Blood stained sputum

Oh my goodness. I am afraid of contracting pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Last night, I had a very bad episode of cough and subsequently, my sputum /phlegm looking orangey in colour and I freaked out... Today, I told Dr.Irfan about my ordeal and he immediately asked me to get hold of his houseman and arrange for a chest X-ray and a sputum sample for acid-fast bacilli (to test for TB). Great. Thanks la. I wanted him to tell me "Oh, its most probably due to your bad cough, petechiae (tiny bleeds) only, you DO NOT have to worry". But no, he thinks I might have PTB (sobs).

Why me? Its not like I did not get my BCG injections. I had both the jabs, but I learnt in medical school that it only protects us from miliary TB (which is actually a disseminated form of TB that you get after a primary infection). So, what is the use of a herd-immunity (means everyone gets it) when it does not protect you from the primary infection? I would have thought that a primary infection was way more important. Well, apparently not right. And it does not help that I have been unwell for the past 2 weeks, so I am kind of immunocompromised (means my immune system is down) and coincidentally, I have to be attached to the respiratory ward. Which means, I am a great target for the dumb bacteria.

But Dato' Razak, one of our tutors, was really kind to give me a course of antibiotics last Monday and I am counting on it to cure me. My course is done tomorrow. Come on, it better work. I do not want to be diagnosed with TB and I do not want to be put on the RIPES therapy (rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and streptomycin). I am confident that it was just petechiae. Anyway, my sputum has somewhat cleared up over the day.

So, if Dr. Irfan happens to ask me about my chest X-ray tomorrow, I will tell him that I did not do it and I do not think I have PTB. Oooo, defying a specialist's orders. Bad, bad of me. But hey, it is unnecessary radiation. It kills my healthy cells too. And why do it when I am well right? Hmm, ignorance is definitely bliss. And so is the state of denial. Afterall, I am...only human.