On It

Nothing too new to report on today. I am sure you ALL (the 4 of you that read this) will be happy to know that of all the things I forgot today, work keys, work badge, my coffee, brushing my wild hair mane, deordorant, perfume, I remembered to take my INH for the 16th day...IN.A.ROW.

This BZ is on top of this!

Holla to my East Coast readers.

Day 15

Day 15 and I am still going strong. I have to say, and I never thought I would be, I am OBSESSED with writing on this thing.

See you all tomorrow.

Shout out to my loyal readership in and around the Portland area...HOLLA!

History of the Blog

I'll bet there are a handful of you thinking the format of this blog sounds pretty familiar. You maybe just can't put your finger on it. You maybe even saw a movie on it. Well loyal readers, you may be thinking of The Julie/Julia Project. Did you just snap your fingers and say "Ah, that's it!"?

I will give a little background on the development of this blog, seeing that it is long overdue. My dad recently saw the new smash hit Julie and Julia (I loved this movie by the way!). It just so happened my TB diagnosis was right around the same time of him seeing this, so he thought it sounded like a good idea to blog about my 9 month preventative treatment. Because I am a believer in putting information out there for all to absorb and POSSIBLY learn from, I said sure.

Though my blog has some similarities to Julie Powell's, it does have ONE major difference. Moody but TB Infected is geared towards helping and preventing possible exposures to TB. I am writing this to the people who travel overseas, and to those who take public transportation on a regular basis. I am writing to the people who work in nursing homes or hospitals. I, by no means, am Julia Child , but I think spreading information about a potentially bad disease is just a touch more important than spreading the word about what a sucky cook you are. I'm not bashing, I'm just saying...


(image from: projects.accessatlanta.com)

It has been a good project to get into and knowing I have to write for the people, with updates on my treatment is enough motivation, besides work, to not only get out of bed, but also take my one pill a day. I am such a giver. Again, readers, you're welcome.

I took my day 14 pill this morning, for you, readers.

Days 12 and 13

When I first started taking this stuff I thought the weekends would be the hardest to remember. So far, not the case. I take my pills as soon as I wake up in the morning.

As a complete side note, not in any way related to TB, triathlon training totally sucked this weekend. I can't wait for this race in October to be done, so then I can chill out on the weekends.

That is all for weekend reporting.

Peace

Keeping in the Know

Here we are, still together, at Day 11. I have been continuing to take my medication, staying on top of my game.

As a side note to the TB treatment plan, this blog's goals are becoming a reality almost weekly. When setting this up, one goal I had for "Moody but TB Infected" was to document my TB treatment plan and the roadblocks that could get in the way.
Another goal was to get those without TB knowledge into the loop. With this blog spreading to the masses, I have educated AT MOST 3 people on this disease. That is pretty awesome. To think, those people know a little more about TB than they probably ever wished and/or cared. To those that are now more educated on TB thanks to me...you're welcome.

It's Friday, Holla!

From the Audience

Below is a *question I received from one of my **many faithful readers.

Dear Moody but TB Infected,

You seem so blase' about being diligent with taking your TB "meds". Why don't you just discontinue and save yourself some unnecessary trouble?

Signed,

TB Curious

Excellent question TB Curious. The reason I shouldn't stop taking the treatment is because a drug tolerance could develop. This could become a serious complication, especially if I were to develop active TB. The TB would be resistant to the INH and possibly other drugs, therefore having no effect on eliminating the TB in my lungs and symptoms. Thanks for the enquiry TB Curious.

I will stay on top of my treatment, just so I don't have more serious issues in the future. Day 10 pill...Check

* Simulated pretend question

** By many I mean more than one, so...three

Day 9

I still haven't really developed a system for making sure I take my TB treatment pill, yet. I have noticed, though, it is always in the back of my mind in the mornings, which then causes me to remember to take it. I would say that's a start.

Still Going Strong at Day 8

I am over a week into taking my meds, as they say in the medical world. So far so good. I haven't experienced any adverse side effects. I did have a tiny bit to drink the other night with dinner. Nothing crazy. I was relieved to find I was feeling A-OK the next day.

I will continue to keep all posted.

Stand by...

Cat Stevens and Lil' Ol' Me

I have been on my TB treatment plan now for almost a week. So far so good.

Because it is Friday, I thought it would be fun to share what other celebrities have had TB. Not only will this information be a little food for thought but maybe by having these big time names in my blog my visitation numbers will increase.

Ulysses S Grant and Andrew Jackson were believed to have had tuberculosis. Eleanor Roosevelt also had TB back in the day. King Tut and Cat Stevens also had TB. Hitler and Edgar Allan Poe were creepy enough, that it doesn't surprise me one bit of each of them having been exposed to TB.

I can't believe some of the high profile celebrities that have had to deal with TB. Who isn't interested in and love doing web searches on Cat Stevens? I think his name being associated with my TB will definitely bring some more numbers in.


(Imagine from: mackadoos.blogspot.com)

Cat Stevens upcoming tour dates:
Dublin- November 15, 2009
Birmingham- November 23, 2009
Liverpool- December 5, 2009
London- December 8, 2009

Treatment for days 4 and 5 in the bag!

It's Friday, Holla!

Day 3 and a Visual Lesson

I imagine there are some visual learners out there, who best understand new information by seeing it. So, in order to reach out to those of you, I thought I would share a little visual tool of the differences between latent TB and active TB. The NP I have been working with initially drew this out for me, despite the fact I DID go to college and studied "stuff" in the science field. She obviously studied "stuff" in the art field.



This diagram clearly shows some ways of contracting TB as well as the symptoms and how one may feel when having either of the TBs. As one can see in the latent TB side of the diagram, I have a granuloma that surrounds my TB exposure in my lungs. It is this natural self defense that allows me to have the much less severe latent form of TB.

Hopefully you visual learners have a much better idea and understanding of what is going on in someone who has been exposed to TB. I keep this very real drawing on my wall at work, as a reminder to take my treatment medication. Look how bad that person on the active TB side looks. I want to stay happy and healthy.

A Better System

Day 2 pill...down the hatch.
I do think I need a better system of taking this pill everyday. I totally almost forgot this morning.

And So it Begins...Day 1

This morning I took my first TB treatment pill. It was suggested I take it on an empty stomach. But if for some reason it makes me upset, than I can take it with a meal. What the hell? Those seem like completely opposite ways of taking this thing. Can we be any less consistent? Whatever though.

In case there was any confusion, the treatment is one pill a day, every day, for nine months. That's it. Just one pill. It was suggested I also take an additional B6 vitamin, but I don't have to. I was also told having a healthy diet and taking a daily supplement pill would suffice. My response to both suggestions? Meh, maybe I will and maybe I won't.

As one that typically freaks out about any adverse affect my body is having, this surprisingly hasn't made me so much as lift an eyebrow. I feel like there are much more important things to worry about than this latent TB and treatment...like who is going to be kicked off the next episode of "So You Think You Can Dance." What? We all have our guilty pleasures. Mine are this show and Beyonce. Cut me some slack, I have TB.

One Item Down, One to Go

Agenda:
1. Next week talk to the NP to get a prescription for this INH
2. The week after next start treatment (the 14th or 15th)

I can cross item one off this To Do List. I talked with the NP yesterday and was able to have a prescription ordered for me to be picked up this afternoon.

I am all on schedule to start treatment Monday September 14, 2009 and complete treatment 36 weeks later...being May 24, 2010. Kind of daunting to see it written out like that. Oh well. Cheers to good health!

Breathing was Hard

I am in the process of getting ready to go on a bike ride in prepping for a triathlon I have coming up in the next couple weeks. I hope my TB doesn't affect my performance in training or racing.

Come to think of it, I did a ride the other day, doing hill repeats, and I was breathing REALLY hard when getting to the top. They were pretty steep hills in the mountain's defense. It also was a pretty warm day out, too. But that is besides the point. I wonder if having latent TB has anything to do with it. (Keep in mind, I have no active symptoms of TB.)

So the game plan for starting the preventative treatment is...
1. Next week talk to the NP to get a prescription for this INH
2. The week after next start treatment (the 14th or 15th)

Typically when taking INH people will have "baseline blood work" done to make sure your liver can handle the possible toxicity of the INH treatment. I had mine done when I had my chest x-ray back in August. Also, during treatment one may have a a few more blood tests done, to make sure your liver is handling the treatment alright. That is why it is suggested that drinking be majorly decreased or stopped while on treatment. It puts even more stress on your already hard working liver.

I better get on this if I don't want to maybe breath hard after another challenging workout again!

The Results are In...

A few weeks ago I had to undergo a routine Tuberculosis (TB) test. I figured the results would be no different than the other 2 I had had throughout my time working at the hospital (Are you sensing foreshadowing?). After the standard 48 hours post-inoculation I went back to the NP and low and behold my PPD test is positive. Positive?! Really? All I could think was this is so lame. Than again, I DO work in a hospital, with more than a healthy dose of sick patients from all over the place. Frankly, I am surprised my PPD test didn't come out positive within my first year working at the hospital. But whatev.  In order to verify this, though, I had to have a chest x-ray to have my lungs checked to see if I actually had been exposed to TB and how severe the exposure was. Before you start to panic of me having TB and spreading it to the masses, as it is highly contagious, turns out I have latent TB, an inactive form of TB that is not contagious. 

There is a stat that states that 10% of people with latent TB can develop active TB, which can be spread to others through coughing, talking, and even laughing. Okay? So do I just wait for this to happen while the latent TB stews in my lungs?

 Fear not! There is hope for people like myself. There is a preventative treatment called Isoniazid (INH), that can be taken orally for a suggested 9 month period. Unfortunately though, treatment is not as easy as it sounds. INH can be toxic to the liver, so very very little to no drinking while on the treatment plan. In all honesty, life could be worse.  

It was suggested to me that I start this blog to document my trials and tribulations while on this 9 month health adventure. I also thought this would be a good soapbox to educate the people on TB. I have learned more about this infection than I ever would have thought. For example...TB didn't die off when the American Settlers did. Go figure. It is alive and breeding all over the city I reside in, obviously. Gross. 

So onward we will go with the preventative process.