1st visit to the doctor, part 2

Yesterday, we took Eli back to the doctor to have his PPD test (for TB) read. His test was positive. He will have a chest x-ray on Wed. We're expecting the chest x-ray to be clear, because he has no signs of active TB disease. He has latent TB infection, which means he was exposed in Russia to someone who had active TB, and now he carries the germ in his body. He is not contagious or sick right now, but there is a risk that he could develop active TB at any point in the future.

We had to go straight from our doctor to the health department. The nurse we will be working with is so great. I like her a lot. She was very friendly, and did a great job of explaining everything. She measured his induration (skin bump) and it was 15mm. A positive test is 10mm. Soon, they will put him on medication (isoniazid or INH), which he will take 2x/week for 9 months. That's a long time. Someone from the health department will come to the house and give the medication to him. It is helpful that they will come to us and that I don't have to worry about taking him to the health dept. 2x/week, especially later this year when the new baby comes. We definitely want him to have the treatment, because we don't want him to ever have full-blown TB, but we hate that he has to take it, because the side effects could make him feel bad, and he's been so happy lately.

If he had stayed in Russia, he would not have received treatment, and he would have been very sick at some point in his life. I am so thankful to God that he is with us, where he can receive treatment and have a healthy life.