Toxic mold eating away family's health, dream

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Toxic mold eating away family's health, dream

By Sylvia Schon March 12, 2002

KENTWOOD - Something was already living in the old house and Pete

Guillot bought two years ago.

Something primitive and powerful, but it was neither plant nor animal nor

spirit.

Mold is eating their house and robbing their dreams. It has already taken a

huge toll on 's health, and, in the end, it may well take everything

they own.

The fungi live and grow under the shiny clean floors and in the air ducts,

silently spreading toxic spores onto everything they possess. The utility

room out back is totally taken over. They don't go in there any more.

More than once, mold attacked 's tongue. The worst case followed

antibiotic treatment for acute bronchitis in late August. A short time

later, large, crusty spots appeared. They eventually covered her entire

tongue and the back of her throat. Horrified and hurting, she lost 35 pounds

in a month and thought she was losing her mind.

The Guillots' horror story sounds like a King novel, but it is

shared by a growing number of Louisianians who perhaps don't yet know the

reason for the hellish turn in their lives.

believes people need to be warned about mold inhalation, especially

allergic people and people with compromised immune systems.

" It's not something that everybody should be freaking out about or worrying

about or obsessing about, " she said.

Rather, she said, mold inhalation might be a concern for that percent of the

population who, like , went through doctor after doctor, " who only

treated symptoms, and the symptoms kept coming back, and they still didn't

know the cause. "

When the Guillots looked at the house on Avenue H two years ago they saw a

beautiful old home built in 1874 with spacious rooms, large windows, a real

cedar-lined closet and an acre yard for their toddler, Connor.

" The moment we went in there together and had our tour, we knew we wanted to

live there, " she said. " The layout of the house was a plus. The spaciousness

of all those rooms. It already had established camellias, azaleas and pecan

trees. There were massive oaks. It was just a pretty place. Even though it

was run down, you could still see it was a beautiful home. "

It wasn't until much later that Pete and paid attention to a note on

the inspector's report about a fairly large mold colony under the house. It

wasn't until recently that they wondered if the added-on brickwork around

the outside might have helped the mold to grow.

set about fixing up the old place while Pete, a teacher and coach,

went to work. She scraped and painted, refurbished the fireplace mantel and

dived into numerous other projects to turn the house into a comfortable nest

for her family.

One particular project haunts her now and probably always will.

The avocado green carpet in the living room was a mess, and she longed to

get rid of it to uncover the hardwood floor.

Wearing a paper particle mask and work gloves, she began pulling up the old,

soiled carpet. Underneath was " icky sticky gooey black stuff " she first

thought must be carpet matting or glue remains.

But further into the project, she also found a black mold.

" I'll never forget that. It was disgusting, " said. " We do believe

that was probably my first big exposure to aspergillus (a type of mold). "

Less than a week later suffered a serious allergy attack, but at the

time she did not connect the two events.

A deep upper respiratory infection set in. She couldn't shake it. It lasted

for months, and she finally went to an ear, eye nose and throat specialist

complaining that she felt there was sand in her throat.

The doctor found numerous blister-like bumps that appeared to have spikes on

top.

" She said I had an allergic reaction to something, but she didn't know

what, " said. " I thought it was probably pollen from the pecan trees

or oak trees. "

During the next two years developed various symptoms including an

unexplained and ferocious back pain that a hysterectomy didn't cure.

She had constant irritability and PMS-like symptoms, depression, sleep

disorders, hives and urinary incontinence. She also developed numerous food

allergies and chemical sensitivities she had never had before. Her usually

high energy level was gone, and her joints and lower backbone hurt. She also

developed problems with her hormone replacement therapy.

was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia at

different times, but none of the treatments for these relieved her constant

pain.

" It was like the pain had a mind of its own, " she recalled. " I've always

been a high energy person, very active and outgoing. All of a sudden, I was

introverted and very focused on the fact that I was in physical pain all the

time....

" At that point I was so exasperated I thought, 'What next?' What else could

possibly happen to cause me to have so much unexplained pain? "

No one mentioned the possibility of mold inhalation as the source of her

problems. It was the onset of frightening panic attacks last September that

eventually led to some answers.

has a heart valve problem, so when the left side of her face and her

left arm started going numb, she thought it was her heart. But doctors could

find no problem in that area and finally suggested that the cause was

neurological.

Two neurologists came up with two different diagnoses. One termed her

problem as painless migraines. The other said she had nerve damage somewhere

in her spinal area, though an MRI showed nothing.

Her internist advised her to resign from her new teaching job at St.

Aquinas High School.

The panic attacks continued, and three trips to the emergency room later, a

young doctor recognized the symptoms as panic anxiety disorder. He referred

her to a psychiatrist, who in turn advised her to admit herself to a

psychiatric hospital for treatment and observation.

" In spite of the stigma of spending six days in a psychiatric hospital, it

was a wonderful experience for me, " said. " It was a godsend. It was

a miracle. "

An alert nurse mentioned that 's symptoms were very like those of a

friend who was exposed to toxic mold at her husband's business.

" A light bulb went off, " said. " I told her about pulling up the

green carpet with the strange gooey black substance.

" She said, 'That's black mold.' "

The next stop was Dr. , an immunotoxicologist in Houston who

has treated numerous mold inhalation cases.

As it turns out, wasn't losing her mind. Even panic attacks can be

attributed to allergic reactions to mold inhalation.

Blood tests found she had developed antibodies against nine different types

of mold spores: asper-gillus, penicilium, rhizopus, candida, pullularia

pullulans, picoccum nirum, geotrichum candidum, chaetomuim globosum and

alternaria notatum.

She was told that as she inhaled the spores, they went first to her lungs

and then began dying off as her body attacked them. But as they died off,

the spores released mycotoxins into her blood stream that were then carried

all over her body to all her major organs.

There has been some nerve damage as well, but it's too soon to tell if that

is permanent.

She is undergoing treatment now and is feeling some improvement in her

energy level since taking weekly B-12 shots. But the chronic joint and body

pain is still very much with her.

" All I can say is thank God my immune system is still working. Even though

I'm sick, it is working, " said.

Nevertheless, all three Guillots have taken more antibiotics and

antihistamines since moving into the house than they ever did before, she

said.

Three-year-old Connor seems to be OK for now, but he has suffered numerous

upper respiratory, ear and throat infections.

Pete has a throat infection that has not responded to antibiotics.

The cost for testing totaled more than $12,000 and the family can't

afford to test Pete and Connor, too, even with health insurance picking up

some of the tab.

The Guillots were told they had to leave their home and nearly everything in

it or risk carrying the spores out with them.

Pete is still exploring ways to save their home and possessions, but the

options are expensive.

They found mold growing inside the air ducts in the floor. A utility room in

the back of the house is completely covered in mold now, and they can see

the odd circular growth patterns of mold pushing up under the bathroom tile.

Tearing out and replacing the floors and ductwork could cost upwards of

$60,000, Pete said.

Meanwhile, has disposed of 14 pairs of shoes from the master bedroom

closet because mold had taken them over.

Clothes and linens can be salvaged by washing, drying and placing them in

sterile garbage bags for transport. The family has been told that a mixture

of bleach and water can be used to kill the mold on most surfaces.

Family photographs can be saved by freeze-drying them.

The home could be destroyed, or they could try some very expensive

remediation. But there is no homeowners insurance to pay for it all, and

bankruptcy is not an option at this point because of the way the house was

financed.

Pete is still in the house most nights, while and Connor are

spending time at her sister's home while she recuperates. He searches the

Internet almost nightly, looking for answers and hoping to save his house

and his family's health and dreams.

They have not given up.

Tears welled up as stood on her front porch. " I feel both blessed

and cheated, " she said. " There is a lot of in that house. "

©The Daily Star 2002