Two years of isolation in a TB clinic
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday April 3, 2015 11:19
The 35-year-old employed family man, vividly remembers his troubles. David was diagnosed with the disease while staying with a relative infected with TB and HIV in Gaborone.
“At the time I was in tertiary level and my relative asked me to stay with him, as he needed someone to take care of him.
“I knew that TB spread through the air because I was taught by the medical officer who visited my relative when he started treatment.
“I honestly didn’t believe I was at risk,” he said.
In early 2005, about three months after his relative was diagnosed with TB and had just started treatment, David developed severe gastrointestinal pains that would not go away.
“Eventually, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and was treated for a year with five different drugs, including Remicade, a very strong anti-inflammatory drug, without any success,” he said.
“The symptoms became so terrible that my doctor finally told me that the only choice was to have my colon removed, since nothing else was working.
“I didn’t feel at peace about this, and asked for another month before making a decision.”
He continues: “Then another symptom emerged: chest heaviness with fever”.
“Because I was scared to remove my colon, I decided to visit a primary care physician, who ordered a chest X-ray.
“The X-ray showed a small abnormal area in my right lung and he diagnosed me with pneumonia.
“I was actually relieved to hear this, because it meant the plan to remove my colon would be put on hold. For two weeks I was treated with antibiotics for pneumonia, and I actually began to feel better.
“The chest heaviness and fever went away, and so did my gastrointestinal symptoms.”
David thought he was cured, but to his shock, a follow-up X-ray a month later revealed that the small area in his right lung, was even more defined, “more like a lung mass”.
He said the ‘pneumonia’ no longer resembled pneumonia, and he was referred to Princess Marina Hospital’s TB Clinic for extensive testing.
“I was diagnosed with pulmonary TB, and eventually multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB),” he said. He was admitted in the TB isolation clinic where he was treated for the disease for almost two years.
“Unfortunately, my strain of TB germ was resistant to seven different drugs. The treatment was long, and I endured difficult side effects from the medicines.
“But I recognised how blessed I was to be receiving treatment in a country where the anti-TB drugs and expert medical care I needed were available,” he said. He knew he was in good hands and his will to live, together with trust in his doctors helped him get through the days.
“Despite being unable to attend to my studies, I was able to focus on getting well and my family was always by my side to give me support,” he said.
According to David, TB is not only difficult on the patient, but also on the family and the surrounding community. He revealed that sometimes he felt having TB was harder on his parents than it was on him, as they were afraid that they might lose him.
“My parents were working full-time jobs and checking me regularly. They had to come to my appointments, which gave them a bit of strain, but they sacrificed to support me. It was physically, emotionally, and financially draining.”
“I knew it was hard on my parents to watch me become frail. They helped me with chores, paying bills, and even simple decision-making,” he said.
At some point, David fell into a depression and began to understand what the word ‘stigma’ meant in the context of being socially awkward.
However, he decided to accept his fate and was consoled by the fact that people who loved him surrounded him.
“I’m so grateful to be alive, and I want to give a voice to people suffering from this disease. Something beautiful will appear at the end of a really tough, long road.” *Not his real name.