i have tuberculosis

[dentalapp]

I think I have tuberculosis, based on my positive PPD test.Actually, it wasn't quite positive yet, as the nurse and I saw mostly redness but we saw a very small bump measuring 8 mm. But we still weren't sure because it was near the 10 mm required for positive PPD test.

In the end, we decided to redo the PPD test, where the guy said he guarantees a greater reaction this time around and it is likely that the new result will end up having like >8 mm for sure. ( since my body won't be slow to react to this second time around )

And then he said I will go for a chest x-ray.

But I forgot to ask him my questions so I'm wondering if anyone here knows.

Am I going to die? I admit I lived for a long time but I'd rather die of a different disease. And what will they do with me after the chest xray? Am I going to be disabled? Am I going to be quarantined or isolated in a hospital environment? Does anyone know how I got TB? I never even went near, or even saw, people with excessive coughing.

This has nothing to do with TB but I am now also worried about hepatitus disease. When the guy checks me for hep and finds that I am hep-positive, what will happen to me then?

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[w3chen99]

Tuberculosis:

In fact, a lot of people do test postive for TB...it's no big deal. The reason they give you a chest X-ray is to see if the bacteria is active within your lungs. If so, then you could easily spread the bacteria to others. However, most people that test positive simply have TB, but in the inactive form. Tuberculosis will usually only become active when your body is in an immuno-compromised state. Some numbers to look at are only about 5% of the people that test positive for TB ever have it become active. If you take medication, it reduces that down to 1%.

So are you going to die? Well...yes, but not likely of this disease and probably not anytime soon. The doctor is going to take a chest x-ray and look for any presence of the bacteria....if none, then it is a good idea to have a copy so that everytime you get tested for TB and it turns out positive, you don't need to get another X-ray. You are NOT going to be disabled or quarantined (if it is not active). It really is NO BIG DEAL. Where did you get TB? Well, if you were born outside of the United States, it is likely that you got it growing up. TB is the #1 killer in the world, but not quite as deadly in the U.S.

Hepatitis:

Students in the U.S. usually have to show documentation that they've taken their Hepititis B vaccines before they start school. So with that in mind, it is likely you should have no problems with having active hepatitis B (the only hepatitis they require you to test). If you are really concerned, you can always get a blood test that will see if you have the proper Antibodies for it (since you'll need it for dental school anyway).

Since we're on the subject of tested diseases for dental school, in case anyone is wondering, the third thing they test for is HIV. However, even if you test positive, you can still go to school (they do keep it on file though)

 

[Supernumerary]

Dude, don't worry. You're not gonna die from TB. If you have no other symptoms, a positive test just means that you've been exposed to the bacteria. It's unlikely that any significant damage has occurred to your lungs; the chest x-ray will tell the doctors exactly how far (if at all) the disease has progressed.

If you do have TB, it's just a matter of a regimen of antibiotics. Expensive, but you'll be O.K. If you want more information, go to a search engine like Google and type in tuberculosis.


edit- Oh, looks like w3chem beat me to the post while I was typing AND did a better job explaining things anyway. Sorry for the repeat, folks.

 

[ALI]

Don't Freak out, Dentlapp.

The skin test will come out positive every single time if you had the vaccine already. I get positive every time because I immigrated from asia and I had the vaccine when I was younger.
The result is always postive for me. I am surprised that your Dr. did not inform you on this.

Don't redo the test, it will come out positve again. Just get a chest x-ray done. I got it done and everything is ok.

Stop worrying. I am sure you are fine

There was a thread a few weeks ago about TB test and Hep B. You should check it out.

Even if one is Hep B Positive, one could still live without any symptom for really long time. The virus would just stay dormant in your body. ( once again if you are from asia, 1 out of 10 will get hep B +) Don't worry too much