Yes, if you test positive once you will always test positive. Once someone tests positive you will never be required to take the skin test again. You get a chest x-ray done.

If you tested positive they should have sent you straight to get a chest x-ray. If you showed no signs they could have either done further testing or just put you on one of a couple meds to keep the risk of you getting active TB down.

Typically people are placed on INH - Isoniazid. I HATED that medicine. Either way, its about a 9 month med treatment.

Theres a dormant TB meaning you came into contact with it and theres the active kind and thats obviously no good. You pretty much just to the med treatment and move on knowing you'll never have to be poked with that crap ever again.

Hi, I joined this group to try to help people in anyway I can. I just went through a horrible ordeal with having a positive skin test myself. My Dr. told me I had a positive TB skin test and said I had "Latent TB". Later, after becoming very sick from terrible side effects from the Latent TB med and having an inflamed liver, I ended up seeing an Infectious Disease Dr. (they know a lot more than MD's about TB) I was given a test called " Quantiferon TB Gold Test", it is a simple blood test and it will determine if you really have Latent TB. My test came back Negative, my Dr. was wrong, I never even had it.

My advice to you would be to get this test done and make sure you really have it. If you do end up having a positive test, make sure you look into all of the side effects of the medication and do some research on the subject. I learned from research and from the Infectious Disease Dr. that if you do have Latent TB, there is a 5-10% chance that it will turn into TB someday. The medications for Latent TB are harsh on the liver, and the side effects can be scary, make sure you know everything before you start treatment ( if you decide to) It is the patients choice whether or not to start treatment after weighing the risk of being on the med versus the risk of getting TB. I hope this helps.

HI, I"m new here. I just recently had a positive skin test. The department of health is handling my case. The doc there has told me I need to take the meds because it completely cures the TB. I got a second opinion from my PCP and he agreed. I'm very nervouse about being on the drug. However, with having no insurance I've been told that the State will only help you through the situation for free for a small window of time. I have such mixed emotions about the meds. However, I have had many health problems and asthma is a big one. I"m afraid of what the disease could do to me if it becomes active. Just scared.

Me too, had a reading of positive w/TB skin test. I too Im scared...Going for an x-ray Friday, will know more then

Hope all works out for everyone here

God bless us all

I went to Doctor, did the chest x-ray, and it came back NONACTIVED!

GOD IS GOOD !

I am new here , I had a pos,. skin test and a clear x-ray. I thought enerything was good but after 5 days of being told that all was ok I got a call from the Health Dept. and was told that I may be infectious that there was a fungus growing on the spewdoms that were collected. The nurse came out to my house and took blood and more spewdom samples, told me not to leave the house and not to let anyone in. She came back yesterday to make sure I was still here and told me that the Dr. dosent think I have TB but im still not allowed to leave the house till they find out whats wrong with me . This Sucks.

I just have skin test and it has TB positive. the doctor the have x-tray on my and it negative. He put me on the med to prevent the TB active. after I read the side effect of that med I was scared. I am confusing should I take the med or not?

anyone Please help me..Thanks

Hello everyone. I am conducting a study on adherence to tuberculosis treatment. My study will consist of information from people like yourselve that can provide me with reasons why peole may not be able to or just will not compelte therapy. From your experience is the meds to long, is it too many side affects etc..

I do not need any personal information. I only need your age, the state you live in, & gender. Any information you can provide would be great. Thansk in advance.

Hello everyone. I am conducting a study on adherence to tuberculosis treatment. My study will consist of information from people like yourselve that can provide me with reasons why peole may not be able to or just will not compelte therapy. From your experience is the meds to long, is it too many side affects etc..

I do not need any personal information. I only need your age, the state you live in, & gender. Any information you can provide would be great. Thansk in advance.

Hello everyone. I learnt 4 days ago that I had TB. The only symptom I was having was sweating a lot and more importantly what drove me to the Dr's was the strong nagging headaches. The only test that I had were blood tests and it is from those tests that my Dr diognised me and told me to start TB treatment right away. I started the treatment 2 days ago. So far there has been no major side effect, however the headache is still pounding now and again. Could this be a side effect? Is it wise to start treatment based merely on blood tests or should I have also done further tests to determine what type of TB this is?
To make things worse 2 days ago my HIV test results came back and they were +ve!!! You can imagine how devastated I am feeling and mainly concerned that the TB treatment will further result in suppression of my immune system...could it? I am so frustrated coz barely 3 weeks ago I felt like the healthiest person, physically fit ready to take on 2011!

I tested positive in early 2000 and was told that at age 40, I would not receive treatment because the risk to my liver would be too high. and spoke to a nurse that was kind and informative, and advised me to get a chest XRay every two years, and not to worry about it.
Well at the time I was very distraught, because I had never had anything seriously wrong in my life, it has now been 11 years and there still are no signs of activity in my lungs.
So unless you really feel that treatment is your only option, or that you trust the medication 100% I would say to move on with your life, and continue to educate yourself as much as possable, as liver disease is not something that can be easily overcome.
They say that the treatment is safe in younger bodies, how safe i don't know.

with a skin test you can have a false postive it is more recomended to get a blood test done to determine if you have it and depending on what the reading is going on to an x ray

I am just here because a young friend of mine with lupus tested positive for TB. What worries me with the OP, is that if you have RA and you go on most of the biologics, it could trigger latent TB to become active.

I would be very forceful about finding out if you really have it or not, because you may want to do the meds for 9 months so you get rid of it and do not limit your treatments options for RA.

I was just diagnosed and it was my chest x-ray that showed pleura and the skin test showed positive but the blood test was negative. My doctor did a bronchoscophy and this is were he confirmed positive TB. I was very healthy and showed absolutely no signs of illness when tested.

Diagnosed March 2012 with TB ;

I had been to Trinidad May 2011 and developed a cough and sinus problems there.

I had pneumonia in June 2011;

Had gone on Atkins July 2011 and lost 10 lbs very quickly.

Sick in January 2012 with a cold and very tired. Treated with antibiotics.

It scares me that I could have had TB for a long time and not treated. Thus possibly spreading this disease to god knows who. My family appears to be all negative.

What a strange disease indeed!!!

I was also vaccinated as a young child and it is also known that quite often this could also cause a false positive on the skin test.