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

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...

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

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?

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?

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).

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... 

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.

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.

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.