Topic: Feel better when away from Home ? Besides Mold and Pets what can it be?
springshowers
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Member # 19863
posted
Besides Mold what other things do you all know of that might cause problems for us.
I do not have the symptoms typical to what is listed for mold such as the allergy type symptoms.
But I have a reaction of some sort because I can feel the inflammation in my body is worse in my own home as opposed to when I am am away with family or staying with friends etc.
This inflammation causes my normal symptoms to be worse such as pain and fatigue and the pain is overall widespread as well as some in the joints.
ALso whatever other symptoms I may be having can be increased but mostly its those and I can sense the inflammation is higher causing the increase in those symptoms.
I wonder if anyone has had anything else besides mold be an issues at home. I also have pets but I have been around other peoples pets when I have been out of the house and that has not been an issue.
So I have ruled out pets.
Any ideas?
Posts: 2747 | From Unites States Of America | Registered: Apr 2009
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Abxnomore
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Could it be your heating system? Do you have forced hot air as it often makes healthy people feel badly. It's dry heat and the ducts harbor nasty things.
Or if you live in a warm climate it could be your a/c system. Lots of nasty stuff breeds in those ducts.
They can be cleaned out professionally.
Just a thought.
Posts: 5191 | From Lyme Zone | Registered: Jan 2009
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Abxnomore
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Wall to wall carpeting can be another problem. Do you have it in your home?
Posts: 5191 | From Lyme Zone | Registered: Jan 2009
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posted
spring, If you have had any water leaks lately, it is probably mold. You are smart to check outside your own abode. If you are fine with other pets you are probably ok with your pets.
I tested positive for two molds when I originally went to my LLMD 19 months ago. Now, I am at a standstill with increased energy and my cognitive is worse. All other symptoms have disappeared with treatment. My fatigue is so much better but now I just can't get past the last part.
I just did a mold toxin panel and awaiting results. Since I tested positive on weak Quest test, I'm sure my speciality testing will be glowing.
Mold will do such harm to our bodies.
It could also be carpeting as abxnomore stated.
Keep looking the answer is probably right under your nose. Sort of speak .......
Just my thoughts
Elaine
Posts: 671 | From Fort Myers, Florida | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
I knew someone that got very sick for months and they couldn't figure out why. It turned out that her house had a carbon monoxide leak.
Posts: 984 | From US | Registered: Dec 2007
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mojo
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Do you get the chance to air out your house regularly? It could be indoor pollution - which can include mold, pets, capeting and other things.
I have a HEPA air cleaner in my bedroom and that helps me a lot.
Posts: 1761 | From USA | Registered: May 2006
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karenl
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Member # 17753
posted
EMF can make you sick, wireless things, cell phone tower near by ,toxins(laminate, carpets, wallpaper, your mattress...golf course near by ...).
Do you have all literature about Dr. Shoemaker and mold? I could try to collect it for you.
Aerosol spraying where you live?
You could do a urine test for mold at a lab (Dr. H)they can find the mold toxins ( old and new).
The Hepa in the bedroom is great, I use it every night for some hours before I go to bed. You have the bathroom next to your bedroom - any cleaning materials you use there?
Your drinking water?
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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springshowers
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Hello all >
I pulled out all the carpet years ago. None is left. I never liked carpet in my home so that was the only reason why then.
I have a hepa filter in my room. One of those big ones and abxnomore gave me the brand name referral. I am just forgetting the name right now. And have a secondary UVB filter too.
I do sleep by the bathroom and ironically moved my bed to the living room this month and no change.
I do drink TONS of water. 1/2 to 1 gallon a day. Thats near all drink with Tea and some smoothies etc.
Not sure about wireless. I have DSL wireless in the house. I have gone through times i unplug it each time I use it and did not notice anything different at all.
THis is like something that seems to hit me when I walk in.
I have not cleaned the ducts but maybe that is a possible thing. Even though I decided also to test by not using air or heat for months! honest. I do air out the house often!
Aerosol sparying where I live? Not sure
Carbon Monoxide would have to be from the water heater and or the house heater that is on the rooftop.
I have and know all about Dr SHoemaker and have done the VCS tests and have done the Cholestrimine treatment without improvement.
I did find a water leak a few years ago. Yes. I found one between the bathroom walls where the tub drain was a full pipe width off and all the showers and baths were going down under the house and behind the adjacent shower >. And that all taken out and rebuilt..
I have done the sampling for mold you do yourself by comparing outside to inside. Very small difference but I do not know what exactly the margin is and I did not go further into it.
I did upon cleaning up around that leak area break out in these deep deep sore like things in my back and hips and rear. My one doctor who saw them said "it looks like some reaction you may have to something" I did not put it together then but look back now at it and it was the week of the initial exposure i had. I still have scars from them. THey were the most painful big deep sores I have seen. THey did not come to the surface ever but had a clear spot in the middle where it hurt much more .
So even though I am leaving the house at some point ( its dragging on ).. I am not feeling like I should maybe stay .... but there are some economic and situational problems that keep me here for now...
Oh so.. well.. Guess what. I have those masks you get from the Home Depot and such that you wear when working on hazerdous materials. I am trying to sleep with one on. As a test. SOunds crazy.. Its hard to do. But I have done it for 3 nights. IF I start feeling better like I do when not here I think I will know. I am going to give it a couple weeks.
And also try to go out during the day as much as possible.. or wear it inside.
So.. I am still not thinking Mold but could be wrong. I was looking at that exact site above and do not feel it is those sorts of symptoms..
But we all react differently somewhat I guess. My normal doc does not believe in it being a health issues and says there is mold everywhere and thats that..
Posts: 2747 | From Unites States Of America | Registered: Apr 2009
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TerryK
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Some good suggestions from others.
Since you feel all the symptoms that are worse when at home are the result of inflammation then aside from some of the suggestions that others have made, I'd look at diet differences while away from home. Perhaps your normal diet contains something that is causing inflammation?
I know you are careful with your diet but if you have Dr. S's book "The Lyme Disease Solution", you can look in there for quite a bit of information about foods that cause inflammation. A google search would be useful too I'm sure.
The only other thing that I can think of is a home can be infested with tiny beetles or mites according to one mold testing lab that I contacted. They can make you sick. They had testing for other things too so if you do't get it figured out, perhaps send off some dust etc. to be tested.
I hope you get it figured out quickly.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I didn't have ANY allergy type symptoms, yet it was mold, so don't discount it because you don't have allergy symptoms. I always felt better away from home.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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carbon monoxide radon STRESS - when you're away you're likely more relaxed.
Posts: 339 | From Outer Space | Registered: Aug 2009
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karenl
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Member # 17753
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You should not compare outside mold with indoor mold.
You only need to look at the indoor mold as this would bother you. So your testkit should not show mold indoors.
You could ask the sickbuildings group if there is a single test you can send to somewhere for one indoor sample. Then test the bedroom or where your bed is now. You can do the course for mold remediator and always test yourself.
The radon test is easy, you buy a tester online for 125 and plug it in. It is forever and you always can use it.
Look closer at your bed. Many people have trouble with fire retardants but they spray it on the mattress. Unplug all electric appliances over night.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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springshowers
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Thanks all for your input and suggestions. I truely appreciate it. I stimulates my thinking and problem solving and things like Six said. Maybe I should not rule it out because it does not match the allergy symptoms of mold.
Karen.. What is the Radon test for 125 you plug in? You seem to know quite bit about all this so maybe you can help me like you said and send me a group of links etc?
If there is a tester that you plug it in and it is forever in my use?
I had gotten my bed replaced with a new one about six years and that did not seem to be some big marker of change but I will look into it..
Hmmm thanks Terry for the ideas as well and the testing ideas.
There is a lot to consider in this > I wish it was simple.... simpler...
But then again.. When it comes to this disease nothing seems to be.
Six.. Did you move? or?
Posts: 2747 | From Unites States Of America | Registered: Apr 2009
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Lauralyme
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My first guess would be mold
or..... could it be the electrical wiring?
-------------------- Fall down seven times, get up eight ~Japanese proverb Posts: 1146 | From west coast | Registered: Mar 2008
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jackie51
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I always feel better on vacation. My family is highly allergic to dust mites. If I go longer than a week without doing sheets and a full vacuum, everyone gets the sniffles and a little cranky. There are pillow protectors or just buy new pillows every few months. Practically the same price. Sheets in hot water, over dry. Clean blankets/comforters/vacuum ad nausem.
When I had asked the doctors about the air ventilators, they said no, all it did was put the dust mite poo in the air and it would be worse.
I've recently started a total clean of my house (stinkbugs) and from what I've read, mold can be invisible so if you do think you're having a reaction to mold, maybe you should have this tested. The sores sound scary. Perhaps the contractor did not get everything.
I've read recently about mold in old books. Do you have any old books sitting around? Or, old furniture?
Good luck.
Posts: 1374 | From Crazy Town | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
Get yourself a Trifield Meter (which measures electromagnetic fields). I have the same problem...feel great when I'm visiting somebody else (except my neighbor), yet I'll feel lousy at home.
Turns out my home measures 3-4 milligauss or higher everywhere in my home, my neighbor's measures 10 milligauss or higher, and most other homes I've been in only measure 1 or 2 milligauss.
An 'electrosmog detector' is another possibility...this meter will pick up radiowaves and microwaves (from area cell phone towers and the like), frequencies that the Trifield Meter won't detect.
Most places though, I've found, are saturated with radiowaves and microwaves...not just my own home. I think living in a high EMF house makes me even more sensitive to these frequencies.
Good luck.
-------------------- Urge Congress on EMF Safety, FCC Must Change Exposure Guidelines for Microwave Radiation Exposure: http://tinyurl.com/2cjq54y Halt Universal Broadband, A Public Health Hazard: http://tinyurl.com/3x7xrmq Posts: 495 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2010
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I had mold in my Select Comfort mattress. They were known for having a mold problem, but they did not alert previous customers to it, they just added chemicals to prevent mold in the future.
They did refund my $$ for my old mattress and came and picked it up.
I talked to a mold remediation guy about it. It was not stachy mold (I had it tested). The mold guy said it was unnecessary to have remediation or to move. He said mold spores are everywhere (this was common "shower mold") and that getting rid of the mattress, using a vacuum with a hepa filter to vacuum the walls/floor, etc., and using an air filter would be enough because that type of spore is going to be there anyway.
He said that if it wasn't enough, then to call him so he can see if there's a higher level of spores in the bedroom vs. the living room vs. outside.
I went through a pretty serious detoxification episode once I got rid of the mattress. I had to stop taking EVERYTHING except for binders.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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springshowers
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OH Gosh SO much to think about
Got to be honest. I have a ton of OLD stuff around. FIrst off I always bought older antique furniture and stuff
Second of since ill for the last decade I barely have been able to Clean Clean up.. KNow what I mean.
So lots of STUFF and lots of STUFF sitting around.
I am just recently going through EVERYTHING and clearing out things and getting rid of all my furniture. except bed..
Hmmmm the bed.. Maybe..Mine is a Spring Air... ANyone had problems with those?
That tester sounds interesting. Where do you get one? The best place to get a trifield meter?
Hmmm Well.Thanks again for all the input and ideas. I have a list going on things to sort through and test etc.
Interesting about the comment about the air filter..
Has anyone gone to a MD HD and done some testing with them for allergies specific to household items and such?
I am thinking of doing that?
..
Posts: 2747 | From Unites States Of America | Registered: Apr 2009
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karenl
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I think allergy testing does not make sense. You have to make sure there is no mold in the air condition, other than that you wash things and clean.
In the future you better use Merv 11 filters. If your air condition would be clean you just run it all day long constantly to get better air. But it could be moldy.
If you have too many things just give some in tight plastic bags and keep them for later. I got rid of textiles, cushions and covered some sofas with plastic - if they are too bad. Less things makes cleaning easier.
A bedroom should have nothing except the bed, according to Dr. Ziems protocol. I removed the curtains and have smaller comforters, so I can wash them easily. ( for Dr. Ziem - type in search function).
I will try to send some links later, have to go through my mold file. To me it sounds you have some mold as you never feel really well.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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nenet
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I have to repeat the carbon monoxide suggestion - because it just happened to me over the last year (since last August).
I had NO IDEA how many different non-specific and scary symptoms it could cause, or that it could hurt you at small doses over a long period of time.
Studies have shown that chronic low-level exposure can cause far worse *permanent damage* to your brain and heart, etc. than acute short-term exposure.
It turned out an slightly abnormal CBC test result that I've had since we moved here was likely caused by this leak - the doctor noticed it returned to normal after the leaks were fixed.
You want to get the top of the line type of meter that you can install near where the source would be in your house - for better results, several feet from a water heater or other appliance, and if you can install 2, one near the ceiling and another at bed-level, in different parts of the room.
Find one that will record the lowest number possible (0 ppm), and will report the highest ppm detected, lowest ppm, and the daily average as well. Most detectors will only report over 70 ppm, which is way above the level which can cause harm (5 ppm).
CO can be caused by MANY more things than faulty appliances.
Here are some helpful resources:
This one is extremely helpful - lots of people who have posted their stories and symptoms:
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