new to group..need some answers..

[Guest guest]

Hi! My name is and I was directed to this list by someone who

has been through problems with mold in her home. Let me tell you a

little bit about myself and the situation our home may be in.

I have not been a healthy person for several years. After years of

frustration, I finally discovered I had food allergies. After

eliminating everything I knew I was allergic to, I started to feel

better. In October of last year, I ended up with a nasty case of

pnuemonia. The week before, my doctor told me I had chronic sinutis. I

thought it was related to the issues I had with food allergies. Well,

by the middle of November, my allergies improved somewhat. I still had

the runny nose, but at least I wasn't sick. About two or three weeks

ago, my food allergy problems worsened. I'm developing more severe

reactions especially to things made from mold (ie vinegar, yeast, etc)

We have suspected that we had mold around a few windows and our patio

door. There are also black spots on our carpet throughout the house

that we suspected were stains. We also suspected mold in one of our

bathrooms (this house was remodeled before we moved in. whoever

remodeled put carpet in the bathroom. My husband tried to take it out

2 years ago but was unable to because it was glued to the floor)

Last Friday while cooking dinner, I noticed that one of the walls in

our kitchen was buckling. I pointed it out to my husband and he

checked it out. When he touched the wall, a piece of drywall (1/4 " )

came off. When he turned it over to look at it, it was covered with

black spots. He wasn't worried.

Since Saturday night, I have found stains in all of our kitchen

cabinets that weren't there before Christmas (2 different walls in our

kitchen). There is mold under the carpet in our hallway (the wood

things holding the carpet to the floor are rotted and black). In

almost every room in the house paint is peeling and there are bumps in

the paint where the ceiling meets the wall. Paint is cracking. I have

found black mold in spots in the other bathroom. There is mold in our

utility room. I've also found what looks like dry rot as well as

passages for termites.

This morning, against my better judgement, I ventured up to the attic.

I never go up there because I am allergic to the fiberglass

insulation. But I was smart enough to cover up, wear a mask and

gloves. I didn't go into the attic, just stood and looked around. Took

pictures with a digital camera. We've got a BIG problem. There is mold

on the ceiling of the attic, in the joints, pretty much everywhere.

The beams with no visible mold looked wet.

Now, before everyone starts to hollar, I know enough to leave

everything alone. I'm not touching or attempting to clean anything up.

My gut feeling is that things are a lot worse than they look. But I'm

a worrier by nature and tend to assume the worst. My husband and I

cannot afford to move and we cannot afford to pay for this. We are

stretched thin as it is. But I am concerned about my family's health

(and my stress level).

I could use some advice and some help with questions I have.

1. How do I approach my husband with all this. He has no idea how bad

things look. And once he is presented with something, it takes him

awhile to digest it and think it through. I need practical suggestions

on how to present this. I will print all answers I get and make sure

he gets to read them.

2. I know in my heart that I should have pressed the issue and moved

out over the weekend. But I need to hear from experts or be directed

to websites on what to do.

3. I want to salvage as much as I can so we don't have to buy a lot

later. Is this possible? If it is, what can I do to salvage clothing?

Dishes? Pictures? Antiques (this one's gonna really hurt if I lose the

kitchen table)? Books?

4. Should I take the kids to the doctor to have them checked out? My

oldest has mold allergies like I do.

5. My aunt suggested we hire an inspector to go through our home to

see if he can find more damage and make suggestions? Is this feasible?

6. Can you direct me to websites that will tell me about the adverse

health affects mold will have on us if it's not dealt with?

7. I know we have to have a professional clean up everything. Where do

I look?

If you can think of anything I missed, please let me know. Again any

replies I get will be printed so my husband can read them.

TIA,

Wohlfarth

reneewo@...