text: can someone have tb and get over it on their own without treatment? i have a coworker who has had a awful cough and has been coughing up blood and occassionaly complains of chest pains. it has recently dawned on me that those are symptoms of tb. myself as well as some of my coworkers had what we thought was the most horible cold we ever experienced that lasted about 3 weeks. for the most part we all feel better, but is it possible we contracted tb and our immune system fought it and now it is dormant in our system? tuberculosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of infective origin. it can be diagnosed with the help of a chest x ray and sputum culture. it is treatable within 6-9 months of regular medicines which are usually available free in india in all primary health centers run by central/state governments. and no, the body cannot fight this infection on its own and yes, medicines are a must.