Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiacs Who Work In A Hospital/or The Healthcare Field

alamaz

By alamaz
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

alamaz Collaborator
alamaz
Posted

Ugh! I just recently started a new job at a hospital. I was dx'ed with celiac in late February of this year and am just now starting to feel REALLY good so it's taken some time to start to heal. Of course, TB testing is required for this job and I keep reacting positively or "inconclusive" to the tests except my chest x-ray is clear. The Quantiferon Golf test was inconclusive and the skin tests are all coming back positive. They are trying to tell me that they will have to treat me for latent TB which I don't believe is possible that I have latent TB because I have a history of having positive reactions to the TB skin tests all with clear chest x-rays and I've not been out of the country since 1995. In fact, when I lived overseas in the early 90's I was treated for a year for TB even though the chest x-ray was clear but I had reacted to the skin tests. At this rate I will be treated for TB indefinitely because I react positively to the skin tests.

I recall a post a few weeks ago about this same thing and several of you also react positively to the TB tests. What happens next? Is this just a matter of documenting the positive reaction? How does your hospital/workplace handle postive TB reactions?

As a side note, they just did the bubble test and I'm starting to get a severe headache. I'm not sure if it's celiac related or just stress but I never even thought to wonder if the bubble test has to be gluten free also......

Amy

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


blueeyedmanda Community Regular
blueeyedmanda
Posted

Hi Amy,

I work in a Hospital and I get a TB test every year, I always test negative.

Guest j_mommy
Guest j_mommy
Posted

Amy....

I was that poster a few weeks ago!!! Are you getting it read by a nurse or DR????? My nurse thought it was positive but it was not.....raised area is what counts not redness...which was what was happening to me....I had a huge red area,slight bump and itched like crazy!!! So I went to a DR and he said it was negative but wrote me a prescription saying that due to some type of allergic reaction I am to have chest xrays from now on and that I have not had a positive reaction and do not need to be treated!!

I hope this helps!!!

PM me if you have more questions!

little d Enthusiast
little d
Posted

Hi Amy

I work in a hospital and I just got my TB today and mine is just red around the site and I don't think that it had anything to do with it but right after I got really sleepy when I was fine before, but then again i did just work my 12 hr night shift. I will get mine read on thursday morning and I am usually negative but I feel like that this time I am having more of a reaction more redness this time and It itched some today.

donna

Worriedwife Apprentice
Worriedwife
Posted

I work in the healthcare field, and have not had a TB skin test done for about 13 years. I am allergic to the serum they use to test for TB. I only have chest X-rays done now.

I agree with I_Mommy, make sure you have a doctor read the results, not just a nurse. If it just red and/or itchy, that is not necessarily a positive reaction. You have to have a noticable bump from the test for it to be a positive reaction.

Good luck!

uclangel422 Apprentice
uclangel422
Posted

Before I was diagnosed with Celiac, I took a TB test at work in the hospital and it was read as positive. I had to have an X-ray and it came back negative so i was allowed to remain at work. My doctor did end up putting me on INH for TB because he wanted to be on the safe side. I was miserable on that medication.

From now on, tell them that you are prone to false positives on the skin test and just ask for an X-ray of your lungs yearly. My hospital has that option instead of the skin test.

alamaz Collaborator
alamaz
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the responses. The irritating thing is, I told them up front about my history of reacting positively so they did the chest x-ray and the blood test. the chest x-ray was clear, the blood test was "inconclusive". The last thing I want is to be treated for a disease I know I don't have and that's honestly my biggest fear at this point is they will try to tell me i need to go on meds. So far the bubble test is looking okay that i got yesterday afternoon (so i think, it looks like a mosquito bite). i will definitely request that the DR. look at it on Thursday instead of just the nurse who is actually really nice and just doing her job.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Tyoung
      - Tyoung replied to birdboyden's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      4

      Bile reflux with celiac

      Hey! How is your daughter doing now? I am dealing with very similar issues! All started after going gluten free after being diagnosed with celiacs
    2. larc
      - larc replied to Jhona's topic in Meet Up Room
      13

      Does anyone here also have Afib

      Thanks for your thoughts on this. My reactions to gluten are complex and involve more than just my heart and arteries. The problems with what It does to my cardiovascular system do present me with a bit of a conundrum at times. For instance, I had cardio bypass surgery in 2002 (at age 53) and then again had angina and artery issues in 2006. At the same time...
    3. trents
      - trents replied to Jessica H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      Migraines are a recognized symptom of celiac disease. The incidence of it is higher in the celiac community than in the general population. It is one of mine. Well, keep us posted. Do you have a follow up appointment scheduled yet? Again, let me stress that it is important to not begin the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet until all testing...
    4. Jessica H
      - Jessica H replied to Jessica H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      No other testing has been done at this point, though I wonder if my diagnosis will prompt that. My main symptoms have been bowel related and I’ve had severe migraines for several years now but I’ve been seeing a neurologist for that and have it under control, though I now wonder if the migraines have been a symptom of Celiac all along.
    5. trents
      - trents replied to Jessica H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      They do use stages but only when evaluated the damage done to the villi of the small bowel after looking at the biopsy samples. I'm referring to the "Marsh" scale. As far as I know, "stages" has never been applied to blood antibody test scores. It would not be appropriate to assign stages based on antibody scores as the damage done would depend not only...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,083
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Rollochewie
    Newest Member
    Rollochewie
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.2k
    • Total Posts
      71.4k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Tyoung
      Bile reflux with celiac

      By Tyoung · Posted

      Hey! How is your daughter doing now? I am dealing with very similar issues! All started after going gluten free after being diagnosed with celiacs 
    • larc
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By larc · Posted

      Thanks for your thoughts on this. My reactions to gluten are complex and involve more than just my heart and arteries. The problems with what It does to my cardiovascular system do present me with a bit of a conundrum at times. For instance, I had cardio bypass surgery in 2002 (at age 53) and then again had angina and artery issues in 2006. At the same time, I was also suffering symptoms of early onset dementia while also experiencing symptoms of psychosis. That was when I discovered I had celiac and went on a. gluten-free diet. On that diet, my psychosis disappeared, my chest pain stopped and my cognitive issues also cleared up. Subsequently I began running and exercising again with no cardio problems. And my stress tests and cardio exams since then showed no evidence of artery problems. Plus, my lipid panels showed significant changes. My arteriosclerosis had started in 1992. At that time, my HDL cholesterol had always been measured in the 20s even though I exercised religiously, ate what was supposed to be a heart-healthy diet and was never overweight. After going on a gluten-free diet in 2006, my HDLs have been in the 60s and 70s. Since then, my usual symptoms of ingesting gluten are a temporary increase in blood pressure and certain intense types of hypnogogic hallucinations. The Afib stuff is a recent development. I will be discussing all of this again with my cardiologist in May. I discuss some of this in my substack (no paywall) at https://diaryofapreviouslydementedpoet.substack.com/   
    • trents
      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      By trents · Posted

      Migraines are a recognized symptom of celiac disease. The incidence of it is higher in the celiac community than in the general population. It is one of mine. Well, keep us posted. Do you have a follow up appointment scheduled yet? Again, let me stress that it is important to not begin the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet until all testing related to celiac diagnosis is complete.
    • Jessica H
      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      By Jessica H · Posted

      No other testing has been done at this point, though I wonder if my diagnosis will prompt that. My main symptoms have been bowel related and I’ve had severe migraines for several years now but I’ve been seeing a neurologist for that and have it under control, though I now wonder if the migraines have been a symptom of Celiac all along. 
    • trents
      Help Interpreting My Lab Results? (updated)

      By trents · Posted

      They do use stages but only when evaluated the damage done to the villi of the small bowel after looking at the biopsy samples. I'm referring to the "Marsh" scale. As far as I know, "stages" has never been applied to blood antibody test scores. It would not be appropriate to assign stages based on antibody scores as the damage done would depend not only the antibody levels in the blood at the time of testing but the duration of it and the intensity of it over time since the onset. And those are all very subjective things. I understand your concern about irreparable damage done to body systems but you are fairly young and your body still has very good rejuvenation powers. Is there laboratory or medical evidence that anything other than the lining of your small bowel has been compromised yet? Do you have bone demineralization for instance or unexplained dental decay or neurological deficits? Stuff like that? It took 13 years to arrive at a diagnosis of celiac disease in my case from the first laboratory evidence (elevated liver enzymes) of onset and by that time I had developed osteopenia. I was 50 or 51 at the age of diagnosis.
×
×
  • Create New...