First Person: My TB ordeal

March 24 was World Tuberculosis Day.

I was diagnosed with abdomino-pelvic TB two years ago. Not many doctors are familiar with that kind of TB, which is bad because a patient's condition could deteriorate as days pass and she does not receive the treatment she needs. That happened to me.

I first had fever every afternoon. We thought it was because the press office was too cold. Days later, I felt weak, my knees wobbly when I walked, and my head was spinning. Paracetamols were of little help.

Then I lost my appetite. I'm a big eater, but I was already full after only two spoonfuls of rice and ulam.

I consulted a number of internists, hematologists, and ob-gynecologists, but they were unable to determine my condition.

I underwent a lot of laboratory tests (blood, urine, feces, sputum, even HIV and other auto-immune diseases), x-rays, ultrasounds, TVS, CT scans, among others, but doctors still could not pinpoint my illness.

One of the doctors already surmised that I had TB, but he did not prescribe medicines as he could not back up his suspicion since X-ray results showed my lungs were clear. But the TB affected other parts of the body.

Pulmonary TB is the most common type of TB. It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that, according to the World Health Organization, most often affect the lungs.

Ultrasound and CT scan results, however, showed there were masses in my spleen, liver, and ovaries.

Some doctors feared it was cancer, so they made me undergo a CA 125 test, which yielded a "high" result.

It was at that point that my family decided that I consult an oncologist who successfully treated my aunt of cervical cancer.

The oncologist said the CA 125 result may be high, but my symptoms did not indicate cancer, so she said it could be TB as she already saw the same condition in one of her patients.

It was in late March or early April of 2012 that I first experienced the symptoms and it was only in May that same year that I was able to take the appropriate medications. I was already 10 pounds lighter, anemic, and with a bloated tummy (the size of a four-month pregnant woman), all of which were effects of TB.

We were only able to absolutely confirm my illness after I underwent a laparoscopy and biopsy in July.

During the laparoscopy, a surgeon put two holes in my tummy: one for the camera and the other for other medical tools. The doctors drained liquid out of my abdomen and got tissues for the biopsy.

I asked the doctors how I acquired TB and why it affected my digestive and reproductive organs. One of them said maybe the bacteria got into my system years ago but did not manifest itself because of my strong immunity. This condition is called latent TB, where a person is already infected but is not yet ill and has no chance to infect others.

He said the bacteria could have been in my lungs for years and just went down to my abdomen and pelvic area.

The doctor said the bacteria was finally able to affect me when my immunity went down after I gave birth.

Unlike pulmonary TB, a person with abdomino-pelvic TB cannot infect others and does not need to be separated from other people.

I took the medication for nine months, the prescribed period for extrapulmonary patients to take their medicines every day. For better effect, the doctor advised me to take all the three tablets in the morning before having breakfast.

I believe I am lucky because I was able to recover from it, thanks to the emotional and financial support of my family, relatives, and friends, but how about those who have no means? For the laparoscopy procedure alone, some P100,000 was shelled out by me and my healthcare provider.

The whole process drained my savings and, up to now, I am still in the process of paying those who lent me money and rebuilding my savings.

I just hope that there will be a faster and more cost-efficient way to diagnose and treat pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB in the country. — BM, GMA News