My mother went for a TB skin test and they have injected that chemical into her skin. Now there;s like a hive/ bump or whatever you may call it on the injected area and they say that it means TB positive and she needs to take a chest x-ray. Could this be possible? Does that mean that she;s got TB? And if we have to take a chest x-ray, what would be the cost ? Coz we don;t have health insurance and no one in my family has got a job right now 
And please suggest if there are any places or services for low cost medical testing, around Champaign Illinois!We were given the BCG (TB vaccine) ages ago in our country. Does BCG make TB skin test positive? I heard something like that. And she did a total medical check up including a chest x ray in last 2009 and she was just fine.
Your county health department may be able to help. It is possible for a BCG vaccine to cause a false-positive skin test but actually is not very likely. The problem in interpreting the test is that you have to keep in mind that you got the BCG because you were at higher risk for TB in your home country, so it is very possible the test really is positive. You could ask if she could get a different test called a T-Spot or a Quantiferon Gold in-tube test. Both test for blood immune response to TB and are not affected by BCG.
This is a serious situation so im sure where you live provide cost free service for tb…. Just ask the clinic your mom is going to.
It definitely means your mom has been exposed to TB before, and yes, she will need a chest xray. TB stays dormant in some people because it gets encapsulated as your body builds a wall around it. But TB is also an ancient scourge on humanity because the encapsulation does not always work, and it causes a nasty disease process. This exposure is why we work through the legal immigration process – a LOT of this is being brought in by illegals who have not been properly screened. It is a serious, serious risk because the reservior of active disease is just not known at this point.County health departments can do the xray, and it will cost quite a bit less than running off to the doctor. There is a public interest in seeing that TB doesn;t get around, and they will help you through the cost of getting your mom better if she is getting sick. The college might also have a program – there is a medica school there, no?