5 hours

hello shell so whats you condition now? i have it also

Shell - I have latent TB and I've done some reading on the CDC website among other sites. From what I've read it normally takes a significant amount of exposure (8-12 hours) to become infected, but it depends on how infective the person was.

I also tried to determine who/where I was infected. It is likely from a plane ride to & from Germany in 2005 or from a creepy dude who sat beside me on the DC metro years ago and whom I spoke with for about 5-10 mins.

Do you have active TB or are you latent? Are you taking meds? Any neg side effects?

I am 40 years old and am debating as to whether I should take INH. My last test measured 9mm so I am borderline positive. One doc tells me not to take INH but another recommends it. I am afraid of taking the meds but I know it is a gamble.

I have children and don't want to risk infecting them so I will probably go on the INH. I wish there were better meds available but they are 3-5 years out.

Good luck.

icefire1142 - Are you active or latent? Are you on meds?

me too have been newly diagnosed. They looked at my exray/ct and said there was a slight change from last year (still debatable whether it is tb or not).

I had 3 sputum tests and they were all negative for tb. the culture which is being tested for growth has not grown any bacteria at all for tb. They tested it in 8/24 and to date no bacterial growth.

Meanwhile, I was required to take the meds (4 kinds all together). I don't know if I do have the tb or not but i was required by the state to take the meds.

hi

I never found out where i got it from but it was likely a plane journey to the states. You have to be very close to someone with a productive cough for a reasonable amount of time... but in planes, the air can be partly recycled for the entire flight, increasing the odds basically.

Miparaiso, all i can say is that in the USA, the drugs are pushed upon you much more than here in the UK. Your on all 4 meds for negative sputum tests and a no growth culture?? What was the reason for the xray in the first place if you dont mind me asking? Tb symptoms?

mluce 211 - my xrays were negative and a sputum test (I requested) was neg as well. They told me to get retested again in 1 year and when/if I measure 15mm or more then they'd put me on INH. What are the procedures in the UK?

When I had the exrays (due to chest pains - thought I was getting a heart attack or embolisim) they found granulomata in my right lung. They right away suspected tb. The doctor did a lung procedure where he looked at my lungs through a tube and took samples from my left and right lungs. The samples were tested for tb and they were negative. Then they grew the samples as cultures for 8 weeks and it was also negative for tb.

They are basing the meds (9 in total I take everyday) on the granulomata that they found in my ct scan.