The flu-like symptoms that Jose Leon developed this spring were negative for Covid.
He had lost 50 pounds by the time he was diagnosed with Valley fever.
There is a potentially deadly disease that can be spread through dirt.
The Leons believed they could exhale.
The couple in Lemoore, California, got through the worst of the COVID-19 epidemic with five kids at home, and survived Carmen's three-week hospitalization with the virus in late 2021.
Leon got sick after they bought a house.
Carmen, a receptionist at an eye doctor's office, told Insider that when they feel better, they are able to work.
Valley fever is a potentially deadly disease that has been on the rise recently.
About a month after his symptoms began, Jose was diagnosed. He is still recovering today after his condition deteriorated.
He told Insider that things would have been better if he had been diagnosed sooner.
Leon used to weigh 200 pounds and work out almost every day. He was so tired he would jog in place at work to stay awake.
He would need to lie down. Jose worked nights and cared for the children during the day.
He had a cough and body ache for a couple of weeks. He was double-vaccinated and the tests came back negative.
Jose called his oldest daughter home from high school because he was so sick. Carmen said that it was one of the signs she was looking for. He has never been able to take care of the baby.
Jose's primary care doctor didn't take the recommendation from the doctor at the local clinic to test Jose for Valleyfever. Jose was told to go to the emergency room after the chest X-rays looked bad.
The clinicians thought it was a bad case of carbon dioxide. Carmen said that they sent Jose home with steroids and other medication because he wasn't getting better.
Carmen said that he didn't want to eat. She took him to the emergency room again because he was sick. Carmen said that the doctor raised the urgentness of his case from a 7 to a 1
Carmen said that his lungs were white and full of pneumonia.
Jose was told he had immunity against the disease when he was a kid in the Valley. He said he was shocked. He said he had lost 50 pounds by that time.
Amphotericin B was used in Jose's treatment. He had to stay in the hospital to get injections because his insurance wouldn't cover them.
Carmen cut back on her part-time work during the summer months so she could spend more time with her family. She said it was very hard. We didn't have money at times. Carmen's sister started a website to raise money for her.
Jose missed both of his children's high-school graduations. He was out of the house for four months. We're always with each other, even though it sounds sad.
Jose isn't back to normal yet. He can't return to work until 2023 because he's taking an oral antifungal medication every day. He said he felt better, but Jose said he was waking up with the flu. He has a changed sense of smell and taste.
Carmen asked the doctor if there was anything else the family could do to support Jose's recovery, and she told them to move out of California. Carmen said that wasn't an option for them.
Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious disease caused by inhaling the spores of Coccidioides.
About 40% of people who develop flu-like symptoms after inhaling the spores will not get sick. Some patients can have serious side effects. If the disease spreads to other parts of the body, it can cause death.
Climate change is likely to be the reason for the increased presence of the spores in Washington and Oregon.
Jose wants people to be aware of the possible causes of flu symptoms. He said that people needed to know that it was out there. It's important to catch it early because the Fungus grows.
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