Update on Chrissy

[PattiL]

Hi everyone,]

Good news/bad news. Chrissy is having a ball at school--hence why there haven't been any posts from her recently! That's the good news. Bad news, she stopped home yesterday for an appt. with BVR (and of course for me to wash her clothes), well, she wasn't home for an hour when she started getting nauseous! She had to put on her trusty wrist-bands (the anti-nausea ones for sea/car sickness). She also said she doesn't have nearly as difficult of a time getting up in the morning and NOT b/c she has classes - they don't start until after noon. She just doesn't feel as tired as at home!

I wrote to Dr. Dearborn, who is a specialist in environmental health at University Hospitals, we'll see if he answers or not. I'm also going to call a couple of environmental service companies in the area. We are also thinking of purchasing an Ozone machine--anyone have any experience with one?

Patti

[JaneEyre9]

Hi Patti,

I'm glad Chrissy is feeling better, but i know you are probably worried about your house and the air she breathes at home. Could her nausea have been due to some other factor?

As far as air purifiers go, the thing to look for is HEPA filtering. Ionic air purifiers can actually make a situation worse. I'm not sure about ozone machines. I know we were told HEPA was the only way to go. Purifiers are good, but they just put a patch on things. I hope you are able to get some answers and get to the root of Chrissy's symptoms.

Feel free to email or PM me if you or Chrissy want to talk more about environmental issues. My parents and i have been through a lot. Not only was our house lost, but we went through several problems with apartments, my dad's office, and now my grandparents' house (which flooded) has mold problems too.

Let me know if I can help in any way. If nothing else, I'm just glad to hear that Chrissy is doing well at college. That is great news.

Kristen

[Gena]

Glad to hear Crissy it enjoying class. Environmental factors may certainly be playing a role in aggravating her symptoms.

Consumer reports gave the Friedrich air purifier the best performance grade (it has many stages of filtering including carbon, electrostatic and others. It cleans by just putting the filter in the dishwasher. Only the carbon filter has to be replaced once or twice a year. It's expensive but worth it. It is an ion air purifier, and emits some ozone, but very small levels. Too much ozone can have a negative effect on people with respiratory problems or who are just very sensitive. Consumer reports showed that of the ion purifiers tested, the Freidrich purifier generated very small, safe levels of oZone.

Hepa filters are very good too if you religiously change their filters. Any air purfier is only good if you maintain it and keep filters cleaned. Hepa filters costs can add up quickly though.

I used an Oreck that my mom had for a few months in my room. Most ion purifiers give you the option of whether to turn on the ozone generator or not. They still effectively clean without the ozone too. I would turn on the ozone generator during the day while i was out. When I returned home I'd turn off the ozone. Then the levels taper off and I sleep without ozone at night. I found that system worked well for me.

Hope you find something that works well.

P.S. Consumer reports also said the Sharper image ionic breezes did a very poor job at cleaning the air and also emitted much higher ozone levels.

Gena

[cnm1]

Hi Patti

I am very happy to her Chrissy is doing well at school. Regarding the nausea, it could just be a random event. The fatigue could be environmental but not in a way that is related to the air etc. She is probably really "energized "by school but home is just home.

How did BVR go?

Louise

[PattiL]

Hi guys,

We've thought that it could just be a random thing that she got nauseaous when she came home. It just seems odd that she hasn't felt that way at all since being at school. I don't know if it could be a mind over matter issue because she's so darn busy or what. Even when she and I went to NYC last spring she wasn't as ill and that was only for 3 days. I'm just really worried about our house now. Now is the time for me to check things out though, while she's away.

Gena and Kristen, Thanks for the info on the HEPA filters and air purifiers. I guess I have a lot of reading to do--and price checking! I'm going to see whether Dr. Dearborn or one of his associates writes back this week and see what his input is also. Kristen, I may be e-mailing you soon for more info.

Louise - At BVR we just sat through the orientation Fri., didn't meet with a counselor yet. I think our appt. with her is next Fri. We'll see what happens, cross your fingers! I let you know what she says.

Thanks everyone.

Patti

[Poohbear]

I'm glad Crissy is doing better. I'm sure you are worried and wondering what is contributing to her symptoms.

I don't have any advice but wanted to "chime in" and say I'm glad she's doing well at school. I hope you are able to get some answers to the environmental issues.

[Sunfish]

first & foremost, i'm SO happy to hear that chrissy is doing as well as she is at school. i was hoping that's what her lack of posting indicated!

re: the difference in her symptoms between school & home, i agree that it's something to stay aware of but also agree that it might be a good idea to wait on a few more trips home before investing in any big expendatures as environmental companies, etc. are quite expensive. i'm not saying it's not worth it if warranted but just that one visit home may not be meritorious enough to really move forward. i think your emailing the dr. is a good first step & totally reasonable.

re: the filters, my allergist always asserted that HEPA was the only way to go, so i'd vote for that direction. they may take a bit more upkeep in terms of filter changes & the like, but less uptake isn't an advantage in my opinion if something's not doing the trick!

good luck looking into things & tell chrissy we're all cheering her on!

melissa

[steph37822]

oops

[Sunfish]

just as a bit of a p.s.....steph's post brought it to mind for me....i actually feel worse in some regards at my parents, but not in regard to POTS/OI/NCS symptoms or nausea. for me it's allergies & somewhat related to nina's "no more carpet in the bedroom" scenario. there is much more carpet at my parents' as well as lots of antiques & trinkets that are simply impossible to keep dust free all the time. and my room at my parents' doesn't have encasings like my bed at my apartment. again, i don't see how those types of things would be related to nausea, but just thought i'd put it out there for the sake of thoroughness...

melissa (again)