Sicker at home

[DSM3KIDZ]

I am always sicker when I am at home. I know I have the extra stresses of my 3 (very active) kids, and the house to clean etc. But whne I'm outside or stay at my mothers for a few days I always start to feel alittle better.

Has anyone ever got their house tested for anything that might be causing me to be sicker?

I just started zoloft (12.5 mg) on Monday. I was extrememly sick so I went to stay at my mothers. I stayed for 2 days started to feel alittle better. Came home last night and woke up this morning really sick again. (Horrible nausea)

Could it be something in my house or do you think it's the extra stresses here?

Dayna

[PattiL]

Dayna,

I've always wondered if there was some correlation between Chrissy's illness and our home too. Before she was dx'd with POTS I had asked our Dr. about the possibilties and he thought she would have more respiratory problems if it was related to our home. BUT, we built our home shortly b/f she became ill. Sometimes I wonder if it's sealed too tightly or the toxins of everything new could have anything to do with exasperating the POTS. We'll find out in a couple of weeks when she goes away to college, if she starts feeling better there we'll know for sure and then I'll start packing!

Patti

[LisaColumbus]

I had often wondered the same thing but then I reached a point where I was unable to care for myself and ended up having to leave my home and move in with someone else. I'm still just as sick living elsewhere.

[DSM3KIDZ]

Thanks for your replys

Patti- Please keep me updated on how oyur daughter is doing when she's away at college.

Thanks Again

Dayna

[michiganjan]

I have multiple chemical sensitivities and I actually built a house in order to be surrounded by a healthy environment. That was 15 years ago and it has really helped me with the MCS symptoms. After living here so long, I find that I can tolorate some exposure in the outside world.

Patti,

When we wanted to move to a new house 15 years ago, we visited some model homes. A brand new house definitely causes me symptoms. There is just an overwhelming amount of new materials that are all outgassing together in an entire new house. I couldn't have lived in a new house if someone gave me one. That said, new houses today are not quite as bad as new houses were 15 years ago. They have made some progress since then in building materials. If a new house is built tight, it should have a source of bringing in fresh air and circulating it.

Dayna,

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? That is one thing you can test for yourself. It is difficult to test for mold unless you can see mold and then a sample can be tested. Do you have anything new in your house?

Michigan Jan

[JaneEyre9]

Dayna,

This is definitely an important issue to check out-- especially for your kids' health. I lived in a home for 14 years with my parents and it had hidden water leaks in the walls of the house. We had water in the walls of my bedroom, the walls of the bathroom, and in our basement. Because we had forced air heating and cooling, our house was sealed tight. We rarely opened the windows even in summer because of my allergies and asthma. To make a long story short, the water damage over time caused toxic mold to grow, and the toxins were continuously being recirculated in the air through our whole house. I was the sickest because i was sleeping in the worst room, but my mom and dad had symptoms too. My mom thought my room smelled musty, but there was little indication of visible mold other than that. When we had air testing done by a professional company, they found our air was very seriously toxic! When they broke open our walls, we found out we had several types of toxic mold growing, making our house uninhabitable.

We had to move out immediately. I felt better instantly being away from the house (and surprisingly my symptoms were not respiratory even though my mom's symptoms were). It is not something fun to face, but i highly recommend getting testing sooner rather than later. After that serious long-term exposure, my whole family was more sensitive to chemicals than before, but it didn't help matters that we had to stay in a rented hotel room treated with pesticides and then got rental furniture treated with pesticides. Then i went to college and got even sicker because they sprayed my dorm room with pesticides! I don't want to say this to scare anyone, but to make you aware that your home (or office) can be a trigger for some symptoms that mimic CFS and POTS.

Also, MichiganJan is right...new homes can be the worst for people because of the formaldehyde off-gassing from new carpet, paint, and building materials. When we moved into a new condo after all of the apartments, I was sick for a good year before things started to settle down and the levels of chemicals decreased.

Anyway, Dayna, good luck if you decide to do testing... This is an issue near and dear to my heart because it has completely changed my life and my family as well. If you need to get testing done I can tell you some good companies to check out. Also i can give you the name of a doctor who treats people with environmental exposures.

Kristen

[PattiL]

Kristen,

Since we both live in Cleveland, could you please give me the name of the company you had to your house for the air testing--was it expensive (if you don't mind saying). Also, was the Dr. you went to for environmental exposer a local Dr.--what was his name. I will have the most incredible guilt if this is what is causing Chrissy's problems, as I'm the one who wanted a new house and wanted to move. I should've followed my gut back when she got sick and gone to see a Dr. specializing in this and not listened to anyone else. I can't wait until she leaves for school now--and I will be extra careful on what cleaning supplies I use to clean her dorm.

Thank you to everyone.

Patti

[DancingLight]

kristen,

i too, would like info on how to find companies to test for these things and what i need to ask to have tested...

thanks...

also...BIG WELCOME to you...i loved your first intro post! it was great. i just wasn't up to typing at the time, so wanted to welcome you here now...

emily

[JaneEyre9]

Patti,

Please do not feel guilty about your daughter's health. One thing i want to mention is that new building materials may off-gas quite a lot at first, but over time, the levels of chemicals decrease. We've been living in this condo for 5 years now and after the first summer (when it was new) I was able to function normally. I would not blame yourself for wanting to live in a new home. Also, if you and other family members feel ok, it's not likely related to your house.

It's very unlikely to have the kind of situation that my family went through. However it's good to investigate if you have strong suspicions. One thing i would strongly suggest before undertaking any kind of testing or doctor visits:

Have your daughter live in another place for about a week. If her symptoms remain the same, then there is very little reason to pursue air testing. When she goes to college, like you said, you will be able to find out if the problems are environmentally related.

Air testing is very expensive and my parents did it only because of two things:

1) All of us felt significantly better after staying in another environment

2) We could smell musty air and saw mold growing on boxes in our basement.

These are the local groups that we contacted:

EA Group 7118 Industrial Park Blvd., Mentor, Ohio 44060; Ph: 440-951-3514

Indoor Environmental Services - M.S. Crandall Group, Inc. 4302 Floral Ave., Norwood, Ohio 45212; Phone/fax: 513-531-7110

Clayton Group Services, Inc., 160 Fieldcrest Avenue, Edison, N. J. 08837; Ph: 732-225-6040

My dad said:

"We hired Crandall and EA Group. Nationwide hired Clayton Group. I believe that Clayton operated out of Akron, but I was informed that they will go anywhere."

The local Cleveland doctor that deals with respiratory issues for mold exposure is Dr. Dorr Dearborn at Rainbow Babies. http://pediatricpulmonology.case.edu/faculty_dearborn.html

The doctor i saw in Albany, NY is Dr. Eckardt Johanning.

http://www.fungalresearchgroup.com/new%20home.htm

Like I said, I would strongly recommend doing some research, checking your home for signs of water damage and allowing your daughter time apart from the home before becoming worried. Please feel free to email me if you have more questions. I understand the concern you have. My mom felt the same way.

kristen

[JaneEyre9]

Hi Emily!

Thanks for the very warm welcome!

Just want to reiterate that mold testing by a company should be the very last step of your own investigation. It's expensive and is used primarily for insurance claims. To see if your environment is affecting your health, the first thing you should do is try to remove yourself from the environment like LisaColumbus said she did.

As far as what to test for, I think the group you contact can make the best recommendations. I know we tested for mold (which my dad says is a blanket test covering all types of mold that might be growing) [stachybotrys (the queen mother of all toxic mold) penicillium, aspergillus...and others]. I know we also had our air tested for bacteria levels which can increase with high amounts of moisture in the air. Testing for off-gassing of chemicals is another test, I believe. We did not have that done.

As far as finding a local group to do the testing, i would just recommend finding a group that has a good reputation and has been doing this for a while (American Industrial Hygiene Association is a good place to start--links below). I've been told by friends that you can get "do-it-yourself" mold testing kits, but i don't think they would be very reliable. Also remember that not all mold is toxic mold. Most times it can be cleaned up with some bleach water. Be careful before attempting cleanup. Be sure you know what you're dealing with first.

Here is a page of links that might give you more info on local resources:

http://www.fungalresearchgroup.com/new%20r...onal%20help.htm

Kristen

Edited August 13, 2005 by JaneEyre9

[Evie]

Well i dont have children or extra stresses like that to try and juggle but i have found that i do get worse in certain areas. (mainly bush or farm areas)

I use to live near the bush and i was constantly having respiotry problems. My parents sent me to school near the sea eventually to try and help this. Given that the building was really old I actually got worse. (i also caught glandular fever so of course that trigged my worsening too). But since i have moved into an apartment in the city i have recoverd quite alot. I know people say the city should be worse, but aparantly in Sydney alot of the pollution gets blown out to the suburbs and gets stuck between mountains.

I think it a bit hit and miss with trying to work out these things.

I hope you find some answers!

[lalalisa]

Hello,

Interesting post. When I'm away I don't really cook, clean, or feel the constant need to clean dishes or pick up the house.

I end up resting and don't realize sometimes that when I'm at home I think I'm laying around resting but I'm actually doing things that fatigue me and make me feel worse.

I'm not even sure if this makes sense! Sometimes it's hard to express things in writing.

Just wondered if you experience this also?

Have a great day!

Lisa

[taylortotmom]

lalalisa- absolutely. At home, there is so much to do it is near impossible to "rest" because your mind is always on doing one more load of dishes or laundry. I think that is why I have been getting out so much lately. If we are not home we can't mess up the house. That is what makes staying in hotels so luxerious- someone else does the housekeeping. I totally get what you are saying!

Carmen

[yogini]

I am the opposite of everyone. I think I feel best at home, second best at work and my symptoms seem to be the worst when I am anywhere else. I think part of it is in my mind. I feel safe at home and know I can have my salt and water at any time, and can lay down or get to the phone if I need to. I can also control the environment in terms of lighting, temperature, etc. Fewer of these things are under my control at work. When I am anywhere else, I have to deal with the heat, bright lights and loud noises, and anything else that can happen.

As for mold and other environmental factors, it makes sense to get your house checked out. But my guess is that most of these kinds of factors would have some long-term effects that probably wouldn't go away by being away from home for just a few days.

-Rita

[PattiL]

Thanks so much Kristen. I guess you're right in saying it's best to wait until Chrissy goes away to school. We should have a better idea then. No one else in the family is ill and we've been living here for 5 years now, but it's still scary thinking about what could be. Thanks for all the company names. EA Group is very closeby, I think I'll wait to see what happens to Chrissy once she's away and then possibly give them a call and pick their brains for ideas of what should be done. Dr. Deaborn sounds so familar also, could be we saw him when the kids were little. I think I'll make an appt. with him on Monday.

Thanks again Kristen.

Patti

[JaneEyre9]

Rita-- I have to agree with you that my POTS symptoms are *much* better managed at home too. It's much easier for me to lie down if i feel faint and I also am better hydrated and cooler at home. Plus I eat better and sleep better! I think that's probably the case for a lot of people.

In terms of multiple chemical sensitivity, it's another syndrome with a different cause. You're right about there being long term effects of mold (increased sensitivity to chemicals is one of the major long term effects), but when you have MCS, getting away from a trigger (bad environment) eases the symptoms a great deal. It's an easy way to differentiate between POTS/CFS and MCS.

Patti-- Glad i could help with some information. Also I'm glad to hear that everyone else in your family feels well in your house. That's very comforting. I hope Dr. Dearborn can give you some good information. He deals mainly with the respiratory symptoms of exposure, though I'm sure he knows of the other symptoms. I've never met him personally, but i believe my mom went to him when she had her breathing problems in the house. Keep us updated on how Chrissy does at college. That is an exciting transition...one that i enjoyed very much, despite the health hassles

[ramakentesh]

wow I am in this boat right now. I went overseas last year and felt 100% better after a day. I had to work overseas for two months this year and I felt 100% better except for one day when i had a bad flu.

I get home and its the same every time - within a couple of days im dizzy and groggy again and lose all my energy.

Its quite frustrating.

The noyl things i can think of that could be causing it are pollen in the air, the cat i live with or the water here in Melbourne.

Its really weird.

I might try some antihistamines and see if that makes me feel better?

[DSM3KIDZ]

My husband and I were talking about this again tonight. I still can't find the trigger. I don't think my house caused me to be sick, it just makes my symptoms worse. I'm always alittle better out of the home than when I'm in it.

it ***** because I think everyone just thinks I'm crazy. Oh well maybe I am sometimes

Dayna

[ramakentesh]

yeah i get those looks from my family sometimes as well. For me its got to be something environmental that is atleast causing a relapse of my POTS.

Myabe its a cat or the heavy chlorinated water in Melbourne - I cant seem to fiund the exact trigger but last year wehen i got a shower filter i improved quite a lot.