Hello
I am writing because back in the first half of
May this year, something fell into my hair from
a tree on my street when I was carrying
groceries home late at night. I would usually
shake anything out that fell in but my hair was
tied back and I had alot of groceries so I
thought I'd do it when I got into my house
which was only a couple houses down. But even
before I got into my house I fell some
movement in my hair. I was very panicky and
cut my finger when I tried to cut off a price
tag from my bath sponge and so couldn't take a
shower that night. I did the next night but by
then it had already spread far along my body.
I am not sure what kind of tree it was since it
was late at night. I think that it might have
been a Bradford Pear, or Ash or something that
has small oval dark green leaves that are
pointed at the end like these two species of
trees. Or it may have been from a tree with
leaves that were in an upside down tear-drop
shape, with the widest part hanging farthest
from the branch. The leaves of the tear-drop
shaped tree were medium green and slightly
rough with jagged edges and and were about 6-7
inches long and 3-4" wide at it's widest point.
The two trees that I recently examined with my
eyes which are across from my house
approximately where this happened looked like
either the earlier described ash or bradford
pear or the latter described upside down tear
drop shaped leaf. This parasite or mold or
fungus from what I collected off my sheets and
clothes look like small white spools of lint or
thread or can rather be described as a very
small portion of a tissue. I have also seen
very small white balls floating that I thought
were possibly spores but they were so small
that I couldn't collect them and they went off
flying into the air when I tried to. I finally
went to a dematologist after a friend suggested
to to try to resolve this. She prescribed me
a fungul shampoo for my scalp since she saw that
there was alot of flaking and performed a skin
scraping for a fungul culture, but nothing
came back from the culture and it has been over
a month. Also the fungul shampoo did not seem
to help. I have noticed that antibacterial
body wash has helped some on my body and hair.
My symptoms include feeling small movements over
different parts of my body constantly, and do
seem to be worst in the dark. These movements
are itchy sometimes, and whatever this is seems
to be more active in areas it can hide like in
hair. If there is any advice that you could
give me such as the names of parasites or molds
that infect the trees above around May this
would be of great help. Silver Maples and a few
Oak trees also grow on my street. If there are
any medical resources such as websites like
these where you could post questions to people
who deal with parasites or insects which are
harmful to humans from trees that you know of
or e-mail addresses of people that I could ask
these medical questions to please tell me.
I live alone and so I do not no of anyone who
may have been infected at all by this and don't
think that I have infected anybody seriously
but I have noticed people scratching themselves
and seeming more itchy sometimes if they are
next to me in the library but hopefully if they
shower regularly it won't affect them I am
praying. I also noticed alot of birds, I think
sparrows, in an Oak tree nesting there, and
there was alot of feathers and other small mass
floating down in the air below the tree. Do
you think that a bird or other animal or insect
may have deposited a stool down that may have
contained parasites? I know that this may be
a very weird topic to respond to but please
give me any advice, sources, links, people to
contact, and any information that you could
give me. Thank you.

Reply to post by Kaye, on September 11, 2001 at 19:29:50:

Avian lice?
Allergic reaction?
Insect bite?

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on September 11, 2001 at 19:29:50:

I have been cut while working in trees innumerable occations. The worst I have had are the usual localized infections and maybe cellulitis.

Fungal problems I have heard of involve breathing large amounts of dust from deadwood being chipped, or dirty foam ear plugs.

My non medical opinion is a recation to an insect or something as Mark opined, exasebated by angsiety. I got a possible spider bite this summer that made the back of my thigh swell. And I got big thighs! It took around two weeks to completly go away.

Reply to post by Kaye, on September 11, 2001 at 19:29:50:

What you describe sounds very much like what several thousand people have reported to the National Pediculosis Association and to the website www.skinparasites.org

I suggest that you read the home page and symptoms listed at www.skinparasites.org for further help.

Reply to post by Kaye, on September 11, 2001 at 19:29:50:

I think I have the same condition, so can you please email me with any information you found out and any treatment that you know of. Thank you