Valley Fever (?) - What is that?

[cclife06]

Hi Everyone:

I will be a first year nursing student and we have been thinking about relocating to AZ after I have finished. Of course...I have been researching everything. What exactly is valley fever? I have read it is spores that burrow into your lungs. Longterm affects? Causing death? Is it common? My husband thinks I'm being paranoid...am I?

Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Laurie

[AZ hopeful]

Can you have a clear chest Xray and still have disseminated valley fever????

My son's neurologist was supposed to be checking his bloods for valley fever but had forgotten we had spent 3 months in AZ over last couple of year and when re-reading my sons notes got confused with west nile virus so the test got cancelled!! I did try contacting the Valley fever center last year but they only communicate with doctors.

We are still waiting for the results for lyme disease, all other tests NAD

He is going to talk with the lab to see if it can be done in UK but as my son is very slowly starting to improve the doc said we can always get him tested once we emigrate but if there was something I could do about it now that would be great. All we know right now is that he had a HUGE overreaction to a ?virus

[sassiebaz]

Now, correct me if Im wrong but, when I was in medical assisting school we learned that the "coccidioides" a fungus, lives in the soil. With Arizona being so dry and hot and of course no ocean breeze, this fungus can just lay dormant in the dirt. But here in AZ we do have these huge dust storms and these spores can be moved around and we can breathe them into our lungs. We saw alot of patients that came in with chest like coughs and flu like symptoms as well. We did blood tests and chest X-rays to confirm "valley Fever" diagnosis or not. I personally haven't ever been really concerned, no one in my family has ever come down with it. But, I have a friend who did. she likened it to walking Pnuemonia(sp) I've never typed that word before!

So, that is my take. Im sure all you nurses that work in Hosp. have dealt with this at much greater length than me.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

I think someone new to the AZ desert would probably have a bigger chance of dying of a heat stroke than from Valley Fever.

[CRNI-ICU20]

California has a valley fever as well....San Juaquin Valley Fever....found among the mostly farm workers who are breathing the dust of the soils in that area.....alot of them go home to Mexico to die....because it's very hard if not impossible to treat....People end up as pulmonary cripples....home O2...and very sick all the time...

Don't know if it similar or not....just wondering if it is the same fungal?

I know we saw two or three cases a year...usually vented....and usually ended up dying....

very serious....

[cmc4n6]

There is a lot of VF in the flat areas of California too....in the state prison system in Soledad, CA...lots of cases.

I'm contemplating relocating to AZ soon and have two dogs. Do I have to worry about them getting the deadly bite of the bark scorpion? I've seen more bad reactions to rattle snake anti-venin in the ER in San Diego than I thought I would. Do dogs do well in Arizona?

[Hoozdo, ADN]

There is a lot of VF in the flat areas of California too....in the state prison system in Soledad, CA...lots of cases.

I'm contemplating relocating to AZ soon and have two dogs. Do I have to worry about them getting the deadly bite of the bark scorpion? I've seen more bad reactions to rattle snake anti-venin in the ER in San Diego than I thought I would. Do dogs do well in Arizona?

I have a BAD bark scorpion problem at my house and have two dogs, (and four cats)! A bark scorpion bite is not deadly unless you are allergic to the venom. Cats are strangely immune to the venom. I have seen a rx in one of my dogs.....I gave her a benadryl and she was fine. That is the same treatment that humans get if you go to the ER.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

There is a lot of VF in the flat areas of California too....in the state prison system in Soledad, CA...lots of cases.

I'm contemplating relocating to AZ soon and have two dogs. Do I have to worry about them getting the deadly bite of the bark scorpion? I've seen more bad reactions to rattle snake anti-venin in the ER in San Diego than I thought I would. Do dogs do well in Arizona?

I have always had outdoor dogs and they have never had problems with scorpions.

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

I've lived in AZ all my life and have never seen a scorpion in my house, in my backyard, or anywhere around my house. I think it depends on where you live.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Come to think of it, I haven't seen a scorpion in real life either. And I don't think I've ever seen a snake expect out in the desert. Never had any of those creatures anywhere near my house. Ever.

Now, last week, we had a beautiful black widow in our garage. A few months ago we had some large cat on our wall (cougar, bobcat??) A couple of months back I had a baby coon in our front yard....but no scorpions!