Tuberculosis I hate you

Winter semester in Nursing is proving to be an annual pain. Last year when I was starting the program I had to turn in a lot of paperwork, some of which verified that I was current on my immunizations. Well, the secretary lady told me that my TB (tuberculosis) test wouldn't last long enough so I would have to get a new one by the next day. First off, it "expired" one day before the end of the semester, and I would definitely not be in the hospitals at that time. Second, you have to wait 48-72 hours to get the results of the test so there was no way I could turn in a new test the next day. But after a lot of crying, praying, and stressing it all eventually worked out.

Next year

Well, the time was approaching for me to get my annual TB test so I could continue on in the program. Went in and got the shot and then finished up all of my finals (so 1 year of nursing is officially over!). I was a little concerned because I had a bump on my arm from the test. It wasn't red and inflamed or raised a ton so I didn't really know if I should be worried. After showing some of my classmates (I figured I'd let them be nurses and tell me if the test was positive) I was pretty convinced I had nothing to worry about. I guess it's a good thing we still have a year to learn because we were wrong. It was positive.

So instead of being really excited that I had finished finals I was really scared that I wouldn't be able to continue on in nursing. I had to get a blood test that day before we left for Nevada (on Thursday) and wait until Monday to get the results. That was a fun waiting period. And, of course, that test also came back positive. So I am starting to freak out. I've been contaminating people for who knows how long. And I had just barely visited my pregnant friend and her little baby, that scared me the most. But the next step is to get a chest X-ray to see if you are actively contagious or have ever had active TB.

It was quite the process trying to get in to get that taken care of. It was hard to get the appointment and when we finally did we had to do the X-ray 3 times because the machine wouldn't work right. But low and behold, I don't have TB. So all of you who were getting nervous reading this because you have been near me, don't worry. I didn't pass it to you. And I am not going to get kicked out of the program as I feared so Nursing is still my second major. I just have to take meds for 6-9 months to make sure the TB doesn't become active. Lame, but better than being sick already.

So that was my stressful holiday story, but now it has been resolved, for the most part, and I can just enjoy hanging with my hubby and my family in the nice desert rain. Merry Christmas!