See your family doctor, double-check for TB

[T P Cornholio]

Our son was to begin university last year, and was required to have a TB test during the spring as a condition for getting assigned to a dorm.  He tested positive, along with our young daughter.  My wife developed a slight redness, but was considered not infected.  As for me, you couldn't even tell I was stuck with the needle.  Fortunately, the children's X-rays showed their lungs to be clear.

When I asked my wife about this -- and weren't they tested in Kyiv -- she said the Kyiv doctor took only  X-rays, because the shot/skin test takes at least a couple days for a reaction.  That doctor indicated it was nothing to worry about, because the X-rays were clear and there was nothing special about it.  My wife was also under the impression that everyone  can have some reaction, but that it isn't really a problem (that old tough-Russian attitude). I was somewhat concerned over this revelation, but our doctor began a treatment of medication (pills).  Each child took a pill every day for about 9 months, and had their blood (liver) tested every couple months. Fortunately, our insurance covered most of the expense and this is recently behind us now.

In regard to Ryan's post below about medical exams (and not wanting to bother with additional ones), realize that Tuberculosis/Consumption is more commom in Ukraine/Russia and generally people don't show as much concern.  A quick check-up here with your family doctor COULD be a good idea.  Who knows how this would have played out if not for the requirement by the university, and catching this before it became a big problem many years down the road?

[wsbill]

... in response to See your family doctor, double-check for..., posted by T P Cornholio on Mar 12, 2005

That from what I can tell is one that should be taken before someone enters college or a foreign country.

How many of you guys just hopped on a airplane and went over there without any shots at all... atleast, no current ones?

LOL.

[RickM]

... in response to Re:  I need to get a MCG shot...and it's..., posted by wsbill on Mar 13, 2005

childhood annoculations last?
25 or 30 Years at bet?
That means we all should be re-inoculated at some point in our lives,"especialy" if we are planning to travel to a third world country.....

[david hagar]

... in response to See your family doctor, double-check for..., posted by T P Cornholio on Mar 12, 2005

if she has tb, she needs to me on mediciation quickly as possible and those in contact with her need to be on the medicaton quickly to prevent the spread of this disease. if you are in the us, have your doctor contact the local health department. this is very important

beattledog

[RickM]

... in response to See your family doctor, double-check for..., posted by T P Cornholio on Mar 12, 2005

My wife had a touch of TB about 6 years ago while living in Kyrgyzstan.There,just about every family knows of either a family member,freind or work associate who has had a battle with this illness.TB exist,is very easily spread and still a problem in this world.

It's a simple way of life in many third world countries,especially the C.I.S countries that lost their free medical care from Russia as a result of becoming independant countries and many have and still are losing lungs,getting ill,succombing to this serious and very real potentially damaging and life-taking illness.

My wife worked in the general public in a jewelry store and traveled every day in those buses filled like sardines in a can.
She had no idea where she had contracted it.
It's as simple has being on the side of someone with TB coughing.TB is that eaisly contageous...

My wife was afraid to tell me about it.
She apparently contracted it shortly after I left from meeting and visiting her and in future photos it was so visible to see when she told me she had not been feeling well.She got soo frail looking so quickly...
Luckily,with early detection(she knew by her faint constant developing cough)and "good" daily treatment she managed to defeat the illness in the next several months but it left some scar tissue on one of her lungs.

The "real" fiasco occurred when she went to Moscow for her Fiance visa and medical exam.The MD's immediately noticed the scar tissue in lung x-rays but could not determine if the scars were old or current...
Thay wanted about $3,000.00 USD (freaken mafia...) to do some "state of art" type of new x-rays in addition to the pin/prick test to determine her status...They never got the $$$ they were trying to extort...

Fortunately for us,her friend's mum worked in the Medical Center back in Kyrgyzstan where all her old x-rays were and she arranged with the help of Andre Belitsky from Peace Travel Services in Moscow to meet someone at the airport arriving to Moscow from Kyrgyzstan with all her old x-rays in hand.
Only then was she able to prove the scar tissue was old and had not changed or progressed.
She was approved to enter USA "by the skin of her teeth"...

Once here,we followed up with a Pulminologist and he viewed all the e-rays and told her she was very lucky she caught it so early and received such good treatment.
We left his office and took all her x-rays home with us.
About a year later...while in the hospitol giving birth to our son,a MD from the hospitol before releasing her and the newborn tried to tell us that she noticed some changes on her lung x-rays and wanted to do up a complete new investigation into the wife's status...

Freaken paranoia and $$$$...
I told the MD that "we" had posession of "all" and the "only" x-rays of my wife's chest and we didn't understand what she was referring to when she stated she noticed a change...
There "was no change" and "no x-rays she looked at"...We had them all at home...
The MD here in USA was simply paranoid because we had listed the previous TB bout on the wife's medical records and the MD actually lied to me in her "fear" of the disease...

Yes,I agree,follow-ups will be necessary for life...
I have a friend born in Portugal who had TB when she was just a toddler and until today,with her college degrees,she can't get certain medical positions because she's had TB before and it is on her medical records,dormant for the last 30-something years....
Fear ? Propaganda ? $$$$$ ? Ignorance ?.......??

[ARTILLARY]

... in response to See your family doctor, double-check for..., posted by T P Cornholio on Mar 12, 2005

I'm in the medical field so here's a little info on TB tests. PLease keep in mind that even if a person that has tested positive once, and has had all the shots and is cured so to speak, they will always test positive in subsequent tests. A clean lung x-ray is the best indicator.