Saturday, October 25, 2008

TB or not TB - that is the question?

TB test have changed since I last got one. I used to get one every year when I was teaching. Then it looked like a small rubber stamp with four little prongs that were poked into the underside of my arm. After two days if there was no rash or swelling, I was good for another year.
This week I had a TB test. The nurse used a needle, which she inserted under the skin of the underside of my arm, between the wrist and elbow. When she pressed the needle, the skin on my arm where it was inserted blew up like a balloon. It started to bleed a little so she gave me a band aid and told me not to leave it on more than ten minutes, as the test area needed to "breathe". I was told to come back in two days to have it read.
That night and the next day the area looked like a bruise.
When I returned to the doctor's office on Friday, the first nurse who looked at it and ran her hand over it looked confused. She told me to wait. A second nurse came to look at it and run her hand over it. Although she looked a little concerned, she finally told me it was just bruised and not a positive result. She said she would fax the result to the pulmonary doctor who ordered the test.
The spot is still purple looking today. I guess like any bruise it will fade gradually. And for a moment there I was wondering TB or not TB.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

TB or not TB . . .hahahahaha! With all you've been through you still have your sense of humor!