Any ways to prove you're neg for TB?

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Hi, just a question. I recently received a TB injection, and the nurse poked me deeper than she was supposed to, so later the nurse who read my arm asked me to go to hospital and get an x-ray, which is the case my insurance doesn't cover - they only cover procedures for accidents.

so, here's the question. Are there any ways that I could prove that I'm negative for TB?

I've never received positive results ever, and I'm 99.9% sure that I'm negative.

any suggestions?

the nurse who read my arm referred me to metro tb clinic to get an x-ray or some procedure to follow up. since they're closed during weekends, I'm waiting until Mon.

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OP has not actually said he/she HAD a positive test - right?

OP,can you clear this up?

I said I never received positive results until this nurse who read my arm this week said it looks like positive.

also, I've never heard that injecting TB deeper can result in false positive either.

but I believe that this is the case. the wheal was made - but the funny part was it wasn't clearly made. in other words, the bleb was half made and looked like most of the liquid was absorbed into the lower layer. blood came out, and since then the injection site was sore and tingling sometimes, and until yesterday the part of my wrist around radial pulse felt kind of numbed.

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Standard protocol is to do another intra dermal injection on the opposite arm.... Then if 2nd test is a positive or 10 mm or >, a CXR is needed to confirm no active TB. Then the employee or resident is known as a "TB reactor" to TB injections. And will require CXR every year.

the nurse who read my arm didn't allow me to get another injection. she said she cannot until it's clear that I'm negative

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Injecting deeper results in a false negative not a false positive.

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Plus, if a nurse is skilled in giving ID injection, the patient barely feels the needle. they don't need to have severe pain from ID injection. and I remember my school taught us that if you see blood when you give ID injection, don't advance the needle further. just start it over. When the nurse poked me, I kind of got a hunch that this would turn out false result. when she gave me that injection, she was standing and I was sitting. I tried to stabilize my arm, so I sat on chair backward, putting my arm over the top of the chair back - because the nurse didn't try to give the injection as she sits, putting my arm on her desk. However, she held my wrist in the air and poked me from proximal to distal. - you know usually when nurses give an injection they advance the needle from their side (distal) to the patient's side (proximal), but the nurse did the other way - this was an interesting thing to see cause I've never seen such way to give an injection, but I trusted her, trying to respect her experiences as a nurse.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

It's kind of irrelevant at this point. When I looked, it's not likely to have a false positive only from a too deep ID placement, more so from a too shallow placement. I linked to the CDC recommended procedure above.

Since the test was read as positive you need to be evaluated. Whether the health department does a second test or a chest X-ray you need to follow up.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Plus, if a nurse is skilled in giving ID injection, the patient barely feels the needle. they don't need to have severe pain from ID injection. and I remember my school taught us that if you see blood when you give ID injection, don't advance the needle further. just start it over. When the nurse poked me, I kind of got a hunch that this would turn out false result. when she gave me that injection, she was standing and I was sitting. I tried to stabilize my arm, so I sat on chair backward, putting my arm over the top of the chair back - because the nurse didn't try to give the injection as she sits, putting my arm on her desk. However, she held my wrist in the air and poked me from proximal to distal. - you know usually when nurses give an injection they advance the needle from their side (distal) to the patient's side (proximal), but the nurse did the other way - this was an interesting thing to see cause I've never seen such way to give an injection, but I trusted her, trying to respect her experiences as a nurse.
At this point how the test was done is irrelevant....it simply doesn't matter to lay any kind of blame...it doesn't change what you MUST do! You need to be seen by a MD. Plain and simple and you need a CXR. There is no path around it...cost or not...you must have a CXR.
this nurse who read my arm this week said it looks like positive.

The metro clinic will provide services

services are provided to all patients regardless of ability to pay as required by the Ohio Revised Code.
Odds are you are fine....however if you are not you might be contagious and are placing the public and yourself at risk.
the wheal was made - but the funny part was it wasn't clearly made. in other words, the bleb was half made and looked like most of the liquid was absorbed into the lower layer. blood came out, and since then the injection site was sore and tingling sometimes, and until yesterday the part of my wrist around radial pulse felt kind of numbed.
The TB test would not directly effect the radial pulse or cause numbness. A wheal was made and it appears you have reacted to something.

There is no path around this...none. The nurses technique, if poor, usually results in false NEGATIVE results. Bleeding at the injection site is not always an indicator of a bad test nor does it invalidate the results.

Please follow up and be seen.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I had a TB test nightmare when I moved to Dallas. I'd always had negative TB skin tests, but my new hospital did a quantiferon blood test. That was positive. They sent me to Dallas county public health (which had a TB clinic, kind of scary because people with known disease are sitting in the waiting room coughing and hacking with no masks, no one seems concerned...). I had a chest x ray for free, which was normal. That hospital didn't turn out to be a great environment, so I left and went to another one. The new hospital does TB blood testing with another test called the T Spot. Mine was negative. I am still at that hospital and my yearly skin tests have all been negative. The only thing I can figure is that the quantiferon was a false positive for some reason. It sure was stressful being told and treated like I had TB though!

All this to say, you should be able to get a free chest XR at your county clinic. For your own peace of mind, I would recommend following through with other testing methods so you can know if it's really a false positive, or if you have indeed somehow been exposed.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

If the OP does not have a chronic cough or other signs of acute TB, then she's not contagious or a health risk at this time. If it was truly positive, then it's much more likely that she has LTBI. But with latent infection, it can become acute at any time, which is why it's important to get the CXR and obtain treatment, if necessary. All of which should be paid for by your county health department.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Not to be rude OP, but whether you feel the test done incorrectly to cause a false positive is irrelevant. You have been recorded as a positive result and need to be seen. Arguing that you think the nurses technique is to blame will not help you. Go to the clinic on MOnday and get a more in depth screen. As has been stated multiple times, seeing blood does not mean it was too deep. Seeing a "half wheal" does not cause false positive. Pain is not a good indicator of how deep a needle has gone. In general, deeper injections hurt a little more, but the difference between an ID and a SC injection is minimal if even noticeable. The fact it hurt you more than you think it should have, has no bearing on if it truly was ID or not. And again, all of your reasoning behind why you think it was the nurses fault does not change the fact that research says that a PPD injection too deep would cause a false NEGATIVE not positive. And since there WAS a wheal, the test is essentially valid.

This doesnt mean that you are for sure TB positive as other screening have to be done to show that. This just means you skin had a reaction. The two most likely reasons would be that you are positive for TB (likely latent) or that you had a hypersensitivity reaction to the TB test solution. IF you have never had such a reaction before this would be unlikely. And the last option is that it is truly just a false positive, but technique doesnt seem to be the blame so you should probably just stop blaming the nurse or medical assistant or whoever it was who performed the injection.

The ONLY way to see if you are positive or negative after positive PPD is to go to the health department and get further screening including a CXR.

And think about this. You are spending so much time dwelling on how this HAS to be the nurses fault. What if you ARE positive for latent TB? You will have spent this time blaming someone and tearing apart their technique, when it was in fact done correctly. Please stop dwelling on how bad the nurse did you injection. It cant be changed now. I understand that the possibility of having TB seems scary and denial is one of the first stages to eventually accepting shocking news, but you really should just relax until you can be seen on Monday and find out if you really have TB or if it was a false positive.

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