TB Drama

So here's the whole TB (tuberculosis) drama.  I was exposed to a pt with active TB (he was in a regular room for 3 weeks and not on isolation).  My PPD skin test converted from negative to positive so that means I have the TB germ in my body.  I cannot pass it to other people, unless I get active TB.  So after the skin test came back positive, I had a chest x-ray and went to the employee health clinic.  They did blood work and I started on a medicine called INH (that I was supposed to be on for 9 months).  About 3 weeks later I noticed the whites of my eyes were looking a little yellow and I had very itchy hands and feet and dark urine.  All symptoms of having a reaction to the meds, since it is really hard on the liver.  Basically the medicine was giving me hepatitis.  I went back to the clinic and they got another blood sample.  At this time the doctor realized they didn't do the right blood work the first time (even though he ordered it correctly, it didn't get ordered on the lab paperwork right), so they didn't have a base line liver function test on me.  To make matters more complicated, I have gallstones and have not had my gallbladder removed.  So they don't know if the medicine, the gallstones or a combination of both is causing me to have the symptoms  The doctor took me off the INH and now I have to have my blood drawn every week until my levels come back down.  Then they will try me on a different medication.  It wouldn't be too bad only having my blood drawn once a week, but I am a hard stick.  My veins are little, they roll and are hard to find.  They usually poke me 3-4 times before calling in the doctor to do the blood draw himself.  Ugh!  The only reason I am going through all this is because if you take the medicine before you get symptoms, you are less likely to develop active TB during your life.  The meds help keep the germs dormant in your body and keep them from multiplying.  Like I said before, you can't be pregnant and take these meds at the same time.  It causes severe birth defects.  So we are no longer trying to get pregnant.  Just waiting.  That is the most frustrating part.  I am getting older and the longer we wait, the harder it is to get pregnant.  At least I'm not itching any more.  That was miserable.  I couldn't even sleep, my feet itched so bad.  All my numbers went down about 40% so the doctor is hopeful that I can start on the other meds in a couple of weeks.