Constant pain for a year

[constantworrier79]

I am an 18 year old girl going on 19 with a horrible problem. The entire left side of my rib cage (front and back) has been hurting for a year when I breath in too hard or when I put pressure on it. now my lower back on the right side is starting to hurt. My throat is swollen and the left side of my head feels as if there is constant pressure applied to it all the time. I also cough up blood occasionally and it feels like something is stuck in my throat. What could this be?

[thatquietgirl]

Sorry for the delayed reply.  I believe TB is spread person to person, and no, you cannot get rid of it.  Once you have it, you have it.  However, after the year or so on antibiotics, you should be symptom free.  A simple test can be done to determine if you have TB.  Most places require a recent test if they're going to hire you.  It's just the injection of a fluid just under the skin.  If the bubble goes away, you don't have it, but if it doesn't, your doctor would take the next step when you come back to have it checked in two days.

[constantworrier79]

I also have bumps under my tongue

[constantworrier79]

I asked my doctor about coughing up blood a while ago and she said it was from the strain I put on my throat when I constantly cough up mucus but I am not sure she is right about that. Thank you. How do you obtain tuberculosis and can you get rid of it?

[thatquietgirl]

Go to a doctor!  You should have gone when it persisted for more than a few days.  Coughing up blood could be a lot of things.  The one that immediately comes to mind is tuberculosis.  If it is, you'll need a year, I believe it is, of antibiotics (do take the ENTIRE course even when you feel better, if you do end up with this or we can end up with another drug-resistant strain).  Even if it wasn't one of those two, coughing up blood is not a good thing.  Go get medical attention immediately.