[snelsen]

#1066897

I am not a doc. However, I am sure that there is no relationship to the autoimmune status with thyroid antibodies.

This is not that uncommon. Do you have TB skin tests every year? (I am asking because it is a condition of employment where I work..hospital.) If you skin test is negative, that is fine. My daughter had an identical experience in third grade. Her skin test was positive. So she had an xray, which was negative. In her case, her skin test will always be positive, so she gets CXR’s now, not sure how often she is doing it. There are some docs who thought she should take Isoziadid for a year, be we elected to not have her do that. Quite a few folks have a positive skin test.
I imagine there will be a fair amount of attention from the school about this situation. After you gather all that info, if you are still concermed. y ou might like to make one appointment with an infections disease physician, just for good information.
I’ll be interested to see what others say about it. And you sound like a WONDERFUL TEACHER! LUCKY KIDS.
Shirley

[snelsen]

#1066898

I made a typo. Word is Isoniazid. This is a drug that has been around for over 50 years. It might not even be used anymore. Not very important. I don’t think you have much of a worry at all, but take it one step at a time. When an individual has an exposure to TB, some do convert to a positive skin test, and other than the bother of getting a chest Xray, they will be positive the rest of their lives, and it won’t mean a thing, and they will never get TB.
What grade do you teach? I have twin grandsons in third grade on Bainridge Island.

[hyperteacher27]

#1018757

Hi All,

So obviously nothing can stay good forever, right? Just as I am boasting about how I am feeling the healthiest I have in a long time, I receive an email from our school nurse that I am in close contact with a student who has been diagnosed with Active TB.

Someone will coming in to give me a TB test on Monday, and I realize it is not that easy to spread, but as a teacher who is very caring and often sits next to students to help them with work, this makes me very uneasy. Kids cough all over the room all the time.

Does anyone know if Graves is the kind of autoimmmune disease that would make me more susceptible to TB? I am guessing no, but I do feel worried. More impotrantly I am dreading catching it and feeling sick again. It doesn’t matter that it will be a different kind of sick. I got the flu shot this year just so I can have a healthy winter.

Any light that any of you can shed would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Bobbi]

#1066899

Having an autoimmune disease does not mean your immune system is "compromised." It has made a mistake and created an antibody to a part of our own body, but it is not weakened necessarily.

Being sick with too much thyroid hormone can make us more susceptible to disease. Having a low white cell count due to an ATD or other drug can make us more susceptible to disease. But if we are at normal levels of thyroid hormone, and our bodies have had a chance to heal from being hyperthyroid, there is no reason to expect that we will be more sick than anyone else in the community.

[Kimberly]

#1066900

Hello – Are you currently taking ATDs? (Methimazole, Tapazole, etc.?) If so, you might want to consult your endo to see if he/she wants to do a White Blood Cell count. And I would *definitely* do this if you do find that you are infected and you are taking ATDs. If your WBCs are looking low, your doc might choose to adjust your meds to ensure your body can fight off the TB.

By the way, it would be a great lesson to teach your students how NOT to pass germs on when they are sick, especially with the continued concerns about H1N1. I see WAY too many grown-ups coughing in to their hands and then touching stuff or shaking other people’s hands. UGH!

[Author]

Posts