Elfie Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Hi everyone!There is a lot of good information here. I thought I would share my experience. I have been living in a mold invested home for almost eight years. We have a water problem under our house and need to regrade an acre plot and put in a french drain to take care of it. Then there is the mold to take care of which is now creeping up the walls in my bedroom from the crawlspace. The bathroom is also moldy and both of our bathtubs/showers have holes in the floor of the tub so I am sure that when we rip those suckas out there will be stuff back there. We too moved into an older home that was not being maintained the best from an older couple. Before selling the house they slapped some siding and roofing over the old stuff and painted everything. I am sure that there is a high mold count in the house because anywhere that gets and stays moist molds. Where the windows get condensation they mold- even the resistant vinyl ones. My dad and my younger brother (he is 18) seem completely unaffected. My mother already suffered from chronic bronchitis- but she is much more prone to colds and sinus infections-- although that could be from her work environment too. I on the other hand have POTs, chronic joint pain, have a "mold allergy," and and frequently sick-- especially when I am living at home. We have two dogs. The year we moved into that house our big dog started having skin problems and ever since she has licked all of her hair and sometimes her skin off where she can reach it. The other dog has year-round respiratory allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneEyre9 Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 Kristen, thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I do hope that my symptoms will at least subside a bit now that we're ridding our house of mold, and it's horrible that your family had the burning skin and metallic taste too. Did those symptoms subside eventually after being in a clean environment?When I left the house and stayed with a friend, I noticed a clear improvement in my energy and ability to think. I was able to function once again and go to school. However, I was very sensitive to mold, pesticides, and other chemicals. My symptoms would return almost immediately upon entering a "sick building." This chemical sensitivity has improved a great deal over time, but I can still tell if a place has a mold problem just by walking in and breathing the air. Not sure if that's a gift or a curse. ;-)It sounds like your remediation team is very thorough and taking all necessary precautions, which is wonderful in light of your air testing. It must be very overwhelming in every way, but you are right that it is vital to take care of the problem completely the first time. For others who mentioned concern about mildew, it's true that mold growing in your bathroom can be a sign of a worse problem, such as thankful has suffered. However, shower mildew in and of itself is harmless and not toxic. It's important to recognize that catastrophic mold problems are rather rare, but they do happen. It's good to be on guard if you have symptoms that you can tie to your environment. (i.e. regularly feel better away from the home, symptoms started after moving into the home, a noticeable musty smell in the home, pet/child symptoms tied to the home, large areas of water intrusion etc.) Awareness and education are your best defense. It is quite common for certain people in the home to be more affected by mold than others. My father stayed in our home long after my mom and i had vacated because he didn't believe the air-testing report results that our house was uninhabitable. He later had partial hearing loss, memory loss, tinnitus, and rash associated with staying in the home. It's not always going to manifest itself the same way (or at the same time) in each person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 So the second round of air samples came back and we still failed. The first round showed 2,000+ spores/square meter of stachybotrys. Acceptable levels are under 30. This time we're at 300. The remediators can't come back til next Wednesday, which means we'll probably do our third round of air samples Thursday or Friday. We'll have those results in probably another 2 weeks. There's no ceiling, insulation, walls, or floor. All the remaining wood is encapsulated. The hygienist who ran the air samples found some small cleaning practices that could have been changed. Maybe we should just demolish that end of the house. Knowing I would be getting these new air sample results soon, I couldn't help but feel stressed yesterday. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm trying to relax today, or else I'll be setting myself for another POTS flare. Right now, it kind of feels like a nightmare. It's been 5 weeks, and I just wish I was home. Sidenote: The air sample in our bathroom came back clear, so that was good news. And I do have a bit more energy since being out of the house, but all my other symptoms still remain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartcats Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 So the second round of air samples came back and we still failed. The first round showed 2,000+ spores/square meter of stachybotrys. Acceptable levels are under 30. This time we're at 300. The remediators can't come back til next Wednesday, which means we'll probably do our third round of air samples Thursday or Friday. We'll have those results in probably another 2 weeks. There's no ceiling, insulation, walls, or floor. All the remaining wood is encapsulated. The hygienist who ran the air samples found some small cleaning practices that could have been changed. Maybe we should just demolish that end of the house. Knowing I would be getting these new air sample results soon, I couldn't help but feel stressed yesterday. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm trying to relax today, or else I'll be setting myself for another POTS flare. Right now, it kind of feels like a nightmare. It's been 5 weeks, and I just wish I was home. Sidenote: The air sample in our bathroom came back clear, so that was good news. And I do have a bit more energy since being out of the house, but all my other symptoms still remain.How frustrating! If a meteor needs to fall, maybe it can hit that part of your house when everyone is out of it? LOL But, I do hope they can get it cleaned up. What a lot of mold must've been hiding there!I'm glad you have more energy...and even if it is partially causing your problems...I would assume it'd take time to heal? At least that's what I tell myself. If we do get damaged from something, even additionally, it has to heal up and nerve endings take a while to improve. So keep your faith that this will help you get better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted February 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 How frustrating! If a meteor needs to fall, maybe it can hit that part of your house when everyone is out of it? LOL But, I do hope they can get it cleaned up. What a lot of mold must've been hiding there!I'm glad you have more energy...and even if it is partially causing your problems...I would assume it'd take time to heal? At least that's what I tell myself. If we do get damaged from something, even additionally, it has to heal up and nerve endings take a while to improve. So keep your faith that this will help you get better!Ha ha! Yeah, my dad and hubby have joked about the fact that our insurance doesn't cover mold remediation but it does cover fire... hmmm...I agree. I'm sure if the mold caused at least part of my neuropahy that it would take awhile for the nerves to heal. As for now, I just take it one day at a time and enjoy any "progress." Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsdmom Posted February 5, 2010 Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 I'm so sorry to hear that the house isn't clear yet! Don't lose hope though - I think healing will take a long time so don't expect anything overnight. Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 Wow... That's a lot of stress (financial, being away from home for so long, etc.) I have no experience with mold, so far (Thank God), but I'm hoping for you that this process will be very worthwhile when it is finally over. I hope the improvements that you are seeing in energy levels are the beginnings of better quality of life for you. You've been through a lot. Take care,Summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted February 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 Thank you so much for your well-wishes! We'll find out in a couple weeks if the next air samples clear......fingers crossed!!! I do feel as though I have more energy since being out of the house. I actually wake up in the morning and feel as though I could do something . Still have all the other symptoms, but I'll take any improvement at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted February 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Finally, we have clean air in our house!!! Now we get to drywall and insulate the walls and ceilings that were torn out, and lay new carpet. More importantly, I still have more energy since being out of the moldy environment... here's to healing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.