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

[Dust Bunny]

ok well im officialy freaked out! about a year ago sprinkler water got into my coop and made the straw in my nest boxes VERY moldy i didnt notice right away but eventualy had to clean the coop, well i got sick and stayed sick off and on nobody else did and i missed lots of work, they thought i was faking im sure, i called in sick on friday and they made me work on saturday! I COULD NOT BREATH! i couldnt even cough/sneeze becouse i didnt have the lung power! i was desperate to get outa work (i drive semi truck and i wasnt safe to drive and they didnt believe me that i was sick!) so i went to the doctor and found out i had pneumonia, i was freakin sick! i did get better but now i wonder if i had histoplasmosis, i also once got a gnarly eye infection after cleaning my snake tank and im now wondering about that too, it was so bad my eyes were glued shut with green stuff yuck! im definatly gona do more reserch on this, thanks for sharing your story and warning us

 

[Elite Silkies]

They gave me steriod shots and Avelox. It did help, but it hasn't worked completely. I seriously was scared to death, I was so sick, I had severe pain, cough and could not hardly breathe at times.

So, what did the Dr. give you? Because, I'm still not feeling the best, but I do feel tons better.

I panic when I can't breathe. But, I think it was a number of things rather than just poo. Birds produce a lot of dander and that isn't good to breathe either.

I did get some wonderful advice from all the members and they told me not to get rid of all of the birds, but I was really scared at the time, I didn't get rid of all of them, but I did get rid of 35 of my Silkies. I still do not regret getting rid of them, because I do feel that you can have too many birds. And 46 of one breed is just too many.

I think before any member should over react (YES I OVER REACTED) just remember take the necessary precautions before cleaning your coops. It isn't a bad idea to wear a mask anytime you enter your coops. It only takes a minute to put on a respirator. Walmart also carries the disposable respirators. It works pretty good. I have used it a couple of times to check the birds over and make sure they are all doing well. My husband is doing a wonderful job with them, but I like to double check his work

After I get a really good respirator I will take over some of my chores again.

I am going to buy a respirator from www.jondon.com They have the half face ones for $21.90, so that isn't bad at all. They told me to go the Health Department and get fitted for a respirator. That way you purchase the correct size. So, I am hoping I have time to do that today.

After having gone through what I have gone through, I would say it has a lot to do with ventilation. My Silkie coop is an enclosed coop and that isn't good.

So, I need to figure out how to ventilate it properly. If it is bad for us, it must be bad for the birds also.

 

[LittleFeat]

I am in no way trying to make light of this disease and definitely I'm sorry for those who have gotten sick and had a really hard time of it. I also appreciated the OP bringing it to our attention and I myself will keep it in mind and take better precautions, but if we start wearing HAZMAT suits to clean our coops then I think we can forget about changing laws and zoning for backyard chicken owners. If this is in fact a huge risk then maybe those against backyard chickens have a very good point. What about the spores we stir up while we are nicely protected....where are they floating to??

Histoplasmosis is not new and is not particularly dangerous for healthy individuals. If you have a compromised immune system by all means take precautions. I plan to wear a mask and always have when spreading manure on our garden plot. I probably will begin to wear a mask when I clean the coop. I will take better precautions if I ever find myself cleaning an old barn that housed lot of chickens. But I really hope we don't blow this out of proportion to the actual degree of risk. Just some thoughts I had.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Yes, we certainly do not need to over re-act. I have already done that. We just need to use precautions. I will not fully take back the chicken chores, but I do plan to help him out a little, with the use of an approved respirator.

 

[KKatknap]

This is a great reminder to be cautious. In fact, I didn't know anything about Histoplasmosis...so I'm thankful you posted! I tend to be the kind of person who figures I'll just wash my hands and it'll be fine. (Even though I quarantine my chickens like they have TB!

)

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Moxiechick]

Thanks for posting this. I had never heard of Histoplasmosis before.

Now that I've read this thread, I plan on using a mask and having a set of clothes just for cleaning the chicken coop. We have a shed right near where we plan on building the coop, so I could keep the clothes in there and use it as a changing room. Here is a question though... If the clothes shouldn't be brought into the house, how do I wash them? I imagine over time that they will need washing. Is it safe to throw them in the laundry? Would running the washer through a cycle with some bleach added to the water, after having washed the coop clothes, be enough to disinfect the washer of any spores? I would hate to think that the spores would live in the washer, and get all the other clothes infected...

 

[Dust Bunny]

i also wanted to mention something that has helped me, on doctors orders i got a sinus irrigator called a neti pot, its a little tea pot lookin thing that you put a saline solution into then pour in one nostril and it goes up into your nose, around your septum and out the other nostril (ya ya i know gross

) i works AWSOME totaly cleared up my sinus/ear infection! i cant live without it, i deliver wood products chips/dust/shavings to paper mills and breath in losts of fine sawdust the neti pot lets me rinse that stuff out before it causes an infection, do get one if you have sinus problems

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
I have thought about getting one, but to tell you the truth, I am a big chicken! I just don't think I could put liquid in my nose.

 

[TaylorC]

I love my neti pot.
I have "presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome" (POHS) which has resulted in a small blurry patch around 10:00 in my right eye. It seems I got it from digging in the dirt or who knows what when i was little. (We did raise chickens for about two years, but in TN it is found in the dirt everywhere.) I will be ordering a couple of masks for me wife and myself, and keep in mind about windy days, but here in CO it's so dry that fungus is less of a problem. This seems to be one of those things that, the more you know about it there's an urge to get worked up, but the biggest way to battle it is to know to look for it when you're sick, and get treated.

 

[clkingtx]

I just wanted to say a big thank you to the OP and the others posting their experiences. I hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to anything more than basic sanitation, and hadn't worn a mask when I did bedding changes. I had read this post, and it rang a bell when my rheumatologist put me on methotrexate, which drastically suppresses the immune system(also used to treat cancer!). I came back and read this post, and my husband is taking over the chicken chores till we get them outside! I will get a respirator so I can help with them, but until then, I am trying to steer clear.

Carrie

Oh, by the way, for those who don't think they could stand using a neti pot: You might surprise yourself. It took me so long to convince my husband to use the sinucleanse (similar to neti pot, just a little different shape), and he was totally skeptical. When he finally had bad enough congestion to give in, he was surprised that it wasn't as bad as he thought.