Who can read a TB test?

[hungrycaterpillar]

Mine look like that a lot and they are never positive - just a bad reaction. Is the skin actually raised?

[CheshireGrin]

You grew up in India, right? Did you get the BCG vaccine as a kid? If you did, your PPD will always be positive.
Also, when did you have the test implanted? Sometimes you'll have an initial reaction in the first 24 hours, but if it goes away, it's not positive. That's why they wait longer before reading it.

[niki]

When mine was positive, it was much worse looking. I was on antibiotics for 9 months and am not allowed to have another tine test again.

[CheshireGrin]

Also, even if it is positive, it doesn't mean you have TB, just that you've been exposed.

[Deleted]

It's almost impossible to tell from a photo because it depends on the bump not necessarily the redness. Even if it's positive it doesn't mean you have TB, you'll just need to get a chest X-ray to confirm and from now on you'll never get the skin test again and always go straight for the X-ray.

[rupertpenny]

May 22, 2014 23:55:28 GMT -5 CheshireGrin said:

You grew up in India, right? Did you get the BCG vaccine as a kid? If you did, your PPD will always be positive.

This is good to know. My daughter had the BCG so hopefully I can remember this info and not freak out if she ever has to get a TB test. 

[RoxMonster]

H's always test positive, but he doesn't have TB. His great-grandmother (I think) actually had TB, and so he is a carrier (I don't know if I am explaining this correctly or not--he told me this a long time ago), but basically his skin test would come back positive and he'd have to get the chest X-Ray and prove he didn't have TB (for teaching). So after the first couple times, he would just skip right to the chest X-Ray.

[caddywompus]

I don't really think it looks positive- is it raised up? Usually it's the "bump" that's the indicator, not necessarily the redness/erythema. If it IS positive, you'll just have to get chest XRays from now on, and will no longer get stuck with the needle! (Yay!?)

[poppyseed]

If it's positive, you are likely just a carrier. You'll get a chest x-ray to confirm, then going forward, you'll answer a questionnaire asking if you have had any classic TB symptoms. If you answer yes, you will get another x-ray, if you answer no, they may choose not to x-ray. At least that's how it works with some people I work with who are carriers.

[KB]

DH always tests positive because of the type of vaccine he received as a kid.

[lilafowler]

I contracted TB at elementary school when I was 9 or 10. Some parent sent third infected kid to school and I and another student caught it (obvs the school couldn't tell who the other students involved were).

It was about a year of horse pill antibiotics and monthly chest X-rays but I'm somewhat normal today.

I can never get the skin prick again though because it will always come back positive. For my college health screening I had to get an X-Ray to show I was all clear.

It was a long time ago but I don't remember it being horrible, more of an inconvience.

[lilafowler]

NOT downplaying TB at all-just relating my experience.

[niki]

Any update?