TB Clinic Discharge
It's official the TB clinic has discharged me :)
They actually said I don't need to finish my 5 weeks of medicine, but I'm going to double check that with the doctor who gave it to me, just to make sure. I don't hold total faith in the clinic here.
Today the doctor argued with me about how to pronounce the disease I work on . . . starting off by saying, "I think you'll find that here in Britain we say, blah blah blah, but as you're Australian you say it differently." I was good & just said, "okay" but really don't you think after 3 years if I'd been pronouncing Burkholderia psuedomallei incorrectly that someone would have told me?? I mean there are some differences in the way I say tomato and basil, but her pronunciation was totally off!
ok, back to work now . . .
Labels: health, TB
interesting test results back
So I'm not sure how many of you know what a Mantoux test is, but it's the UK name for what you probably remember as the "tine" or "heath" test, which looks for antibody responses to TB. This test is obviously useless to people who have been given the BCG vaccine, but American's aren't vaccinated.
The point of this is that, I'll be doing a bit of work in the TB lab, so rules are that you have a Mantoux test before starting work, to see if I have "immunity" which since I've never been vaccinated, I figured nothing to worry about, right? Well today is 48 hours post injection and I have a bump on my arm.
Before you ask, I feel fine, well minus this painful welt on my arm.
The next step is to have the injection site read by a doctor, that appointment is at 3.30pm today. After that it is more than likely the doctor will require that I have a chest xray done to look for "spots" in my lungs which would be signs of having TB. IF this is the case, I will be put on a long course of antibiotics, when I say long, I'm talking 6-12 months!
At this point there is nothing more I can tell you, aside from the normal things like: no I don't feel sick, I don't have a cough, I don't know anyone with TB, I feel fine! The most likely place I would have picked it up would have been during my travels. Let me also state, that there is nothing I could have done to prevent this - I have been offered the vaccine & always declined it.
I will be sure to give you an update as soon as I know more, might not be till early next week, since A) I'm dealing with the NHS and they can be verrrrrrry slow B) I had to cancel my Virgin Media service this morning cause they finally admitted that it will be months before they can sort the problem out and finally C) results of all of these tests can take some time.
Yes, I'm continuing my normal life just a few extra doctors appointments this week & no you don't have to be worried about me breathing near you & yes, I do cover my mouth when I cough or sneeze (just like my parents taught me to when I was little).
Labels: health, TB
