Dear people, I have a diagnosis!

[Caty]

I have been thinking so much about you all and how your words and encouragement meant so much for me two years ago when I became so sick. You can search my first posts describing all my symptoms. I was diagnosed with dysautonomia and MCAS by a neurologist specialist. She helped me improve so much with high dose antihistamines and Atenolol. Then in Jan. this year we decided to remove the carpet in our home, one of my sons and I have suffered for years of very strong seasonal allergies. Three days after the carpet removal I started with a non stop cough, fever and all my symptoms of dysautonomia came back full force: the fatigue, the nausea, the confusion, anxiety and depression, palpitations, inability to find words, tingling. We were terrified, but thank God this finally helped us make the connection with the house. There was something in the house making me sick. So we fled to the coast. We live near Eugene, OR. It was incredible to see how every day some of the symptoms would go away. First I was able to eat then stand again, the strength slowly came back, then I could think and sleep through he night, and stop crying. We did more research about possible causes and thought of toxic mold. We tested the house with DNA of the dust and found high levels of various kinds of toxic mold! Now many things started to make sense, for example, every time I would get into the pantry I would feel overwhelmed to the point of crying (ok, our diets are overwhelming but not like that!) and the pantry is one of the places with more water damage from a skylight and with toxic mold.

One dear lady told me two years ago in this wonderful forum that she had been like I was, in bed, unable to walk more that a few steps, and had mold in her apartment. Both her and her husband were ill. After deciding to move she was to be transported laying down in the vehicle. Well, after traveling for several hours and hitting the dessert, she was able to stand and walk. She couldn't believe it. But knew that the mold had been the problem and she had been well ever since. Back then, I was intrigued but certain that that couldn't be the problem for me. We knew we had some mold and leaks in our home but no black walls or scary humid basements. How wrong I was!

Please forgive me for not returning sooner. These months we have had to figure many things out to find a new clean place to live. We realized that my symptoms would return immediately if I was exposed to belongings from the moldy house. I had read about this but couldn't believe it at all... until I experienced it. So with few things that I thoroughly washed we moved to a newly built rental and I am doing so well. 

 I do know that there are many causes of dysautonomia and that not everyone's problem is mold. Definitely not. But I want to encourage you to discard this possibility. How much I wish I could have done that in the worse of my illness, when I felt I might be dying.

There's two relatively simple steps you can take:

First leave your home for a couple of weeks. I know this seems overwhelming and plain imposible when we are unable to get up, but consider te possibility. It should be with almost none of your stuff. Only a few changes of clothes that you could wash several times once in the place you'll be going. This place can be a hotel or an Airbnb. You don't want to go for two weeks to a family member's home that could also have mold. You'll see if some of the symptoms improve or change and go from there.

Second, test your home with DNA of the dust (not air samples) for toxic mold. Places like Envirobiomics Lab do this test and see how your home is. Because water damage and mold can be hidden behind walls or floors.

Of course do your research, there's some much out there and it can often seem crazy because some people can go overboard but please do consider it seriously. I wish I had known two years ago but God knows why things happen the way they do. Dr. Schoemaker is an MD that has done so much research in the field of mold toxicity, in my opinion.  You may be interested his website, there's much to learn in there. 

With my prayers for all.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Thank you for coming back and sharing your experience.  So glad to hear that you are improved!