An Ode to Valley Fever
Breathe them in
To the lungs
Airborne filaments and spores
In the warm, moist pleura
Spots and spingles form
Then plan
Their next move
~
For most
It is mild,
This inner invasion
~It means~
Fever, cough, chills, ache
Perhaps a rough, red rash
~
Six months
A year
You’re better
~
For others
Even twenty years later
Fever, weight loss, cough, chest pain
Blood-tinged sputum
Nodules to blame
But you don’t die
~
For the vulnerable few
Lung growths, ulcers, abrasions form
Skull, spine and bone lesions, the norm
Knees, ankles, other joints ache
The brain and spinal cord join in
Forsake
~
Recourse?
Rest
Fluconazole
Itraconazole
~But perhaps most important~
Learn the lessons
Do your best
This may be
The final test.
A few years ago, my dear friend died from a mad conflagration of valley fever and lung cancer. This piece emerged from that experience.
For the latest information regarding Coccidioidomycosis, commonly called Valley Fever, click here.