Comment from: pucca31, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: September 24
I started with tuberculosis symptoms 12 months before I was diagnosed. Night sweats and a cough were the first signs, then chest pain, fevers, sputum, weakness and weight loss. I had to go to my doctors on five occasions to be told that I had a chest infection, asthma and pleurisy. Eventually, a chest X-ray and blood were taken to discover it was tuberculosis (T.B.). By that time I was really ill and weak. I recall this as a nightmare. I then was taken to two drugs after a couple of months and my symptoms came back. I had to be isolated for nearly two months and given second-line drugs such as streptomycin injections. I had a six-drug therapy which made me feel sick all of the time. It was not nice. I panic every time I have an infection or a cough. I worry that it might be back to haunt me.
Comment from: rahul, 25-34 Male (Patient)Published: June 24
I had pain in the right side just under my arm pit and down to my rib cage. I only had pain when I coughed, hiccupped or stretched out my right arm. My doctor initially thought it a strained muscle but after 3 days of treatment she sent me for X-Ray which found a small spot on the upper part of my right lung and some fluid at the base. She diagnosed TB and after giving me some injections, put me on a course of tablets twice a day. She told me that the condition was not serious but would take up to 6 months to remove the symptoms.
Comment from: Don, 25-34 Male (Patient)Published: May 04
During my second semester at the graduate school where I was taking my MBA, I started waking up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat. A week after I started to have a fever every afternoon and felt some pain in my back. Shortly after a few days my cough started, so I went to the doctor and he told me it was just a mild case of respiratory infection and he just gave me antibiotics. After a week with no visible improvements, I decided to go to a pulmonologist and he finds out from my chest x-ray that my right lungs is positive with fluid, so I had to undergo thoracentesis. Just after 2 days, the pleural fluid test result came out that I was positive with TB. It was so hard for me to accept that I had to stop studying for more than four months just to be sure that I won't be able to infect my friends and classmates. I hope it won't come back ever again.
Comment from: Steve, 25-34 Male (Patient)Published: April 14
My lymph nodes in the neck (to the right) started swelling up. Usually one node would swell up to quite a large size and the surrounding nodes to a lesser degree. The lymph node would return to normal size in around two to three months. Sometimes there would be no swelling for a few months and then another node would swell up again. Initially, doctors thought of it as a minor infection but later asked me to get the skin test done. The test confirmed it as tuberculosis. I am currently undergoing treatment.
Published: July 25
I was seeking a visa for one of the Gulf State countries and following procedure I had a skin test which proved positive (25mm). After consultation and x-rays the tuberculosis was tracked down to my right kidney. It could not be certified as latent and I therefore have undergone Quadra therapy with little adverse effects.
Comment from: sally, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: February 20
I was coughing for weeks, waking up in the morning on numerous occasions saturated in sweat but feeling fine. Eventually, after about eight weeks, I had a loss of appetite and weight loss. I was getting sharp pains in my back at night. I went to the same doctor about four times complaining of the cough that wouldn't go away. I was given antibiotics each time and sent away. I didn't mention the night sweats or weight loss to the doctor at the time as didn't think they were related. Eventually, I felt out of breath and dizzy. After a few days off work just feeling sick and weak, I took myself to a hospital and asked them to do some tests. They took an X-ray and found my left lung full of fluid. I had a lung tap that same day to remove the fluid. I immediately felt better after the tap. I was diagnosed with TB and then put on a course of drugs for six months. I'm now fully recovered. My TB was a rare case, as I'm young and healthy, but I do live in Hong Kong where TB is common. At the time of contracting it, I was run down and going through some emotional issues, which I guess affected my immune system.
Published: July 23
My TB was diagnosed when I undergone pre-employment medical procedures. I never felt any symptom that's why I was shocked when the HR people asked me to take an APICO XRAY because of a suspicious opacity remark on my certificate. I found out after, that I was positive with TB.
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Pneumonia is inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Night sweats are severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. In order to distinguish night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Low testosterone can affect both men and women. Causes of low testosterone in males include undescended testicles and injury to the scrotum. Low testosterone in females includes ovary conditions. Treatment for low testosterone in men includes testosterone replacement therapy. Currently there is no FDA approved testosterone treatment for women.
Neck pain (cervical pain) may be caused by any number of disorders and diseases. Tenderness is another symptom of neck pain. Though treatment for neck pain really depends upon the cause, treatment typically may involve heat/ice application, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injection, topical anesthetic creams, and muscle relaxants.
Chest pain is a common complaint by a patient in the ER. Causes of chest pain include broken or bruised ribs, pleurisy, pneumothorax, shingles, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, angina, heart attack, costochondritis, pericarditis, aorta or aortic dissection, and reflux esophagitis. Diagnosis and treatment of chest pain depends upon the cause and clinical presentation of the patient's chest pain.
The spleen enlarges if it is asked to do excessive work in filtering or manufacturing blood cells, if there is abnormal blood flow to it, or if it is invaded with abnormal cells or deposits. Symptoms of an enlarged spleen may include weakness and fatigue, easy bleeding, and poor white blood cell function. Treatment of an enlarged spleen is focused toward the cause of the splenomegaly. Surgery may be required to remove the spleen.
Pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs, is associated with sharp chest pain upon breathing in. Cough, chest tenderness, and shortness of breath are other symptoms associated with pleurisy. Pleurisy pain can be managed with pain medication and by external splinting of the chest wall.
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Eye floaters are deposits or condensation that forms in the eye's vitreous humor. These deposits cast shadows on the retina, and as the eye moves, the deposits shift position, making it appear as though the shadows are moving or floating.
Pleural effusion is an excess fluid between the two membranes that envelop the lungs. There are two classifications of causes of pleural effusion; transudate and exudate. The treatment of pleural effusion depends on the cause.
Erythema nodosum is a skin inflammation that results in reddish, painful, tender lumps most commonly located in the front of the legs below the knees. Erythema nodosum can resolve on its own in 3 to 6 weeks, leaving a bruised area. Treatments include anti-inflammatory medications and cortisone by mouth or injection.
Amyloidosis is a group of diseases resulting from abnormal deposition of certain proteins (amyloids) in various bodily areas. The amyloid proteins may either be deposited in one particular area of the body (localized amyloidosis) or they may be deposited throughout the body (systemic amyloidosis). There are three types of systemic amyloidosis: primary (AL), secondary (AA), and familial (ATTR). Primary amyloidosis is not associated with any other diseases and is considered a disease entity of its own. Secondary amyloidosis occurs as a result of another illness. Familial Mediterranean Fever is a form of familial (inherited) amyloidosis. Amyloidosis treatment involves treating the underlying illness and correcting organ failure.
Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve, the structure that connects the eye to the brain. The precise cause of optic neuritis is unknown, but it is thought to be a type of autoimmune disorder. Optic neuritis most commonly develops due to an autoimmune disorder that may be triggered by a viral infection.
Fatigue can be described in various ways. Sometimes fatigue is described as feeling a lack of energy and motivation (both mental and physical). The causes of fatigue are generally related to a variety of conditions or diseases for example, anemia, mono, medications, sleep problems, cancer, anxiety, heart disease, drug abuse, and more. Treatment of fatigue is generally directed toward the condition or disease that is causing the fatigue.
Bronchiectasis is a condition in which the bronchial tubes of the lung become damaged. Inflammation from infection or other causes destroys the smooth muscles of the bronchial tubes. Bronchiectasis is a form of COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis). There are three primary types of bronchiectasis: 1) cylindrical bronchiectasis; 2) saccular bronchiectasis; and 3) cystic bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis may also be acquired or congenital. The most common symptoms of bronchiectasis are recurrent cough and sputum production. There is no cure for bronchiectasis. Treatment is often geared toward controlling the symptoms of bronchiectasis.
AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV infection. Symptoms and signs of AIDS include pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jiroveci, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, seizures, weakness, meningitis, yeast infection of the esophagus, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is used in the treatment of AIDS.
Septic arthritis, or infectious arthritis, is infection of one or more joints by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Symptoms and signs of septic arthritis include fever, joint pain, chills, swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness. Treatment involves antibiotics and the drainage of the infected joint.
Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency condition that is caused by the uncommon compression of the nerves at the end of the spinal cord. Symptoms of cauda equina syndrome include lower back pain, tingling and/or numbness in the buttocks and lower extremities, bowel or bladder incontinence, and weakness in the legs. Causes of cauda equina syndrome include herniated discs, hematomas, or infection. Treatment is generally prompt surgery.
Iritis is inflammation of the iris, the colored portion of the eye. Symptoms include a red, painful eye, blurry vision, and light sensitivity. Treatment usually involves cortisone eyedrops.
Superior vena cava syndrome is compression of the superior vena cava vein located in the upper chest. Causes of superior vena cava include lung cancer, lymphoma, other cancers in the chest, blood clots in the superior vena cava, or infection. Symptoms of the syndrome include shortness of breath. Superior vena cava syndrome is diagnosed by ultrasound, chest x-ray, CT scan, and in some cases biopsy. Treatment depends upon the cause of the syndrome.
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) is a rare form of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) that's transmitted when TB germs are expelled into the air by sneezing, speaking, singing, or coughing.
Pleurisy describes the chest pain syndrome characterized by a sharp
chest
pain that worsens with breathing.
Pleurisy is caused by inflammation of the linings around the lungs
(the pleura), a condition also known as pleuritis. There
are two layers of pleura: one covering the lung (termed the visceral pleura) and
the other covering the inner wall of the chest (the parietal pleura).
These two layers are lubricated by pleural fluid.
Pleurisy is frequently associated with the accumulation
of extra fluid in the space between the two layers of pleura. This fluid is
referred to as a pleural effusion.
The pain fibers of the lung are located in the pleura.
When this tissue becomes inflamed, it results in a sharp pain in the chest that
is worse with breathing. Other symptoms of pleurisy can include
cough, chest tenderness, and
shortness of breath.
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I started with tuberculosis symptoms 12 months before I was diagnosed. Night sweats and a cough were the first signs, then chest pain, fevers, sputum, weakness and weight loss. I had to go to my doctors on five occasions to be told that I had a chest infection, asthma and pleurisy. Eventually, a chest X-ray and blood were taken to discover it was tuberculosis (T.B.). By that time I was really ill and weak. I recall this as a nightmare. I then was taken to two drugs after a couple of months and my symptoms came back. I had to be isolated for nearly two months and given second-line drugs such as streptomycin injections. I had a six-drug therapy which made me feel sick all of the time. It was not nice. I panic every time I have an infection or a cough. I worry that it might be back to haunt me.
Related Reading: tuberculosis | Night sweats | chest pain