Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People
 Search

		Submit


Tuberculosis (TB)


Facebook
        Twitter
        LinkedIn
        Syndicate





TB Personal Stories – Martha’s StoryEspañol (Spanish)										Related Pages
										Return to Main Menu
Martha’s Story

MarthaMartha
*Martha is a nurse who worked in Juarez, Mexico, at a local community hospital, caring for patients at one of the poorest health centers. In October 2010,* *she was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and later she learned she had multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB). Martha wants to tell others how important it is to receive effective care, as she did from the Texas binational TB program Project Juntos.*
My name is Martha, and I am a licensed nurse. I am also a diabetic. Being the head of my household, a single mother with two teenagers, and the sole support of my elderly mother, my priorities were my family and work. I now see it as ironic that despite being a health care provider, I did not take care of myself as I should have.
In August 2010, I developed a cough, but did not pay much attention to it. After 2 weeks, I went to see my physician, and he treated me for a cold. I developed a more persistent cough and started losing weight. A month passed, and I started having persistent night sweats; the cough was getting worse. Within 3 weeks, I had gone through two rounds of antibiotics.
In late September 2010, I visited my physician again, and he ordered a chest X-ray. It showed cavities in my lungs, a sign of TB disease, but he did not notice it and treated my illness as bronchitis. He prescribed one antibiotic after another, all of which failed to help. I had a lot of symptoms — sweating, chills, raised temperature, loss of appetite, and fatigue. All I wanted to do was stay in bed. Finally, in late October 2010, I was tested for TB and told that I had TB disease. This was shocking news to me.
I was referred to the local TB program in Juarez and received a lot of support from the staff. I started treatment for TB right away, and took it for the next 2 months. But instead of getting better, I was still getting worse. I continued to lose weight every day — there were days when I couldn’t eat.
In January 2011, my physician told me my treatment was not working. I was referred to Project Juntos in El Paso, Texas for my TB care because my case was so challenging. Project Juntos, supported by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), provides TB treatment services to binational patients in the border area, as well as to special cases—those that are especially hard to treat. My treatment was given as directly observed therapy (DOT) for the entire length of treatment, which meant a Project Juntos nurse made sure I took every dose of the drugs I needed. I also learned my treatment would include injections three times a week for 5 months—and I have always had a fear of injections. There were times that I was ready to give up, but the Texas DSHS Project Juntos nurses always encouraged me to make sure that I continued with my treatment.
Luckily, it appears that I did not infect anyone. My two teenage children and my mother were tested for TB infection and evaluated for disease, and fortunately all were negative; the Project Juntos nurses keep monitoring them with evaluations in 6-month intervals. The health center where I worked in Juarez carried out contact investigations among my co-workers. I know of no case being linked to me.
I received the new TB treatment for 6 months, January–June 2011. During treatment, I continued losing weight and began coughing up blood. I was hospitalized about four times due to coughing up blood. I even had to have a blood transfusion. Finally, the bleeding was controlled.
By the end of June 2011, it became clear that this new treatment was not working. New samples of sputum were collected and tested, and while we waited for the results, I was taken off treatment. By late August the results came back and showed that my TB was resistant to all six drugs I was taking.
In September 2011, I started a completely new course of treatment that included nine pills and two injections daily. These drugs, called second-line medications, are more toxic than the standard first-line drugs, as they are used to treat resistant bacteria. I would need to take this new regimen for 18-24 months, depending on how well they worked. By my second month on the new treatment, my tests showed that the medication was working.
“There were times that I was ready to give up, but the Texas DSHS Project Juntos nurses always encouraged me to make sure that I continued with my treatment.”
Finally, I completed treatment on November 28, 2012. The most significant side effects from these toxic medications included stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, and skin irritation. I now have profound deafness from the medication and have to wear hearing aids. But I am thankful for finally being healed and being alive.
As health care providers, some of us don’t think that we’ll ever be on the “other” side, someone with a serious disease. We think of ourselves as the ones giving treatment, providing care to patients. We need to learn to take care of ourselves, and pay more attention to diseases and illness, and give them priority over other things in our lives.
There were times that I was ready to give up rather than to continue with treatment. I lost a lot of things during the time I had TB. I did not have an income for 14 months. I lost my house, and we had to live with my brother. But I had the support of my family, friends, co-workers, and the staff from Project Juntos, who never left me alone. Thanks to the Texas DSHS Project Juntos staff, I was able to continue the ordeal of taking TB treatment for 18 months. And I found the strength to tolerate the painful and lengthy treatment because of my children.
The message I want to share is that TB is a serious disease, but if treated promptly and adequately, it can be cured. Taking care of one’s health is so important in preventing a disease from getting out of control or contributing to other conditions. I now take care of myself. My diabetes is under control, I follow a good nutritional regimen, take medication on schedule, and I rest and don’t abuse my health. Now that I’m recovered, I am working again. But my recovery would not have been possible without the help of the nurses in the Texas binational TB program Project Juntos.More TB Personal Stories
							
					
						Page last reviewed:  March 8, 2013					Content source: 	Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention homeTuberculosisBasic TB Factsplus iconHow TB SpreadsLatent TB Infection and TB DiseaseSigns & SymptomsTB Risk FactorsExposure to TBTB PreventionVaccinesTB & HIV CoinfectionTB and DiabetesTB TermsPersonal StoriesTesting & Diagnosisplus iconWho Should be TestedTesting for TB InfectionTesting in BCG-Vaccinated PersonsTB Screening and Testing of Health Care PersonnelTesting During PregnancyDiagnosing latent TB infection and TB diseaseTreatmentplus iconDeciding When to Treat Latent TB InfectionTreatment Regimens for Latent TB Infection (LTBI)Treatment for TB DiseaseAdverse EventsTB Treatment of Persons Living with HIVTB Treatment and PregnancyTB Treatment for ChildrenFrequently Asked QuestionsDrug-Resistant TBResearchplus iconTB Epidemiologic Studies Consortiumplus iconResearch ProjectsPublicationsTB Trials Consortiumplus iconStudy DescriptionsBackgroundBehavioral & Social Science ResearchHealth Care Settingsplus iconTB Infection Control in Health Care SettingsResources for TB Screening and Testing of Health Care Personnelplus iconFrequently Asked QuestionsTB in Specific Populationsplus iconHealth DisparitiesAsian PersonsBlack or African American PersonsHispanic or Latino PersonsChildrenPregnancyCorrectional FacilitiesPeople Experiencing HomelessnessInternational TravelersLaboratory Informationplus iconDrug Susceptibility TestingFalse-Positive Investigation ToolkitInterim Laboratory Biosafety Guidance for XDR  tuberculosis strainsModel Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP)Rapid Molecular Testing to Detect Drug-Resistant TB in the USplus iconExecutive SummaryIntroductionBackground on Tests for Molecular Detection of DRGeneral Considerations and Principles for a Molecular DR Testing ServicePossible Scenarios and Scope of Testing for a Molecular DR Testing ServiceResearch NeedsGeneral Recommendations of the Expert PanelCommunication Plan for the ReportRecommendationsReferencesPanel Members and CDC ParticipantsAppendix 1Appendix 2Appendix 3The Uses of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for the Diagnosis of TBplus iconGeneral ConsiderationsGeneral Recommendations of the Expert PanelRecommendations to ACET, CDC, DTBEData & Statisticsplus iconTB Incidence in the United StatesReported TB in the US, 2022 Surveillance Reportplus iconNational DataReporting Area DataRisk FactorsDemographicsTB Treatment and Case OutcomesDrug-Resistant TBMolecular SurveillanceTuberculosis in the United States, 2022 (Slide Set)Archived Surveillance Reports and Slide Sets2021 State and City ReportArchived State and City ReportsProfessional Resources & Toolsplus iconTools for Healthcare ProvidersResources for TB Programsplus iconStrengthening Civil Surgeons’ Capacity to Improve LTBI Surveillance and Outcomes Among Status AdjustersNotice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)Program EvaluationTB Centers of ExcellenceTB Elimination AllianceTB Genotypingplus iconConventional TB GenotypingWhole Genome SequencingTB GIMSAnalytic ToolsLatent Tuberculosis Infection ResourcesPublications & Productsplus iconPatient and Public MaterialsFact SheetsGuidelinesplus iconControl & EliminationDrug-Resistant TBInfection Control & PreventionLaboratory & GenotypingTB & HIVTB in Specific PopulationsTesting & DiagnosisTreatmentVaccines & ImmunizationsArchived TB GuidelinesGuides & Toolkitsplus iconAggregate ReportsCDC TB Surveillance TrainingCore CurriculumEffective TB Interviewing for Contact InvestigationEthnographic GuidesFalse-Positive Investigation ToolkitForging Partnerships to Eliminate TuberculosisGuide to Application of GenotypingLTBI: A Guide for Primary Health Care ProvidersMantoux Tuberculin Skin Testing ProductsReport of Verified Case of Tuberculosis (RVCT)Self-Study ModulesTB Contact Investigation Interviewing Skills CourseTB eDOT ToolkitUnderstanding the TB Cohort Review ProcessNewslettersplus iconTB Notes, No. 4, 2023TB Notes, No. 3, 2023TB Notes. No. 2, 2023TB Notes. No. 1, 2023TB Notes, No. 4, 2022TB Notes, No. 3, 2022TB Notes, No. 2, 2022TB Notes, No. 1, 2022TB Notes, No. 4, 2021TB Notes, No. 3, 2021TB Notes, No. 2, 2021TB Notes, No. 1, 2021Pamphlets, Brochures, Bookletsplus iconQuestions and AnswersPatient Education SeriesTuberculosis - Get the FactsTuberculosis - The Connection between TB and HIV12-Dose Regimen for Latent TB Infection-Patient Education BrochurePostersplus iconMantoux Tuberculin Skin Test Wall ChartWorld TB DayThink TBStop TBTake on TBReports & Articlesplus iconDTBE Authored Journal ArticlesTuberculosis Laboratory Aggregate ReportsSlide Setsplus iconIntroduction to TuberculosisEpidemiology of Tuberculosis Among Non-U.S.​–Born Persons in the United States, 1993–2016Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis, 1-5 Slide SetsThe Tuberculosis (TB) in Correctional Settingsplus iconFacilitator GuideIntroduction to TB GenotypingEpidemiology of Tuberculosis in Correctional Facilities, United States, 1993-2017Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in Correctional and Detention FacilitiesGuidelines for Preventing the Transmission of M. TB in Health care SettingsInvestigation of Contacts of Persons with Infectious TBEpidemiology of Pediatric Tuberculosis in the United StatesTargeted Tuberculosis Testing and Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis InfectionElectronic Tools & ResourcesWeb-Based Courses & Webinarsplus iconTB 101 for Health Care WorkersContent SyndicationInfographicsplus iconSocial Media GraphicsCustomizable Take on TB Infographic with InstructionsEventsWorld TB Dayplus iconU.S. TB ChampionsHistoryFeaturesplus iconTB Risk FactorsTreating Latent TB Infection with Short-Course RegimensWorld Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2021World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2020Linksplus iconState TB Control OfficesAbout Usplus iconMission Statement and Activitiesplus iconDTBE Strategic PlanNational TB Program ObjectivesOrganization ChartAdvisory Groupsplus iconFederal TB Task Force To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address			What's this?				Submit


About CDC
					Contact Us
					800-232-4636
 Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Pinterest Snapchat
 CONTACT CDC
				Contact Us
							Call 800-232-4636
							Email Us
			ABOUT CDC
				About CDC
							Jobs
							Funding
			POLICIES
				Accessibility
							External Links
							Privacy
							Policies
							No Fear Act
							FOIA
							OIG
							Nondiscrimination
							Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			CONNECT WITH US
				Facebook
								Twitter
								Instagram
								LinkedIn
							Youtube
								Pinterest
								Snapchat
								Email
			LANGUAGES
				Español
							繁體中文
							Tiếng Việt
							한국어
							Tagalog
							Русский
							العربية
							Kreyòl Ayisyen
							Français
							Polski
							Português
							Italiano
							Deutsch
							日本語
							فارسی
							English


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
			Accessibility
			External Links
			Privacy
			Policies
			No Fear Act
			FOIA
			Nondiscrimination
			OIG
			Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			USA.gov


Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy Close
 Links with this icon  indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
				Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
				You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
				CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Website Disclaimers
 Cancel Continue