valley fever, what is it? (Phoenix: motels, home, camps)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by yukiko11

This is the blog I have been looking for. I used to to go AZ to audit one of the companies I worked for. The manager of this company had allergies so bad that he had surgery to peel his whole face off to expose the polyps in his sinuses. I remember him telling me that although the commercials at that time said take your sinuses to Arizona, the climate was good for asthma, but not good for allergies because of "valley something" that was spores and caused an allergic reaction.
I currently live in WA and have developed many allergies over the 18 years I have been here due to the overabundance of trees and plants. I want to move to a warmer climate and cannot afford to return to CA where I am from. I have been in Arizona for a period of 3 days about 3 times at different times of the year. I remember waking up in my motel room with my eyes sealed shut by a white discharge. This was 20 years ago. I wonder if I am going to have the same trouble now and if this is what is causing it..

Valley fever has nothing to do with allergies. I'd be willing to bet you were allergic to something they used to clean the hotel room or something in the room, rather than anything outside.

[a2000b2050]

is it the gift to new people to arizona
what is the rate of death because of that? what are the best practices to prevent children from getting it?
I have 2 child of 5 and 2 and don't want to see them suffer from that ...

thanks

[observer53]

Originally Posted by a2000b2050

is it the gift to new people to arizona
what is the rate of death because of that? what are the best practices to prevent children from getting it?
I have 2 child of 5 and 2 and don't want to see them suffer from that ...

thanks

The rate of death is VERY VERY low, especially in otherwise healthy people. Other than not letting your children play outside in dust storms to limit exposure to airborne dust, there is really nothing that you can do to limit exposure (and even doing that will not prevent them from getting it someday.-- I moved here when I was four, evidently had it when I was 15). They may not get it until they are much older or adults.

You have to let them be children and let them live their lives. It is NOT something to be overly stressed about. I will say again, many people are not even aware that they have it, for others it is not unlike any other upper respiratory illness.

[Finger Laker]

i wouldn't worry about prevention, just awareness and recognition on the rare chance that it does develop into a more severe ball of wax

i agree with observer - let your kids be kids

don't sit them outside in a dust storm, but realize that they are going to breath in a fair amount of dust regardless

have them wash up before dinner - normal stuff

i wouldn't stress on it - just know that it's out there

[yukiko11]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

EEEWWWW! Are you sure that's not like gonorrhea or chlamydia of the eye? Allergies with a WHITE DISCHARGE??? EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

That is a rather personal attack if I ever read one.
Well, if it is as you say, it has never happened anywhere but in Phoenix, so are you suggesting that Phoenix is the gonorrhea or chlamydia capital of the world? I think there are a lot of people out there who wouldn't agree with you!
I have horrible allergies in WA but they are just the regular itchy eye and runny nose type. I didn't even develop these allergies until about 5 years after I moved from LA and at least 6 years after visiting Phoenix.
I have never suffered from any STD in my 58 years, but evidentially from your post, you are the expert so I really have no augment to offer.
My thanks to other posters who offered helpful information about this post.

[yukiko11]

Originally Posted by observer53

Valley fever has nothing to do with allergies. I'd be willing to bet you were allergic to something they used to clean the hotel room or something in the room, rather than anything outside.

Thank you for an intelligent and proper response. I did stay in the same motel all three times I was there, however, the irritation started as soon as I descended into the valley on the way to Phoenix. These could actually be two different issues. I plan to stay in Phoenix for at least a week to see if I experience the same problem.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by yukiko11

That is a rather personal attack if I ever read one.
Well, if it is as you say, it has never happened anywhere but in Phoenix, so are you suggesting that Phoenix is the gonorrhea or chlamydia capital of the world? I think there are a lot of people out there who wouldn't agree with you!
I have horrible allergies in WA but they are just the regular itchy eye and runny nose type. I didn't even develop these allergies until about 5 years after I moved from LA and at least 6 years after visiting Phoenix.
I have never suffered from any STD in my 58 years, but evidentially from your post, you are the expert so I really have no augment to offer.
My thanks to other posters who offered helpful information about this post.

LOL, you are way to sensitive, I can tell you are from Washington. It is all very granola up there. However, I asked my friend, who is a doctor, about white discharges with allergies and she assures me that it is an infection and not a result of an allergic reaction. Your allergies may have inflamed your tear ducts or sensitive mucuous membranes causing an infection. You have no argument to offer because I'm sure you knew it was an infection from something, might not be an STD, but from something! Anyway, Valley Fever is a respiratory infection...your eyes shouldn't be discharging puss or anything because of it. Anyway, I not being mean, just straight forward, I smell something funny about your white discharge of the eye ONLY in Phoenix post.

There are several high potential leading causes:

1. A low grade infection of the outside of the eye and/or lid
2. Uncorrected astigmatism, farsightedness, or nearsightedness that is causing eyestrain and eye rubbing, leading to a low grade infection in that eye from the hand
3. An infection in the tear duct and or related structures of the tear drainage system.

Should the condition persist for another 3 days or so, I strongly recommend that you see an eye doctor to rule out more serious conditions. On the short term, use of warm compresses a couple times a day may help to resolve this discharge.

[a2000b2050]

thx, I have only one other question?
if I have a fever, do I have to react in a normal way, buy standard medecins, or I have to go to see doctor.
In all my life, when I have a fever, I buy std medecin from wal mart, and the results is in less than 3 days.

wht do you think?

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by a2000b2050

thx, I have only one other question?
if I have a fever, do I have to react in a normal way, buy standard medecins, or I have to go to see doctor.
In all my life, when I have a fever, I buy std medecin from wal mart, and the results is in less than 3 days.

wht do you think?

What is std medecin??? Wait, do you mean standard medicine? As in aspirin for fever reduction?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by a2000b2050

thx, I have only one other question?
if I have a fever, do I have to react in a normal way, buy standard medecins, or I have to go to see doctor.
In all my life, when I have a fever, I buy std medecin from wal mart, and the results is in less than 3 days.

wht do you think?

It depends on how high your fever is. There is such a thing as a low grade fever and a high grade fever. Regardless of the cause, a high grade fever (102.0 F or higher recorded with a digital thermometer) should be cause for concern and should be followed up by a physician immediately. Even something as ordinary as community acquired pneumonia can be deadly at times. However, when people experience fever, it's usually never this high regardless of how bad the person feels which is why most people can take Tylenol or other medication and feel better. 98.6 is normal and most people with fever are experiencing a low grade fever of around 99.5-100.5. Before we go on, 98.6 is not a strict number, if a patient's temperature 98.9 or 97.9, that's fine, it doesn't have to be exactly 98.6. Even some physicians wouldn't be concerned with a 102 F fever in a healthy immunocompetent (normal immune system) patient. You will often hear people say they had a 106 but they really meant 100.6. A fever of 106 is approaching conditions that are not really compatible with life so when people say "I had a 108 fever" you know they probably meant 100.8

The trouble with coccidioidomycosis is that it is very difficult to diagnose. Chest X-rays can appear normal and bloodwork may not reveal anti-cocci antibodies. And if these antibodies occur, they may not be evident in your blood for weeks after acquiring the illness which is why you can't rule it out with a negative anti-cocci antibody test. Primary cocci presents similar to ordinary community acquired pneumonia and for many people, they can have it for weeks or a few months and it will resolve on its own without use of anti-fungal medications. It's rare that it presents in a systemic fashion meaning the infection goes beyond the lungs and affects other parts of the body.

Generally, some common sense rules apply. if the patient is not immunocompromised (Elderly, HIV, Autoimmune disease, high dose coricosteroid therapy) they are observed and treat empirically with antibiotics for community acquired pneumonia. It's only if the person presents with serious pulmonary infection or extra-pulmonary (beyond the lungs, systemic disease) will the use of anti-fungal medication be considered.