‘I Looked After My Health, I Was Aware, How Could I Get TB?’

(This article has been published under the Survivors Against TB Campaign . This is a group of TB survivors working to strengthen India's fight against TB by highlighting patient stories, pushing for policy and program change from the patient perspective. Read about them at www.survivorsagainttb.com)

In October 2011, I was a busy entrepreneur setting up my business – a furniture and home store. The days were long, hard and stressful. But, I just kept pushing myself harder. These were the days, before the public service announcements and ads featuring Amitabh Bachchan, warning people of TB. I didn’t realise that I had been coughing for over two months by then. My office was damp and musty and I thought that spending 11–12 hours there every day was probably setting off an allergic reaction. Moreover, I also had an accountant who was coughing even more than I was and I worked long hours with him. I felt I was equipped to deal with an allergy.

I have two kids, had a home to run and there was a fair amount of chaos in my life. I just didn’t pay attention to what my body was trying to tell me. I didn’t notice when I lost my appetite.

I thought that since I looked after my health, exercised and ate well, illness, or the possibility of it, was not something, I ever thought about.

I Was in Denial

But when push came to shove, I finally decided to visit a General Physician, nearby. She gave me some generic pills saying it was a minor chest infection and that I would be fine. But I wasn’t fine, and honestly too busy to notice. It was only when I woke up one night with searing pain in my chest that my husband called a cousin who was a doctor. He told me to go for an x-ray immediately.

My x-ray results left us-shaken. It showed a very dense spread of TB and a perforated lung. The chest specialist said that he hadn’t seen this much TB in a long time and that too in the body of an educated, healthy and well to do person.

Ironically, up until then I thought TB was a disease that was contracted by people living in the slums. Needless to say that I was shocked and confused about my diagnosis.

Thoughts began pouring in - how could someone as aware as I, let things get this bad? What if I have infected my kids, my family and staff? Being a workaholic, I thought if I could go back to work? My doctor told me, rather charmingly, that I was about two days away from collapsing.

That’s when it hit me. My weight had dropped to 42 kg. I looked like a ghost- gaunt and almost lifeless.

Defeat Was Not an Option

But, I was determined to beat TB at any cost. I was a mother, and had a fledgling business to run. I had to get better. For two weeks I barely met anyone. I didn’t hug the kids, I worked remotely for a while and with a mask. I was exhausted and nauseated at all times, had no appetite and all my clothes were stained yellow from the drugs that stained my perspiration. There were days when I could barely get out of bed, but I think my previous fitness held me in good stead here. My husband took a couple of days off work, but then it was back to me running the home, coordinating school and everything at work.

Lying in bed and just resting was not an option or a luxury I had. I wondered if I would die.

Exercise Helped Me Get Back On My Feet

I took the four drug combo, managed to hold it down and it took a good four months before my x-rays started showing TB receding. I felt awful for not being able to tell my friends that I could have inadvertently exposed them; they were parents of young kids, too. I just told people I had a severe chest infection, as I was scared of how they would react if I told them. My own kids were so young and I looked at them closely for signs of cough, night fevers or any kind of weakness.

All told, I felt very, very, alone during this time. I pestered my accountant to get tested. He said he had nothing –but I found out some months later that he had TB too.

Once I was declared TB free and cleared to slowly work my way back to health, the first challenge was to increase my lung capacity. I was breathing shallow – like sipping breaths. I went back to yoga and worked out diligently. Then, I undertook a fitness program that took me to almost athlete like fitness.

Stress Made Things Worse

Today, I feel so foolish that I ignored my health and the symptoms for so long. I also see the role that stress had to play in my contracting the disease. Stress keeps your body in a constant fight or flight mode – the beta state - and I could almost imagine the stress hormones pumping through my body like a toxin, keeping me awake at night.

In retrospect, I’m not surprised, that the stress coupled with my ignorance had weakened my immune system. I have learnt my lesson well and now my goal is to spread awareness of how good nutrition and wellness is necessary for people to prevent a plethora of diseases. Just remember that each of us is vulnerable. Immunity is the key. Eat nutritious food and be mindful of your health.

(A TB Survivor, Sandhya Krishnan is law graduate who went on to explore her creative and organization building sides in her career. She's been a radio jockey, theater actress, seller of contemporary Indian art and retail entrepreneur, among other things. Today, Sandhya heads the India operations for the holistic wellness site kenzai.com, and is a life and wellness coach.)

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