TB DOT Treatment at St. Lukes Questions

[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

Medical: 06/19/2024 

Sputum Collection: 06/27-29/2024

Pulmo Eval: 07/01/2024

 

Findings: 

• Negative smear test
• Pending culture test
• CXR findings suggestive PTB due to cavitary lesions
• To undergo DOT at St. Luke's for 6 months (additional 2 months for another sputum collection/tests

 

During the Pulmo eval, I clarified twice with the doctor if it's essential to undergo treatment for something "suggestive" with a negative smear and she answered YES. Is it also okay to start the treatment while waiting for the culture results? YES.

I failed to clarify my what-if question regarding what will happen if the culture is negative after 8 weeks. Will the treatment have to stop (depending on the negative culture and improvement on routine x-rays of course).

 

I spoke to my bestfriend's sister (now in the US) who had a similar situation on 2017, and I was told that she underwent treatment for 2 months only (outside SLMC) while waiting for culture results. The results came back negative, and she was released and was able to reschedule her interview. I also spoke to fellow patients at the DOT facility and a nurse advised her that the duration of the treatment will depend on the progress and maintaining the ideal weight while being on treatment. 

 

Has anyone experienced the same predicament? 😞 DOT is ongoing and I'm on my second week of the intensive phase taking 3 pills of Quadmax daily M-F.

I hope you can shed some light on my what-if question. I have been researching on Facebook groups and VJ about the same scenario but no luck, so I created this post.

I am worried that maybe I am misdiagnosed or maybe misinformed. Maybe other doctor at SMLC may have a different say? As to why treatment is required due to CXR findings only?

 

Has anyone here been asked to undergo treatment due to CXR findings only? (with negative smear results)

Was the treatment stopped after a negative result of the initial culture? 

 

 

Thank you for reading and your inputs! 🙂

 

[Crazy Cat 41,181]

***Moved to the Philippines regional forum***

[powerpuff 6,453]

Duplicate thread removed. Please post only once per quiet or topic.

 

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[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

Up. 

[Hopiaaa 0]

On 7/15/2024 at 1:38 AM, maryaaaaaaaaaaa said:

Medical: 06/19/2024 

Sputum Collection: 06/27-29/2024

Pulmo Eval: 07/01/2024

 

Findings: 

• Negative smear test
• Pending culture test
• CXR findings suggestive PTB due to cavitary lesions
• To undergo DOT at St. Luke's for 6 months (additional 2 months for another sputum collection/tests

 

During the Pulmo eval, I clarified twice with the doctor if it's essential to undergo treatment for something "suggestive" with a negative smear and she answered YES. Is it also okay to start the treatment while waiting for the culture results? YES.

I failed to clarify my what-if question regarding what will happen if the culture is negative after 8 weeks. Will the treatment have to stop (depending on the negative culture and improvement on routine x-rays of course).

 

I spoke to my bestfriend's sister (now in the US) who had a similar situation on 2017, and I was told that she underwent treatment for 2 months only (outside SLMC) while waiting for culture results. The results came back negative, and she was released and was able to reschedule her interview. I also spoke to fellow patients at the DOT facility and a nurse advised her that the duration of the treatment will depend on the progress and maintaining the ideal weight while being on treatment. 

 

Has anyone experienced the same predicament? 😞 DOT is ongoing and I'm on my second week of the intensive phase taking 3 pills of Quadmax daily M-F.

I hope you can shed some light on my what-if question. I have been researching on Facebook groups and VJ about the same scenario but no luck, so I created this post.

I am worried that maybe I am misdiagnosed or maybe misinformed. Maybe other doctor at SMLC may have a different say? As to why treatment is required due to CXR findings only?

 

Has anyone here been asked to undergo treatment due to CXR findings only? (with negative smear results)

Was the treatment stopped after a negative result of the initial culture? 

 

 

Thank you for reading and your inputs! 🙂

 

Hi, i feel bad for you. What type of visa do you have. I'll be starting my treatment also in slec. So stress already about the situation

[RO_AH 1,648]

On 7/14/2024 at 7:38 AM, maryaaaaaaaaaaa said:

Medical: 06/19/2024 

Sputum Collection: 06/27-29/2024

Pulmo Eval: 07/01/2024

 

Findings: 

• Negative smear test
• Pending culture test
• CXR findings suggestive PTB due to cavitary lesions
• To undergo DOT at St. Luke's for 6 months (additional 2 months for another sputum collection/tests

 

During the Pulmo eval, I clarified twice with the doctor if it's essential to undergo treatment for something "suggestive" with a negative smear and she answered YES. Is it also okay to start the treatment while waiting for the culture results? YES.

I failed to clarify my what-if question regarding what will happen if the culture is negative after 8 weeks. Will the treatment have to stop (depending on the negative culture and improvement on routine x-rays of course).

 

I spoke to my bestfriend's sister (now in the US) who had a similar situation on 2017, and I was told that she underwent treatment for 2 months only (outside SLMC) while waiting for culture results. The results came back negative, and she was released and was able to reschedule her interview. I also spoke to fellow patients at the DOT facility and a nurse advised her that the duration of the treatment will depend on the progress and maintaining the ideal weight while being on treatment. 

 

Has anyone experienced the same predicament? 😞 DOT is ongoing and I'm on my second week of the intensive phase taking 3 pills of Quadmax daily M-F.

I hope you can shed some light on my what-if question. I have been researching on Facebook groups and VJ about the same scenario but no luck, so I created this post.

I am worried that maybe I am misdiagnosed or maybe misinformed. Maybe other doctor at SMLC may have a different say? As to why treatment is required due to CXR findings only?

 

Has anyone here been asked to undergo treatment due to CXR findings only? (with negative smear results)

Was the treatment stopped after a negative result of the initial culture? 

 

 

Thank you for reading and your inputs! 🙂

 

Why would you start or undergo treatment for something that is not confirmed?? If I read this correctly you had sputum testing. If so you wait for the results and do nothing until then. Probably 95% of sputum tests come back negative. You are doing all this in an effort to save a few weeks on getting your visa? I have never really heard of someone doing this. My wife did sputum, it was negative, did her interview and got her visa. For those that get a positive result, they start treatment, once completed follow the steps given to them.

Edited July 31 by RO_AH

[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

11 hours ago, Hopiaaa said:

Hi, i feel bad for you. What type of visa do you have. I'll be starting my treatment also in slec. So stress already about the situation

I am so sorry to hear! 😫 I am K1. What about you? 
 

Did you culture retuned positive or failed xray too?

[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

5 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Why would you start or undergo treatment for something that is not confirmed?? If I read this correctly you had sputum testing. If so you wait for the results and do nothing until then. Probably 95% of sputum tests come back negative. You are doing all this in an effort to save a few weeks on getting your visa? I have never really heard of someone doing this. My wife did sputum, it was negative, did her interview and got her visa. For those that get a positive result, they start treatment, once completed follow the steps given to them.

 Yes, you read it right. I was told that regardless what my culture results would be in 8 weeks I still need to undergo medication due to xray findings. 
 

There’s another patient I met today with the same case as mine. We don’t see the point “just because” due to CXR findings with negative smear/cultures. 

[J.M. 206]

I'm no doctor by any means, but "cavitary lesions" are apparently sufficient evidence of PTB, so I would guess that is why they started treatment immediately.

[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

4 minutes ago, J.M. said:

I'm no doctor by any means, but "cavitary lesions" are apparently sufficient evidence of PTB, so I would guess that is why they started treatment immediately.

thats what I thought ☺️

[RO_AH 1,648]

On 7/31/2024 at 1:56 PM, maryaaaaaaaaaaa said:

 Yes, you read it right. I was told that regardless what my culture results would be in 8 weeks I still need to undergo medication due to xray findings. 
 

There’s another patient I met today with the same case as mine. We don’t see the point “just because” due to CXR findings with negative smear/cultures. 

Thank you for the clarification. Now it makes sense. Best of luck to you!

[maryaaaaaaaaaaa 4]

Good day!

 

I am updating my post! 🙂

 

I just finished the Intensive Phase of my treatment plan. I did not have any issues or negative side effects on the medication. The IP lasted two months and we must undergo a 2-day sputum collection each month. All my tests came back negative along with the initial AFB and culture. Unfortunately, I still have to finish the remaining 4 months which is the Maintenance Phase with Fixcom (2 TB drugs).

 

It's also unfortunate that the new SLEC medical seems unfair when it comes to diagnosing PTB.

 

The applicants with positive IGRA (test latent tb) did not undergo 8 weeks and were immunized. Whilst here we are, we were not even given the chance or benefit of the doubt and judged quickly over a film instead of confirmatory tests available. When I spoke to a pulmonologist during my evaluation last week, she sounded like "Yeah, ooop! Sorry you don't have TB but you have to finish  months cos we started it already".

 

I made a lot of friends on my DOT journey; all have different experiences and one thing we found in common is SLEC doctors are not calibrated. They tell different things to others with the same cases, some rely on their hunch, some are defensive when asked difficult questions by applicants who happen to be in the medical field also and a lot more.