How TB has affected a students life, (My Experience of Tuberculosis (TB))

Member Name: Rugby 06

Product:	My Experience of Tuberculosis (TB)
Date:	07/08/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The effects of TB tablets

Disadvantages: Probably abit one sided due to my anger

I was diagnosed with TB in my eye about 3 weeks ago. TB was going around my college and many students were diagnosed with latent TB and therefor the whole college was requested to have a blood test. My blood test came back positive and i had to visit the hospital for a chest x-ray which came back clear. Whilst i was going through this process i was also visiting a specialist optician about blurryness in my eye for a few weeks. After a few weeks i was diagnosed that i had TB in my eye and my immune system faught it off.

Both the chest and eye specialist consulted each other and it was decided that i should be put on the full course of tablets for active TB. Now i have to take 7 tablets a day for 2 months and then 2 tablets a day for a further 4 months. The tablets have not affected me that badly however i always feel really tired and never want to get up in a morning. This has really affected my lifestyle as i represent female rugby at a high level and have training sessions 4 times a week. Due to the doseage of the tablets i am not able to participate in all these sessions.

Furthermore, a side effect of the tablets is it could cause problems with your sight meaning i have to drive a 50 mile round trip to the hospital near my college every two weeks, rather than going to my local hospital 5 minutes down the road.

As you can't drink with the tablets it means no alcohol for me for the next 6 months. Missing drinking at freshers week when i go to uni in September. In addition to this i have to come home every 2 weeks for a check up involving a 5 minute eye test.

Although the TB nurses reassured me that my form of TB was not infectious and no one could catch it, my girlfriend has caught the germ and has not been in contact with anyone else from the college.

Finally, the original case was found in October and only a few students were tested it took them until June to test the rest of the college resulting in 300 students testing positive from being in contact with the germ. All of this could have been prevented if everyone was offered a blood test in the first or second round of screenings rather than the fourth round.
The TB couldn't have come at a worse time in my life.

Summary: My story of how TB affected an 18 year old student