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This past Saturday night, our whole household came down sick. Close to midnight, Elusiveat had a sudden onset nausea and weakness, I suddenly had drainage and coughing, and between the two I only got about 4 hours of sleep.
Sunday was awful. I got what felt like tension and soreness in my bronchi when I inhaled too fast, and deeper inhales provoked a cough. I coughed a bunch in the morning, and it was eventually productive, after which the coughing stopped -- which was like the daily routine I had had for a month or so late in the winter. I also developed a low fever, maxing out at 101.0°F, complete with chills. Lethargy, headache, sore hips, sensitive skin, anhedonia. Elusiveat and I basically spent the whole day either sleeping or lying around. Even the kid was a bit sick, although just with the chest discomfort.
And then by evening it was lifting, and on Monday we felt fine. So what the heck was that all about?
My first guess had been influenza, but we all would have to have been exposed at the same time, and the only plausible route would have been food-borne/fomite from a takeout meal. Even then *all* of us catching it that way wouldn't be plausible. Another possibility was some kind of allergen, but nausea didn't fit the pattern. And there was a previous episode of this a couple months ago, prompting us to get COVID-19 tests, but only I experienced it then. Maybe the mold from the shiitake grow block that was starting to die? Not real likely.
My best guess at this point is that it was Legionnaires' disease. I had had the humidifier on in the living room for a big chunk of the winter, and I eventually fell out of the routine of cleaning it one or two times per week. The antimicrobial bar inside it is also pretty old and likely no longer working. Legionella bacteria grow in warm, stale water and the humidifier stays a bit warm thanks to having an internal transformer; Legionella is also primarily spread via aerosolized soil or water. (It's named for an outbreak at an American Legion conference, traced to the hotel's HVAC.) And I had just switched the humidifier back on the day before after a long break, which I think might line up with the morning cough I had for a while. It might be something else that was growing in the water, but... close enough for an explanation, and enough to give me confidence that it's not something contagious.
So. Yes. I'll definitely be better at following the instructions for the humidifier in the future, and maybe be a little more cautious about using it.
Sunday was awful. I got what felt like tension and soreness in my bronchi when I inhaled too fast, and deeper inhales provoked a cough. I coughed a bunch in the morning, and it was eventually productive, after which the coughing stopped -- which was like the daily routine I had had for a month or so late in the winter. I also developed a low fever, maxing out at 101.0°F, complete with chills. Lethargy, headache, sore hips, sensitive skin, anhedonia. Elusiveat and I basically spent the whole day either sleeping or lying around. Even the kid was a bit sick, although just with the chest discomfort.
And then by evening it was lifting, and on Monday we felt fine. So what the heck was that all about?
My first guess had been influenza, but we all would have to have been exposed at the same time, and the only plausible route would have been food-borne/fomite from a takeout meal. Even then *all* of us catching it that way wouldn't be plausible. Another possibility was some kind of allergen, but nausea didn't fit the pattern. And there was a previous episode of this a couple months ago, prompting us to get COVID-19 tests, but only I experienced it then. Maybe the mold from the shiitake grow block that was starting to die? Not real likely.
My best guess at this point is that it was Legionnaires' disease. I had had the humidifier on in the living room for a big chunk of the winter, and I eventually fell out of the routine of cleaning it one or two times per week. The antimicrobial bar inside it is also pretty old and likely no longer working. Legionella bacteria grow in warm, stale water and the humidifier stays a bit warm thanks to having an internal transformer; Legionella is also primarily spread via aerosolized soil or water. (It's named for an outbreak at an American Legion conference, traced to the hotel's HVAC.) And I had just switched the humidifier back on the day before after a long break, which I think might line up with the morning cough I had for a while. It might be something else that was growing in the water, but... close enough for an explanation, and enough to give me confidence that it's not something contagious.
So. Yes. I'll definitely be better at following the instructions for the humidifier in the future, and maybe be a little more cautious about using it.
