Histoplasmosis !!! Please read !!! Important for all !!

[aiwetir]

i actually wear an osha approved respirator. i have an elevated coop, so i can't get in it so i don't have to worry about my clothing too much, but i take and shake off my shirt or jacket before i take the respirator off.

i'm not sure if the respirator is approved for fungus though, i should look that up.

actually does anyone know how small the particles are that can infect you ?


but i'm not really that worried about it, if i get sick i can guess what it may be.

 

[Ferngully]

Thank You for the reminder on Histoplasmosis, I believe it is a serious medical concern that is often forgotten about. Endemic initially to what is considered "the Ohio River Valley". We had the fortune to live on an old farm in Ohio for a few years when I was younger, no livestock, one lonely cat, and every farm building you could think of coop, barn, corn crib, tractor shed, woodworking shed, older farm house. They had not been used for farming for 20 years. Somewhere along the line in cleaning the place up and gardening, not sure what the source was, my young mother contracted histoplasmosis (I understand it can live in the soil for many years). It initially appeared as being a case of pneumonia and was treated as such when she went to the E.R. gasping for air, and high temp. After several weeks of not resolving, a doctor, who was not from the area, diagnosed her. In the end she developed lesions on her lung, and it had damaged her eyes. Yes, for many years and possibly now I believe (haven't read the lastest medical journals on it) the medical community believed that if you contracted it then you would only get it in either of those 2 places and rarely both. The outcome, lesions on her lung that had to be monitored 2x year minimum for the rest of her life to measure the size of the lesions to watch for increase in size. Her vision was seriously damaged in both eyes, (the eye doctors loved to examine her because they rarely get to see such a think first hand). We used to lovingly say, blind in one eye and can't see out of the other. Laser surgery was attempted in order to help correct the damage, the result of that was devastating, she lost all but a small pinpoint vision in the one of her better eyes at the time. She continued to loose vision in her other eye through the years. We lost my mother, my best friend, and farming mentor 5 years ago to cancer. She had gone for her routine check up including the chest x-rays and all was the same, no changes in x-ray or blood work. 30 days later she lay dying in a hospital bed. We never got to find out the primary site of the cancer, the doctors were focusing on trying to treat the aggressive cancer that had spread to her heart. The were unsuccessful, and she died 6 weeks after her diagnosis. My siblings and I feel that, in a remote way because of the changes in cell structure that her histoplasmosis played a part in her death. She was in her early 50's and as active and healthy as ever and teaching my children the art of gardening and loving the outdoors and planning for her day to get to have chickens on their 10 acres. I apologize for this being so long, but I wanted to share how something so small, and seemingly unimportant can change a persons life for the rest of their life. All the poking, prodding, testing she had done on a regular basis to monitor her histoplasmosis was not always enjoyable and loosing her vision had an impact on her life as well. My hope is that like the OP, others will give thought to this when they care for their birds, a simple small micron mask can go a long way in helping to prevent contraction. I would hate to hear that one of the new found BYC buddies had contracted this. To the OP I am so glad that you are slowly getting better, and the other posters who have known someone who contracted it my hearts are out to them. Though I will not live in fear of it, I do believe I will wear a mask when cleaning the coop, though it is not known to be in our area, to err on the side of caution is always better. Thanks for letting me ramble. Ferngully

 

[Mahonri]

Hate to admit it, especially since I have lots of face masks available.

I'm just trying to get over it and it's not easy.

We clean the coop weekly and my kids long ago told me they won't go in without a mask now.

 

[Ferngully]

Sorry to hear that Mahonri, and to Chicken Women as well, I hope that in time you both will be back up to full speed ahead. It is so draining on the body. Sending my get well wishes to you and keeping you in our prayers.

 

[junebug7334]

I have always worn a mask, and as a nurse have had them at my disposal.....but you did a great thing by posting this. Many thanks!

 

[Chicken Woman]

It doesn't need to be common in your area ! It is extremly rare here in Montana.

I can attest to the fact that it can happen anywhere you are around garden soil (as there has been fertalizer and compost put in most gardens) and anywhere around chickens including raking and cleaning the run !

I am going to the eye doctor on Monday to have my eyes checked out. This is very serious and I only wish i had known about it before. IM concerned that I could have ongoing health problems. I already deal with not having a tyroid gland and trying to keep my thyroid levels right.

I am pretty worried :/as even though my symtoms are mostly gone that doesn't mean that I could have long term health problems related to this. I still have no appitite and feel wiped out !

Please make sure that you direct anyone you know that works in their garden or around chickens , to this thread.

 

[illinichick]

When my DD22 was 6 yrs old, she began running a low grade fever and had headaches daily. After going back and forth with dr's appts and him just basically giving up on finding the cause, I demanded that she be referred to St. Louis Children's Hosp. All it took was a chest xray and TB test to determine that she had Histo. The MD's there stated that during WWII, most men going into the service from the Mid West showed spots on their lungs during their service physical and that the medical community was afraid there was a TB outbreak. After research, they discovered that it was Histo and most people in the Midwest have or have had some form of it. My DD always loved playing in the leaves in the fall and they said that's where she probably got it. There is treatment for it but it is the same treatment they give people who have had a liver transplant , rejection drugs. These drugs have alot of side effects themselves so the person has to be very ill with Histo to make the drugs worth it. My DD went back to Barnes every 3 months for a chest xray and after 1 year, her lungs eventually calcified around the fungus. No last effects but I think those spots will always show up on her xrays.

 

[CK Chickadilly]

Quote:
I wear rubber gloves when cleaning too! (edited to add) which also reminds me not to rub my eyes & nose!

 

[mylilchix]

Thank you very much for the heads up. We have masks here too, and I never think to put one on when I clean the coop. I wasn't aware of this condition. My prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.

Sonja

 

[greyfields]

Back to the top...

Good advice here. Since getting into farming, I've had so many friends get sicknesses from their livestock. The doctors are not even looking for many of them, most the time, since they hardly deal with people caring for livestock anymore. I've been told more than once by my doctor that "haven't seen that one in 20 years when I was interning in a 3rd world country".

Take care yourselves.