Had a phone call from my rheumy today and they have told me i have TB in my bloods. The TB is dormant/sleeping but it is still there and needs treating otherwise i cannot start my biologics.
Rheumy says biologics can make TB active and wake it up if i dont cure it before going on them. They have referred me to the respiratory clinic and i need to have more xrays done etc.
Apparently the antibiotics can take up to 3 months to get rid of the TB which is a little annoying as I cannot start anything to help with my arthritis until its cleared up.
I know its not active and I know i need to take care of it before moving onto sorting my arthritis out but the fact it's still there is just a shock to me and makes me a little anxious.
Has anyone else experienced this before? I havent heard it happen to anyone else as of yet but it is probably more common than i think.
Sorry for the rant i was just so taken aback by it and it hasnt really helped with my anxiety.
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oliviagodfreyxx
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It is great that they checked and are going to sort you out. How awful it would be to have triggered it unknowingly and become so very very ill. My next treatment is delayed until I’ve had the Covid jab x 2 so I completely understand how frustrating it is for treatment to be delayed. They will fix this and then you’ll be off into Biologics and up up and away 🥰 Don’t worry about ranting. My goodness I have done a lot of it and everyone here has been so kind and supportive.
thankyou i needed to hear that its scary to think if i hadnt of had these bloods i wouldve been unaware of it!! and im glad i can relate with someone else! it makes me feel less alone out there x
You aren’t alone that’s for sure. 🤗 thankfully they are so thorough with their tests usually. I have just had a lung function test and have to have a heart scan. Always sounds so frightening and it is in some ways but the way I look at it is this way they can quickly adjust if things go awry. 🥰🍀
Don’t worry....Everybody has to have blood & other tests to rule out any No Nos before being given a Biologic drug.IThere are a few on here in your position.... I’m sure when they see your post they will pop up with all the information.
Yes I had a similar thing. I had TB as a child so I will always test positive and had to go through this process.
TB is actually much more common that we think. England used to be the TB capital of the world......and lots of people will have latent TB. So this is important to do.
I had to take two antibiotics for 3 months, but was allowed to start biologics after about 6 weeks.
Don’t worry about it, the antibiotics aren’t very nice but it isn’t for long.
Sorry you came back positive. I got my results yesterday and luckily they were negative. I was told by the nurse only 1 in 8 in the last few weeks has been negative so unfortunately it is a lot more common than we think. I also live in one of the worst areas for TB so was half expecting not to be, especially as my colleague caught it from a patient a few years back.
atleast its preventable and not active at the minute which is a heads up. i just want to start antibiotics so i can carry on with my arthirits treatment
🤗 it’s tough having to take the break and wait. The main thing is to focus on managing through everything and keeping yourself on an even keel whist you have to wait. It’ll happen and then it move at pace again. It’ll be worth the wait when they find us ‘the one’ 🥰
Hi hope you are okay. I had latent TB in 2019 and had to start treatment. Was my choice at the time as I wasn't diagnosed with arthritis at the time. But in August 2019 I was having tests for arthritis and told I need to have my TB treatment started before I can consider biologics.
The drugs to treat latent TB are not nice and come with a lot of side effects but they will monitor you closely and regularly check your bloods. Do not worry the 3 months pass quickly. I was taking Rifinah and seemed to get headaches a lot but they soon calmed down. I am not saying you will get the side effects but just to give you the heads up. Hope it works out for you x
They will monitor you and if side effects are bad will trial you on a different medicine. Its not a nice journey but needed. I am here if you ever want to chat or rant x
Yes the same happened to me. I was shocked and very upset as I was impatient to start, and I was trying to work out how I could have possibly picked it up. I was put on some strong antibiotics and had regular blood tests until I was clear. It took about 3 months and although it seemed a long time to wait, it was worth it. I've now been on Cimzia for 6 years and it has made such a difference. I've been told they now have to do 5 yearly virus screenings for anyone on biologics so it's good they're keeping an eye on us.I wish you all the best and hope that you can enjoy the benefits that I have🐰
thankyou! i was also wondering the same, ive been pretty careful with keeping away from people (covid obviously) but it depends how long it has been in my system for! could possibly have been there months. im guessing it was maybe from work as i work in a very busy shopping mall but it will forever remain a mystery! just makes me think i need to be extra cautious when mixing and going outside (when we are allowed to again of course).
Ive been recommended etanercept for my biologic which i have read positive reviews on so far. its just a case of trial and error. i hope it works better for me than methotrexate did. stay safe!x
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its scary to think if i hadnt of had these bloods i wouldve been unaware of it!! and im glad i can relate with someone else! it makes me feel less alone out there 
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