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[Connie]

Hi, I  had blastomycosis about 8 years ago. I was misdiagnosed 3 times before it was found. I was a single parent with a young daughter. I first started out with a fever and a real sharp pain on my right side near the side of my breast. I went to the hospital where they did no testing and told me I had a pulled muscle. A week later I went back the fever persisting and the pain getting worse. This time they took exrays of my lungs and said I had pnomonia and sent me home with medication. Fever was at 103 -104 now and I was having great difficulty breathing and the pain on my right side was unbareable at times. My sister took me back to the hospital where i was gasping for air. This time they took me seriously. I had about 10 doctors and nurses all over me. Oxygen mask was put on me and my clothes stripped. My oxygen levels had fallen to about 25% where the average persons levels are at 98%. Doctors took several tests and asked several questions but could not come up with what was wrong with me. The doctors here confired with Toronto. They sugested giving me steroids to help bring the fever down. The docotrs here misheard and gave me too much steriods where my legs trippled in size. It helpt to bring the fever down alittle but I was still having high enough fevers. They could not do anything here for me thus airlifted me to Toronto. Toronto did a biopsy on me. As my veins had colapsed and in bad shape from being sick they put a pic line in my neck without freezing. I was so sick I did not feel a thing. They did a biopsy. They came back the next day saying i was going to loose my right lung. I was upset but happy they knew what was wrong with me. The day after they came back to me saying they had misdiagosed me that I would not loose my lung that I had blastomycosis and with radical medical treatment I would be ok. Now the news came that because it took so long to discover I had blastomycosis it now moved into my left lung. I went through 14 days of IV medication then started on Itraconasole. Once I was diagnosed and I felt It was time to be transfered back home I convinced the doctors to let me go. I was airlifted back. Once I got back the doctors and nurses were very upset. They told me that I was going right back to Toronto. I cried and my mother had it out with them. We felt that I would get better faster being closer to home so that my daughter could come see me. It was really dificult for her especially while I was in Toronto. The doctor explained to me that they had never worked with a patient with blastomycosis before that all others before me had died and were diagnosed after death. I was in a single room hooked to oxygen the whole time only limited to my room unless given a portable tank to take a wheelchair out with family or tests. I was tested every day. My arm looked like a drug addict from  the daily bloodwork. The doctors told me that I was enemic at the time I contracted blastomycosis and why my body could not fight of the fungus. My potasium levels aslo droped real low where I had to go on a potasium drip, take an oral potasium med,  potasium shots in my stomach, and eat about 10 bananas a day. for about a week. The fevers continued into the second month of my stay at the hospital. Criteria for me to leave the hospital was  to be fever free for 2 days straight. This was so hard and stressful on my whole family. My sister  took care of my daughter and brought her to see me every day. I will be greatful for her every day. The doctors told me and my daughter together that because I was a non smoker and that my will to live was so great is what saved me. I was finally fever free for 2 days straight now after 2 months in the hospital. I was sent home to continue taking the itraconasol every day and to see my specialist every week. I was to go to Toronto when they called for biopsy and checkups. I was out of the hospital a couple of weeks when the fevers started again and the pain was coming back. I was put back in the hospital and airlifted back to Toronto. They did more testing and more intense medication. This time they put a picline in my arm. After 2 weeks in Toronto I was airlifted back to home and spend 2 more weeks in the hopital. They sent me home with nursing care for another 2 weeks. I went to see my specialist every week and to Toronto about every 2 months for biopsys and checkups until I was cleared of the blastomucosis. I was off work for 17 months in total. It took a long time to get rid of the blastomycosis. I have been told that blastomycosis works like TB where it can hide and reoccur at any time. I had one scare about a year later but it turned out not to be blastomycosis. I have difficuly doing stairs and walking uphill. I LOVE to dance and have trouble doing that now. My lungs look worse than a smokers lungs now. My doctors and nurses did thank me for a learning experience as I think I met every doctor in this area. I have heard stories about other people serviving because of me. My aunt who lives in a nearby town was told how her friends neices was saved because of someone  from here having it and my aunt told her that it was her neice that had it and is doing fine. This was reassuring for my aunts friend.
Blastomycosis can mask itself as something else like in me .. a pulled muscle ot pnomonea as the doctors first thought. I say we all know our bodies and should push for proper treatment.  I just wish I would of pushed harder at first and ordered testing instead of being sent home. My daughter is a teenager now and she tells everyone who smokes to quit that it can kill you. It is always in the back of my mind that it will come back. And my family constantly ask how I feel.  We all thought that I was going to die. I was so white, I lost all my hair and lost about 50 pounds. I use an inhaler now as I sometimes stop breathing. Also when I am laughing too hard or get too emotional I have difficilty breathing now as well. The pump has saved me . Once almost having to be rushed in to the hospital. I have to really watch my emotions now.
This is my story. I hope that it can help someone. I was alone when it happened to me and no one knew anything about blastomycisis. Also always carry a medical plan. I was lucky I have one through work. The itraconasol alone was 1200.00 a month, the bag IV was 60.00 a day.And I cannot remember the costs of all the other meds I was on. withought a plan I don't know what I would of done.

[Doris3175]

Hello Connie,
     I just read your story, I have the other post about Blastomycosis in Northern Ontario I don't know if you have read it....my brother died from Blastomycosis.  I was wondering if you could tell me where you are from...and how the doctors think you contracted it??

God Bless

[Connie]

I contacted blastoycosis in the bush near my cottage. They knew this because 3 dogs from nearby cottages got it too with 2 dying and 1 ok with medication.  But from what I was told anyone can get it anywhere from your home, from the lake, from walking near grass, and in the bush. The air bubbles from the lake are not from fish as everyone thinks... it is from gases from the bottom of the lake. The ground and anywhere fungus grows burp. This is where the gases come from. I was also informed that many people inhale the fungal gases and never get blastomycosis. When I got blastomycosis my young daughter at the time and mother were always with me and neither of them got blastomycosis or were ever sick. I was enemic at the time and is why I was unable to fight off the gases I inhaled where it did not affect my family. ungal gases are odorless, colorless, and tasteless and thus we never know when we inhale it. When I was diagnosed about 8 years ago The specialists in Toronto told me they see about 1 case a year. Now there seems to be more and more cases happening. We have a district hospital here and they had never had a patient survive before me. This means they never really knew how to deal or diagnose blastomycosis. Even after being diagnosed in Toronto the hospital here could not pick up the blastomycosis. Thus why I had to continue going to Toronto for the follow up biopsies and tests. This is a scarry illness and is often misdiagnosed because it can mask itself like pnemonea or other illnesses. To anyone who get it and only a mild version.... take the medications, keep getting tested, keep your doctors informed because once you have it it can come back. This is what my specialist told me. I have not taken anything for the blastomycosis in about 6 years. I know the signs and symptoms and the hospital and doctors know my case and file real good. They do not hesitate here now and neither do I.

[luvmyjacks]

Connie, Just wanting to find out where you are in Ontario as you mention getting blasto from your cottage and that dogs around your place had died.  I cottage in Ontario and am trying to figure out just how much the incidence of blasto is increasing.  Not sure if you still check this site, but worth a try.

[weluvmoose]

We also have a place in Ontario where my dog got this as well as 3 friend's dogs all of which died.  Where is your cottage?  We are in the Pipestone Lake area - Lake of the Woods is not too far away.   

[Connie]

Hi, My cottage is on the Sudbury Highway near Gogama. I keep hearing more and more stories about people getting blasto. When I got it I was the only human that I knew of here and in the north and the Toronto area. After I was cleared of the the blasto when I went for my last visit to Toronto there was a patient there with blasto.. no one in between us diagnosed. from time of diagnosing me and being cleared of the blasto was 17 months.  I have been blasto free for 6 yrs now. Now I have heard of multiple people getting blasto at a time like in the Hearst area and Smooth Rock Falls. I haven't heard of anyone in the past year getting diagnosed in this area(the north).

[laur74]

Hi
In August 2006 my husband & daughter were both diagnosed with Blasto and 5 dogs who were also with us that weekend died from Blasto.  There were 18 people with us the weekend we came in contact with Blasto.  We are from Sault Ste Marie.

[Lisa]

Wow Laur74, that is a scary tale.
I lived in the Sault when my dog died of what we think was blastomycosis, but we didn't receive a positive diagnosis before I had to put her down.
You said it happened on a weekend - where you out camping? There are a few lakes my dog swam in and I suspect it was from one of them, but I'll never know for sure.
Are your husband and daughter fully recovered? What a horrible ordeal that must have been.

[Connie]

I was the only human to get blasto at the time. yes I was at the cottage. I had been there for 2 weeks. there are alot of cottages out there. 3 dogs.. 2 died which had it too. Blasto can be caught anywhere fungus grows..which means you can get it in your own home. So it does not always mean you catch it out in bush or lakes. My house was cleared of any mold or fungus so thats how we knew it wasn't my home. As the doctor told me in Toronto.. blasto works like TB and can hibernate in your body and come back whenever. Unfortunately I spent last night at the hospital with all the same symptoms. I got checked for the blasto reaccuring. The doctor told me I have pnemonia in both lungs.. but then again thats what they diagnosed me with  when I had the blasto. I am watching myself and if it gets worse back to the hospital I go.

[laur74]

We were out at a camp in the Sault area helping with repairs.  The doctors in Sudbury told me that the mold spores that cause Blasto are anywhere that natural vegetation decays.  They also told me that it is known as a dogs disease because dogs have their noses to the ground, and dig around in the dirt.  Soon after we were working on the camp, my husband hurt his back at work and the doctors believed that his resistance was low & that is why the Blasto started growing in his lungs.  My daughter has asthma, and even though she was not working on the camp like the rest of the adults, the mold spores were being disturbed and were airborn, seeing that her immune system was compromised the doctors believed that is why the Blasto started growing in her lungs.  It was quite an ordeal for everyone.  My husband & daughter were on medicine for the year.  With 18 people being out at the camp, it is amazing that nobody else got ill.  Although it is very heart breaking that all the dogs died.

[Connie]

hi laur74,
I didn't find you posted anywhere. I am sorry for what you and your family have gone through. I am glad both your husband and daughter are doing better. The doctors must of found the blasto earlier than mine as I was on the meds for 17 months. Your husband must of been a non smoker. Thats what saved my life I was told. 

[luvmyjacks]

We cottage on Georgian Bay in Honey Harbour and I haven't spoken to any Doctors or Vets in that area, but when our dogs were diagnosed in Collingwood the vet said right away that we must have been to Muskoka, or Parry Sound and we are close to the latter.  There was a Globe and Mail article this fall about a young man and his dog both undergoing treatment for blasto at the same time.  The dog was diagnosed first and after going down the wrong path several times they decided to test the boy for blasto as well.  This case brings Blasto much closer to home for all the people who regularly head up to Georgian Bay from Toronto.  Knowing that blasto is just around the corner might help the Doctors figure out what's wrong with people a little faster and save them from the heartache you people have been through.

[Connie]

Blasto has hit our regional news lately when someone had passed away from it. After it had aired alot of people called the TV station. I emailed them and gave them this site to read.  The next day Blasto was talked about again on the news and said that the powers be will be fighting for blasto to be recognised and be tested for as it is becoming more commonly seen unfortunately. If I remember right the person was from Sault Saint Marie, Ontario. That is about 5 hours west of me.

[Lisa]

I lived in Sault Ste. Marie when my dog died, probably of Blastomycosis, but we didn't get a diagnosis.  I've heard of several other cases in that area.  I'm sorry to hear someone died from it.  Let me know if you see mention of it in the local print media so I can link to the coverage here.

Blastomycosis was a reportable disease in Ontario until 1989. The Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC) controls what is a reportable disease in Ontario. From one of my sources, I learned the considered re-adding Blastomycosis to the list of reportable diseases in 2006, but they didn't. I believe they made a note to review its status the next time they review the list.  If it is made a reportable disease, this will be for people only, not dogs.

[Connie]

As far as our news said , it is being looked at being reinstated as a reportable disease. I'm just hoping it won't take too long to do it.