Trying to listen to what I know instead of what I fear

[Guest guest]

My dear Mitey crusaders, this battle is long and unforgiving of all that we do.

But I hope everyone here continues to fight, and to hope, and to believe in a

better tomorrow.

In prior days I tried to write an update to everyone but either got caught up in

reading the posts, or by trying to respond to them. So, this time I am

determined to first give an update.

I had thought my problems were licked with that awful little demon of a bird

mite and its best friend the fungi, but alas, the war is not over for me.

Perhaps I have won on one front, but the fungi front has heated up. I have

discovered that this relentless foe has built its offensive weapons up while I

was distracted with wedding plans and some few days of rest.

A couple of weeks ago, I started feeling sick, nauseous to be exact and my back

started really hurting. Then I got a sore throat and suddenly I was back to

clearing my throat and coughing every morning and throughout the day.

I soon developed a fever and found myself with horrendous day sweats and my left

foot pain had escalated to the point where it throbbed tremendously throughout

the night to the point where I could not sleep.

I soon began feeling those tiny pin pricks against my skin and saw the little

red dots blooming upon my chest, stomach and legs. The final straw began when I

started waking up with bloody noses.

My hopes have been successfully dashed as the fungi re-emerged within my home.

My dearest little dog also became sick and would press herself up against me

during the day and look at me with pain filled eyes, clouded over by some kind

of infection. My other dog had beat feet to the outdoors and did not care to

come inside.

Sigh...it was a terribly hard blow, but before I could allow myself to fall

totally and completely into the doldrums. I slapped myself - HARD and started

scolding my pathetic quivering internal self saying " How could you forget the

reprieve you received which allowed you to not only return to your home, but

which allowed you to see your daughter get married in a beautiful ceremony.

Which gave you the time to enjoy family and friends...even time to rest!! " Wow,

did I feel like an ungrateful wretch. So I picked myself up off the floor,

cleaned the house from top to bottom, and marched my son out armed with a Lysol

sprayer to spray the house from top to bottom.

The first sign of relief came within days. The bloody noses stopped and my sore

throat left me. My little dog's eyes cleared up. But, I knew it had not gone

away. I knew it had simply retreated and was planning it's next attack. Given

that the best defense is a good offense, I made contact with Dr. Sparagano (my

Professor in England). He immediately wrote me to tell me that " I could ask my

colleagues in molecular microbiology to do some molecular techniques to see if

they can identify the fungus. Let me know. " Well, Yeehaw!!

But first, I must capture the elusive fungus. Now mind you, I have no idea if

what I am looking at is fungus or just common dirt....DRAT! So, next plan, find

a lab that does fungi testing...and I did. Contacted them last week. They do

the testing, but not the field work, however, they recommended three companies

for me to contact. And after three interviews, I found a company that will come

out and take air samples and visual samples. I explained that I wanted them to

prepare slides or swabs or whatever worked, as I wanted to send samples to

England. I explained how this fungus arrived with the mites and he was most

interested. He told me that it would take about 3 days to get the results back

from the lab in WA.

So this Monday I am to shut up the house tight as a drum for 24 hours. And yes,

me, the son and the dogs will have to vacate to our home away from home, the

motel. They told me not to be surprised or afraid when they arrive on Tuesday

morning as they will be dressed like CSI techs. (He obviously has not seen me

in my white HAZMAT suit, goggles, Vicks coated face mask with Bounce sheets

attached to my hair before )... It was gratifying though that they take this

stuff very seriously and he is concerned about the fungus I have described.

They will be crawling into the attic, looking under the carpets, behind the

walls and will be taking air samples inside the house in different rooms,

outside the house as well as the garage.

Of course all this comes with a hefty price tag. But I am just so heartily sick

and tired of this fungus. And I am equally tired of hearing about how my

friends here have suffered as much and probably more than I have. And it hasn't

stopped at just this fellowship of Mitey Crusaders, but has gone on to attack

our innocent little dogs, like Holly and my little Java girl. And well, I don't

know if it is the same fungus or not, but it certainly is a good possibility I

would think. Anyway, I am hoping to have results by next Friday.

Something he also told me which really concerned me. I told him that I had been

spraying the house with a diluted mixture of Lysol. He said that the Lysol was

good, but because I was diluting it with water, I was actually providing the

fungus with one of the three things they needed to live on, which was water, air

and organic material. I told him that it did seem to keep it down...but perhaps

that is temporary. He said he would give me something that would work better.

Once the results come back he will be able to let me know what type of fungus I

am dealing with, how high the levels are and how to eradicate it. I will pass

this information along as soon as I get it.

In the meantime, I am doing my best to stay as healthy as possible. Still

taking all of my anti-fungals and hope to have the results from my Lyme testing

back within a week or so.

I have not forgotten all of you, and I know your struggles are terrible...truly.

My heart goes out to you, one and all. I hope whatever I find out will help us

all somehow.

Just remember that " What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny

matters compared to what lies within us. "

Stay strong, Terry