A first hand experience with Legionarres Disease (ME)

Weezbo

and here i am ...snivelin about crawling out orf the footings Sunday when i blew out my back spinnin in a 500 foot roll of 1" *~/:) :))

sorry,:) get well soon...and dont eat on the aeroplanes them guys probably been Breathin all over the food....

[Deleted User]

This has not been a good year...

Greetings fellow Wallies. You may have noticed (or not:-) a lack of ME around here recently. It seems that I contracted a case of legionaires disease from the DHW system at my second home. It all started in the Germ Tube Transporter (AKA Jet Airplane) comning back from the lovely isle of Rhode. People hacking cough and sneezing as usual. I got a slight upper respiratory cold. I fought it with extra vitamins and vitamin C, but not to much avail. It was in the process of running its course through my course. In the mountains over the weekend, I felt achy, almost flue like, and decided to take a nice long hot shower to see if it would break loose the congestion. When I first turned on the shower, I noticed that the water wasn't hot enough to require mixing. Strange I thought. Possibly I had bumped the knob lower while moving summer furniture in. Didn't give it much thought. Until last night that is...

That evening, I felt like someone had punched me in the chest. Wheezing, crackling. Not a good sign. By Monday, I was so ill I could barely walk and talk, and could not eat or drink. It was like my guts were on fire, twisting and turning. I figuered it to be the flu (self diagnosis) and kept forcing fluids, but still could not eat. Crackling approached drawning sounds.

By Tuesday, I slept for 20 straight hours.. Figured my body needed it.

By Wednesday, I was praying for the ultimate release, unable to take to wretching coughing and lungs doing the death rattle thing. In typical male fashion, my WIFE forced me in to see the doctors. By 11:00 that morning, I was on some SERIOUSLY strong antibiotics (horse pill size).

Doctors prognosis "You have a bacteril viral infection deep in your lungs, and it is affecting your whole bodies system." to which I replied "Like legionalla?" To which she replied, "Most definately." I am now on the 2 of nine horse pills (boosted first two to shock the system) and have 7 more days of pills and bed rest (yeah, right...) before I will be completely clean of the little buggers.

As I lay in bed last night, feeling my body transition between sweating and shivering, and wondering how much control I really had over my hippothalmus, it hit me right between the eyes. The low water tempperatures in my vacation homes hot water heater damn near killed me.

I contracted legionaires disease this weekend from my own DHW system. Yes, it took a serious amount of events to all be lined up and perfectly timed, but unfortunately, it did happen and it can happen to you and your loved ones. If you have not reviewed the CD put together by Hollywood Dave Yates and the good folks at Watts, do yourself, your family and your customers a favor and get it and watch it soon. There will be some changes in how we set up these side arm heaters in our company, as soon as I am strong enough to get back to work.

I'm not completely out of the red on this stuff, because it affects your WHOLE bodies mechanisms. (Think I may have herniated myself coughing and wretching, afraid to llok or feel...)

Get the CD, check it out and start practicing safe DHW heating.

If not for my wifes insistance, I might very well be here...

Thank you dear, for taking care of me and watching out for this stubborn old fool.

Back to sleep.

ME

kevin coppinger_4

Mark....

get well soon...you are missed. kpc

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Brad White_127

Get Well ME!!

Sobering indeed and a worthy reminder. I am going to crank up my DHW thermostat a notch in your honor.

And why did it have to be discovered at a Legionaire's convention? What bum luck to have a fine organization through no fault of their own get a disease named after them? Why could it not have happened at a NAMBLA convention? Anyone?

Seriously, Mark- you are doing a great service- Your health is precious to many of us.

Stay low and get well soon! Hats off to Mrs. E. especially.

DanHolohan

Take more than that

to get you, Tough Guy. Glad you're on the mend.

Jeff Lawrence_25

I'll never get that...

We all say. Then BOOM, you or a close friend gets it.

Thanks to the Lovely LuAnn for forcing you to the doctors office.

Get well soon, from the Lawrence's.

(BTW, we all need another boat ride on Lake Mead)

Scott Gregg

WHOH!

Good Greif! Get better soon. That's some scary stuff.

Loved your slab insulation article too! Get well and get back to work.

:-)

m dewolfe

illness

Just found another case moments ago right here in CT.....could we be having an outbreak?.....get well soon.
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=5472536

David Woycio

bad bugs

Sounds a little too close for comfort. Just looked at a water heating radiant job. Homeowner "running water temp as low as he could stand". Thought I was overreacting when I tried to explain the error of his ways. I will be calling to relay your story.

Scotch should help wash down your horse pills.

jackchips_2

A Hail Mary

and an Our Father heading your way big guy.

Jack

J.C.A._3

Get well soon !

I don't know how you feel, but will hope you'll be better quickly. Is this another case of "the cobblers kids have no shoes"? We take SUCH good care of our customers, that WE forget the lessons we're preaching sometimes.

Irony in its cruelest form, to be sure! Like Dan said...and add to it, Give your wife a big hug and a HUGE ATTA-BOY ! She saved your #$$, yet again!I'm guessing this was the latest of many :P

Get well brother, we NEED you around here too. Chris

J.C.A._3

HMMMMM,

Sterilization from the inside, out....Interesting concept!

Mark, I say we give it a try. I'm just kidding bunky! Do what the Dr.'s tell ya....and don't discount what SWMBO-(She Who Must Be Obeyed)tells you! JCA

Timco

This is exactly why I did not want those Leigonares here in town. When I heard they were comming here, I knew they would be spreading leigonella around. How did they infect your DHW system? Were they working on it? Is it true you can ONLY catch this from a Leigonarre?

Tim

Gordy

Breaking the Mucus Lock

Sorry to here about your current condition Mark, Wishing you an excellent recovery. My Granddad was a General MD He would recommend a pot of boiling water with a scoop of vicks vapor rub in it. Throw a towel over the pot, and your head while the burner is off and breath deeply. Opens everything up, and kills the little legionare bugers, although at that time the legionares condition was never heard of yet. As a kid this was not a favorite event, but it does work.

Gordy

Techman

Legionnaires

Good morning to you Mark!Luck was with you thru this ordeal!Get back to full health! I've used a book entitled"Legionnaires'Disease-Prevention&Control" by Frank Rosa,Published by Business News Publishing Co. Good reading!Good Health to you,again.

ScottMP

Even on deaths door

Mark, you still think of how you can help others. You are a true Hydronic Knight of the High Order. You constanlty are thinking of teaching and helping others. Thank You.

I use the high temp mixing valve set up as often as possible, thanks to you and Dave.

Get well soon sir, we need you on the front lines leading the charge. Protecting the Health of the Nation INDEED !!

Scott

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mtfallsmikey

Get well, Mark!

I'm going to send cc's of this out to all of my fellow chief engineers in our company, and check my own mixing valves. I remember not long ago, 120 deg. was stated as being high enough to prevent it, now it's 140.

Wayco Wayne_2

Get well soon, Mark

Sorry it grabbed you when your resistance was down. My wife has been after me to lower the domestic hot water temp. I will relay your tale of woe to her. She'll probably have me put on a mixing valve and turn the tank up higher. If anyone can give me a link to get Dave's CD I think I should share this with my hydronics class. Thanks. WW

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Rob_35

get well soon!

Sorry to hear about this. Glad it was caught before it got too far along.

The academic side of me has to ask, however: was the presence of the Legionella pneumophila bacterium specifically identified by lab test?

If your immune system is at all compromised, you can get some pretty nasty progressions from otherwise "routine" bacteria that could cause pneumonia. Many of which can be found on airplanes.

Certainly your recent history suggests potential links between either or both low-temp water and group travel in a confined space. The potential for being immunocompromised certainly doesn't help, either.

Regardless, take care of yourself and get back to it as you are able.

ALH_4

wb

Glad to see you are on the mend, Mark. Do you think anyone would say anything if you wore a gas mask and biohazard suit on your next trip in a jet?

-Andrew

Anna Conda

Gotta agree with Rob. Legionella takes 2 - 10 days to incubate, once it enters the lungs. By the sounds of it, Mark, you were already showing onset symptoms by the time you took your shower. Sounds like you picked something up on the plane, it fits the incubation time frame. Still, it is a good reminder about our hot water tanks, and also to run hot water through our fixtures for two minutes, to kill any bogies lurking in the taps and near-tap piping.
Glad you're on the mend and kudos to the missus for doing her job right.

[Deleted User]

Mark, STAY IN BED THE NEXT 6 DAYS!!!

Rest is necessary along with those pills. You'll likely relapse if you get back to work too soon.

Between availability of outdoor reset for the GB and your new-found determination to set up side arm heaters differently, turns out the delay in our Colorado project was a good thing. Recover fully; Lori and I are just two of the many who need you!

BillW@honeywell

Get well ,Mark!

Sorry to hear of your tribulations. Legionella is a nasty bug. Take your time & recover fully.

Cosmo_3

Get well Mark, when you get well make sure to take care of the Wife's "Nag" list, after all she saved your life!!!

Cosmo

[Deleted User]

You guys and gals are awesome...

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I feel very forutnate to be here (at the wall AND on earth) and am feeling about 1000 % better than when I first wrote this.

This is normally winter shut down weekend at ZanaX Ranch, but due to a commissioning exercise near the ranch scheduled for the end of next week, she survives for one more beautiful Colorado Fall weekend. I'll bring you some pictures of the disappearing Aspen trees...

Anna and Rob, I think the doctor decided that time wise, it is better to spending valueable treatemewnt time versus wasting it as diagnosis time. I can not fault her. She's the professional that picked up on it. I'd misdiagnosed it as influenza.

As for water and blood tests, they are in the works, with the results 90% predictable.

As for the exposure time, I spend EVERY weekend during the summer at ZanaX Ranch, (except 2) and the water temp has been a little cool over the past month or so. I just looked at it as energy conservation. I won't make that nearly fatal mistake in the future.

As Jeff said, Not In MY Back Yard, then WHAMO, the chickens come home to roost.

Never let your guard down, and remember to ALWYAS hug those people that mean a lot to you, because they may not be there the next time you turn around.

Life is short, and fleeting...

Have a good weekend. And thanks again for EVERYTHING. I feel like I'm starting a third life this year:-)

Get out and enjoy the fall colors with your friends and family. I am.

ME

Paul Rohrs_5

Yikes!

Glad you are going to have a full recovery and it is something that is treatable. Count your blessings and thank your other half for insisting on you going in.

God speed in your recovery.

Paul

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KBP&H_3

watch the orange peel

Glad to see your getting better,, For all others--- Watch out for what looks like orange in hot water circ lines when the pump goes bad,,,, this is I was told is legionalla(?), recently saw it changing a dhw circ pump stuck inthe lines,, once we got the pump changed and flushed out the remainder ended up in the shower valve at the end of the line,,, glad no one got sick,,,, We need to take ME advice and pay more attention,,,, Thanks and hope that you are on the mend,, you are a great inspiration to all of us...

Paul Pollets

Wow!!

Wishing you a very fast recovery, Mark. Just back from ISH- Chicago and was wondering where you were??

A sobering story.

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hr

Wow

sounds like a real butt kicker. Get, and stay well1 We need ya around here.

hot rod

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Wayne_17

CD

Hope you are feeling better. Do you have a link for the CD you mentioned ?.

Thanks

Bill Clinton_5

appreciate

the role you've played in raising awareness of legionella, but don't you think this is hamming it up a bit much??

Get well.

Bill Clinton

John R. Hall

Mark

Number one: I'm glad to hear that this scourge has not kicked your **** enough to keep you down. Keep fighting back my friend.

Number two: Maybe our readers need a wake-up call about the "L" disease. Care to give us your story?

Dave Yates (PAH)

cause for a pause

ME,

During the RPA's annual meeting, Gary Hayden slid his laptop over for me to read your post. I dang near fell off the chair. We're certainly keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

LD is nothing to fool around with and I had a great crowd the previous morning for my presentation on open vs. closed systems. A few folks even defected from other seminars to join us, which prompted the ISH folks to interrupt my talk while they ID'd the offenders and asked them if they'd like to go where they'd registered - they politely refused to move. Most of the class stuck around for a lengthy give-n-take session, which I really enjoyed.

The DVD is FREE for the taking. Anyone interested can obtain a copy (did I mention it's free?) by visiting the Watts web site and following the videos link or pasting this link into your browser's window:

http://www.watts.com/pro/divisions/watersafety_flowcontrol/learnabout/learnabout_dvdorderform.asp#

Given that it's free, you've nothing to lose & everything to gain.

Get well my friend.

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DanHolohan

Incredible.

They actually stopped your talk to boot people out? These people are nuts.

Mark Hunt

In my prayers


Get well soon Mark.

It will be tough for the nay-sayers to argue with you after this.(Not that it was easy before)

Mark H

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Dave Yates (PAH)

talkus interruptus

It was one of the locals hired to direct attendees to their registered seminars. Kim (with ISH) was very apologetic about the interruption and, quite frankly, I was somewhat amused when it happened. I used it as an ice-breaker with the group (making lemonaide from lemons kind of thing).

It really was kind of funny in an odd way. Here was this older gent with two slips of paper entering the room and giving me the howdy-hey look as he approached the front. ((I should add that I had already upset the AV folks by bringing my own laptop, redoing the wiring (as in I'm not allowed to touch anything union mentality) so I could get out from behind the podium and desk (I need to interact with the audience). Well, if'n I'm not to touch anything, then be there when I arrive to set up to help and there won't be any territorial work issues. You should have seen his face when he walked in (about five minutes before the start-time) and realized I'd changed things around! Talk about a look that could kill(G). He had the good sense to walk away.)) At any rate, I stopped bloviating to ask what he needed. He held out the two slips with the names of the offenders and stated they were in the wrong class. So, I gave him the floor. He called out the two names and two fellows at opposite ends in the back held up their hands. He then went to the back and spoke with each of them. The first gent said he wasn't moving. The second guy said the other class was not to his liking, but that this one was fascinating and chock-full of good info. He too said he wasn't about to move- wanted to know if it was ok he remained & I welcomed them both to the class.

No harm/no foul. Simply a local guy who took his orders too seriously. We all shared a laugh and moved on. Everytime something odd happens like that, I'm reminded of your book "How to Teach Technicians" and the crazy things that happened to you - all of which are ten times worse than anything I've experienced so far, & I can't help but get a chuckle.

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Jim Davis_7

Really sorry to hear about your illness. You really deserve a break.. Get well, we need you out there.

gerry gill

your sure having a tough year..

get well quickly..your missed and needed..

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Dave Yates (GrandPAH)_1

actually

two minutes of contact time doesn't affect the bugs. At 140 F it takes 20-minutes of contact time to kill off free roaming Legionella bacteria. A two minute flush will, however, expell most free roaming bugs. Bugs that become dislidged or break free of biofilms will be carried along for the ride to a distal site such as shower heads, aerators or vegitable misters where water droplets can be atomized into very fine droplets suitable for inhalation into human lungs.

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Ron Huber_2

The Worm

Sounds like you were the last one on the bottle of tequilla and had to eat the worm. Sure it was Legoinella? Was it acutually diagnosed as Legonella? Are are you and the the MDs assuming that is what it was?

Troy_3

Mark

This news is sobering indeed! So sorry to hear it. WOW does it hit home. We will pray for your full recovery. There are many out here who look up to you. Keep up the good work. It is never done.