Hi, I hope you are all keeping well!
I was diagnosed with Pulmonary TB back in August 2020 and I am now coming to an end of the 6 months treatment of antibiotics (in Feb 2021). It looks like I may have contracted active TB as far back as 4 years ago when i was traveling in Asia. I was told last year that my immune system was so 'good' that it seems to have 'masked' the TB, and luckily I haven't passed it on to my family. I just wondered if anyone has had experience of such a long diagnosis of TB like this? I live in the UK and feel very surprised it's taken this long to diagnose TB.
I was very ill when I was in Vietnam (4 years ago) I had to fly home as I had a persistent cough, pneumonia on the lungs and a plural effusion/pleurisy but they never tested me for TB back then as they said I was not showing the 'normal' symptoms for TB. At one point I was tested for Legionaries Disease and it came back positive but then negative which is apparently why i was never tested for TB.
I also have scarring on my lungs and a growth which the consultants called a granuloma. I was hoping this would go away after the TB treatment, but my CT scans don't seem to be getting better...has any one else experienced this? or a granuloma/scarring post TB?
It's been a very confusing few years, and I have been feeling quite alone with it (as I am sure many others do with TB). I am so glad to be coming to an end of my treatment (and my cough has gone!), but I wonder what the effect on my lungs will be/and my body from having untreated TB for this long. I also wondered if i have post viral fatigue/or CFS/ME, as i still suffer a lot of tiredness (however know the antibiotics aren't helping with this either!)
Any advice on how others have been 'post TB' treatment would be so useful to hear from you...!
I hope all of you are continuing to keep well and positive during these times!