Hi, I am looking for anyone who has undergone the TB medication course, completed or undergoing.

I am undergoing the medication for 2 months now (treatment under Institut Perubatan Respiratori) and I still continue to feel the chest discomfort/dull pain.
It is just like dull pain, pressure kind of discomfort. Is that normal?
Lately it gets more intense, but sometimes it fades away.
It is not those kind of Sharp Pain suppose to be, mentioned by doctor.

FYI, i have informed my doctor on it, they doesn't seem to care about it. Just say continue medication and see how.

Plus, how are they actually monitoring whether the medication is working?
Ever since started medication, I have been to several appointment so far, everytime only say "ok continue medication". No further test done etc.

TQ

Most likely is fiborsis of your lungs. Some part of the lungs are having scar. Hence the dull pain. Had any previous TB infection before?

Specutum analysis under microscope, x-ray are the ways to evaluate.

In the mean time, take lots of fruits and vege, fish chicken, tofu, tempe (proteins). Avoid fish oil, olive oil. Increase your intake (TB causes the body to use lots of energy - hence TB patients are usually wasted). Add virgin coconut oil to your food (high in calorie and easily ultilise by the body) Expose yourself to morning sun for 30 minutes to get vit D to enhance immune system. Take 5 cloves of garlic/day with food - to boost immune system.

Do you have serai, kayu manis, rosemary? Boil a pot of water until can see steam coming out, off the fire, cut them into pieces, chuck the serai, kayu manis, rosemary into the pot and put your face into the pot to inhale the steam. Cover yourself with a towel so the steam cannot escape. DO it for 10 minutes 2x/day. Essential oil works better for TB but since is hard and expensive to get pure essential in Malaysia, these will do. (if you want essential oils, PM me)

Also, since you are on TB drugs, take milk thistle, dandelion supplement to protect your liver.

DO NOT forget to take your TB meds even if you feel cure cause it needs 6 months to fully cure. Forgetting to take them will cause the TB to evolve into MDR/XDR-TB. Takes 1-2 years to heal with very bad sideeffects.

No, first time gets Tb infection.
I thought it was fibrosis as well, but a few other GP I consulted, they say that lung doesn't feel dull pain, the pain is something else. That's why its bothering me.
Even bothering part is my consultation with IPR doctor, they evaluate me only based on Q & A:
Doc: "How are you feeling? Feeling any better?".
Me: "Feeling just as usual, and the chest discomfort is still there."
Doc: "How is your cough and appetite?"
Me: "I mentioned already I don't cough since the beginning of diagnosed and my appetite is just as usual"
Doc: "Oh I think you are getting better"
Me: "Huh? No going to do any test? Liver function test? Blood test? Vision test?"
Doc: "No, no need for those. Just continue your medicine. When courses finish, if the pain is still there, then we explore other possibility"

The doctor is really giving me a feeling of "Do they know what are they doing?"

But meanwhile I still continue my meds haiz...

Usually they will evaluate you after 2 months like that. It's your right to ask them to do liver function test and vision test. TB drugs side effects affects the liver and eyes (etanbutol - for eyes)

You may feel frustrated taking those drugs, but if you don't take them, the TB will have to be treated for 1-2 years instead of 6 months. MDR/XDR-TB can lead to slow and painful death.
2nd/3rd line of TB drugs are less effective compare to first line.

MDR = multiple drug resistant
XDR = Extreme drug resistant

This post has been edited by Ramjade: May 2 2016, 05:11 PM

well.........

mostly clinical........

cough should reduce.
the fever, night sweats, weight loss should be absent
the sputum for AFB should reduce or be negative after some time of treatment

the strain and sensitivity of the tuberculosis would take a lot of time to test

The problem is, from the beginning I do not have any of those symptom.
No cough, fever, night sweats, and my Sputum AFB is negative.
The only thing is confirmed is I lost weight that's it.

Which is why if they base on those clinical ways, I don't see how is it going to help in my case you see.

Btw, these are beyond most gp level...
At least get a proper specialist if u wan go for additional opinion.

i see...........

then it is likely they treat you based on high suspicion of exposure and probably where tb is endemic, not an easy decision to start you on treatment.......unless no other cause of weight loss or very suggestive chest x-ray

I thought there are specific assay that can test for TB in Malaysia? I forgot what's call.

They suspected based on X-ray, there are shadows shown.
In Sunway Medical, they run a PCR on my sputum and say confirmed its TB.
So I transfer myself to IPR and started my medication there cause Sunway would require me to go consultation every week which will cost a bomb and inconvenient to my work.

At IPR they only do triple confirm on the AFB test, which shown negative in all test including during in Sunway Mecical.
After consideration then they decided to start my medication.

Quantiferon TB Gold blood test

Wanna ask bout tb, what's the chances of one getting infected by someone who has tb? For those staying in the same house, are the chances high for them to be infected?

As long as on medication for 2 weeks, the patient is no longer infectious. Just make sure the patient wears a surgical mask with colour ones outside.

Open all windows day/night. In the daytime, let the sun in. Sunlight kills TB bacteria. On fan. Don't use Aircon.

Getting infected is one thing. One gets infected if untreated patients speaks, laugh, cough (think those foreign workers - which is a source if TB in malaysia). The question is whether the body can eliminate the bacteria/contain it. Eliminate means no more TB bacteria in the body. Contain = control it but the bacteria is still there. May remain asymptomatic for years until one point the body defenses drop and the bacteria will multiply.

So first line of defence is preventing bacteria from entering the body via N95 mask. Normal mask gives protection of only 40% but it works very well to prevent bacteria from spreading to the environment (patient must wear it tightly).

Second and last line of defence is your own immune system. Stress, cigarette smoke, junk/fast food all will decrease your immune system.

There are certain essential oils that can decontaminate a TB room (rapidly decreasing the no of TB bacteria in the air once the essential oils have been nebulised into the air.

Hope this help to answer your question.

Thank for you ur reply. So if the person's body managed to contain the bacteria that person is not infectious? What if that person suddenly starts coughing, will it be infectious? Usually when a person cough they usually brush it off as normal coughing. Will tb spread through sharing of drinks or food?

I have people continuously being exposed to the patient who is tb positive. The patient is also having lung cancer and she is 80 yrs old hence she requires people to take care of her all the time. Having her putting on a mask will create great discomfort for such an old lady. And worse, she is unable to take her tb meds because her intestine could not handle such heavy dosage of meds daily. She has Ben vomiting all the meds out Everytime she takes them.

Will her caretakers eventually be infected with tb once their immune system drops?

it is very hard for a healthy person to get infected and to have active pulmonary tb. everyone has been exposed to tb at some point of their lives'

it takes a lot of exposure and time with proximity to get infected.


anyway........if the person is missing medication or not tolerating the medication........time for a visit to the hospital/clinic.

there's only 1 type of mask that is "safe" for people handling with tb.........the n95 and above mask...........normal surgical mask do not help at all

also........if you know that you have been exposed to tb and you have a prolonged cough........better have it checked out to ensure it is not tb

This post has been edited by slimey: May 6 2016, 05:08 PM

She's already been admitted to the hospital to treat her intestine problems but those handling her doesn't seem to be bothered that they're handling a tb positive patient.

Now that's worse. If some kind of drugs managed to get into the system (without the full dosage), the TB will develop into multiple/extreme drug resistant strain which needs longer term antibiotics (1-2 years) with more severe side effects.

They can wear N95 mask to protect themselves. It's possible if no protection is worn. A normal mask (white side outside) offers only 40% protection. Can wear double or triple mask but no evidence shows how effective wearing multiple layers.

Again they can get infected but if body cannot contain the infection, a person gets TB. If TB is contained, the person is not infectious until it reactivate. So again, it comes back to the immune system.

Precautions can be taken other than mask. Buy the single gas burner/induction cooker/slow cooker, slowly simmer the following :
Cinnamon sticks (better if you can blend into powder)
Rosemary herbs
Serai
Pine leaves (make sure it have the fresh pine scent when you break them)

Replace them regularly like every 3 hours or else not effective in decontaminitaing the air.
The above is a crude DIY essential oil air decontaminator.
Best is if you can get 100% pure essential oil to disperse into the air.

TB is airborne, and spread through air which makes it hard to control. It don't spread through food.

on the subject of reducing the concentration of the tb microbs in the air the best method is still ventilation.

ideally have the room in "negative pressure" : something like a exhaust fan extracting air out of the room constantly and having only 1 opening which is closed most of the time, the door.

so the air in the room constantly gets replaced..........

if you want to be fancy you can install uv lighting in the air exhaust tube and also in the room(something like a uv tube on the inside of a pipe like structure and a small fan blowing air through it).

There's a journal regarding dispersing eucalyptus oil in a TB ward. The conclusion shows eucalyptus oil drastically decrease the no of TB in the air.

Hi there tekoo are you considered healthy, and clear of TB now ? Or TB is under "Latent TB" controlled unactive stage?

My father was under suspicion of TB by HKL (non-Respiratory related body organ), somehow was told to go to IPR for TB screening.
Checked Chest X-Ray in IPR was cleared, they kept on collected tons of blood and saliva samples every time my fathers visits them for appointment, and it has been like 3-4 months we didn't hear back from them.

It is very scary that the doctor consulted her superior mentor, and they just gave out antibiotic drugs out without waiting for the TB results.

This post has been edited by iSean: Aug 1 2022, 02:50 PM