OK- Freaking out about TB now!

Tait, MSN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

Standard and droplet precautions are there for a reason. I would worry more about getting TB in a subway/plane/bus/grocery store than worrying about getting it at work.

Time and energy better spent elsewhere. :)

Jenni811, RN · Jul 6, 2011

Um. it's rare but it happens.

Did someone tell you that you would die if you took antibiotics for more than 6 months?

Trauma Columnist · Jul 6, 2011

Please don't worry about something that is less likely than getting hurt in a car accident.

ilovemicrobiology · Jul 6, 2011

Um. it's rare but it happens.
Did someone tell you that you would die if you took antibiotics for more than 6 months?

No--I meant that since I am incredibly prone to getting yeast infections if I had to take an antibiotic for that long it would be unbearable.

Tait, MSN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

No--I meant that since I am incredibly prone to getting yeast infections if I had to take an antibiotic for that long it would be unbearable.

Do probiotics work for you?

xxryu139xx · Jul 6, 2011

i remember performing TSB on a MDR TB patient. I was pretty scared for awhile even though i wore full PPE and a surgical mask under my N95 mask. Then again they say incubation period can be months to many years...

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

Been a nurse for 30 years now. Have been exposed untold times.

Still TB free as evidenced by the bi-annual screenings.

I think we need to worry about the MANY other organisms and stressful environment we are exposed to. :uhoh3:

Jenni811, RN · Jul 6, 2011

i work in cardiology/pulmonary and we have TB patients, so i've been exposed multiple times. I take all the precautions that the hospital tells us to take. And i still test negative.

Our rule out TB's are on airborne precautions, just incase, but its actually pretty rare that one is a TRUE case of TB.

but they are out there....just take all the precautions the hospital puts on them and you'll be fine. We have PAPR masks that we wear, negative air pressure rooms, double doors to avoid contamination in hall ways when opening doors, gowns, gloves etc.

tyvin, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

It really comes down to where you live IMO. Where I live I know 4 other nurses who carry the inactive TB ... plus myself. It was 10 years ago that I showed up with a huge induration since then I do the yearly CXR and nothing. If I suddenly break out in night sweats then I'll do the treatment. Out of all of us only 1 nurse opted for the free Abx treatment offered by our hospital .

I work with many foreign nurses and live in a port of call where it's a gigantic boiling pot of people from all over the world. No one was more shocked to find they had "it" then me. But since then I was hospitalized after an accident and the nurses did a check and guess what ... no induration, not redness, nothing, zip. So ... do I have it or not? hmmmm

Since it's on record that I have been exposed and was posiitive I will leave it alone for I could care less. It just means I don't have to get poked every year now.

ckh23, BSN, RN · Jul 7, 2011

Been a nurse for 30 years now. Have been exposed untold times.
Still TB free as evidenced by the bi-annual screenings.
I think we need to worry about the MANY other organisms and stressful environment we are exposed to.

Agreed. At the rate we are going, you are probably going to be more likely to contract one the superbugs because the list keeps growing and the number of effective abx are diminishing.

thehipcrip · Jul 7, 2011

So after reading the other person's post, and getting my TB test yesterday I am freaking out about the idea of getting TB one of these days.
What are the chances of me getting TB as a nurse in my lifetime? My main concern is that I am very prone to candida and would die if I had to take antibiotics for 6+ months.

This is more than a little overdramatic, don't you think? It might not be a comfortable existence, but I speak from experience when I tell you that thrush and yeast infections resulting from extended tx with antibiotics are hardly terminal conditions.

Have a little more faith in your own strength and ability to survive hardship -- we humans are remarkable creatures when it comes to enduring the inconceivable.