Valley Fever should I be concerned?

[PattySprinter]

I have lived in CA, AZ and TX - El Paso is the only place that I have lived where the fine sand dust blows in, even through sealed windows.
Only lung disease (thank God) that I ever got was a lung illness from a pet parrot (psittacosis).
... digging in dirt - I seem to recall reading that a person can contact Anthrax from the earth too! :gasp:!!

 

[blmkid]

illness pet parrot (psittacosis).

I wonder if that one has come up on the show, Jeopardy? Sorry for the off subject.

 

[TrainChaser]

Here's a map of where the fungus is found: https://www.pcta.org/2016/know-valley-fever-44994/

Here's info from the Mayo Clinic (about 5 easy pages: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/valley-fever/basics/definition/con-20027390)

Apparently, many people have it and don't know it.

Don't stir up dust, and if there's dust blowing, wear a mask.

 

[DesertDweller]

I have had valley fever the first year I moved to the desert, and symptoms can vary. I was tired, feverish, and had headaches daily. The doc did a blood test and told me I had it, and that I'd had it for awhile. It just faded away, and I had no ongoing problems after that. In Kingman, the wind blows the dust almost all the time, so you may want to reconsider moving there.

 

[DangerBird]

Have lived in the Phoenix area since 1983. Had Coxie 25 years ago and like several have said, flu like symptoms... no big deal. When I went to the Doc, she did a scratch test for Coxie and TB. Lucky me, they got the arms switched and I tested positive for TB!  :O A whole bunch of expensive tests ensued all coming back inconclusive. Chest Xray also inconclusive but you could sure see it! Long story short, I was finally referred to a pulmentoligst who could have been Spencer Tracy's brother. He held the Xray up to the light and instantly said this is coxie..... they didn't tell you?

I also have some minor scarring in the lower left lobe but they never comment on it any more when I have a Xray. Some people get this and never know it but will test positive forever more. Don't let this scare you. Just about everybody I know has had it and nobody died. 

 

[highdesertranger]

ok what is Coxie? I looked it up and couldn't find anything that has to do with a health condition. highdesertranger

 

[duckwonder]

Just wondering if an annual flu shot would do anything to help prevent this sort of thing.  Can't really control the conditions of the desert soil but boost my immune system, that I can do.

 

[DangerBird]

ok what is Coxie?  I looked it up and couldn't find anything that has to do with a health condition.  highdesertranger

I had to ask my RN wife and of course I spelled it incorrectly... spelled cocci (coccidioidomycosis) which is the medical term for Valley Fever.
Hopes this help you find it. Thanks for pointing that out.

-Mike

 

[DangerBird]

Just wondering if an annual flu shot would do anything to help prevent this sort of thing.  Can't really control the conditions of the desert soil but boost my immune system, that I can do.

I don't think so. Cocci is actually a fungal infection of the lungs. The spores that cause it are in the soil here in the desert.

 

[highdesertranger]

ah now it all makes sense. thanks for clearing that up. highdesertranger

 

[DangerBird]

As a side note, Dogs can also get Valley Fever but it settles in their bones and if not treated with an antifungal medication, it is usually fatal. Years ago, the neighbors dog had it and it was not diagnosed until it was to late.

If I remember correctly, Bob's dog Cody had it (or maybe it was homer) but it was caught in time and the proper meds were administered. I had a brief discussion with him about this at last years RTR.

-Mike

 

[wasanah2]

Dawn, my uncle died from the result of Valley Fever.  He and my aunt moved in a big diesel pusher to an RV park in AZ for the winters, returning home to Missouri when the weather was better there.  He contracted Valley Fever just being there.  He had never heard of it and my aunt and uncle were FURIOUS that it's a well guarded secret. 

I mean, they didn't live in their car nor did they get out and plant stuff outside.  My aunt told me that the spores are in the wind and all you have to do is be outside long enough to get it. 

My uncle was a tough guy.  He served our country in 2 wars.  He wasn't ill before he had it.  He was fit and in great condition.

It's like Russian Roulette.  Maybe you won't get it.  But if you do, you can't undo the fact that you have it.  My buddy from college and spouse live in Phoenix area and his wife has Valley Fever.  She is so ill.  She used to be able to backpack and camp and do a lot.  She's in her late 40s and as frail as a 90 year old.

So it's no big deal if you don't get it.  If you do, it's HUGE.

 

[akrvbob]

My last Dog Homer got it, but he was killed by cancer before we figured it all out. My current dog Cody has it as well. They dig in the dust in Quartzsite and take big sniffs of it to catch a lizard or ground squirrel, I'm sure that's how they both got it.

There are very good meds for it in dogs, it knocked it out of Cody in about 6 months and now he is off the meds. He'll get an annual blood test for it every year for life, but chances are it won't come back. Zero impact on his health.

But, because Homer had it I was very aware of it and the symptoms. As soon as Cody started coughing I knew it could be Valley Fever and took him to his vet right away. I think catching it right away may be critical. I also had a great vet!

If you are in the desert and your dog is coughing, get him tested RIGHT AWAY!!

I did a video interview with my vet about pets for Nomads and it is a great video, we talk about Valley Fever at length. I'll have a series about pets on the road coming out soon.

 

[BobBski]

At 64 years old, I’d never heard of Valley fever until this thread.

 

[duckwonder]

Dawn, my uncle died from the result of Valley Fever.

I'm so sorry to hear this but it is very good to know to take it seriously and that it can and does happen, and to our pets too.  I'm one that is weary from living in fear so I may well spend some time in the desert in AZ, but now, may stay in the van more during a dust storm, or put my small dog in my backpack if the ground is between moist and dust stirring up, watch for a cough and get to the vet, and if I get it, at least I'll get it knowing I did it while embarking on the most important and enjoyable treks of my life.  I did it while doing what I love.

 

[wasanah2]

I'm so sorry to hear this but it is very good to know to take it seriously and that it can and does happen, and to our pets too.  I'm one that is weary from living in fear so I may well spend some time in the desert in AZ, but now, may stay in the van more during a dust storm, or put my small dog in my backpack if the ground is between moist and dust stirring up, watch for a cough and get to the vet, and if I get it, at least I'll get it knowing I did it while embarking on the most important and enjoyable treks of my life.  I did it while doing what I love.

It is good to know because they (tourism) hide it.  Anyway, there's no reason anyone has to live out their dream in the desert.  If you love the desert and want to take the chance, of course it's there for you.  But this same lifestyle can be done in other areas.  For example, I'm on the east coast and plan on FL for winter and then in more temperate months, head for the mountains of N. Carolina, the Alleghenies of PA and Adirondacks of NY and maybe even up as far as Maine.  You can do this out east or in the Pacific Northwest non-desert areas. 

It's just that now you know about Valley Fever, which is more warning than my uncle got.  I don't know if they would have done it if they knew.  My aunt says they wouldn't have.  At the time they were considering doing the snow bird route, they were going to do FL or AZ and opted for one over the other. 

If you listen to some of the warnings at the end of commercials for medicines they hawk on TV, on the disclaimers they talk about "certain fungal infections"?  That's what they're talking about.  They don't call it Valley Fever because they don't want people to know.  Some people die.  Some have such lung trouble they wish they could.  At least you can make an informed decision.

 

[Headache]

Being educated about it is your best defense:

http://azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/valley-fever/index.php

http://vfce.arizona.edu/

https://www.tripsavvy.com/about-valley-fever-2677517

https://www.cdc.gov/features/valleyfever/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidioidomycosis

Both a pro baseball and basketball player got it so it doesn't discriminate.

 

[akrvbob]

I do not mean to minimize it, but we really do have to keep things in perspective. Here is a quote about the risk of Valley Fever from this source:
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/valley-fever-redux-just-how-dangerous-is-this-fungus/:

there are still only about 100,000 cases a year, and two-thirds or so have symptoms so mild that the sufferer never seeks medical attention. Around 400 cases a year have extremely serious consequences, including pneumonia and fungal meningitis. The disease causes fewer than 100 deaths a year, including Steve Uecker. So, while it’s a big deal in Arizona, it’s a small problem in the scheme of things in the country as a whole.

Arizona has many millions of residents, and tens of millions of visitors every year. Out of all those people:

• 33,000 have symptoms bad enough to seek medical attention
• 400 have extremely serious consequences
• 100 die.

If you are one of those very few people, then this is a truly horrible thing. But statistically, it's just not any big deal. It's not even a blip on the Federal Governments radar, that's why you've never heard of it.

As many people die from West Nile Virus but I'm not too concerned about it. 35 people died from in it in California and Texas alone, but I'm not going to boycott them because of it. I may for other reasons, but not because they have a high incidence of West Nile Virus.

Of all the things that might get me, Valley fever is fairly low on my fear list.

 

[bullfrog]

I rode a bicycle with out a helmet as did most people my age did growing up, rode in the back of a pickup and had all sorts of things to play with that I could choke on and did several times but my mother saved me and let me do it again till I learned not to. Guess I live a charmed life but I will not allow myself to die from stress over worry. There are too many good things about this life style that I would miss if I did.

 

[TrainChaser]

We're taught to be afraid of everything. Some people focus so much on it that they're afraid to live. You can spend your live in your house or apartment and have everything delivered, and you're still gonna die of something, sooner or later. But who wants to live for 90 years like that?

The only thing we really know about life is that we're not going to get out of it alive.