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ASHLEY UPDATE SEP 20

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ASHLEY UPDATE SEP 20

ASHLEY UPDATE

Just to let you know that I am back from hospital. Enjoying their food is a good way to lose weight.

Turns out that the initial diagnosis of giant cell arteritis may have been hooey and it was really TB all along masked by the steroids I have been taking (prednesone).

I have been taking the meds (some 40 pills per day) and am now at the stage where I am not contagious as declared in writing by the doctor. I will be on these meds for a year, by which time I should be cured.

I was instructed that, though I do not need a mask in public gatherings, as I would not infect anyone, the reverse could be true as my immune system has been compromised by antibiotics. So, you still might see me with a mask on. As far as my responsibilities on council, I am still fully capable of handling the computer and tech stuff. Physical stuff has been passed on to my council colleagues (thank you).

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Ashley Update 17 Aug 08

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Ashley Update 17 Aug

Ashley Update 17 Aug

Hi Everyone,

I just thought it would be appropriate to update you all on my condition.

I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis 5 days ago.

This was after two negative results for TB,  one in January, the next in July. The doctors figured this was due to the prednisone medication that I have been taking for giant cell arteritis, which is what they thought I have (and that still may be the case).

I visited the TB Clinic yesterday. They gave me a bucket load of antibiotics, and I will be on these for a while.  They will also monitor me and let me know when I am no longer infectious and am able to come off “in home” isolation.

Marie has no symptoms of TB or illness at all. The clinicians at the TB Clinic were very clear that although Marie has not been tested yet, she is not infectious to anyone. They said that even if she does test positive,  it is impossible for a person who is not having any symptoms of TB to transmit it to anyone else. They told her that she does not need to isolate herself and can carry on as usual.

I did bring up, multiple times about our community and the risk factor to you all. They were not too concerned about that as it is not easy to catch TB, especially in open spaces.  Fraser Health Authority is aware and will apparently be doing contact tracing within our community but I’ve been told it takes a week or two for them to get the process organized. Apparently that time frame of getting organized isn’t a problem because of the low possibility of transmission and because of how slowly the bacteria that cause TB reproduce when it is transmitted.

I am sorry that this has been sprung on you and hope to get well reasonably soon.