TB

My friend is in her 60’s and was vaccinated many years ago. She is overweight at the moment and doesn’t seem to have lost any weight during the last year.

I too worked on a TB isolation ward. It's a long drawn-out illness which lasts months and even years as the older you get the longer it takes to feel anything like human .It's very draining and there's usually a fair bit of weight loss which also has to be addressed.
There were some very sick people on that ward----which opened up in the morning via doors looking over the grounds, in all weathers to get the fresh air. This was the 50's.

Thankfully we have vaccinations against such illnesses now .

My mum sadly died of TB in 1990, it was a drug resistant strain.
To be open about it, it was one of the worst things I've ever seen and the effects on her were horrendous.

It depends on how much tubercle there is, and also whether or not there are cavities in the lung tissue. It also depends on how much she can rest. Diseased lungs need to be rested. Good food with adequate protein is also important.

Thanks for your good wishes. I hope she realises how serious this is. I phone her regularly and it worries me how breathless she is. She has other medical issues to deal with too and life is very difficult for her at the moment. So hard not to be able to visit and support her.

I was born in a TB hospital as my mother had it. I also nursed on an Isolation Unit where people who had contracted TB were treated. Its so much more treatable these days but quite a lengthy medication regime I seem to remember. I hope your friend recovers well.

My dad had TB which started in his hip during the war & moved to his lungs. My dear Dad was in & out of hospital/sanitoria all my growing up years during the 50s & 60's. It's still a serious disease so I do hope this lady will recover well.
Sadly my dad didn't make "old bones" mainly because his particular TB was so debilitating. As an aside, when he was well enough, he always worked. Never shirked. Looked after his family.

My mum had TB and was in hospital for five years, this was in the fifties.

She had me when she was ill and she never saw me again until I was five and she discharged herself from hospital and was given the all clear when I was eleven

My sister and I had to do everything at home as she spent long periods in bed

Let's hope modern medicine works quicker

My Mum had this when she was 80. As she was a smoker it was initially diagnosed as lung cancer and took a few months before they realised it was TB.

She was very ill and had an allergy to the first drug they put her on (sorry I don't know what it was) so was put on one which wasn't quite so strong so took longer to work. It was 6 months before she was well and starting to put on some weight

TB requires long term treatment, it used to be about one year of antibiotics and other drugs, I do not think the treatment has changed much since the 50s.

Like the others have said, I understand that it's a very long lasting illness. I hope she follows the doctors advice and follows her body's lead. I know we don't like to do this nowadays but she really needs to rest then rest some more and not fight to get back to her normal too soon just because she thinks she should.

It’s a very serious illness and it may be some months before she feels better.

It is important to follow the medical instructions to the letter and to take the antibiotics religiously. Even missing one dose can result in the infection becoming resistant.

Do you think your friend realises hoe serious it is?

Thanks for your replies.I’m very worried about my friend as she tends to bury her head in the sand. Her cough started in January 2020 and she didn’t have an X-ray until Jan 2021. Hopefully she will follow consultants instructions to the letter. At the moment she is struggling to even get out of her chair. Luckily her husband is able to shop and cook.

My MIL was a nurse she worked on a TB ward she told us it's a disease that regenerates itself. You can have it and it can appear to go but then there is a surge again. It can take months to go and your lungs are left damaged with scars.

My dad had it when he was 34 which would’ve been in 1954, apparently he was in a sanatorium in South Devon and windows were open all the time with fresh air blowing through the ward and my dad was lucky he survived .......

I know somebody who had it a few years ago, she’s a farmer’s daughter. She was in her forties, she was quite unwell initially, and it took her months to get rid of it - she was off work for 9 months, and was very tired for a further three or four, she came back on a phased return. Unfortunately it’s a long haul, but she did recover well.

Very sorry to hear this and equally sorry not to be of much help but my only direct experience of TB was in a lymph node in a child, so quite a different scenario.

From what I can recall of 'normal' TB I do believe it's hard to shift and treatment can take a while - involving taking antibiotics for months, rather than weeks. But the good news is that it is treatable. So I think your friend may have to be patient, and give herself a long time to recover properly.

I hope things start improving for her soon, I'm sure having good friends will be a really positive help too - best wishes.