polio and Tdap vaccines ($130 together). I had my mom get my childhood doctor to copy a paper proving that I had two MMR shots in my childhood. The office said they could test for Varicella antibodies along with my lab tests. However, when I got my final lab test results on my third visit, they realized the lab hadn't tested for Varicella, so I had to give more blood. I then realized that there is another place on the HHF that the doctor must sign, so I had to go back for a fourth visit to get this signature and pick up the Varicella lab results. I submitted all of my medical forms, and much to my chagrin, despite reviewing everything, a PC nurse was in touch with my saying that Hepatitis C hadn't been included in my lab results, even though the doctor's assistant checked it as having been ordered by the lab. Hello, fifth visit to the office to give more blood for the Hep C antibody test.
Lesson: don't forget to look over all papers like 10 times before you walk out of the doctor's office. Luckily my doctor's office is big and has a relatively flexible schedule, so I could always go in that same day if needed.
I hope this is useful for someone out there who wonders what the whole process is like. It took me about a month to get everything done after my invitation, and I would say that I was extremely organized and timely with my requests.
And in case you lost count, all in all...10 needles that I can count. ;p
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