Way OT: pnuemonia

[Zimmermanbicycle]

just venting here among friends,came back from three months in India with a bad cough that turned into the big P and apparently it's a special edition from the subcontinent that is resistant to the antibiotics generally used to treat it here,so after 10 days of no improvement I think I'm on the rite drugs.
Just so hard after three months off the bike and out of the shop to sit in bed and watch the nice weather out the window.
bitch moan gripe!
thanks for your indulgence
anyone got a home remedy for loosening up this crap in my right lung?
-Eric

[EricKeller]

I feel for you. I've had to stop using nasal cortisone spray because it's indicated as a cause of an eye problem I'm having. I've had a sinus infection or something like it for over a month, plus my vision still isn't normal. Not as bad as pneumonia, but it's not easy to ride while coughing and wheezing.

[Eric Estlund]

Mmmm... drowning from the inside. Apparently I have "pneumonia and bronchitis prone" lungs. Probably due to skipping out early on that last trimester.I feel for ya.

[Proparc]

Feel free to vent about your health. As someone who almost died in college from pneumonia,( "we have to expel you, you are dying") I can relate. I refused to quite, and graduated, but that diploma came at a VERY HIGH price. While I have never met you, I sincerely hope you get better fast and get back to mitering those tubes!!!

[CyclesNoir]

That is so not fun. I've spent too many lovely spring days unable to function from asthma/allergies. They're largely under control now - but I well remember what its like to watch the good days go by.

Lets hope you get well soon and start training again!

[gltapley]

You have my sympathies, I think Porter could relate as to how sick I would get when I worked for him. Respiratory stuff always kicks my ass. I think it was back in 1988 or 89 I got the big P at Interbike...there is more to the story but...I went through 4 antibiotic series and nothing touched the stuff. It just lingered. At one point I had it so bad I had to sleep upright, cracked ribs coughing, the whole 9 yards.
One weekend I went to see my family in Northern New Mexico and a friend of the families happened to be there. She asked me how long I had been sick, at that point it was 6 months, the next thing I new I was taken to this very old lady...she only spoke Spanish...after about 15 minutes with her I left with a bag of very nasty looking dried roots. She told me to boil these roots drink the water from them after it had settled and cooled. This stuff tasted nastier than it looked, after day 2, I didn't think I could choke down this crap any more. Though after her 2 times a day for 3 days I was better...no more cough the phlegm was gone and I felt human. Any longer if I get the lung cruds that hangs on for too long I boil up some of this concoction. What this old Curandera (spanish for folk healer) gave me were the herbs Osha and Inmortal. I know I will swear by them and realize that sometimes the old ways are better than the new ways.

George T

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Thanks George
yeah I'm on my second set of antibiotics and no change, if I could travel I would go home to Northern New Mexico (I'm from a little town called Talpa near Taos) and seek the help of one of the Curanderas I know there but I'm not leaving the house.
-Eric
P.S.
where are you from in NM?

[gltapley]

Eric,

I am from Las Vegas, though have lots of family in Cimarron, Maxwell and Raton. Originally my mom's side of the family were coal miners in the now ghost town of Dawson.

I have never heard of Talpa. I thought I new the north east/ north central part of NM pretty well...Mora, Tres Ritos, Ocate, Ojo Feliz, Guadalupita, Arrroyo Seca, Valdez, Arroyo Hondo, San Cristobal. But, Talpa where is it?? Please educate me! Where is Talpa? Thinking of the Taos area did you ever know Noah Kaufmann? Or any of the Kaufmann's? They were big into cyclling in the mid 80's.

Gotta love northern NM...Some the last Terminator movie was all filmed here. The aircraft scene was done in the Rio Grande Gorge. You might like to check out www.nenewmexico.com. has some neat stuff about the north eastern part of the state, Taos is more north central, but then you know that...tu es un norteno.

If you don't get better let me know I will send you some osha y inmortal.

George

[Zimmermanbicycle]

George,
sure I knew Noah back in the eighties but haven't heard anything of him since,Talpa is the last little village on 518 as you head east out of Taos toward Penasco it's the last little valley before Pot creek and continues a bit along the ridge above the Ranchos valley toward town,you could easily miss it if you don't slow a little,look for the old Vigil's market and Talpa tavern on the south side of the road and you know you're there.
Thanks for the offer of the yerbas,I may take you up on that.
-Eric

[gltapley]

Eric,
It bugged me so much last night..I could hardly sleep. I kept thinking I had heard of it some where...then I remembered one year that the local MS 150 went up 518 to finish in Taos. That year I was supposed be riding as a sag mechanic for the stragglers. So, I did remember the tavern.

As for Noah, he raced neo pro in Europe for a year or two, came back sold all his stuff and never talked about it again. He eventually got his doctorate in Psychology from University of Oregon. He was doing post doc at NM State in Las Cruces. Though we have lost touch a bit. His brother Sylvan got a degree in business from CU and is a contractor in Brekenridge, he skied alpine for CU one year when they one NCAA's. Their folks divorced years ago. In the early 90's his dad, Doug, was a regional USCF junior coach, though I have not heard nor seen him, the dad, in at least 15 years. His mom lives here in Alb, I run into her every so often...Noah might even have kids by now, I know he got married a few years back...

Since you mentioned you are from Taos and around the same age as Noah. I work with a guy who went to high school with Noah and maybe you. His name is Pat Gallegos, his former wife was I guess his high school sweet heart. She worked at Intel too, her name is Celestina.

Take care of yourself
George

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Ok it turns out it's not pneumonia at all! it's some sort of whacked out lung infection caused by a fungus I picked up in India.
Still in bed watching my legs shrink.
sucks
-Eric

[Curt Goodrich]

Sucks that you're still sick. Perhaps it's good news that they know what it is now? I hope so. Healing thoughts from MN.

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Thanks Curt,
I'm on some radical antifungal that seems to be working,may even hobble out on a ride tomorrow for a mile or so.
It's nice to be able to walk around the block now without being out of breath.
All the best.
-Eric

[Eric Estlund]

Lung cheese

Teaches you to go get paid to visit cool places. Glad to hear there is some healing going on!

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Thanks Eric,
yeah I've got one more week of recovery before I head up to Portland for a week long job,looking forward to getting back to work,lots of frames to build lots of catching up to do.
-Eric Z

[WadePatton]

glad you're getting over it.

don't over do now!

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Thanks Wade,
yeah I got a bit of a smack down the other day,took a walk that was a little too long,wrecked me for the next day,taking it slow.
-EZ

[gltapley]

Thanks Wade,
yeah I got a bit of a smack down the other day,took a walk that was a little too long,wrecked me for the next day,taking it slow.
-EZ

Remember take it easy till you get better...glad they figured out it was a fungus. Now at lest it won't be among us.

George

[Zimmermanbicycle]

Ahhh finally, a year on the gnarly anti fungals and the Doc tells me I can quit poisoning myself and the fungus in my lungs seams to be disapearing,one more CAT scan just to check but I'm off the drugs.
Now how to regain the fitness lost with a year down?
Shooting that film in India sure came at a price!
-Eric

[Eric Estlund]

Yeouch- glad to hear the end is in sight!