Ann Cornick’ Story

My story is that I was diagnosed in 2001 after a dreadful summer of coughing, lung collapse and lots of different antibiotics by a very clever, persistent GP. I got mould plates to test my house and place of work from USA, I had to send a $50 in the post. My office was high in aspergillus reading (right under the eaves of an old building) and my bedroom where we had had extensive work the year before because of a rotten ceiling beam and damp wall. I had to do a lot of research myself as there wasn’t a patients’ network in those days. I was in hospital with pneumonia in 2000 and again in 2015 and 2017. In between whiles I’ve had various chest infections, sometimes I think because of aspergillus when I lose my energy totally and find it difficult to speak. In early 2015 I was very poorly with GP and hospital not listening to me. Persistence paid off and I was eventually given a blood test for aspergillus. The reading came back very high and since then the hospital (Kingston) is very helpful and aware of the condition. When I have been admitted to A&E subsequently everybody knows about aspergillus. The same with my GPs who now have other patients with the condition. I have been very fortunate in that a steroid inhaler(Fostair at present) has kept me going and I now have rescue packs of antibiotics. Since my last admission to hospital in December 2017 I have been monitored by Kingston Hospital by one of their consultants every few months. I think I joined the patients’ network about 5 or 6 years ago, I was 1001 member.