Anti Fungus Medicine To Treat Aspergilliosis
Gardening Question From Ann:
Could I ask you about the medicine you talked about in a reply to another question regarding apergilliosis in compost dust.
I have chronic hypersensitivity Pnuemonitus aggreivated by aspergilligus in the environment. I contracted this through working as an interior landscaper for 11 years working daily with large amounts of compost at close quarters. I have had the usual blood tests for the anti bodies and I’ve had a lung biopsy to confirm the pnuemonitus.
I was interested to hear there is an anti fungal medicine and would appreciate if you could let me know if your friends breathing got easier after taking it. I know the climate can effect the condition greatly, through experience. I can tell upon waking up what the weather is doing outside. I would be very grateful for any other information you can give me. Treatment for my condition is early stages so right now I’m on a high level of steroids. Condition is also complicated because I have lupus.
Answer From Pat:
I am very sorry to hear about your condition. Unfortunately, no, my close friend whom I wrote about who contracted this problem from compost never recovered completely. It was always there but under control. However this fungus disease did not prevent her from having a good life. Unfortunately, she finally died of cancer but it was a result of radiation and not connected with the problem in her lungs. Regarding medicines, I have no idea what she was taking. I only know that she was treated for the problem by a doctor at Scripps Memorial Hospital on Genesee Ave. near I-5 in La Jolla, CA. If you contact that hospital by phone the information line might be able to connect you with a doctor who treats fungus diseases and diseases of the lung such as your condition.
Pat
Pat, I have bought each of your b ooks. I live in OceanHills Country club. I want to know when is the best time of year to prune Metro………New Zealand Xmas tree.l???
I grow all my own vegs: I am English…what more can i say??
New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa) is best pruned according to the rule “Prune After Bloom”, so wait until it blooms in summer and then prune it.
Not every flowering plant is pruned according to this rule because some plants bloom on new wood and therefore bloom most abundantly when pruned before bloom to stimulate more growth instead of afterwards. A good example is bougainvillea. India hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis) is an excellent example of a plant that is pruned after bloom and never before since it sets buds months earlier. The time to prune Rhaphiolepis is in June right after it finishes blooming. If you prune it in fall and winter, as is often done by hired gardeners who do not read and are ignorant of the differences between plants, you will not get any flowers in spring because you will have cut off all the flowering wood.
It is always a good idea to refer to a good pruning manual before pruning any plant. Sunset published a paperback many years ago called “Sunset Pruning Handbook” and that is a good one. You can still find it for sale on Amazon.com.