I'm really worried about my uncle, he's 62 and has IHD. He's dealing with this massive left-sided pleural effusion and he's been in Railway hospital Bhaykhala with an ICD in place. We've been seeing a daily output of about 350-400ml of pleural fluid that's yellowish with a slight reddish tinge. The doctors at Tata hospital did two cytology tests for malignant cells and both came back negative. A PET-CT scan showed a small extra pleural nodule about 11x7mm at the pulmonary confluence, needing histopathological correlation, and the SUV max is 4.3. They've tried Augmentin and Magself Cefoperazone, but the fluid output hasn't changed. They've recommended a biopsy of the nodule. I'm just wondering if there are any other treatment options we could consider.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

Dr Dhankecha Dineshbhai

General Practitioner

MBBS
6+ Yrs

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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'm 25 and having a bit of a scare here. I've been coughing up this black phlegm, dealing with nasal congestion, and feeling breathless, but it gets a bit better after I cough. I havent smoked ever, and I live in an area with clean air, so Im really confused. What could be going on with me? And what kind of medication should I be considering? Also, I'm not experiencing any cough or fever along with it.

it might be acute bronchitis

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

I'm really worried as my part-time maid's son has been diagnosed with TB, and we just found out today. He's apparently had it for about two months, but the maid herself seems totally fine and hasn't shown any symptoms. She's been at our place for work during this time since we didn't know, but should we be worried about being at risk? Weve been okay so far. Also, her son started with a watery cough just yesterday, not coughing up blood or anything, but can someone catch TB and only start showing symptoms way later, like in months or even years?

Patient is advised to continue ATT for 6 months.

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

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