A Fungus Amongus
What if your brain,Unexpectedly and suddenly,
Picked out things to flip around
And view a lot differently?
--Take Me to Your Leader, Incubus
__________
A Public Service Announcement: A friend and fellow blogroll member labrys at Walk of the Fallen has alerted us to a discovery which may help remedy a longstanding health woe of her husband's -- a skin problem which he picked up in Vietnam.
He, as well as Ranger and probably many other Vietnam servicemen, has suffered rashes of unknown etiology for 35 years. Recently, a doctor diagnosed a fungal infection, and he is responding well to oral Lamisil. One must be monitored for liver enzyme function while on the medication, but if it cures, it's worth a go.
Pass it along if you know someone who might benefit.
FWIW: Jim treats his fungal outbreaks with topical Nizoral and shampoo (ketoconazole, generic). It doesn't cure it, but it attenuates the outbreaks. He was fortunate some 15 years on to be diagnosed correctly by a retired Air Force physician in private practice. [The Army doctors never bothered to run a culture, and just told him to scrub better, which only irritated the matter.] The VA system can dispense Nizoral.
Labels: vietnam fungal infection
posted by rangeragainstwar at 7:47 PM
9 Comments:
i have used aloe vera (from the plant, not the bottle) with good success on the rash and lesions.
MB,
That's a good idea--nature has many healers for us.
I have read Tea Tree oil is also a possibility. the Aussie troops in WW II used it for fungal infections to geed effect. Jim's sensitive skin finds it too astringent.
then aloe should work very nicely. it's an easy plant to grow, should even truly flourish in talahassee. all you do is to cut a spear, slice off the thorny edges and then slice in half. scoring the inside will release the gel which is hugely rich in collagen and vitE and lord knows what else. when my stuff rucks up on me the itching can truly drive one totally mad. when it comes out on the backs of my heels i can't wear shoes or much of anything. the aloe soothes and heals rapidly.
Excellent advice, MB.
I am remiss not to have a plant growing already.
35 yrs + and you guys are still suffering.
What kind of things are these boys today going to bring home with them from the middle east that can last the rest of their lives?
Lots of natural scary things there I'm sure, but then you've got DU which no one seems to want to talk about. I'm afraid that will change though.
trip wire,
Exactly right. But it doesn't seem the well-being of the troops, either while there or back here, is exactly a priority for the powers that be.
The money is to be made while the game is on, and not in caring for afflicted "one-time warriors." [gag] Of course, we mean "soldiers".
trip wire,
p.s. --
Jim says that although he went on sick call in 1971 with the skin
condition, the Department of Veterans Affairs rejects any responsibility for it since it went undiagnosed; therefore, it doesn't meet service- connected criterion.
Catch-22?
Aloe is good for the itching, but doesn't seem to eliminate or cure it.
We tried teatree oil...but Tom seems to have developed an allergy to it.
BUT, third night of treatment and he noticed something remarkable. His left side sinus cavities have driven him bats for years...and no amount of antibiotics fixed them. They are CLEARING now!! I know fungal stuff CAN cause sinus infection, but we never thought of this before. His chest is almost clear of red and lesions....better by the day.
labrys,
Great news. We'll be listening in for updates.
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