On Baby A's birthday, the c-section surgery went as planned. I walked into the OR around 9:30am and was pushed out around 2 hours later. W was instructed to wait outside while the team was getting me prepared for anesthesia. He then got invited to come in and sat next to me while the team worked on getting Baby A out of me 😂. W was a good DJ and Baby A was born while Taylor Swift's Shake It Off was being played. So...did I feel any pain during this life-changing surgery? No, I didn't. I had a spinal block. I never felt any type of pain during the surgery. Getting the anesthesia injected - however - was the most uncomfortable part of the surgery. There was a lot of pressure. I felt my back being pulled or pushed, or something. It just felt very uncomfortable, not painful, but very uncomfortable. It was also hard to try leaning toward the source of that uncomfortableness. Learning to relax while being uncomfortable was a very hard thing to do. But it was necessary. Once it...
To my huge surprise, I was told my blood proved me to be TB positive.
The place where I worked for 18 months requires every employee and volunteer to do a TB test every year. I received two skin tests while I worked there (stopped working there this March). My first one with the company was last March, negative, though I had a tiny little bump on my arm where they injected the skin test, it just wasn't big enough to be "positive." Sometime in the first week of this March, I went in to the company owned clinic to do the skin test for the second time. I went back to the clinic right at the 48 hours dot. The receptionist called a nurse out as she wasn't sure if I was positive or not. It was obvious where I got injected because there was that mix of dark red & blue-ish discoloration, very obvious. There was no "lump" when I looked at it from every angle I could. To me, the discoloration looked like a bruise and it definitely felt like one too. However, there was that hard-feeling once you press on it. The nurse decided it "looked positive" but she could not confirm whether positive or not as she could not feel "the end side of the lump" [half of the lump under the red-spot kind of just faded out while the other half was easy to tell] once she pressed her finger on it. The nurse called out the Nursing Director-seem-to-be (well, she came out of the room where the door said Director). She, too, was not sure. So the three ladies told me to rest another day and go back at the 71 hour dot, when another nurse and a doctor will be there. I did go back again the next day. I arrived a few minutes early and the same Director looked at my arm first, and said "yep, it's positive, but let me get the doctor out just to be sure." The doctor came out, asked me a gazillion question just like the Director has the day before. Then, he told me, it looks positive, like I haven't been told so before. He then asked me to wait a while because the Clinical Nursing Director was coming, and he said "she would know better." I thought he was a doctor? 15 minutes later, this Clinical Nursing Director came and looked at my arm. Took out a ruler, measured it, put down 12mm on my TB test sheet. Told me I need to do a chest x-ray soon and give the result to them once I have it.
I cried so much that day, and the day before of course. I don't know why I cried that much. It wasn't the end of the world and no one was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Well, at least there's no symptom of active TB so as long as nothing's active - it's not life threatening.
Called the State Health Dept, scheduled a quantiferon gold blood test instead of chest x-ray to see if my childhood vaccine BCG could have still had effects. Three days later, the result came back. Positive. Okay, so my last defense was gone. I do have the bacteria. Since I don't have any symptom, everyone thinks I'm a latent. Alright. Went back to the Health Dept again just yesterday, did a chest-x-ray. I don't know the result yet. The nurse told me a doctor will call me tomorrow or Thursday and go over the result with me. They'll also send a copy of it to my house on Friday. Ok. But wait, I don't get it. Can't the nurse tell if there's something on the x-ray "sheet?" I mean, if all is good, would she only see my bones and be able to tell me there's nothing funny about my lungs?
The next couple of the hours felt like a decade to me. Lots of thinking came to me. I started doing "rewinds" in my head. All the questions I answered "no" to, when the doctor & nurses asked, I also thought "yes" because even though I have never lived in a group setting, never done drugs, never been homeless or lived on the streets, I know a lot of people who have from work and volunteer/internships. Prior to quitting my job, I used to work at a private non-profit substance abuse treatment facility. I worked at two different "houses." Both were residential treatment houses with programs focused on helping people recover from drug abuse - one for youth in state custody and the other for parents with children. I worked at the one with youths most of the time during my 18 months of employment with the company, just two weeks with the parents with children one. Now, like I said, all the questions I've said no to because I did no such things, but I also thought yes yes yes - I have had contacts with many people who have had a lifestyle that includes all of the above.
I know all clients at the company I worked for have received a TB skin test because I've done lots of filing in the past and have filed those TB results forms. However, I also know a lot of clients received their skin tests after they've been admitted. That is not to say I've seen or known a client with positive result but isn't that a loophole? Also, clients do have visits. Facility visits, home visits, and "community visits." Community visits are where clients go out to anywhere their family takes them to that is "a safe environment." Is any visit accompanied by a staff member or therapist? No. Facility visits involve approved family members to come on-site and have visits. A lot of the parents/siblings have also gone through some trouble times, even if they're "approved visitors." To me - family members could very well have latent TB. I say that because anyone could have been exposed to the TB bacteria just by walking down the streets, and those who do or have done drugs as well as gang relating activities most likely have a higher risk of being exposed to the bacteria simply because of their unhealthy lifestyle. Having been exposed to the bacteria doesn't mean this person is contagious, BUT, the bacteria can develop and become active if left untreated. Active TB is when it becomes spreadable. Most of the clients I worked with they came from low-income family and it's common their parents had no jobs, relatives been in and out of jail, friends died from overdose/got killed by gang members, clients lived on the streets before they got arrested....you name it. If I had to bet all my assets, I would bet on most of them (families) don't visit doctors on a regular basis. On a side note, TB skin test can be a false negative if the person was newly exposed (within 8-10 weeks).
Another place where I suspect where I got the bacteria from is an agency where I volunteered and interned twice for roughly two years. It's an internationally known organization that provides service to newcomer refugees. The organization does not do TB-skin tests for all clients/employees like the company I worked for. Clients were required to take TB-skin test within the first 30 (or 60 days?) from date of arrival. Many people don't get their tests done within the first week because so many other things are also in a hurry to get done (apply for social security, register kids for schools, intake appointments with various service providers, etc). During the time of my service there, I met many clients and several employees with latent TB. The employees I met there were actually good friends of mine. Clients with latent TB received their meds weekly, but, I also know a few who did not want to take meds. They simply visited the organization to pick up the meds (because they were told they needed to by their case workers) and dumped those meds after they got home. Some claimed they wanted the meds but never showed up because they were busy. Some elders explained to me not everyone believes in western medicine.
I do travel frequently, so is Mr. L same for my neighbors, even landlord, and many of my friends. Just this March, Mr. L & I were in France for one week where we took several train rides. Mr. L went to Taiwan for Lunar New Year for three weeks. I came back from Japan where I did a month of study abroad just last November. Within the last 6 months, we've been on 15+ planes. Of course it's possible someone at the airport or on the plane has had active TB and probably didn't even know. I just think out of all the places we've been, the high risks still fall to the place where I worked / volunteered - clients and their family members.
Ok...I think I typed too much today. My whole body is aching from the cardio dance I did the other day.
Just a quick few more updates:
First, I quit my job on March 31st. Reason for leaving was health issues. Yes, this TB bacteria is def a major player in it. Another health issue is while the three nurses tried to draw my blood for quantiferon gold, they told me I have blood clots, well, one nurse did. The other two said nothing. My arm was swollen and had huge bruises from those 7 pokes I got from drawing blood. Drawing my blood apparently was a complicated thing to the state health dept nurses. Both arms still have some bruises and still feel sore (when I move in a certain angle) and it's been two weeks. I am scared. I bought a temporary premium insurance plan for the first time and scheduled an appointment for a comprehensive physical exam with the nearest university clinic to see if there is anything else I should be worried about.
Second, I am going back to school this August. Spoke with the advisor and a "potential committee member" about classes, study abroad & volunteer opportunities. Everything looks good. Les (advisor) thinks the curriculum I have come up with works well with what I want to do. He was surprised I had already came up with a two-year-plan including summer semesters (yay go me).
Friends aren't friends until something happens and they still stick around. This is very true as to the few people I've told about my recent discovery about the bacteria I carry. Yes, I have carefully selected who I wanted to share this personal matter with. Yes, I know no one wants to be affected. But wait, does that mean I should feel okay that my so called friends just take several steps back the second they hear it (I'm talking about physically moving their feet, literally took some steps back). Should I feel "oh that's perfectly fine" while saying "hmm..ok" when someone replies "let's not meet up today..wait until two weeks after you've been on the pills?"
Let's face it, if I were a giant germ ball full of spreadable bacteria, would the state dept nurses and clinic doctor just let me walk out their doors so freely? Would the doctors and health professionals at state health department say it's fine for me to travel freely (I asked for their advise before traveling to France)?
Last but not the least....I can't believe the supervisor that was nice to me just fell off from the face of the earth. After I gave my resignation letter, he gave me some Personnel Action forms that needed to be signed. I signed one and didn't sign the second one because I noticed a box was checked - the box that said not eligible for rehire. I was shocked to see that. "What did I do wrong?" "Am I leaving on bad standing?!" I wrote to this supervisor and he didn't say anything back. I did see him on my last day of work, it wasn't a day when he had to be at work so I should probably consider myself lucky that day. He called me to his desk and told me the reason he checked the box was because he had to think from the perspective of the HR department. I gave him two leave notices in the last six months and it's not good for youth clients. I wanted to battle about it but I didn't. He then said there was no way I was leaving on bad standing. This supervisor also gave me one option - nice for offering of putting me on sick leave but I would need to find ppl to cover my shifts and I didn't know how long it was going to take (at least months) so I thanked him a couple days later, thanks but no thanks.
Here's what was going through my head while driving back home the other day - I may have very well gotten this disease from the place I worked except I have no proof. The first time I gave out my leave notice was not a real leave notice - it was transferring to the parents with children program. I was recruited to be transferred from program A to program B based on my job performance. I have been voted employee of the month by my coworkers and the supervisor before him. I was endorsed by the clinical director (who is at a higher level than this supervisor). I've covered so many urgent shifts whenever a coworker got into an accident/had emergencies/needed holiday leaves. I went to work at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning so many times to cover his ass because someone would be working overtime if I didn't go in and he'd be the one getting yelled at by HR. I gave out this second leave notice because there is a chance I might get real sick and I don't want others to be sick because of me. I'm quitting because I know as a part time staff the company will not hold the position for me so I want to take some time off while taking the medication. I know the side effects of this med and what it might appear like to the clients and it won't be good. I also know I will need to rest more because of how the drug will work in my body and I won't be able to do many of the activities the therapists will do with the clients. I've devoted many unhealthy graveyard shifts [I worked 12 hr shifts three times a week for half a year] to serve the underserved and somehow I am affected with a disease and decide to quit so I can concentrate on healing but my supervisor was not in support of it. The company does not want me back because I want to get better before I begin working again.
Later, I was brave enough to write an email to the supervisor and asked for reference for the future, since I was not leaving on bad standing as he said it. He said nothing. Not a word. Ok. That's ok. The two supervisors before him all have said yes and are gladly to, same with all the coworkers I've asked. Just not this supervisor.
Ok..really, wow, look at the length of this post.
The next post will be about the diet I will soon to be on due to the medication I'm about to take.
I cried so much that day, and the day before of course. I don't know why I cried that much. It wasn't the end of the world and no one was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Well, at least there's no symptom of active TB so as long as nothing's active - it's not life threatening.
Called the State Health Dept, scheduled a quantiferon gold blood test instead of chest x-ray to see if my childhood vaccine BCG could have still had effects. Three days later, the result came back. Positive. Okay, so my last defense was gone. I do have the bacteria. Since I don't have any symptom, everyone thinks I'm a latent. Alright. Went back to the Health Dept again just yesterday, did a chest-x-ray. I don't know the result yet. The nurse told me a doctor will call me tomorrow or Thursday and go over the result with me. They'll also send a copy of it to my house on Friday. Ok. But wait, I don't get it. Can't the nurse tell if there's something on the x-ray "sheet?" I mean, if all is good, would she only see my bones and be able to tell me there's nothing funny about my lungs?
The next couple of the hours felt like a decade to me. Lots of thinking came to me. I started doing "rewinds" in my head. All the questions I answered "no" to, when the doctor & nurses asked, I also thought "yes" because even though I have never lived in a group setting, never done drugs, never been homeless or lived on the streets, I know a lot of people who have from work and volunteer/internships. Prior to quitting my job, I used to work at a private non-profit substance abuse treatment facility. I worked at two different "houses." Both were residential treatment houses with programs focused on helping people recover from drug abuse - one for youth in state custody and the other for parents with children. I worked at the one with youths most of the time during my 18 months of employment with the company, just two weeks with the parents with children one. Now, like I said, all the questions I've said no to because I did no such things, but I also thought yes yes yes - I have had contacts with many people who have had a lifestyle that includes all of the above.
I know all clients at the company I worked for have received a TB skin test because I've done lots of filing in the past and have filed those TB results forms. However, I also know a lot of clients received their skin tests after they've been admitted. That is not to say I've seen or known a client with positive result but isn't that a loophole? Also, clients do have visits. Facility visits, home visits, and "community visits." Community visits are where clients go out to anywhere their family takes them to that is "a safe environment." Is any visit accompanied by a staff member or therapist? No. Facility visits involve approved family members to come on-site and have visits. A lot of the parents/siblings have also gone through some trouble times, even if they're "approved visitors." To me - family members could very well have latent TB. I say that because anyone could have been exposed to the TB bacteria just by walking down the streets, and those who do or have done drugs as well as gang relating activities most likely have a higher risk of being exposed to the bacteria simply because of their unhealthy lifestyle. Having been exposed to the bacteria doesn't mean this person is contagious, BUT, the bacteria can develop and become active if left untreated. Active TB is when it becomes spreadable. Most of the clients I worked with they came from low-income family and it's common their parents had no jobs, relatives been in and out of jail, friends died from overdose/got killed by gang members, clients lived on the streets before they got arrested....you name it. If I had to bet all my assets, I would bet on most of them (families) don't visit doctors on a regular basis. On a side note, TB skin test can be a false negative if the person was newly exposed (within 8-10 weeks).
Another place where I suspect where I got the bacteria from is an agency where I volunteered and interned twice for roughly two years. It's an internationally known organization that provides service to newcomer refugees. The organization does not do TB-skin tests for all clients/employees like the company I worked for. Clients were required to take TB-skin test within the first 30 (or 60 days?) from date of arrival. Many people don't get their tests done within the first week because so many other things are also in a hurry to get done (apply for social security, register kids for schools, intake appointments with various service providers, etc). During the time of my service there, I met many clients and several employees with latent TB. The employees I met there were actually good friends of mine. Clients with latent TB received their meds weekly, but, I also know a few who did not want to take meds. They simply visited the organization to pick up the meds (because they were told they needed to by their case workers) and dumped those meds after they got home. Some claimed they wanted the meds but never showed up because they were busy. Some elders explained to me not everyone believes in western medicine.
I do travel frequently, so is Mr. L same for my neighbors, even landlord, and many of my friends. Just this March, Mr. L & I were in France for one week where we took several train rides. Mr. L went to Taiwan for Lunar New Year for three weeks. I came back from Japan where I did a month of study abroad just last November. Within the last 6 months, we've been on 15+ planes. Of course it's possible someone at the airport or on the plane has had active TB and probably didn't even know. I just think out of all the places we've been, the high risks still fall to the place where I worked / volunteered - clients and their family members.
Ok...I think I typed too much today. My whole body is aching from the cardio dance I did the other day.
Just a quick few more updates:
First, I quit my job on March 31st. Reason for leaving was health issues. Yes, this TB bacteria is def a major player in it. Another health issue is while the three nurses tried to draw my blood for quantiferon gold, they told me I have blood clots, well, one nurse did. The other two said nothing. My arm was swollen and had huge bruises from those 7 pokes I got from drawing blood. Drawing my blood apparently was a complicated thing to the state health dept nurses. Both arms still have some bruises and still feel sore (when I move in a certain angle) and it's been two weeks. I am scared. I bought a temporary premium insurance plan for the first time and scheduled an appointment for a comprehensive physical exam with the nearest university clinic to see if there is anything else I should be worried about.
Second, I am going back to school this August. Spoke with the advisor and a "potential committee member" about classes, study abroad & volunteer opportunities. Everything looks good. Les (advisor) thinks the curriculum I have come up with works well with what I want to do. He was surprised I had already came up with a two-year-plan including summer semesters (yay go me).
Friends aren't friends until something happens and they still stick around. This is very true as to the few people I've told about my recent discovery about the bacteria I carry. Yes, I have carefully selected who I wanted to share this personal matter with. Yes, I know no one wants to be affected. But wait, does that mean I should feel okay that my so called friends just take several steps back the second they hear it (I'm talking about physically moving their feet, literally took some steps back). Should I feel "oh that's perfectly fine" while saying "hmm..ok" when someone replies "let's not meet up today..wait until two weeks after you've been on the pills?"
Let's face it, if I were a giant germ ball full of spreadable bacteria, would the state dept nurses and clinic doctor just let me walk out their doors so freely? Would the doctors and health professionals at state health department say it's fine for me to travel freely (I asked for their advise before traveling to France)?
Last but not the least....I can't believe the supervisor that was nice to me just fell off from the face of the earth. After I gave my resignation letter, he gave me some Personnel Action forms that needed to be signed. I signed one and didn't sign the second one because I noticed a box was checked - the box that said not eligible for rehire. I was shocked to see that. "What did I do wrong?" "Am I leaving on bad standing?!" I wrote to this supervisor and he didn't say anything back. I did see him on my last day of work, it wasn't a day when he had to be at work so I should probably consider myself lucky that day. He called me to his desk and told me the reason he checked the box was because he had to think from the perspective of the HR department. I gave him two leave notices in the last six months and it's not good for youth clients. I wanted to battle about it but I didn't. He then said there was no way I was leaving on bad standing. This supervisor also gave me one option - nice for offering of putting me on sick leave but I would need to find ppl to cover my shifts and I didn't know how long it was going to take (at least months) so I thanked him a couple days later, thanks but no thanks.
Here's what was going through my head while driving back home the other day - I may have very well gotten this disease from the place I worked except I have no proof. The first time I gave out my leave notice was not a real leave notice - it was transferring to the parents with children program. I was recruited to be transferred from program A to program B based on my job performance. I have been voted employee of the month by my coworkers and the supervisor before him. I was endorsed by the clinical director (who is at a higher level than this supervisor). I've covered so many urgent shifts whenever a coworker got into an accident/had emergencies/needed holiday leaves. I went to work at 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning so many times to cover his ass because someone would be working overtime if I didn't go in and he'd be the one getting yelled at by HR. I gave out this second leave notice because there is a chance I might get real sick and I don't want others to be sick because of me. I'm quitting because I know as a part time staff the company will not hold the position for me so I want to take some time off while taking the medication. I know the side effects of this med and what it might appear like to the clients and it won't be good. I also know I will need to rest more because of how the drug will work in my body and I won't be able to do many of the activities the therapists will do with the clients. I've devoted many unhealthy graveyard shifts [I worked 12 hr shifts three times a week for half a year] to serve the underserved and somehow I am affected with a disease and decide to quit so I can concentrate on healing but my supervisor was not in support of it. The company does not want me back because I want to get better before I begin working again.
Later, I was brave enough to write an email to the supervisor and asked for reference for the future, since I was not leaving on bad standing as he said it. He said nothing. Not a word. Ok. That's ok. The two supervisors before him all have said yes and are gladly to, same with all the coworkers I've asked. Just not this supervisor.
Ok..really, wow, look at the length of this post.
The next post will be about the diet I will soon to be on due to the medication I'm about to take.
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