My TB healing Journey

It started as back pain during Holy Week last year. I thought it was just aging, so I pushed through and relied on pain relievers. But it kept getting worse until it became one of the most unbearable pains I’ve ever felt.

I spent a month going from one doctor to another - orthopedic, pain management, even OB, yet nothing helped. By July, I was constantly exhausted and losing interest in everything. Then one night, I couldn’t breathe. My oxygen dropped to 85%. The next morning, I went to the ER.

After several tests, I finally had an answer: tuberculosis.

I was hospitalized for 4 days. I had pleural effusion, 1.4 liters of fluid were drained from my lungs, and part of my lung had already collapsed. I had lost 10 kilos. Physically, I felt at my worst.

Recovery wasn’t easy. The medication brought intense side effects: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constant back pain. Mentally, it was even harder. There were days I felt completely lost, crying for no clear reason, dealing with dark thoughts and severe anxiety. I also developed skin allergies that left marks all over my body.

But I kept going.

I took my medication religiously. I adjusted my diet, moved when I could, and slowly returned to work to stay grounded. I read, learned, and reminded myself that healing takes time.

Six months later I finished treatment.

I’m now cleared.

My labs are back to normal, I’ve regained my weight, my energy is back, and I feel like myself again. Even the pain I was told might never go away no longer defines my days.

More importantly, I have my life back. I can plan, dream, and enjoy things again.

If you’re going through TB right now: it’s hard, but it’s not the end. Healing may feel slow and heavy, but it is happening.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and you will get there.