Pat shared this account around 2011. It describes her personal experience and treatment at that time; it is not current medical advice.
In 2006, I began having sinus problems. I started to lose the sight in my right eye, and a doctor became very concerned and set out to find the cause. An MRI showed fluid around my optic nerve that was pressing on it.
I was given high doses of prednisone to reduce the problem. A biopsy of my sinus tissue found Aspergillus fumigatus in my sphenoid sinus. I began antifungal treatment and stopped taking prednisone under my doctors’ care.
I was otherwise in excellent health. My doctors referred me to eye specialists, ENT doctors and surgeons at UC San Diego Medical Center.
They operated through my forehead to remove as much of the fungus as they could, and removed some damaged bone where the infection had spread from my sinus towards the optic nerve. I also had another operation through my nose to clear the sinuses.
All of this happened over about six weeks. My doctors were seriously concerned about how ill I was. I received intravenous amphotericin B, voriconazole and flucytosine. I also had 30 two-hour sessions in a hyperbaric chamber.
I received amphotericin B for about four weeks, flucytosine for about six months and voriconazole for a year. I had MRI scans every few months to check for signs that the fungus had returned.
I wrote this account about five years after the illness. At that point, I was still well. I hoped that sharing my experience might help someone else.
Pat P
Fallbrook, California, USA
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