Re: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with you

June 25, 2012

It is good to hear from you mitesbegone. Congratulations on your daughter's marriage and soon to become a grandma! That is such a wonderful life affirming occurrence! I love being a grandma.Everyone on this site goes through so many life changes as a result of this experience... some of the experiences are years in the making. It has been 4 years since we first our first experience w/ birdmites. Much has occurred in 4 years. I was glad to know that you had gone to a LLMD but sad to hear that you do have Lyme Disease out of this experience. So many of us do end up with it, or some of us had LD pre-existing. The experience of "mites" did get better for me when I started treating with antibiotics and antifungals. The info you provided on the fungus killing mites is interesting. Do you have a scientific source for that? Not necessary if you can't find it, just curious mostly. I had gone on Itraconazole a few months back for fungal issues and my liver did not like it one bit; I had been on diflucan before that with no problems with the liver or increased enzyme activity. I went off the Itraconazole to get the liver enzymes back to normal. They are now back to normal. However, secondarily my ankles and feet started to swell and I'm dealing with that now. Never had that before. My father in law had that - and he had cirrhosis, so it does scare me a bit, plus I know you can get swelling like that from heart failure and/or kidney failure. I'm in the process of trying to go onto a low fat diet which I've just started, not following a regular diet, just following certain guidelines. I do have diabetes and a low fat diet is recommended (which I've ignored until now).During the time you were gone my daughter in Germany was back in the hospital with gallstones... a most painful thing. She had her gallbladder out 3 - 1/2 years ago, but you can still get stones in a duct or even in the liver which cause inflammation. We both no longer have our gallbladders. It is recommended to go on a low fat diet for this too, so when the family comes to visit in July-August we'll be eating low fat! So far we're having a good summer despite a lot of life changes, ups and downs. I'm still getting the same weird sensations on feet in very mild form, despite my medications, so at this point I just do not know - and they mostly come at late afternoon to evening. We're all in some kind of process... I think it is all internal for me.So good to hear from you mitesbegone! Please post when you have time.From: "mitesbegone" <no_reply >bird mites Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 4:03:40 AMSubject: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with you

Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the world. It has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I know it has been a while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. I did not ever wish to be that person who was here and then gone to the bafflement and consternation of all those who remained. First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering groups out there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be forced to suffer miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief from most non-mite sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching sorrow one can experience. I know this. You know this. And only we select few will ever truly understand.There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort and hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at our most hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and another favorite "might as well laugh as cry". And while many of us have tread that fine boundary between life and death, not sure which one we wish for, and shed those tears of laughter which very often mimic those tears of tragedy, it may be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how close we have come to the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the bird mite. But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I believed my life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that perhaps, it had not. You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of people, who first let me know I was not alone in my suffering. That I was not alone in this perplexing battle against nature. From first discovering the red bird mite on my canary to the dizzying multitudes that descended upon me, I felt adrift in the world gone mad. Yes, I too tried the endless round of vacuuming, cleaning, spraying, trying first one product only to discard that and try another. Each week found me buying a new hope in a bottle, a new PCO with a cure. From deadly to organic, nothing seemed to work. Like many here, I started out with a compromised immune system which seemed to ring the dinner bell for the elusive micro sized mite. Hard to catch sight of, but doggone hard to ignore, these mites rained down a bloody hellish mess upon me, then my dogs, and ultimately my son. Like many of you, I washed and ultimately threw out many of my clothes. Like many of you, I found there was never a safe place to sleep. I burned my skin from numerous applications of vicks to my face, ears and other very tender spots. I burned menthol until my eyes streamed. Some of this worked for a while, some not at all. Why some worked for me and not for others I do not know.Ultimately, I simply broke down and turned to two things, science and God. I began to study the heck out of these mites. I took pictures with a digital microscope, studied slides under a more powerful microscope. I reached out to Professors in other countries and I began a series of communications with Biologists, Micro-Biologists, Entomologists and mold specialists. I left no stone unturned. And when I found no ready answers nor any relief, I broke down and had a spiritual crises. I found myself one night on the bottom of my bath tub as shower water poured down upon the red skin I had just scrubbed for the third time that day. I collapsed and turned myself over completely and 100% to God. I knew in that moment, I had nothing left. And while I believe truly that it was at that moment that my life turned around, I do not say this as a solution for you, as that is, for many, as intangible a thing as there is. This was my personal journey. But I wish to explain as completely as possible. As many of you know, I packed up my dogs and with only a few belongings, fled to a local hotel. I was so sick and tired, was so seriously sleep deprived and sick that I thought I was crawling away to die. My little dog was seriously ill and I worried tremendously for my son. But after a week of vomiting up black dots and thinking my body was never going to be rid of the disease of the mite, I did start to get well. And as I got well, I became very fearful. Does that sound weird? I knew that I would have to face what I had run from. My daughter was getting married this June and was going to be a mother as well. I knew that I could not afford to let this beat me. I had to find my courage. Several here recommended I seek out an LLMD. I did that. I was told that I had Lyme disease and Bartonella, most likely my son did as well, as did my little dog. I was able to start my dog on antibiotics and very soon, the limp she had disappeared. I thought she had arthritis, but low and behold, it must have been Bart. My doctor was very concerned about starting me on antibiotics out of fear of herxing, but he did start me on anti-fungals. This seemed to help some. But nothing could shore up my total cowardice in facing a return to home. You see, I had tried to come home just to pick up things from time to time and I would no sooner open the door to my house but would be assaulted by a choking infestation which would then take me days to get rid of. My scientific investigation continued remotely however, and after lots of conversations with people here and in the "normal" community, I became convinced that mites do not simply "disappear". They stay and stay. And they will feast upon humans and canines. I had read or heard or someone hear told me, can't say for sure...but that some small % of the population was somehow especially attractive to mites. In fact, possibly even to the extent that mites could live for some time off of humans. While I scoffed at this notion, it did seem to have merit. How else to explain the years of affliction. But like many others here, it just did not seem to be all about mites. You see, there is in fact a fungus which seems to feed off of mites. At first I thought there was some type of symbiosis between this fungus and mites. But I now know that this fungus is a parasite...and to be more exact, a mite parasite. It actually kills mites. I have not been able to really work on my theory to the extent I wish. But my theory is that there are naturally occurring fungi that will destroy the bird mite. This fungi has been engineered by organizations and encouraged as a natural harbinger for mite destruction, especially targeted for crops. I believe this was first developed to kill a tree mite which infested certain fruit trees. This fungi however appears to have been disbursed without proper bio-controls put into place. Meaning that this fungus may kill mites, but when the mites are gone will turn to humans, releasing pathogenic spores into the environment. No mite could move as quickly to torment me as an airborne spore could. I have collected samples of this fungus. So for those of us who see these black spots on our counter tops, or cough up little dots, or blow our nose and encounter this, it is probably actually fungi. I have had no luck in getting any of this confirmed, thus it remains theory. But I can say that anti-fungals would seem to be a natural deterrent. And I say the anti-fungals work because of an interesting experience.After 6 weeks of hoteling it, I returned home. I can tell you, I was scared stiff, terrified in fact. But armed with science in the one hand, and God in my right, I did come home. And I....opened.....the......door. And nothing happened to me. I immediately set to spraying my home with Lysol complete clean using a plant sprayer. I sprayed my kitchen, my bathroom and my laundry room. I drenched my bedroom. I then washed all of my linens. I waited and when nothing happened, I went to bed. And I miraculously slept. The next day, I repeated the script. By the third day, I was feeling a bit optimistic. So, I stopped spraying. Still all well. So, I got brave enough to stop washing my linens in hot water with ammonia and borax. Then I stopped taking a scalding hot shower every night. And then I just broke down and cried. I thanked God and I cried some more. One week after moving back home, I went out and tried to take some clothes out of the bags of clothes which were outside on my balcony. I was immediately assaulted. Started coughing and having bloody noses. I was terrified that all my nightmare was to start again. But after a day of hacking, I returned to normal. I went outside to where my dog bed was and saw black moldy stuff growing on the bottom. Before I could wash it, my larger dog slept on it and proceeded to scratch himself raw for about 3 days. I washed it and ever since I have kept things bagged until they were washed carefully. Once washed, I have never had to rewash. I have bit by bit regained my life. And I saw my daughter's wedding day approach. The weather in Washington state is always temperamental. But the sun had been out for this past week. Then on Friday before the wedding, torrential rains started. We had planned for an outdoor garden wedding and I was beginning to lose hope that we were going to have good weather. We struggled through a rehearsal that soaked us all and tried to scrounge up tents. Saturday, wedding day, began decently enough but then not only did the rain come down hard, but thunder storms started rolling in and sheets of rain was blowing into our tent. We decided to persevere though it all. I had learned that life will move forward, with or without us. And as the time came for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to come out of their dressing rooms, the rain stopped and as my daughter moved into view, the sun broke out. And out it stayed for the entire day. And although I am exhausted from that event, and from the months of mitemare...I could not sleep until I had at last posted my story to you all. To not give up. That the sun will shine through the gloom. That no matter what you put your faith in, do not lose it. I have not started on antibiotics yet, but I am not scratching. I am sleeping good in my bed. I have not thrown out my furniture, nor have I moved, nor have I pulled up carpet. I know that there is a power greater than my own at play here. I choose to keep fighting. I hope you all choose to keep fighting. But stay in your home or leave it. No matter. But... Believe in yourself. Believe in this group. And I will keep fighting for you in every way that I can. I am sorry it has taken me so long to regain communication. But I have not let one day pass that I have not thought of you or not prayed for you. I know this story is long and not filled with as many facts as I would like it to be. But I hope I filled it with....hope.Stay strong! Terry

June 26, 2012

Thanks Terry

,

Bill

------------------------------

On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 7:03 AM EDT mitesbegone wrote:

>Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the

>world. It has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I

>know it has been a while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me.

>I did not ever wish to be that person who was here and then gone to the

>bafflement and consternation of all those who remained.

>

>First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering

>groups out there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be

>forced to suffer miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief

>from most non-mite sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching

>sorrow one can experience. I know this. You know this. And only we

>select few will ever truly understand.

>

>There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort

>and hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at

>our most hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of " what

>doesn't kill you will make you stronger " and another favorite " might as

>well laugh as cry " . And while many of us have tread that fine boundary

>between life and death, not sure which one we wish for, and shed those

>tears of laughter which very often mimic those tears of tragedy, it may

>be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how close we have come to

>the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the bird mite.

>

>But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast

>forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I

>believed my life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that

>perhaps, it had not.

>

>You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of

>people, who first let me know I was not

June 27, 2012

Hello Terry-Sweetheart !

I am so happy that you are well and thanks a million for this wonderful post !

I've been reading your fungus theory with great interest. I also believe that fungus plays a big role here,

but what comes first ... the fungus, then the bug, or is it the other way around ?

It's a bit like the chicken and egg story :-)

Take care my friend

Aggi

Von: mitesbegone <no_reply >An: bird mites Gesendet: 13:03 Montag, 25.Juni 2012Betreff: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with you

Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the world. It has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I know it has been a while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. I did not ever wish to be that person who was here and then gone to the bafflement and consternation of all those who remained. First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering groups out there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be forced to suffer miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief from most non-mite sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching sorrow one can experience. I know this. You know this. And only we select few will ever truly understand.There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort and hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at our most

hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and another favorite "might as well laugh as cry". And while many of us have tread that fine boundary between life and death, not sure which one we wish for, and shed those tears of laughter which very often mimic those tears of tragedy, it may be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how close we have come to the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the bird mite. But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I believed my life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that perhaps, it had not. You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of people, who first let me know I was not alone in my suffering. That I was not alone in this perplexing battle against nature.

From first discovering the red bird mite on my canary to the dizzying multitudes that descended upon me, I felt adrift in the world gone mad. Yes, I too tried the endless round of vacuuming, cleaning, spraying, trying first one product only to discard that and try another. Each week found me buying a new hope in a bottle, a new PCO with a cure. From deadly to organic, nothing seemed to work. Like many here, I started out with a compromised immune system which seemed to ring the dinner bell for the elusive micro sized mite. Hard to catch sight of, but doggone hard to ignore, these mites rained down a bloody hellish mess upon me, then my dogs, and ultimately my son. Like many of you, I washed and ultimately threw out many of my clothes. Like many of you, I found there was never a safe place to sleep. I burned my skin from numerous applications of vicks to my face, ears and other very tender

spots. I burned menthol until my eyes streamed. Some of this worked for a while, some not at all. Why some worked for me and not for others I do not know.Ultimately, I simply broke down and turned to two things, science and God. I began to study the heck out of these mites. I took pictures with a digital microscope, studied slides under a more powerful microscope. I reached out to Professors in other countries and I began a series of communications with Biologists, Micro-Biologists, Entomologists and mold specialists. I left no stone unturned. And when I found no ready answers nor any relief, I broke down and had a spiritual crises. I found myself one night on the bottom of my bath tub as shower water poured down upon the red skin I had just scrubbed for the third time that day. I collapsed and turned myself over completely and 100% to God. I knew in that moment, I had nothing

left. And while I believe truly that it was at that moment that my life turned around, I do not say this as a solution for you, as that is, for many, as intangible a thing as there is. This was my personal journey. But I wish to explain as completely as possible. As many of you know, I packed up my dogs and with only a few belongings, fled to a local hotel. I was so sick and tired, was so seriously sleep deprived and sick that I thought I was crawling away to die. My little dog was seriously ill and I worried tremendously for my son. But after a week of vomiting up black dots and thinking my body was never going to be rid of the disease of the mite, I did start to get well. And as I got well, I became very fearful. Does that sound weird? I knew that I would have to face what I had run from. My daughter was getting married this June and was going to be a mother as well. I knew that I

could not afford to let this beat me. I had to find my courage. Several here recommended I seek out an LLMD. I did that. I was told that I had Lyme disease and Bartonella, most likely my son did as well, as did my little dog. I was able to start my dog on antibiotics and very soon, the limp she had disappeared. I thought she had arthritis, but low and behold, it must have been Bart. My doctor was very concerned about starting me on antibiotics out of fear of herxing, but he did start me on anti-fungals. This seemed to help some. But nothing could shore up my total cowardice in facing a return to home. You see, I had tried to come home just to pick up things from time to time and I would no sooner open the door to my house but would be assaulted by a choking infestation which would then take me days to get rid of. My scientific investigation continued remotely however, and

after lots of conversations with people here and in the "normal" community, I became convinced that mites do not simply "disappear". They stay and stay. And they will feast upon humans and canines. I had read or heard or someone hear told me, can't say for sure...but that some small % of the population was somehow especially attractive to mites. In fact, possibly even to the extent that mites could live for some time off of humans. While I scoffed at this notion, it did seem to have merit. How else to explain the years of affliction. But like many others here, it just did not seem to be all about mites. You see, there is in fact a fungus which seems to feed off of mites. At first I thought there was some type of symbiosis between this fungus and mites. But I now know that this fungus is a parasite...and to be more exact, a mite parasite. It actually kills mites. I have not been able to

really work on my theory to the extent I wish. But my theory is that there are naturally occurring fungi that will destroy the bird mite. This fungi has been engineered by organizations and encouraged as a natural harbinger for mite destruction, especially targeted for crops. I believe this was first developed to kill a tree mite which infested certain fruit trees. This fungi however appears to have been disbursed without proper bio-controls put into place. Meaning that this fungus may kill mites, but when the mites are gone will turn to humans, releasing pathogenic spores into the environment. No mite could move as quickly to torment me as an airborne spore could. I have collected samples of this fungus. So for those of us who see these black spots on our counter tops, or cough up little dots, or blow our nose and encounter this, it is probably actually fungi. I have had no luck in getting any of

this confirmed, thus it remains theory. But I can say that anti-fungals would seem to be a natural deterrent. And I say the anti-fungals work because of an interesting experience.After 6 weeks of hoteling it, I returned home. I can tell you, I was scared stiff, terrified in fact. But armed with science in the one hand, and God in my right, I did come home. And I....opened.....the......door. And nothing happened to me. I immediately set to spraying my home with Lysol complete clean using a plant sprayer. I sprayed my kitchen, my bathroom and my laundry room. I drenched my bedroom. I then washed all of my linens. I waited and when nothing happened, I went to bed. And I miraculously slept. The next day, I repeated the script. By the third day, I was feeling a bit optimistic. So, I stopped spraying. Still all well. So, I got brave enough to stop

washing my linens in hot water with ammonia and borax. Then I stopped taking a scalding hot shower every night. And then I just broke down and cried. I thanked God and I cried some more. One week after moving back home, I went out and tried to take some clothes out of the bags of clothes which were outside on my balcony. I was immediately assaulted. Started coughing and having bloody noses. I was terrified that all my nightmare was to start again. But after a day of hacking, I returned to normal. I went outside to where my dog bed was and saw black moldy stuff growing on the bottom. Before I could wash it, my larger dog slept on it and proceeded to scratch himself raw for about 3 days. I washed it and ever since I have kept things bagged until they were washed carefully. Once washed, I have never had to rewash. I have bit by bit regained my life. And I saw my daughter's

wedding day approach. The weather in Washington state is always temperamental. But the sun had been out for this past week. Then on Friday before the wedding, torrential rains started. We had planned for an outdoor garden wedding and I was beginning to lose hope that we were going to have good weather. We struggled through a rehearsal that soaked us all and tried to scrounge up tents. Saturday, wedding day, began decently enough but then not only did the rain come down hard, but thunder storms started rolling in and sheets of rain was blowing into our tent. We decided to persevere though it all. I had learned that life will move forward, with or without us. And as the time came for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to come out of their dressing rooms, the rain stopped and as my daughter moved into view, the sun broke out. And out it stayed for the entire day. And although I am

exhausted from that event, and from the months of mitemare...I could not sleep until I had at last posted my story to you all. To not give up. That the sun will shine through the gloom. That no matter what you put your faith in, do not lose it. I have not started on antibiotics yet, but I am not scratching. I am sleeping good in my bed. I have not thrown out my furniture, nor have I moved, nor have I pulled up carpet. I know that there is a power greater than my own at play here. I choose to keep fighting. I hope you all choose to keep fighting. But stay in your home or leave it. No matter. But... Believe in yourself. Believe in this group. And I will keep fighting for you in every way that I can. I am sorry it has taken me so long to regain communication. But I have not let one day pass that I have not thought of you or not prayed for you. I know

this story is long and not filled with as many facts as I would like it to be. But I hope I filled it with....hope.Stay strong! Terry

July 1, 2012

Hi , thanks for your congrats. Whew, never thought I would survive the

wedding. How ironic huh? I can survive bird mites and fungus and then not

survive a wedding. But the two are so very far apart aren't they...

I do have a scientific source on the fungus, in fact, I am going to be chasing

down several sources. I have not lost contact with my Professor in England,

just had to cool the communication during the last few weeks leading up to the

wedding.

Yes, this fungus does kill mites. And truly, it is a mixed bag. As horrible as

the mites are, and they are truly truly a nightmare, the fungus is just as bad

if not worse. However, the fungus does kill off the mites. How? I don't

really know. Where it comes from? I don't know that either. But I am trying

to research and bend my mind around the problem. I know I have had mites for a

very long time. At least a year or more. But never really knew it as they

focused on my poor canaries. I never understood why my birds were always so

sickly. Well the doggone things (mites) hide during the day so I never saw

them. But I did get bit and was scratching all the time. And me, my son and my

dog were always sick. Never figured it out. Never put all those puzzle pieces

together.

But then when the mites got so bad that I saw them on a baby chick...well

SNAP!!! That was the problem. So, got rid of the birds and boy oh boy did they

fall upon me in droves.

But you all know that I tried everything I could. Yes I contemplated Vikane

gas, and heating my house and fogging and spraying...well there was a lot I did

and a lot I thought about doing.

But it was not me that killed them off. It was the fungus. Unfortunately, the

fungus was an opportunistic feeder, so turned to me and the dogs when its mite

sandwich was all gone.

Looking back now...my son over a year ago displayed all the signs of Bartonella.

He is yet to be tested. I had and still have all the signs of Lyme disease and

Bart. Still can barely walk on my left foot. My dog also had all the signs and

symptoms. She too could barely walk, always limping for the last year and a

half. But 30 days of antibiotics and she has not limped since. My son's

natural immune system seems to be helping him and well, I am on the road to

recovery.

It is good to look back and evaluate how you got here. Everyone who is dealing

with this will look back on this as well...I promise you. It does not last

forever. Now, I am not suggesting that everyone go out and get some fungus as

their first line of defense. But, it does work. I will try and post some

articles and links about it.

And for those of you who can not see the mite, but sees black spots and feels

itchy and feels like they are just breathing in something that irritates the

throat and the nose...well it just could be fungus. And my plant sprayer loaded

down with Lysol Complete Clean (diluted) does the job. Everytime something is

left outside and it gets wet, that doggone fungus comes right back and my dogs

start to scratch...and I just blast it with my fully loaded plant sprayer.

I hope everyone gets through their own mitemare as quickly as they can with

whatever works for them. If you find something that works, stick with it. You

might have to change it up sometimes and go back and forth between a couple of

different things...but don't give up.

...good luck with the swelling. Be very careful of that. Especially if

the swelling is in the legs but stops at the feet. That could be lymphedema.

And that is a very bad condition. I know, I used to have it.

Hang in there everyone, Terry

>

> It is good to hear from you mitesbegone. Congratulations on your daughter's

marriage and soon to become a grandma! That is such a wonderful life affirming

occurrence! I love being a grandma.

>

> Everyone on this site goes through so many life changes as a result of this

experience... some of the experiences are years in the making. It has been 4

years since we first our first experience w/ birdmites. Much has occurred in 4

years. I was glad to know that you had gone to a LLMD but sad to hear that you

do have Lyme Disease out of this experience. So many of us do end up with it, or

some of us had LD pre-existing. The experience of " mites " did get better for me

when I started treating with antibiotics and antifungals.

>

> The info you provided on the fungus killing mites is interesting. Do you have

a scientific source for that? Not necessary if you can't find it, just curious

mostly. I had gone on Itraconazole a few months back for fungal issues and my

liver did not like it one bit; I had been on diflucan before that with no

problems with the liver or increased enzyme activity. I went off the

Itraconazole to get the liver enzymes back to normal. They are now back to

normal. However, secondarily my ankles and feet started to swell and I'm dealing

with that now. Never had that before. My father in law had that - and he had

cirrhosis, so it does scare me a bit, plus I know you can get swelling like that

from heart failure and/or kidney failure. I'm in the process of trying to go

onto a low fat diet which I've just started, not following a regular diet, just

following certain guidelines. I do have diabetes and a low fat diet is

recommended (which I've ignored until now).

>

> During the time you were gone my daughter in Germany was back in the hospital

with gallstones... a most painful thing. She had her gallbladder out 3 - 1/2

years ago, but you can still get stones in a duct or even in the liver which

cause inflammation. We both no longer have our gallbladders. It is recommended

to go on a low fat diet for this too, so when the family comes to visit in

July-August we'll be eating low fat!

>

> So far we're having a good summer despite a lot of life changes, ups and

downs. I'm still getting the same weird sensations on feet in very mild form,

despite my medications, so at this point I just do not know - and they mostly

come at late afternoon to evening. We're all in some kind of process... I think

it is all internal for me.

>

> So good to hear from you mitesbegone! Please post when you have time.

>

> My most sincere apologies to one and all and my

prayers are with you

>

> Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the world. It

has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I know it has been a

while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. I did not ever wish to be

that person who was here and then gone to the bafflement and consternation of

all those who remained.

>

> First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering groups out

there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be forced to suffer

miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief from most non-mite

sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching sorrow one can experience. I

know this. You know this. And only we select few will ever truly understand.

>

> There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort and

hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at our most

hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of " what doesn't kill you

will make you stronger " and another favorite " might as well laugh as cry " . And

while many of us have tread that fine boundary between life and death, not sure

which one we wish for, and shed those tears of laughter which very often mimic

those tears of tragedy, it may be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how

close we have come to the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the

bird mite.

>

> But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast

forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I believed my

life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that perhaps, it had not.

>

> You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of people, who

first let me know I was not alone in my suffering. That I was not alone in this

perplexing battle against nature. From first discovering the red bird mite on my

canary to the dizzying multitudes that descended upon me, I felt adrift in the

world gone mad. Yes, I too tried the endless round of vacuuming, cleaning,

spraying, trying first one product only to discard that and try another. Each

week found me buying a new hope in a bottle, a new PCO with a cure. From deadly

to organic, nothing seemed to work. Like many here, I started out with a

compromised immune system which seemed to ring the dinner bell for the elusive

micro sized mite. Hard to catch sight of, but doggone hard to ignore, these

mites rained down a bloody hellish mess upon me, then my dogs, and ultimately my

son.

>

> Like many of you, I washed and ultimately threw out many of my clothes. Like

many of you, I found there was never a safe place to sleep. I burned my skin

from numerous applications of vicks to my face, ears and other very tender

spots. I burned menthol until my eyes streamed. Some of this worked for a while,

some not at all. Why some worked for me and not for others I do not know.

>

> Ultimately, I simply broke down and turned to two things, science and God. I

began to study the heck out of these mites. I took pictures with a digital

microscope, studied slides under a more powerful microscope. I reached out to

Professors in other countries and I began a series of communications with

Biologists, Micro-Biologists, Entomologists and mold specialists. I left no

stone unturned. And when I found no ready answers nor any relief, I broke down

and had a spiritual crises. I found myself one night on the bottom of my bath

tub as shower water poured down upon the red skin I had just scrubbed for the

third time that day. I collapsed and turned myself over completely and 100% to

God. I knew in that moment, I had nothing left. And while I believe truly that

it was at that moment that my life turned around, I do not say this as a

solution for you, as that is, for many, as intangible a thing as there is. This

was my personal journey. But I wish to explain as completely as possible. As

many of you know, I packed up my dogs and with only a few belongings, fled to a

local hotel. I was so sick and tired, was so seriously sleep deprived and sick

that I thought I was crawling away to die. My little dog was seriously ill and I

worried tremendously for my son. But after a week of vomiting up black dots and

thinking my body was never going to be rid of the disease of the mite, I did

start to get well. And as I got well, I became very fearful. Does that sound

weird? I knew that I would have to face what I had run from. My daughter was

getting married this June and was going to be a mother as well. I knew that I

could not afford to let this beat me. I had to find my courage. Several here

recommended I seek out an LLMD. I did that. I was told that I had Lyme disease

and Bartonella, most likely my son did as well, as did my little dog. I was able

to start my dog on antibiotics and very soon, the limp she had disappeared. I

thought she had arthritis, but low and behold, it must have been Bart. My doctor

was very concerned about starting me on antibiotics out of fear of herxing, but

he did start me on anti-fungals. This seemed to help some. But nothing could

shore up my total cowardice in facing a return to home. You see, I had tried to

come home just to pick up things from time to time and I would no sooner open

the door to my house but would be assaulted by a choking infestation which would

then take me days to get rid of.

>

> My scientific investigation continued remotely however, and after lots of

conversations with people here and in the " normal " community, I became convinced

that mites do not simply " disappear " . They stay and stay. And they will feast

upon humans and canines. I had read or heard or someone hear told me, can't say

for sure...but that some small % of the population was somehow especially

attractive to mites. In fact, possibly even to the extent that mites could live

for some time off of humans. While I scoffed at this notion, it did seem to have

merit. How else to explain the years of affliction. But like many others here,

it just did not seem to be all about mites. You see, there is in fact a fungus

which seems to feed off of mites. At first I thought there was some type of

symbiosis between this fungus and mites. But I now know that this fungus is a

parasite...and to be more exact, a mite parasite. It actually kills mites. I

have not been able to really work on my theory to the extent I wish. But my

theory is that there are naturally occurring fungi that will destroy the bird

mite. This fungi has been engineered by organizations and encouraged as a

natural harbinger for mite destruction, especially targeted for crops. I believe

this was first developed to kill a tree mite which infested certain fruit trees.

This fungi however appears to have been disbursed without proper bio-controls

put into place. Meaning that this fungus may kill mites, but when the mites are

gone will turn to humans, releasing pathogenic spores into the environment. No

mite could move as quickly to torment me as an airborne spore could. I have

collected samples of this fungus. So for those of us who see these black spots

on our counter tops, or cough up little dots, or blow our nose and encounter

this, it is probably actually fungi. I have had no luck in getting any of this

confirmed, thus it remains theory. But I can say that anti-fungals would seem to

be a natural deterrent. And I say the anti-fungals work because of an

interesting experience.

>

> After 6 weeks of hoteling it, I returned home. I can tell you, I was scared

stiff, terrified in fact. But armed with science in the one hand, and God in my

right, I did come home. And I....opened.....the......door. And nothing happened

to me. I immediately set to spraying my home with Lysol complete clean using a

plant sprayer. I sprayed my kitchen, my bathroom and my laundry room. I drenched

my bedroom. I then washed all of my linens. I waited and when nothing happened,

I went to bed. And I miraculously slept. The next day, I repeated the script. By

the third day, I was feeling a bit optimistic. So, I stopped spraying. Still all

well. So, I got brave enough to stop washing my linens in hot water with ammonia

and borax. Then I stopped taking a scalding hot shower every night. And then I

just broke down and cried. I thanked God and I cried some more. One week after

moving back home, I went out and tried to take some clothes out of the bags of

clothes which were outside on my balcony. I was immediately assaulted. Started

coughing and having bloody noses. I was terrified that all my nightmare was to

start again. But after a day of hacking, I returned to normal. I went outside to

where my dog bed was and saw black moldy stuff growing on the bottom. Before I

could wash it, my larger dog slept on it and proceeded to scratch himself raw

for about 3 days. I washed it and ever since I have kept things bagged until

they were washed carefully. Once washed, I have never had to rewash. I have bit

by bit regained my life. And I saw my daughter's wedding day approach. The

weather in Washington state is always temperamental. But the sun had been out

for this past week. Then on Friday before the wedding, torrential rains started.

We had planned for an outdoor garden wedding and I was beginning to lose hope

that we were going to have good weather. We struggled through a rehearsal that

soaked us all and tried to scrounge up tents. Saturday, wedding day, began

decently enough but then not only did the rain come down hard, but thunder

storms started rolling in and sheets of rain was blowing into our tent. We

decided to persevere though it all. I had learned that life will move forward,

with or without us. And as the time came for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to

come out of their dressing rooms, the rain stopped and as my daughter moved into

view, the sun broke out. And out it stayed for the entire day.

>

> And although I am exhausted from that event, and from the months of

mitemare...I could not sleep until I had at last posted my story to you all. To

not give up. That the sun will shine through the gloom. That no matter what you

put your faith in, do not lose it.

>

> I have not started on antibiotics yet, but I am not scratching. I am sleeping

good in my bed. I have not thrown out my furniture, nor have I moved, nor have I

pulled up carpet. I know that there is a power greater than my own at play here.

I choose to keep fighting. I hope you all choose to keep fighting. But stay in

your home or leave it. No matter. But... Believe in yourself. Believe in this

group. And I will keep fighting for you in every way that I can. I am sorry it

has taken me so long to regain communication. But I have not let one day pass

that I have not thought of you or not prayed for you. I know this story is long

and not filled with as many facts as I would like it to be. But I hope I filled

it with....hope.

>

> Stay strong! Terry

>

July 1, 2012

Terry, Could it be this fungus?Cryptococcus is a lethal fungus that has a death rate of 25% and is spreading in western US0EmailMarci StoneSalt Lake City Headlines Examiner+ Subscribe Cryptococcus gattii is a lethal fungus that has a death rate of 25% and is spreading in western US. Cryptococcus is a lethal strain of an airborne fungus that was discovered in the Pacicif Northwest and now may be spreading to California; the strain has a death rate of 25%. In Oregon, several people have recently died after being infected with VGIIc genotype of Cryptococcus gattii, according to Business Week. The fungus appears to attack healthy people with no

immune system problems. It is airborne and is not spread person to person, according to the CDC. "This novel fungus is worrisome because it appears to be a threat to otherwise healthy people. Typically, we see this fungal disease associated with transplant recipients and HIV-infected patients, but that is not what we are seeing," said Edmond Byrnes III a graduate student at Duke University Medical Center. Symptoms can take several months to appear after being exposed to the fungus. Symptoms include â€œa cough that lasts weeks, sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, meningitis-related headache and weight loss. In animals, symptoms include a runny nose, breathing problems, nervous system problems and bumps under the skin,â€ Business Week reported. From: mitesbegone <no_reply > bird mites Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 7:03 AM Subject: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with you

Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the world. It has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I know it has been a while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. I did not ever wish to be that person who was here and then gone to the bafflement and consternation of all those who remained. First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering groups out there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be forced to suffer miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief from most non-mite sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching sorrow one can experience. I know this. You know this. And only we select few will ever truly understand.There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort and hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at our

most hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and another favorite "might as well laugh as cry". And while many of us have tread that fine boundary between life and death, not sure which one we wish for, and shed those tears of laughter which very often mimic those tears of tragedy, it may be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how close we have come to the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the bird mite. But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I believed my life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that perhaps, it had not. You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of people, who first let me know I was not alone in my suffering. That I was not alone in this perplexing battle against

nature. From first discovering the red bird mite on my canary to the dizzying multitudes that descended upon me, I felt adrift in the world gone mad. Yes, I too tried the endless round of vacuuming, cleaning, spraying, trying first one product only to discard that and try another. Each week found me buying a new hope in a bottle, a new PCO with a cure. From deadly to organic, nothing seemed to work. Like many here, I started out with a compromised immune system which seemed to ring the dinner bell for the elusive micro sized mite. Hard to catch sight of, but doggone hard to ignore, these mites rained down a bloody hellish mess upon me, then my dogs, and ultimately my son. Like many of you, I washed and ultimately threw out many of my clothes. Like many of you, I found there was never a safe place to sleep. I burned my skin from numerous applications of vicks to my face, ears and other very

tender spots. I burned menthol until my eyes streamed. Some of this worked for a while, some not at all. Why some worked for me and not for others I do not know.Ultimately, I simply broke down and turned to two things, science and God. I began to study the heck out of these mites. I took pictures with a digital microscope, studied slides under a more powerful microscope. I reached out to Professors in other countries and I began a series of communications with Biologists, Micro-Biologists, Entomologists and mold specialists. I left no stone unturned. And when I found no ready answers nor any relief, I broke down and had a spiritual crises. I found myself one night on the bottom of my bath tub as shower water poured down upon the red skin I had just scrubbed for the third time that day. I collapsed and turned myself over completely and 100% to God. I knew in that moment, I had

nothing left. And while I believe truly that it was at that moment that my life turned around, I do not say this as a solution for you, as that is, for many, as intangible a thing as there is. This was my personal journey. But I wish to explain as completely as possible. As many of you know, I packed up my dogs and with only a few belongings, fled to a local hotel. I was so sick and tired, was so seriously sleep deprived and sick that I thought I was crawling away to die. My little dog was seriously ill and I worried tremendously for my son. But after a week of vomiting up black dots and thinking my body was never going to be rid of the disease of the mite, I did start to get well. And as I got well, I became very fearful. Does that sound weird? I knew that I would have to face what I had run from. My daughter was getting married this June and was going to be a mother as well. I

knew that I could not afford to let this beat me. I had to find my courage. Several here recommended I seek out an LLMD. I did that. I was told that I had Lyme disease and Bartonella, most likely my son did as well, as did my little dog. I was able to start my dog on antibiotics and very soon, the limp she had disappeared. I thought she had arthritis, but low and behold, it must have been Bart. My doctor was very concerned about starting me on antibiotics out of fear of herxing, but he did start me on anti-fungals. This seemed to help some. But nothing could shore up my total cowardice in facing a return to home. You see, I had tried to come home just to pick up things from time to time and I would no sooner open the door to my house but would be assaulted by a choking infestation which would then take me days to get rid of. My scientific investigation continued remotely

however, and after lots of conversations with people here and in the "normal" community, I became convinced that mites do not simply "disappear". They stay and stay. And they will feast upon humans and canines. I had read or heard or someone hear told me, can't say for sure...but that some small % of the population was somehow especially attractive to mites. In fact, possibly even to the extent that mites could live for some time off of humans. While I scoffed at this notion, it did seem to have merit. How else to explain the years of affliction. But like many others here, it just did not seem to be all about mites. You see, there is in fact a fungus which seems to feed off of mites. At first I thought there was some type of symbiosis between this fungus and mites. But I now know that this fungus is a parasite...and to be more exact, a mite parasite. It actually kills mites. I have not

been able to really work on my theory to the extent I wish. But my theory is that there are naturally occurring fungi that will destroy the bird mite. This fungi has been engineered by organizations and encouraged as a natural harbinger for mite destruction, especially targeted for crops. I believe this was first developed to kill a tree mite which infested certain fruit trees. This fungi however appears to have been disbursed without proper bio-controls put into place. Meaning that this fungus may kill mites, but when the mites are gone will turn to humans, releasing pathogenic spores into the environment. No mite could move as quickly to torment me as an airborne spore could. I have collected samples of this fungus. So for those of us who see these black spots on our counter tops, or cough up little dots, or blow our nose and encounter this, it is probably actually fungi. I have had no luck in

getting any of this confirmed, thus it remains theory. But I can say that anti-fungals would seem to be a natural deterrent. And I say the anti-fungals work because of an interesting experience.After 6 weeks of hoteling it, I returned home. I can tell you, I was scared stiff, terrified in fact. But armed with science in the one hand, and God in my right, I did come home. And I....opened.....the......door. And nothing happened to me. I immediately set to spraying my home with Lysol complete clean using a plant sprayer. I sprayed my kitchen, my bathroom and my laundry room. I drenched my bedroom. I then washed all of my linens. I waited and when nothing happened, I went to bed. And I miraculously slept. The next day, I repeated the script. By the third day, I was feeling a bit optimistic. So, I stopped spraying. Still all well. So, I got brave

enough to stop washing my linens in hot water with ammonia and borax. Then I stopped taking a scalding hot shower every night. And then I just broke down and cried. I thanked God and I cried some more. One week after moving back home, I went out and tried to take some clothes out of the bags of clothes which were outside on my balcony. I was immediately assaulted. Started coughing and having bloody noses. I was terrified that all my nightmare was to start again. But after a day of hacking, I returned to normal. I went outside to where my dog bed was and saw black moldy stuff growing on the bottom. Before I could wash it, my larger dog slept on it and proceeded to scratch himself raw for about 3 days. I washed it and ever since I have kept things bagged until they were washed carefully. Once washed, I have never had to rewash. I have bit by bit regained my life. And I saw

my daughter's wedding day approach. The weather in Washington state is always temperamental. But the sun had been out for this past week. Then on Friday before the wedding, torrential rains started. We had planned for an outdoor garden wedding and I was beginning to lose hope that we were going to have good weather. We struggled through a rehearsal that soaked us all and tried to scrounge up tents. Saturday, wedding day, began decently enough but then not only did the rain come down hard, but thunder storms started rolling in and sheets of rain was blowing into our tent. We decided to persevere though it all. I had learned that life will move forward, with or without us. And as the time came for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to come out of their dressing rooms, the rain stopped and as my daughter moved into view, the sun broke out. And out it stayed for the entire day. And

although I am exhausted from that event, and from the months of mitemare...I could not sleep until I had at last posted my story to you all. To not give up. That the sun will shine through the gloom. That no matter what you put your faith in, do not lose it. I have not started on antibiotics yet, but I am not scratching. I am sleeping good in my bed. I have not thrown out my furniture, nor have I moved, nor have I pulled up carpet. I know that there is a power greater than my own at play here. I choose to keep fighting. I hope you all choose to keep fighting. But stay in your home or leave it. No matter. But... Believe in yourself. Believe in this group. And I will keep fighting for you in every way that I can. I am sorry it has taken me so long to regain communication. But I have not let one day pass that I have not thought of you or not prayed for

you. I know this story is long and not filled with as many facts as I would like it to be. But I hope I filled it with....hope.Stay strong! Terry

July 2, 2012

Thanks for all your wisdom here Terry. I had never heard of Lymphedema. I wonder what causes it and how do you get rid of it? I suspected it might be a lymph build up since I've been on lots of meds with lots of die off. Also, this fungus you are mentioning really interests me, so when you have a source I'm looking forward to reading and more reading. I'm going to have to get the Lysol again and look for the correct one, because Lysol All Purpose Cleaner is not the right one. Please give me the correct name of the Lysol anyone... I've been in slow mode lately, slow head, slow body, etc. Prone to forget.Are you and your son doing okay now Terry? What is wrong with the left foot? Do you know? Thank God your son's immune system has kicked in. One thing that did change for me over a couple of years ... I don't have that strange itching I used to get periodically. Seems gone which is good.From: "mitesbegone" <no_reply >bird mites Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2012 2:50:27 AMSubject: Re: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with youHi , thanks for your congrats. Whew, never thought I would survive the wedding. How ironic huh? I can survive bird mites and fungus and then not survive a wedding. But the two are so very far apart aren't they...I do have a scientific source on the fungus, in fact, I am going to be chasing down several sources. I have not lost contact with my Professor in England, just had to cool the communication during the last few weeks leading up to the wedding.Yes, this fungus does kill mites. And truly, it is a mixed bag. As horrible as the mites are, and they are truly truly a nightmare, the fungus is just as bad if not worse. However, the fungus does kill off the mites. How? I don't really know. Where it comes from? I don't know that either. But I am trying to research and bend my mind around the problem. I know I have had mites for a very long time. At least a year or more. But never really knew it as they focused on my poor canaries. I never understood why my birds were always so sickly. Well the doggone things (mites) hide during the day so I never saw them. But I did get bit and was scratching all the time. And me, my son and my dog were always sick. Never figured it out. Never put all those puzzle pieces together. But then when the mites got so bad that I saw them on a baby chick...well SNAP!!! That was the problem. So, got rid of the birds and boy oh boy did they fall upon me in droves. But you all know that I tried everything I could. Yes I contemplated Vikane gas, and heating my house and fogging and spraying...well there was a lot I did and a lot I thought about doing. But it was not me that killed them off. It was the fungus. Unfortunately, the fungus was an opportunistic feeder, so turned to me and the dogs when its mite sandwich was all gone. Looking back now...my son over a year ago displayed all the signs of Bartonella. He is yet to be tested. I had and still have all the signs of Lyme disease and Bart. Still can barely walk on my left foot. My dog also had all the signs and symptoms. She too could barely walk, always limping for the last year and a half. But 30 days of antibiotics and she has not limped since. My son's natural immune system seems to be helping him and well, I am on the road to recovery. It is good to look back and evaluate how you got here. Everyone who is dealing with this will look back on this as well...I promise you. It does not last forever. Now, I am not suggesting that everyone go out and get some fungus as their first line of defense. But, it does work. I will try and post some articles and links about it.And for those of you who can not see the mite, but sees black spots and feels itchy and feels like they are just breathing in something that irritates the throat and the nose...well it just could be fungus. And my plant sprayer loaded down with Lysol Complete Clean (diluted) does the job. Everytime something is left outside and it gets wet, that doggone fungus comes right back and my dogs start to scratch...and I just blast it with my fully loaded plant sprayer. I hope everyone gets through their own mitemare as quickly as they can with whatever works for them. If you find something that works, stick with it. You might have to change it up sometimes and go back and forth between a couple of different things...but don't give up....good luck with the swelling. Be very careful of that. Especially if the swelling is in the legs but stops at the feet. That could be lymphedema. And that is a very bad condition. I know, I used to have it.Hang in there everyone, Terry>> It is good to hear from you mitesbegone. Congratulations on your daughter's marriage and soon to become a grandma! That is such a wonderful life affirming occurrence! I love being a grandma. > > > Everyone on this site goes through so many life changes as a result of this experience... some of the experiences are years in the making. It has been 4 years since we first our first experience w/ birdmites. Much has occurred in 4 years. I was glad to know that you had gone to a LLMD but sad to hear that you do have Lyme Disease out of this experience. So many of us do end up with it, or some of us had LD pre-existing. The experience of "mites" did get better for me when I started treating with antibiotics and antifungals. > > > The info you provided on the fungus killing mites is interesting. Do you have a scientific source for that? Not necessary if you can't find it, just curious mostly. I had gone on Itraconazole a few months back for fungal issues and my liver did not like it one bit; I had been on diflucan before that with no problems with the liver or increased enzyme activity. I went off the Itraconazole to get the liver enzymes back to normal. They are now back to normal. However, secondarily my ankles and feet started to swell and I'm dealing with that now. Never had that before. My father in law had that - and he had cirrhosis, so it does scare me a bit, plus I know you can get swelling like that from heart failure and/or kidney failure. I'm in the process of trying to go onto a low fat diet which I've just started, not following a regular diet, just following certain guidelines. I do have diabetes and a low fat diet is recommended (which I've ignored until now). > > > During the time you were gone my daughter in Germany was back in the hospital with gallstones... a most painful thing. She had her gallbladder out 3 - 1/2 years ago, but you can still get stones in a duct or even in the liver which cause inflammation. We both no longer have our gallbladders. It is recommended to go on a low fat diet for this too, so when the family comes to visit in July-August we'll be eating low fat! > > > So far we're having a good summer despite a lot of life changes, ups and downs. I'm still getting the same weird sensations on feet in very mild form, despite my medications, so at this point I just do not know - and they mostly come at late afternoon to evening. We're all in some kind of process... I think it is all internal for me. > > > So good to hear from you mitesbegone! Please post when you have time. > > > > > > > > My most sincere apologies to one and all and my prayers are with you > > > > Hello my dear dear friends here and bird mite sufferers around the world. It has been an unforgivably long time since I last posted. I know it has been a while, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. I did not ever wish to be that person who was here and then gone to the bafflement and consternation of all those who remained. > > First, this group is about one of the most enduring and persevering groups out there. To be so afflicted by bird mites and to not only be forced to suffer miserably, but to suffer with so little help and belief from most non-mite sufferers is just about the most soul wrenching sorrow one can experience. I know this. You know this. And only we select few will ever truly understand. > > There are many wise people here who will offer solace, words of comfort and hope and yes even that special brand of dark humor which only we at our most hysterical can truly manifest. We live those cliches of "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger" and another favorite "might as well laugh as cry". And while many of us have tread that fine boundary between life and death, not sure which one we wish for, and shed those tears of laughter which very often mimic those tears of tragedy, it may be only in retrospect that we can truly tell how close we have come to the tragedy of life's terrible sense of humor, aka, the bird mite. > > But, life does move on. It does not rewind for us and it does not fast forward, it just stubbornly moves on. And while earlier this year I believed my life was playing out in its last chapter, I realized that perhaps, it had not. > > You see, I found you all, this incredibly brave wonderful group of people, who first let me know I was not alone in my suffering. That I was not alone in this perplexing battle against nature. From first discovering the red bird mite on my canary to the dizzying multitudes that descended upon me, I felt adrift in the world gone mad. Yes, I too tried the endless round of vacuuming, cleaning, spraying, trying first one product only to discard that and try another. Each week found me buying a new hope in a bottle, a new PCO with a cure. From deadly to organic, nothing seemed to work. Like many here, I started out with a compromised immune system which seemed to ring the dinner bell for the elusive micro sized mite. Hard to catch sight of, but doggone hard to ignore, these mites rained down a bloody hellish mess upon me, then my dogs, and ultimately my son. > > Like many of you, I washed and ultimately threw out many of my clothes. Like many of you, I found there was never a safe place to sleep. I burned my skin from numerous applications of vicks to my face, ears and other very tender spots. I burned menthol until my eyes streamed. Some of this worked for a while, some not at all. Why some worked for me and not for others I do not know. > > Ultimately, I simply broke down and turned to two things, science and God. I began to study the heck out of these mites. I took pictures with a digital microscope, studied slides under a more powerful microscope. I reached out to Professors in other countries and I began a series of communications with Biologists, Micro-Biologists, Entomologists and mold specialists. I left no stone unturned. And when I found no ready answers nor any relief, I broke down and had a spiritual crises. I found myself one night on the bottom of my bath tub as shower water poured down upon the red skin I had just scrubbed for the third time that day. I collapsed and turned myself over completely and 100% to God. I knew in that moment, I had nothing left. And while I believe truly that it was at that moment that my life turned around, I do not say this as a solution for you, as that is, for many, as intangible a thing as there is. This was my personal journey. But I wish to explain as completely as possible. As many of you know, I packed up my dogs and with only a few belongings, fled to a local hotel. I was so sick and tired, was so seriously sleep deprived and sick that I thought I was crawling away to die. My little dog was seriously ill and I worried tremendously for my son. But after a week of vomiting up black dots and thinking my body was never going to be rid of the disease of the mite, I did start to get well. And as I got well, I became very fearful. Does that sound weird? I knew that I would have to face what I had run from. My daughter was getting married this June and was going to be a mother as well. I knew that I could not afford to let this beat me. I had to find my courage. Several here recommended I seek out an LLMD. I did that. I was told that I had Lyme disease and Bartonella, most likely my son did as well, as did my little dog. I was able to start my dog on antibiotics and very soon, the limp she had disappeared. I thought she had arthritis, but low and behold, it must have been Bart. My doctor was very concerned about starting me on antibiotics out of fear of herxing, but he did start me on anti-fungals. This seemed to help some. But nothing could shore up my total cowardice in facing a return to home. You see, I had tried to come home just to pick up things from time to time and I would no sooner open the door to my house but would be assaulted by a choking infestation which would then take me days to get rid of. > > My scientific investigation continued remotely however, and after lots of conversations with people here and in the "normal" community, I became convinced that mites do not simply "disappear". They stay and stay. And they will feast upon humans and canines. I had read or heard or someone hear told me, can't say for sure...but that some small % of the population was somehow especially attractive to mites. In fact, possibly even to the extent that mites could live for some time off of humans. While I scoffed at this notion, it did seem to have merit. How else to explain the years of affliction. But like many others here, it just did not seem to be all about mites. You see, there is in fact a fungus which seems to feed off of mites. At first I thought there was some type of symbiosis between this fungus and mites. But I now know that this fungus is a parasite...and to be more exact, a mite parasite. It actually kills mites. I have not been able to really work on my theory to the extent I wish. But my theory is that there are naturally occurring fungi that will destroy the bird mite. This fungi has been engineered by organizations and encouraged as a natural harbinger for mite destruction, especially targeted for crops. I believe this was first developed to kill a tree mite which infested certain fruit trees. This fungi however appears to have been disbursed without proper bio-controls put into place. Meaning that this fungus may kill mites, but when the mites are gone will turn to humans, releasing pathogenic spores into the environment. No mite could move as quickly to torment me as an airborne spore could. I have collected samples of this fungus. So for those of us who see these black spots on our counter tops, or cough up little dots, or blow our nose and encounter this, it is probably actually fungi. I have had no luck in getting any of this confirmed, thus it remains theory. But I can say that anti-fungals would seem to be a natural deterrent. And I say the anti-fungals work because of an interesting experience. > > After 6 weeks of hoteling it, I returned home. I can tell you, I was scared stiff, terrified in fact. But armed with science in the one hand, and God in my right, I did come home. And I....opened.....the......door. And nothing happened to me. I immediately set to spraying my home with Lysol complete clean using a plant sprayer. I sprayed my kitchen, my bathroom and my laundry room. I drenched my bedroom. I then washed all of my linens. I waited and when nothing happened, I went to bed. And I miraculously slept. The next day, I repeated the script. By the third day, I was feeling a bit optimistic. So, I stopped spraying. Still all well. So, I got brave enough to stop washing my linens in hot water with ammonia and borax. Then I stopped taking a scalding hot shower every night. And then I just broke down and cried. I thanked God and I cried some more. One week after moving back home, I went out and tried to take some clothes out of the bags of clothes which were outside on my balcony. I was immediately assaulted. Started coughing and having bloody noses. I was terrified that all my nightmare was to start again. But after a day of hacking, I returned to normal. I went outside to where my dog bed was and saw black moldy stuff growing on the bottom. Before I could wash it, my larger dog slept on it and proceeded to scratch himself raw for about 3 days. I washed it and ever since I have kept things bagged until they were washed carefully. Once washed, I have never had to rewash. I have bit by bit regained my life. And I saw my daughter's wedding day approach. The weather in Washington state is always temperamental. But the sun had been out for this past week. Then on Friday before the wedding, torrential rains started. We had planned for an outdoor garden wedding and I was beginning to lose hope that we were going to have good weather. We struggled through a rehearsal that soaked us all and tried to scrounge up tents. Saturday, wedding day, began decently enough but then not only did the rain come down hard, but thunder storms started rolling in and sheets of rain was blowing into our tent. We decided to persevere though it all. I had learned that life will move forward, with or without us. And as the time came for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to come out of their dressing rooms, the rain stopped and as my daughter moved into view, the sun broke out. And out it stayed for the entire day. > > And although I am exhausted from that event, and from the months of mitemare...I could not sleep until I had at last posted my story to you all. To not give up. That the sun will shine through the gloom. That no matter what you put your faith in, do not lose it. > > I have not started on antibiotics yet, but I am not scratching. I am sleeping good in my bed. I have not thrown out my furniture, nor have I moved, nor have I pulled up carpet. I know that there is a power greater than my own at play here. I choose to keep fighting. I hope you all choose to keep fighting. But stay in your home or leave it. No matter. But... Believe in yourself. Believe in this group. And I will keep fighting for you in every way that I can. I am sorry it has taken me so long to regain communication. But I have not let one day pass that I have not thought of you or not prayed for you. I know this story is long and not filled with as many facts as I would like it to be. But I hope I filled it with....hope. > > Stay strong! Terry>------------------------------------

July 3, 2012

Hi

Bible

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt

make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee [is] the fountain

of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Psalm 36: 5-9

Everyting will pick up & be better

the lysol was lysol multi suface claner complete clean

contains

benz . ..

Arm & Hammer Powdered Laundry Detergent contains 77% Sodium carbonate the same

ingredient as Mold Control made by concronium sold at Home Depot at for $20.00

per gallon . Arm & Hammer Powdered Laundry Detergent kills mold way better than

bleach , though bleach is good for a knock down in the beginning phase of

claning , then rinse & use 1 cup Arm & Hammer Powdered Laundry Detergent & 1

gallon of hot water , A & h leaves a residue that keeps on killing . I use to wash

my ice cooler I take to work w/ bleach 2 days later it was moldy. & smelly So I

tried Arm & Hammer Powdered Laundry Detergent 1 cup per gallon on the cooler for

20 mins & it kept the moldy smell gone for a week at least. & there is no

horrible bleach fumes.

God bless you ,

Bill

Bible

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt

make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee [is] the fountain

of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Psalm 36: 5-9

------------------------------

On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 1:17 PM EDT Goldstein@... wrote:

>Thanks for all your wisdom here Terry. I had never heard of Lymphedema. I

wonder what causes it and how do you get rid of it? I suspected it might be a

lymph build up since I've been on lots of meds with lots of die off. Also, this

fungus you are mentioning really interests me, so when you have a source I'm

looking forward to reading and more reading.

>

>I'm going to have to get the Lysol again and look for the correct one, because

Lysol All Purpose Cleaner is not the right one. Please give me the correct name

of the Lysol anyone... I've been in slow mode lately, slow head, slow body, etc.

Prone to forget.

>

>Are you and your son doing okay now Terry? What is wrong with the left foot?

Do you know? Thank God your son's immune system has kicked in.

>

>One thing that did change for me over a couple of years ... I don't have that

strange itching I used to get periodically. Seems gone which is good.

>

> Re: My most sincere apologies to one and all and my

prayers are with you

>

>Hi , thanks for your congrats. Whew, never thought I would survive the

wedding. How ironic huh? I can survive bird mites and fungus and then not

survive a wedding. But the two are so very far apart aren't they...

>

>I do have a scientific source on the fungus, in fact, I am going to be chasing

down several sources. I have not lost contact with my Professor in England, just

had to cool the communication during the last few weeks leading up to the

wedding.

>

>Yes, this fungus does kill mites. And truly, it is a mixed bag. As horrible as

July 3, 2012

I used lysol complete its yellow they have orange too. I had good results with

the small brown bottle too (hospital kind) but the smell is overwelming

> >

> > It is good to hear from you mitesbegone. Congratulations on your daughter's

marriage and soon to become a grandma! That is such a wonderful life affirming

occurrence! I love being a grandma.

> >

> > Everyone on this site goes through so many life changes as a result of this

experience... some of the experiences are years in the making. It has been 4

years since we first our first experience w/ birdmites. Much has occurred in 4

years. I was glad to know that you had gone to a LLMD but sad to hear that you

do have Lyme Disease out of this experience. So many of us do end up with it, or

some of us had LD pre-existing. The experience of " mites " did get better for me

when I started treating with antibiotics and antifungals.

> >

> > The info you provided on the fungus killing mites is interesting. Do you

have a scientific source for that? Not necessary if you can't find it, just

curious mostly. I had gone on Itraconazole a few months back for fungal issues

and my liver did not like it one bit; I had been on diflucan before that with no