tuberculosis

[landpirate]

So basically I have had this really shit cough for about a month now. finally plucked up the courage to go to the homeless drop in doctor (I live in the UK, if that makes a difference) and they took some blood and sent me for a chest x ray to check for Tuberculosis, i am waiting for the results. I know in the last few years I have lived around people who have TB. I am shitting myself with worry now. i can't really tell anyone I'm around because they'll freak out and think I'll give it to them. the thing is when i was 13 i had the vaccination against it. I am 30 now. do these things wear off? I am sorry if i sound mad and hysterical, but i don't get sick and this could really fuck up my travelling opportunities.

 

[maximussupertramp]

I had a freind in high school who contracted TB, nowadays they have a high success rate at curing it, as long as you follow your doctors orders and take it easy for awhile you probably be fine

 

[Earth]

I seem to recall remembering that the vaccine is good for life, like Polio... but check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TB_vaccine#Vaccines
I'm seeing a doctor myself - simply because it's been quite sometime, and while my health today is quite good, I know I've done some damage over the years, and I confess to being absolutely terrified to find out exactly what, but I figure I owe it to my dog and 4 cats to be the healthiest man alive, so I'm going for it..............

 

[landpirate]

Fuck yes! Went to the doctor today for my results and I don't have TB. I got myself a chest infection which has lead to me having pleurisy. Which he explained to me is fluid between the lining of your lungs and your ribs. To be honest I didn't really listen after the doctor said it wasn't TB. Gotta take antibiotics for 2 Weeks then I should be sorted. So relieved. Thank you both for your advise.

 

[Earth]

Right on!!
Of interest, I saw that I got my tb shots in W.Berlin back in 1965, and I'm told that if I got tested now, I'd show a false positive or something like that...
That was a common vaccine in Germany back in the day!!

 

[landpirate]

I got given the BGC vaccine when I was at school at the age of 13. I have just read on wikipedia that the vaccine is only effective for 15 years and even then only helps to prevent 60-80% of TB cases. Take a look, it might not be the same vaccination that you had, but I would think that by now both of us are unlikely to be protected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_Calmette–Guérin

they've stopped giving kids in the UK the BCG vaccine as it wasn't cost effective.

Slightly off topic but I know there are a lot of problems here with Measles becoming a lot more prevalent because people aren't immunising their children as there were reports that it might cause autism. Not that this has been proven. My thoughts are that you could die from measles whereas Autism isn't life threatening!

 

[iSTEVEi]

they've stopped giving kids in the UK the BCG vaccine as it wasn't cost effective.

Yeah, I Didn't have the TB vaccine as I was deemed a lower risk.
When They were doing the vaccinations when I was 13 they weighed it up based on upbringing (Poor family, Poor nutrition etc), Places you have lived, and if you have had a family member who has had it in the past 50 years.

 

[landpirate]

Ah yes, you are a youngen! You're the same age as my sister and she didn't have it either. I get that they've stopped it as TB is rare but I think having a nasty BCG scar was kind of rite of passage. Give it 50 years and TB will be back or there'll be a vaccine for something else. Fingers crossed it's for cancer or AIDS.

 

[Earth]

indeed!!​