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Yes I was Blindsided this week!
Like many nurses exposed to a variety of patients; I've been positive for TB exposure since 1987. Never had TB or any sign of it. Periodic confirmatory chest x-rays have all been normal, including one I had this past May. No one can get TB from me.
Recently, as part of a pre-employment physical, I was required to have my doctor complete a TB form. My doctor said I now have to begin preventative treatment for TB; because I have latent TB in my lungs, and the guidelines today dictate that I need treatment to protect myself. I was shocked. No doctor had ever suggested treatment before. I had no choice but to begin medication , if I wanted the form completed so that I can work.
Within 2 hours of taking the first dose of the medication (Rifampin), my urine turned a deep orange! This is a side effect, in fact, teeth can be temporarily stained; tears, sweat, all body fluids can turn orange. Rifampin can cause liver damage. I had liver function labs drawn this week and they were all normal. I hate this! I have to take the medication for 4 months and cannot miss a dose. Rant over. I do feel fine otherwise.
OK, this kind of freaked me out. But perhaps you never took the meds when you first had your postive TB test in 1987? Is that what why you are now taking the drugs?
OK, this kind of freaked me out. But perhaps you never took the meds when you first had your postive TB test in 1987? Is that what why you are now taking the drugs?
I agree this is material for freaking out a bit, as is the Cipro taking story for someone who had no infection and no particular reason to take Cipro and then the Cipro caused severe damage to achilles tendons and wrists!
Also with the sudden onset of the various medical problems described in this thread, it certainly pays to have good health insurance or a good Medicare supplement, if possible.
I play a cell phone game where people would often meet at various places in town and group up for content. I've friended a lot of those people on Facebook, and I read within the last fifteen minutes how one of the girls that played frequently was diagnosed this week with MS at 21. That's just shocking.
I'm 33 and the worst I've had were several bad bouts with pneumonia and a couple of broken wrists. I've seen a lot of people go from healthy to having something serious within a very short amount of time. You just don't know and that's why I try to make each day worthwhile anymore.
Serious,
My mother was 23 when she was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. ( She had me at 21, andmy younger sibling at 25).
If your friend has that ( ppms), she's in for a tough battle.
But even if it is, or just MS, there is soooooo much they can do now that didn't exist in the 60s and 70s.
So don't lose hope for her, but you can be supportive and do things for her as it gets more difficult for her to do things.
That's about all I can say.
It took my mother from healthy and a drum majorette in highschool to a person permanently in a wheel chair and needing to be fed by the time I graduated high school.
It was rough on me as as the eldest, by my age 9, she could no longer do her house wife duties, so I had to do it all. I was 13 when she was permanently in a wheelchair.
Oh, and had some bouts with pneumonia that requires serious antibiotics and a 5 week hospital stay. I don't wish it on anyone...not being able to breathe is extremely difficult to deal with.
We all must deal with the cards our genetics deals to us. Sorry some of your cards were crappy. But at least you write well and appear to be a mentally strong person. That’s increasingly rare.
I have a history like the OP's, and I often describe myself as "a shipwreck in shoes". Attending to its wreckage began in my thirties.
But I do come back to consider genetics from time to time, as you mention. A sister was born before myself, and her structural problems at birth were a catastrophe and she died within fourteen months. If my medical history in regard to spine structure and then the onset of very severe pervasive arthritis has been ugly, painful and expensive, I have had a life nevertheless. Compared to my sister, I have been most fortunate.
From the time I was a small child my mother, her sister and myself on our way to see their other sister up in the hills would stop to see "the graves." These were in a cemetery on a high hill above a country crossroads hamlet - my maternal grandparents and my fourteen month old sister. Several times a year, year after year until I left home after college. That I had a sister there fascinated me. It was hard to grasp for a small child how someone like yourself, only littler, could be under the ground with old people. My mother and her sisters died, and a cousin continued to visit "the graves" and put potted plants on them once a year. She died this year.
It reminded me: I have lived eighty-one more years than my sister. I have danced, I have had physical relations, and I have walked through the woods and meadows where we used to live. The twisted wreckage of her body has rested under the earth of a country hillside for all those same years. We got some nasty genetic cards dealt to us (as have others in the family.) But I got to live with mine, and I have been happy to live...though I do not always sound so, especially when I am ranting and snarling to myself.
I take time-release morphine from time to time, but the pain has escalated beyond it effectiveness, and I am not ready to go to the next level. PT, upon the advice of the very good and personable therapist, has now become a DIY routine. I can do a limited amount of walking with two elbow canes and a sacro-lumbar corset which is a major challenge to get on with arthritic fingers, hands, wrists, etc. But I can walk decently on the smooth roadway of some lovely dead-end streets, which have no through traffic. One of these has a large cat population, several of them calico.
One of the latter burst out of a scrubby garden a year or two ago, and ran up to me meowing. I was able then to bend over on one cane and scratch her head. And this became a ritual each time I came down that street. Rather foolishly I recently began to bring a tiny amount of cat treats, and these rather than my wonderful self have become the focus of her enthusiasm. My nose is out of joint, of course
The other day I rebuked her out loud as an "ungrateful wretch" as she munched away. It scared the wits out of me when a voice said, "Yes, she is." There was a woman with a broom or a rake standing ny a tree just a few feet away whom I hadn't seen. I did learn that my ritual chats with this cat over the last couple of years have become part of the neighborhood folklore.
Two can play the using game, however. While the cat eats I bend over on one cane and see if I can touch the tip of her tail, and on a real feel-good day I can just make it to the top of her head still. Having gotten phys ed out of the way, she can gobble up the goodies in peace while I march on.
By the bye, in making preparations for The End I made plans for my cremation and learned that they want an inventory of any metal gizmos and parts other than tooth fillings that a customer may have inside him. I came up with forty screws, two rods and a plate.
OK, this kind of freaked me out. But perhaps you never took the meds when you first had your postive TB test in 1987? Is that what why you are now taking the drugs?
Since 1987 medication was never discussed with me by my personal doctors or any Employee Health representative. For example I worked at a major hospital from 2003 to 2006. Every year I had to go to Employee health and complete a questionnaire about TB symptoms, because I tested positive. Thats it. No Chest x-ray required unless one reported TB symptoms.
If one does have TB it is reported to the County Health Department. You may have to be observed taking daily medications if you cannot be trusted to do it. You have to wear a mask, as you can infect others, among other precautions.
As I mentioned, guidelines have changed and it is recommended to take anti TB drugs now as a precaution so you don't get TB (If you have ever tested positive).
Since 1987 medication was never discussed with me by my personal doctors or any Employee Health representative. For example I worked at a major hospital from 2003 to 2006. Every year I had to go to Employee health and complete a questionnaire about TB symptoms, because I tested positive. Thats it. No Chest x-ray required unless one reported TB symptoms.
If one does have TB it is reported to the County Health Department. You may have to be observed taking daily medications if you cannot be trusted to do it. You have to wear a mask, as you can infect others, among other precautions.
As I mentioned, guidelines have changed and it is recommended to take anti TB drugs now as a precaution so you don't get TB (If you have ever tested positive).
These are mostly misguided recommendations that are still in the books today. Hundreds of millions of people have had the BCG vaccine and will have positive skin test. Hospitals know better, but when the Health Department gets involved, it's a public health crisis.
Galaxy I am so sorry you are facing all this and dealing with so much pain.
I am 57. At age 48 I took Cipro, which is a commonly prescribed fluoroquinolone antibiotic, for one week, as a PREVENTIVE measure - I didn't even have an infection but I was being treated for some other mild something or other and the doctor said, "Just take this for a week just in case," so I did. NEVER expecting to be one of the minority which have a terrible reaction to it!
I was fit as a fiddle at age 48 - active and healthy and all that jazz.
Anyway, long story short, the antibiotic destroyed not one but both of my Achilles tendons, as well as causing joint damage in both my wrists. I had to have reconstructive surgery on both Achilles tendons, basically back to back and the recovery time is at least 8 months each - and they will never really be the same, so in addition to two matching scars, I have feet that often swell, which develop plantar fasciitis easily, etc. etc. With my wrists, I've had splints, cortisone shots, PT, etc. and have managed to avoid surgery but they are easily injured and often hurt.
I try to stay active, and I do, but I will never be pain free again and easily injure my ankles and wrists, which definitely puts a cramp in my style so to speak.
Yes, this absolutely blindsided me. Also, a weird side effect is an increased risk of stroke, because since I constantly have inflammation in at least one area of my body, my platelet count is higher than normal and stays that way - increasing my risk of stroke. Thankfully my BP and other vitals are good. Sheeze!
My husband was prescribed Cipro for an infection and it destroyed most of the good bacteria in his digestive system. He had years of pain, bleeding, all kinds of issues that required a special diet and multiple colonoscopies. I was prescribed a similar antibiotic and within 10 days developed extreme joint pain, massive fluid retention........fortunately I recovered but I will do my best to avoid anything similar to Cipro!
Antibiotics work by killing off the infection....and everything else "good" in your body.
Hence, it kills the "good Flora and fauna" in you digestive tract, often causes diarrhea, and is the reason they say eat yogurt or take acidophilus (a probiotic type), which, ideally, puts "good Flora and fauna" back into your system. But if you take the antibiotics, take a yogurt or acidophilus about 3 hours later, as the antibiotics will kill the newly introduced"goodness". Take the yogurt etc opposite times of taking the antibiotics.
Once during a hospital stay for 6 weeks to fight off pneumonia, I noticed that the nursing staff started coming in with dressing garb, gloves and face masks...a hazmat suit!!! So I asked on why, she said it was because the antibiotics they were giving me were caustic, and a dancer to them if spilled on them!! I looked at her and said ' and you're putting that in my veins?'
She said they had run out of any antibiotics that could work, so these were like a chemo drug!!
I've had pneumonia frequently, but that year was the worst. I was in the hospital for 7 weeks.
Thanks for your stories....it's nice to know that you are not alone.
Since 1987 medication was never discussed with me by my personal doctors or any Employee Health representative. For example I worked at a major hospital from 2003 to 2006. Every year I had to go to Employee health and complete a questionnaire about TB symptoms, because I tested positive. Thats it. No Chest x-ray required unless one reported TB symptoms.
If one does have TB it is reported to the County Health Department. You may have to be observed taking daily medications if you cannot be trusted to do it. You have to wear a mask, as you can infect others, among other precautions.
As I mentioned, guidelines have changed and it is recommended to take anti TB drugs now as a precaution so you don't get TB (If you have ever tested positive).
Whew! I had taken the anti-TB drugs over 50 years ago and one of my kids took the preventive drugs in the 1980's. I, too, worked in the medical field but it was a long time ago. I was required to have a chest xray before I started each new job. My Ex, not surprisingly, tested positive during his first year of medical school. I have no idea how you managed to avoid the anti-TB drugs before now.
Regardless, I was afraid when I read your post that I had somehow missed a new protocol. AFAIK, since I took the meds as a child (albeit inconsistently) it's highly unlikely the latent TB will be activated.
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I do feel fine otherwise.
