Re: Can you be exposed to toxic mold for 3 years and not know it?&General Questions

[Guest guest]

On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 7:54 PM, linz22112 <linz22112@...> wrote:

>

> I am new to this group and I have many a questions. I am wondering if

> anyone knows if it is possible to have been exposed to mold for years

> and not know it.

Yes, most of us were. Its QUITE possible. Hidden mold is a huge public

health problem.

>

> The reason I am asking is because I have just

> recently been able to " see " the mold, but looking back at the symptoms

> I have, the started along time ago.

Regardless of where it is, it can still effect you.

Any damp crawlspace needs to be separated from a home and ideally,

efforts should be taken to dry

it out and well-ventilate it outward, as well as seal the living space

from the crawlspace.

many people will seal off the earthen ground using thick plastic and

then use a fan in the crawspace, as well as a vent on the other side,

to ventilate it outward.

You should NOT have a door to the crawlspace in your home. Its very

difficult to make a door air tight.

You should also use weatherproofing to ensure that air from the

crawlspace cant get into your house.

If you live in a cold winter (or hot summer area, and you air

condition) you also need insulation.

My memory was the first " symptom "

> I had years ago. Then diagnosed with Fybro and so on.About 1 1/2 years

> ago I was hospitalized with a headache.

It sounds like a very bad headache! It sounds like some kind of

cerebrovascular spasm.

>The MRI showed " white matter "

> and brain swelling. Last Nov. I had a horrible bout of 5th Cranial

> Nerve damage. (I would get horrible shocks in my face, the most

> painful thing I have ever experienced)It was a very random thing that

> happened,

This doesn't strike me as random at all knowing what we know now.

Having a crawlspace connected via a door to your home is TROUBLE.

>and my Nuro doc was baffled as to why it even happened.(This

> was before I knew about the mold)

Now you know. Lets hope that the mold is confined to the crawlspace

but its possible that it might not be. Are there any penetrations between

the crawspace and your home, for example, do any pipes of cables enter

your home from the crawspace that don't have adequate sealing around them?

(spray foam is good to use for sealing. Make sure to shake the can

well before spraying and

that you vent your home well for 2-3 days

after spraying foam- the fumes as it cures are toxic but after it is

finished curing its

safe..)

> The house I live in has a dirt crawlspace (and the entrance is in the

> room I sleep in).

Please do whatever it takes to change this situation!

>I have been sleeping on the couch for the past 6

> months and I have noticed some symptoms have diminished. When I used

> to sleep in that room, I would wake to use the washroom at least 3

> times a night. I also suffered horrible heartburn, which has also

> diminished after not being in that room. It's just so hard to decipher

> what is what when there are so many health issues. I am so concerned

> now about what damage may have been done already.

> Has anyone else been in this situation, or help me understand what is

> happening to me, and confirm I am not crazy.

No, you are not crazy, welcome to our group!

> Thank you in advance for any help or answers you can provide.

>

here is what I think would help, others may have stuff to add..

Please let us know what part of the country you are in, and whether your house

is well insulated. Is the crawl space currently being heated? Is your heater or

any necessary equipment in the crawlspace? Do water pipes go through it?

This is what my gut feeling tells me.. I got really sick in a

situation not that unlike yours..

I wasn't able to do much about it because I was living in a rental.

Do you rent or own?

If you can...

1.) do whatever it takes to prevent any surface water from entering

your crawlspace..

If you have rain gutters, first make sure they are clear of leaves

(and keep them clean)

and then put extensions on the gutter pipes to channel roof water as

far away from your house as you can.

If your house is on a hill, the uphill side of your house can act as a

" dam " for groundwater and you need to

prevent that water from pooling at the side of your house and being

channeled into your crawlspace.

Every house is different, I don't know your situation, but preventing

water from entering your crawlspace

is important.

2.) Do whatever it takes to seal any and all holes between the

crawlspace and the interior of your home.

Also, as you will be venting the crawlspace, which will make it

colder, if you are make sure you wont freeze pipes!

There is a lot more.. but we need to know the answers to the above..

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the helpful information. I also rent, so I don't think there is

much I can do? The crawl space door does not even shut all the way, and in one

corner, the wood is even rotted away (about an inch by 2 inches) They covered it

up with carpet, and probably thought they could get away with it.

To reply to the other questions you asked:

1.) do whatever it takes to prevent any surface water from entering

your crawlspace..

If you have rain gutters, first make sure they are clear of leaves

(and keep them clean)

and then put extensions on the gutter pipes to channel roof water as

far away from your house as you can. **This is also a very sad situation. My

landlord has NO gutter pipes from the gutter! So all of the water just hits the

ground and is absorbed into the crawlspace. It really offends me that he has

taken NO effort to ensure any safety or any regard to our health. There have not

been any the entire time I have lived here.

When I went through the list of " ways to prevent mold in your home " this home

has almost ALL of the " Do not's "

If your house is on a hill, the uphill side of your house can act as a

" dam " for groundwater and you need to

prevent that water from pooling at the side of your house and being

channeled into your crawlspace. **He has a plastic pipe coming out of the

crawlspace. It runs across the driveway into my back yard

Every house is different, I don't know your situation, but preventing

water from entering your crawlspace

is important.

2.) Do whatever it takes to seal any and all holes between the

crawlspace and the interior of your home. **After I took a look outside the

house, I found that the siding is all loose, and there are obvious cracks into

the crawlspace. In one spot, they put some sort of plywood behind the siding,

and that is being help up by a 4x4. I have also found a spot on the outside of

the home that has black circle mold spots.

In addition to that, the chimmny has no flashing. There are cracks all along

where it meets the house. It even looks like there is mold on the chimmny.

There are water pipes, and electric that run in the crawlspace also.

It sounds like I am in a no win situation as far as insulating the house goes.

I am still in serch of finding a doctor that can treat me. I did get a referance

from another user, and I have left him a message. His name is Dr Croft?

thank you for the time and concern you have given me....and help

[Guest guest]

Can you move? It sounds like a complete disaster there.