TB - anyone had any experience?

Someone at work has been diagnosed with TB so we've all been tested still waiting for the results.
Does anyone have any experience of this, either themselves or family members? How serious is it?

Hi Deccy, Only from may years ago when my Grandad caught it (when I was a child) we all had to be tested ect. It can be serious with some nasty complications, although many people can have it (be a carrier and be unaware of it). Treatment can depend on which strain as many have become drug resistant and in recent years there has been an upsurge in incidents of it. Hope your tests are all come out negative...I still remember waiting for the results of the six needles!!

Deccy ..you've probably been vaccinated against it when you were at school .. so really you should be fine

Yes if you had the BCG (bacille Calmette-Guirin) vaccine for TB. BUT the BCG does not always protect people from TB. If you were vaccinated with BCG, you may have a positive reaction to a TB skin test. TB skin test reactions to BCG vaccination in childhood usually returns to normal after ~5 years. Thus, a positive reaction probably means that you have Latent TB Infection,(carrying the TB bacteria, but without actually becoming ill) especially if you've been around anyone with TB.

Hope this helps X

My Mum had TB when she was young, so me and my brothers had a BCG vaccination when we were babies. At secondary school, I had the test to see if you are immune (6 needle one) and it came up I was fine - the doctor said "you're here so I'll do it anyway"

I remember saying she was pretty poorly with it, but made a full recovery.

Thanks folks, that's helpful.
The District Nurse and second person (undisclosed purpose/profession) who came over to do the testing asked about the BCG so that bit makes sense. They had a debate about what they found on my shoulder/upper arm then did a "skin scrape" which involved one of them holding my head in a fixed position away from the scene of the scrape which was in the upper arm, it felt more like a thick blunt needle probing down to the bone
I've been told that there is a minute chance that I have caught it, hope not since if I have to be off work I don't get paid and nothing from the state either, so I will be bankrupt no exaggeration I am doing overtime for the next month in another Department to catch up with the 6 days I had off recently............
Hopefully I'll get the result on Monday.

Hope it comes back negative Deccy.. keeping fingers crossed for you

No experience of TB but hope you are all ok cos i've heard it can be nasty. Will keep fingers and paws crossed here

i havent either but i hope your negative + everyone else is ok + the person who has got it is ok. if you wanna read about it theres some info on the nhs direct

Hi Gill
I don't have any experience of it but hopefully you will be fine and the person who has caught it. Keep us posted
Nic xx