Cleared long time, after finish the meds course of six months.
My initial test done was in private medical centre which they confirm me positive of TB. Thereafter I went to IPR for meds course since it's almost free. Hence I don't really care if their test is done or so.
And yes, every visit they will collect sputum sample since mine is lung. My understanding is they are trying to cultivate the bacteria, but it doesn't necessarily mean they will success lol.

Congrats being cleared.
Well, any recommendation which type of TB Screening to take?

Your one only collect sputum for lung?
My dad went multiple times, always "sputum" the saliva and they go collect "blood sample"
Wait for multiple weeks but no results.

Do you feel that your body is very weaken by Antibiotics at the 6 months of treatment?

My dad was given TB Medication, when HKL suspect my dad has TB in other parts of his body.
Ask my dad go IPR do Chest X-Ray, then was consult some young doctors getting some family background, say chest x-ray is clear no issues.
But, since under suspicion of TB, the young doctor consult with her supervisor, the supervisor pass down to the doctor say for "safety precaution" just put on TB Antibiotics medications.

Then I follow my dad go through the long briefing session on TB medication.

I feel something not right, then go consulting doctors in private as second opinion.
The private doctor say better don't start.

Few months later, my dad weight loss is increasing, I now suspect is TB causing issues.
And IPR macam not transparent with my dad's conditions la, after waiting so long, no sound on the culture results.
Then since we not on the TB Antibiotics treatment, they mentioned that we 'declined' treatment over their side. When themselves can't even confirm whether my dad has TB

Also I don't feel safe bringing myself and my dad go to IPR, with people there coughing and patient with poor hygiene all the time...
Sendiri Tak ada Lung Disease, will easily contracted with TB/Lung disease.

I went there few times really packed in the morning session...

I was having shadow in my lung and unexplainable weight loss. Went private medical centre, they did the Mantoux Test.

Weaken? Not really.

Well if already suspected with TB, didn't the private hospital did their checking when you seek for second opinion? To sit on it doing nothing is dangerous no...?

Tbh even after completing the 6m course, both private & IPR also failed to culture the bacteria. So I guess it's normal for your case as well.

I see.

Weaken as in due to heavy antibiotics causing side effects. Because I heard the pharmacy doctor say
will cause pee orange, skin rash and sticky sweat...



Well we actually visit private first, then also go to GH as back up and go there get cheaper medication.

Private Hospital did some biopsy on the body organ and sent to outsourced pathology lab, report come out have some bacteria that looks like TB in the slides. (not sure the actual way to describe this)
Then my parents took the report to GH as well, doctors suspect it is TB, then send to IPR do Chest X-Ray. But nothing in lungs, seems healthy.
The we thought might be Latent-TB become active in other parts of body when my father get UTI. (My father did surgery in GH to remove a mass on his nose in January, I wonder is it at surgery there tools not clean get infection la.)

After first visit at IPR, they told my dad start 6 month long treatment, I feel something not right in the procedure. Go to the private hospital on the same day hear second opinion from the doctor.
Private Doctor advise he will request from pathology lab to do slide reading again, confirmed it isn't TB, and told us not to take the TB medication at the mean time.
So we just follow private doctor's instruction.

Then we just go back IPR told them, we don't want to take medication until the culture say positive for TB then only start take medication....
But IPR never came back with culture results despite my dad did few blood and sputum collections in GH and IPR...
So we kinda gave up on Government Healthcare side...

==========================================
But 6 months later TS, you finished your TB Medication, but negative from the initial culture (first sputum) sample. Then I feel weird lah, since initial Mantoux Test you say positive edi, kinda weird they can't grow it...
If you say 6 month later, you did another sputum test, the lab didn't managed to grow the TB sample, that one would be normal, means you cleared from TB.

"A normal sputum culture can take 1 to 8 weeks to provide results. A rapid sputum test can tell if a person has TB within 24 hours."

This post has been edited by iSean: Aug 2 2022, 11:18 PM

Ahh you mean the side effects during the course of meds. Yea I got Orange pee only as far as I can remember. But if the patient's age is high, the side effects will be more severe.

Since you decided to trust the private side, maybe it's time to revisit them to get some idea on the continuous weight loss.

As for the culture, if you read about it, you will see it is actually difficult in culturing them, and long time as well. Even my initial sputum submitted to private side, also fail to do so.

TB is not restricted to the lungs.

It can spread to other parts of the body.

What is the result from the private pathology lab?

Yes.

First report propose is
observation of Granulomatous Inflammation

bring dad to HKL they suggest TB

after that go private, doctor email patlab do rereading the slides :
does not surmount to a diagnosis of TB

Granulomas mixed with inflammatory infiltrate could suggest an underlying infectious aetiology with TB

bacterial/fungal/parasitic causes /saecoudosis / inflammatory bowel diseases also possible

private say dont continue TB meds

then balik IPR for follow up appointment tell them we dont want follow up with them, since scare will weaken immune system also got risks of antibiotic resistance develop, but IPR will continue to collect sputum, blood sample to screen for TB for a few weeks lo 😶

If active TB, go take CRP and ESR. It will be elevated. If want more specific take Ca-125 blood. It's a tumour marker for ovary cancer.
But if it is raised along likely it's TB.

TB takes like 2 months to grow and another 2 months for antibiotic sentivitiy.

Wear n95 or those kf94 mask. Make sure it's properly sealed.

Even though clear, can reactive again many years down the road. Just get ready for it. In the mean time load up on vitamin D and go into the sun. Vitamin D and sunshine helps the body to prevent and speed up recovery process.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Aug 8 2022, 04:04 PM

Hi Ramjade,

It has been said many times that TB is not spread easily, meaning to say you need long term exposure to someone with TB to be infected with TB.

But I've spoken to some who had been infected and what they told me seems to contradict the above. They said they do not know how they got infected. They have not stayed with someone with TB, neither have they cared for someone with TB, neither they have any colleagues suffering from TB.

It goes to show that they got it randomly from someone somewhere, whether in a train, flight, in a lift, etc. And they don't even know where.

So, is it still really true that TB is not easily spread? It seems to me otherwise.

It is airborne and theoretically they said people with good immune system will be able to suppress it. I know a friend in mid 20 no known medical illness, pick up TB of the kidney. Another 20 year old pick up TB spine.

I am still not going to bet that it doesn't spread easily. If you are in US, UK, Canada, Singapore where TB is not endemic, ok, You are in malaysia where you have indonesia which have high TB rates, foreign workers from india, bangladesh nepal who knows whether they are screen before entering Malaysia. At least singapore screen all their foreign workers. Make them all do chest xray and mantoux.

TB is a perception disease. People think they won't get it cause they are young, no illness and hence no need precaution.

Prevention is key.

This post has been edited by Ramjade: Aug 10 2022, 12:08 PM

Most Malaysians should have been vaccinated with BCG during their schooling years which should provide some protection against TB. Unfortunately there are many foreign workers in Malaysia and their pay/living conditions are bad which pushes up the overall TB prevalence rate 10x that of western countries.

Foreign workers who came to Malaysia through the legal route have to go through FOMEMA screening which includes tests for TB and STDs, I saw it on the form and my servant had to have an x-ray done. But I'm not sure that was always the case and I think there is no requirement to get vaccinated which I think should be mandatory.

BCG only protect kids. For us adult BCG is practically useless.

BCG is meant to prevent meningitis TB but not very effective against lung TB.

dont stop taking your meds, long duration i think