TB is curable, says survivor
The Clermont woman encouraged people to visit their nearest clinics should they suspect something out of the ordinary.
AS the world commemorated TB (tubercolosis) Day on Thursday, March 24, Clermont survivor, Badumile Mtolo recalls her near-death experience and her difficult road to recovery.
Mtolo was diagnosed in 2010 at her local clinic.
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Sharing her journey, Mtolo said her daughter kept commenting on her weight loss.
“I ignored her for a while until I felt tired all the time and also noticed that I was losing weight,” she said.
She made a decision to visit her local clinic, they examined her and the X-Ray showed water in her lungs.
“I was told that I had TB and it came as a shock at first as I was not coughing, it was just the weight loss. I guess symptoms differ from one person to another, before contracting this illness I thought the symptom was lots of coughing,” she said.
According to Mtolo, she was told that her illness was caused by the dust which she inhaled daily from her work place as she worked with wood.
“I decided to start my medication straight away as I valued my health, I took one pill three times a day and I was fortunate to receive grant money while I recovered from home for six months. The medication that TB patients takes differ, I always had follow-up checks when I went to fetch my medication,” she said.
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My body took lot of strain, I could not sleep, I was weak, I could not do anything, I had to be carried to bed, it was hard and depressing especially for me as a person who loves doing things for herself, I felt a burden,” she said.
Mtolo admitted that the medication had some negative effects but soon her body adapted.
“I would not be here today with my family and my grandchildren if I did not go to the clinic even though I wished I had gone sooner,” she said.
Mtolo encouraged people to visit their nearest clinics should they feel something out of the ordinary.
“Clinics are there to help us. They have staff trained to deal with such matters, I don’t regret the decision to go for a check-up because if I had not, I would not be sitting here today, I would have died,” she said.
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