Intro and question

[Guest guest]

Hi. I came here from the LymeStrategies group. I believe I've had

Lyme most of my life, discovered only recently, but now I'm realizing

that chemical/mold sensitivity is also an ongoing problem for me.

I was exposed to mold at my office several years ago--a familiar

story, I'm sure. I was working in an ancient trailer on the

university campus, and started the job during a heat wave/drought one

summer, so mold was not evident then. In late fall, the rain came

back and I started smelling mold coming through the heat vents. I

blocked all the vents with phone books and used a small space heater

in my office, but I had already begun to have many symptoms of

illness, including brain fog that made it hard to work, though I did

continue working part-time. It turned out that there were huge leaks

in the roof and walls in the other part of the trailer which housed a

separate office, and rainwater often ran down the inside of the

walls. But the other people never reported the leaks.

When the university finally responded, after weeks of delay, and did

some basic remediation, they found mold under the trailer (but did

not test to see which kind), and in the walls, and holes in the

ductwork. Cleanup and repair was done but it was not very thorough,

and I continued to work for six months after I gave notice because my

boss needed me and I felt loyal to him. Looking back on it all, I

should have left as soon as I detected mold, but at the time I felt I

needed the job, and I was essential to the operation of a major

medical journal's editorial office, so I felt I could not leave until

a replacement was hired and trained.

Unfortunately, I was also exposed to many doses of toxic and

irritating chemicals on that job, as the other office used Lysol

disinfectant as an air freshener (!), and sprayed it near the air

intake for the whole trailer. It took a while to get them to stop

that, and I provided a less toxic replacement product. There also

were a few instances of strong carpet cleaner being used in my office

without my permission. I'm sure the chemicals and mold

synergistically made me sicker. It was a nightmare for many months,

and I should have gone to the ER a few times with difficulty

breathing from the chemicals, but I didn't.

I've been working with a practitioner on my Lyme, and every time she

tests me with her SCIO machine, mold/candida comes up as a problem. I

probably have intestinal candida, but now I suspect I have

environmental mold exposure, too. Since getting some repair work

done on my heat pump/air conditioner system, I've occasionally

smelled a faint musty smell when the air is coming out of the vents

at my house. I have an acute sense of smell, and the mustiness is

faint, so it's not a huge amount, but it's there. I had the company

come back and look at the system and complained about the sudden

onset of mustiness after their work, but they said everything was

OK. I doubt that. I lived in this house for ten years with no musty

smell apparent, until they did that one repair job.

I've also found what might be a little bit of mold on the covers of a

few notebooks that have been sitting a long time and have plastic

covers. And if drops of water sit on my bathroom countertop, a dark

green color develops where the water was. I don't know if this is a

mineral, or mold. We do have hard water, but I think this is a new

occurrence.

My symptoms of fatigue, achiness, brain fog, sore red eyes, etc. have

been increasing lately, and the heat has been running most of the

time. I felt much better in the fall when I could leave the windows

open and not use any heat or AC. But I'm treating Lyme also, and

symptoms are constantly changing from the Lyme dieoff, so it's very

hard to tell what is causing the increased symptoms.

So, questions: Is there a link or file at the group website that

outlines what a homeowner can safely do to clean up mold, and when

it's necessary to call in the professionals? Are there any air

purifiers/treatment systems or sprays that can at least control mold

while I stay in the house? (Probably just wishful thinking.) I will

try to read archives and links, but with this brain fog, it's very

hard for me to read or remember much so I'm wondering if there is an

appropriate file or website I can go to directly. I used to read

endlessly and have a photographic memory. I sure miss that.

Glad to be here; wish I didn't need to be here.

Your friend in healing,

Judith