I'm currently on tuberculosis medication and have been for the last two months. When I started the treatment, my ESR was 49, and it's now at 44. Is it normal for ESR levels to decrease this slowly? Should I be concerned about the progress, or is this expected with TB treatment? I'm trying to understand what this could mean for my recovery.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

Dr Ranjith Darla

General Practitioner

MBBS
3+ Yrs

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yes esr is a marker of infection, it is lowering which is a good sign

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Answered 04/07/2025

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I was diagnosed with lymph node TB back in August 2021, and Ive been on medication since then. I haven't had any symptoms for the past six months, which is great, but I'm wondering about smoking. I know its generally bad for your health, no matter your condition, but Im curious if it could specifically affect the treatment outcomes for TB. Does smoking have any particular impact on how well I might recover or respond to the treatment?

yes it can

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

I've been yawning a lot and feeling like I constantly need to take deep breaths, almost like I can't get enough air. It's really weird and a little worrying. Is this something I should be concerned about? Could it be related to stress or something else?

check your hb levels once as anemia may be a cause for shortness of breath

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

I'm really concerned because I was in the hospital a while back for serious shortness of breath. They did an X-ray and blood tests, and everything came back normal. But my doctor still put me on cefixime for 14 days and clonazepam for 30 days. It's been about 10 days now, and I thought I was getting better since my oxygen levels seem normal, but I'm still feeling short of breath and just really fatigued all the time. I can't run or do any exercise, and it's starting to worry me. How much longer might it take to really recover? Should I be thinking about trying any other meds or treatments?

Recovery is around 2-3 weeks.Continue all the medications.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

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Disclaimer: Answers on Apollo 247 are not intended to replace your doctor advice. Always seek help of a professional doctor in case of an medical emergency or ailment.