Help! What do I do???

[TAWhatley]

Hi Izzy,

I too am sending lots of good vibes your way for your doctor's appointment today. I really hope a definitive diagnosis can be reached and that treatment will give you the relief that you need.

I've been fortunate in that I don't seem to have any problems caused by close association with birds or animals.

My friend, Bart, became very, very ill a year or so ago .. pneumonia like symptoms .. it turned out that he had gotten psittacosis from some doves he had at the time. Many of the doves died from it, but Bart was successfully treated with a lengthy course of antibiotics (Cipro).

Terry

[SmithFamilyLoft]

Originally Posted by Izzy

I'm absolutely devastated right now. Most of you know I haven't been well lately and yesterday, after having a few extra rough days of major coughing, along with chest pain and other gross things I called my doctor back. I hadn't told him previous about my having Mel and Misty, but decided I should mention it. I spoke with his nurse and she told me she would talk to my doctor and return my call. It wasn't even 5 minutes when he called me back and told me to get rid of Mel and Misty immediately!

I told him that they had no other place to live, but I would do my best to find a home but how did he know that they were "for sure" what was making me sick. Maybe I should come in for tests or something? He told me to place them outside immediately or just let them go and seal off their room and do not enter it again for at least 10 days. Then he said I should come back to his office Monday morning.

I admit, he frightened me. But there's NO way I'm going to just let Mel and Misty go outside, they will die, I just know it! They are only a little over two months old and if something happened to them I would never forgive myself. I'm heartbroken just knowing that I have to let them go and it's tough enough to deal with that, there's no way I'm not making sure they go somewhere where they can be fed on a daily basis and safe from harm.

Another thing, my oldest dog Sheba starting coughing two days ago. I'm afraid maybe she has gotten something from them also. She's scheduled to see the vet on Monday afternoon. I'm just scared that I'm letting Mel and Misty go without "absolute" proof that they are what is causing these problems. I admit, it's looking more than coincidential now and if Sheba is sick because of them, that'll make me feel even more horrible. I mean, I can deal with my being sick, but putting my dogs at risk tears me up.

I called my local humane society this morning, they gave me two phone numbers, one for a wild life sanctuary, which told me they are too full to take in two pigeons and another who will not even take pigeons. If I were able to find a private home, I feel I must tell them about my being ill, isn't that the right thing to do? Will that hinder Mel and Misty finding a home? I'm not even absolutely sure they are carrying anything to cause an illness, if they were, wouldn't they be sick also? Can they just be carriers and not be ill? Can't I just be treated if it is positive it's something from the pigeons and not get it again? What about my dogs, can they be treated? I have another dog that isn't coughing, but what her? I have so many questions and I'm so scared of doing something out of haste because of fear...I just don't know what to do, can anyone help?

If you really have too, I am sure, they would adapt to outside living. I just can't believe a Dr. would blame two innocent birds before running tests ! Good Luck.

[pigeon george]

like most have said your doctor MUST inform you of what is the problem with you and your friends, first. i know many of you keep but a few birds so dander shouldnt be a problem however if it is, a pen that is sealed from the house but has outside ventilation should work i knew a quite elderly man whose lungs could no longer take the dust from his 150 or so birds when the doc told him he had to get rid of them he simply wore a two filter dust mask not the ceap ones and he was fine although he told me the birds would giggel at him till they got used to it. where there's a will there's a way

[Izzy]

I'm finally back home and here is what happened today. I'll start with Sheba's vet visit. Looks like she may have bronchitis, I didn't even know dogs could get that, doh. She coughed at the vet's office and he put her on a cortisteroid called Flovent. They did take some blood to do some tests though, in case she doesn't improve. The vet said unless I had ALOT of pigeons with LOADS of pigeon poop around that Sheba was sniffing on constantly, it's very unlikely she's gotten anything from Mel or Misty. She also doesn't have a fever or runny nose, just this dry cough. I'll keep you updated on her condition, but am relieved right now.

Ok, now me! It's understandable to me now why my doc was kinda freaking about my getting rid of Mel and Misty this past Saturday on the phone. I don't know if his nurse embellished my story or if he just heard her wrong, but he was under the assumption that I had quite a few pigeons and several had died on me. I know I told his nurse I had TWO pigeons, 2 months old and I had been hand raising them since they hatched. Anyhow, I got the story straight to my doc and we went from there. He did ask about Mel and Misty, if they were coughing or seemed ill and I told him they seemed very healthy to me.

First he said that I had a low grade fever, it was 101.6, I was surprised because I didn't "feel" like I had a fever. I mean, I had a fever a few weeks ago, around 104 and boy, you can tell you have a fever then. He said that if I were just allergic to the pigeons I wouldn't have a fever, so something else was going on. He listened to my lungs, checked my nose, ears, etc., said I had congestion in sinuses, then had me blow on this plastic thingie that measured how strong my breath is. He asked if I had any pain and I told him about the small sore I had in my armpit. He's familiar with my lymph node problem as I have SLE Lupus and this is an ongoing problem for me. Anyhow, he looked at it and told me it was really infected. I had been taking Amoxocillin for the walking pneumonia for almost two weeks now, so he was surprised I still had an infection. I then went to the lab to get blood drawn and he said he was going to do a little research on psittacosis, as he was familiar with this ailment, but has never actually treated anyone for it.

When I returned from the lab, he told me that he couldn't rule out psittacosis, but the blood test would tell him positively if I have that or not. He said it was a special test and it might take up to 3 days to get the results back. He said that it was possible for me to have this and Mel and Misty not be sick, though that was uncommon, but he couldn't rule it out because he read that they can carry and spread but not always be ill themselves. So, he put me on Doxycycline, 100mg, twice a day. He said this should take care of my current infection AND also psittacosis, if the test came back positive. He also gave me another script for Albuterol, the inhaler I've been using for a week now.

He told me if I don't feel MUCH better in 3-4 days that I need to call him back. He also told me to keep checking my temperature, as I was unaware I even had a fever today.

So, I guess I'm still not sure what is going to happen at this point. But looks like I'll know more during this week. I'm praying I can keep Mel and Misty and want to try to get an air purifier for their room, as I think that would just be a good thing all around anyhow, but I can't really afford it right now and besides, I'm still not sure what is going on, so I'll deal with that decision when I get to it.

Thanks for all of your feedback/advice, it's very much appreciated and I'll let you all know how I'm feeling this week and what my test results are.

Izzy

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hey Izzy,

You have a lot going on with you for sure I'm glad you've gotten to the doctor and at least some things have been figured out. I think that Sheba might have gotten the bronchitis from you since it can be bacterial as well as viral. Glad she's on something now. As for you, you're in a worse predicament and I hope that your doctor can get things under control for you. I still don't buy that Mel and Misty are asymptomatic carriers of ornithosis however. Adult birds can be carriers of the disease with no symptoms and act completely normal, but in this case it would seem so unlikely that they could have lived to their present age with the disease. And if they weren't born with it, then where the heck would they have gotten in, living indoors with no other birds around? I hope you start to feel better soon with treatment. Keep us posted on your conditions.


Feel better soon,

Brad

[zoo keeper]

Well, I guess I am going to have to make a post here as well. I am speaking from the medical field, as I am a nurse and work with MD's everyday of my life. Sheesh. Just to begin, if I am understanding you said you had pneumonia? This alone takes weeks to heal for some. It is not uncommon to feel run down, sleep a lot, cough, have junky lungs, need breathing treatments and have evidence of pneumonia on status post x-rays following pneumonia for quite some time. Next. Pneumonia can lead to other disorders that can cause an intolerance to light. I think without one singe doubt, I would get more facts. I have been a nurse for a bazillion years and I cannot tell you the number of cases of pneumonia I have seen that left lingering symptoms for several months. Then on the topic of MD's. So many really are not people persons. They decide something and it is not open to discussion. They dont like to be challenged on their decision. Without doing any type of tests to see if you truly have something that could have been transmitted from the birds, then you do have the right to ask questions and demand more tests. He is asking you to get rid of something that is important to you. You need to have more tests done and ask question and not do anything until you have facts and answers. I can tell you this. I have never once in all my 15 years of nursing seen a single person have a disease from a bird. Yes, it is possible I guess, but it is so very very very rare. Please get all the facts before you act.

[Feefo]

HI Izzy,

Okay, I forgive your doctor! With the Lupus making you more vulnerable to infection and the misinformation from the nurse it is no wonder he reacted as he did.

I hope that you get the results back soon and that it shows the pigeons to be healthy and no threat to you!

According to my brief research the symptoms that you describe can be symptoms of a Lupus flare?

Take care of yourself,

Cynthia

[Izzy]

Hi all, I'd like to address the last 3 posts individually.

Thank you Brad! I'm hanging in there and I'm feeling like you are, as far as Mel and Misty not being carriers of anything, other than a bunch of feathers. I'm just glad I got the test done to prove it! Just like you mentioned the other evening, there has been just so many coincidences going on lately, but I'm glad to be getting answers without going off the deep end, lol.

Thank you for your post Zoo Keeper. I was told I have walking pneumonia, probably very similiar to pneumonia only you don't "feel" as sick, whatever that means, lol! I'm starting to feel badly that I even "thought" Mel and Misty could of made me ill. I mean, when I visited my doctor and the ER the past several weeks, it never occurred to me to mention I even had two pigeons, because I honestly never believed I could of gotten ill from them. I think because I've never had a cold/flu/bronchitis last so long, I began to wonder why. It didn't help that I had friends who came by and had to put in their 2 cents, saying they couldn't believe how long I've been ill and maybe it was the pigeons. I also read that symptoms of psittacosis are 'flu like symptoms' that can eventually lead to pneumonia. So, I knew I had these symptoms, just started to wonder if it maybe was possible that it could of been from Mel and Misty. Like you mentioned, I'm definitely getting all my facts before I act. That's why I first came to this board, to try to get some answers and not just do what my doctor initially first suggested. Please also understand, I'm very new to having pigeons and each day with them this past two months has been a huge learning experience for me. I do care for Mel and Misty greatly and would never just let them go without very good cause.

Hi Cynthia and thanks for forgiving my doc, lol! Yes, I do experience flare ups and have for years. Though I have no particular pattern, 2 a year is usually the norm for me. Sometimes the flares can last as little as a week or as long as several months. I've learned that being stressed out is not a good thing and usually contributes to my having one. One sign that I get when I know I'm having a flare up is problem with my lymph nodes, usually armpits and groin area. They get very swollen, sore and sometimes infected. I'm also usually quite fatigued, with painful joints, but in the past, I've never had any symptoms like a cold or flu, with congestion and/or coughing and fever. Knowing that lupus affects my major organs, I wondered if I possibly had gotten an infection in my lungs, but that was ruled out when I first went to see my doctor. One thing that I was unaware of is that having sensitivity to light can occur during a flare up, I've never had this happen in the past, so when I read that psittacosis had that as a symptom, that sort of scared me.

Thanks for your posts and taking the time to give me your opinion and your support, I'm glad to be able to have this board for not only questions I have regarding Mel and Misty, but now for questions I have for myself.

Izzy

[Feefo]

Izzy, what are you doing out of bed at this time? It is 8 am here, which means all you US members should be tucked up and resting!


It is perfectly natural to suspect that any illness or symptoms that develop after the arrival of a pigeon is pigeon related. This is the level of fear that the constant anti pigeon propaganda from pest controllers and City Councils has instilled in pigeon lovers , who are at least prepared to seek out the truth. Is it any wonder that those that have no inclination to ask questions hate and fear pigeons?


Now rest and recuperate!!

Cynthia

[Sweetie]

Izzy,

I will be praying for you. You were on my prayerlist as of Saturday. I pray that everything will work out well for you. Please try to hold on to Misty and Mel. They think you of you as their mother. They relate to you as a mother. When you went to see them in their room, they showed you how much they love and care for you.

They are two months old now? That means that soon they will maybe start molting around when they are 3 months old and will begin to grow their adult feathers, which will be their adult coloring.

Sweetie is now almost 4 months old now. She has been molting since she was 3 months old. Her new feathers are shinier and the
feathers that are growing on her crop and chest area are beginning to show some color in them now. They are going to be a deep irredecent purple now instead of a blackish color now.

I now you will be excited when you see this happening. I certainly was. When Sweetie gets her adult coloring in she will be gorgious.

Try to have a nice Thanksgiving

Victoria Lutes & Sweetie

[Izzy]

Hiya Cynthia and I had been in bed for a few hours before getting back up, heh. Actually, I woke up extremely nauseous and was trying to eat a few crackers. I ate crackers in bed once and oy, it took forever getting that last stupid crumb outta there, lol! So, I decided to visit the board, but I want to thank you for your concern, it's very sweet.

You are exactly right about all the bad media that pigeons get. I'm just glad I had a place I knew I could come to and get straight answers. I feel guilty that I even started to 'suspect' that I could of possibly got something from Mel and Misty, as I never felt I would one of those persons who would fall victim to this way of thinking. I guess it shows me that with enough coincidences that your mind can really get you starting to believe something. <sigh>

Hi Victoria and sweetie and thank you for your wonderful post, it really warmed me. I hope to be able to experience many, many more things with Mel and Misty in the future. We also hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Izzy