Topic: Boo - I saw mold in my bedroom - now what do I do??
penguingirl
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I live in a tiny one bedroom condo. It gets very hot in my unit because I'm on the top floor and it's a brick building and retains heat. Winter and summer - I'm always warm! Maybe good for killing the buggers, haha.
Anyway what should I do? I need to get a mold expert to remove it? and then assess the rest of my apt and then treat it?
I don't see my LLMD until mid August - I wonder if he can just prescribe me something for mold before then? Should I just order Dr Natura online now?
I don't know if I'm affected by this one black fuzzy creature - I don't see any others but I am grossed out and worried there are more lurking that I can't see. I would not know if I have any mold symptoms.
I'm on IV Rocephin for now. I hope the potential mold in the air is not sitting on my picc line or something (I do keep it covered up in a tube bandage but still..)
Help!
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penguingirl
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Up
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jackie51
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Bummer. If you are already environmentally toxic, you may want to spray the mold with vinegar instead of a fancy mold cleaner from Depot.
Not familiar with Dr. Natura. Good luck.
Posts: 1374 | From Crazy Town | Registered: Dec 2007
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sammy
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At least you found the mold before it started to make you sick. I'm not sure how you should go about cleaning it up though. Try to run a search here in the Medical section. I'm sure others have discussed mold clean up before.
You could call and mention the mold exposure to your doctor, see if she recommends anything. There is an RX med called Cholestyramine that could help you with detox if needed.
Another option is called Modifilan. It is a supplement made from a certain type of brown seaweed that works to bind to mold toxins. You can read about it here: http://www.modifilan.comPosts: 5237 | From here | Registered: Nov 2007
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I am using Dr. Natura as one part of my mold treatment, maybe you heard of it from me. It is not a treatment for mold, but has a few herbs that are recommended for mold. I am using it to keep my bowels moving a little more than normal, but I'm attacking the mold with oregano oil. I cannot tolerate cholesytramine, which is the normal treatment for mold.
I would give your LLMD a call. Since he's already treating you, he'd probably be willing to work with you on this issue. Mine did prescribe cholestyramine (and diflucan) when I found the mold issue, I just could not tolerate it.
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karenl
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To be honest, you should leave. Can you sleep somewhere else till it is fixed? Renting or your house?
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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I spray any mold, stains, odors, spots, etc with Orange Guard (TKO Orange as concentrate), an essential oil from oranges, smells like oranges, evaporates within a half hour.
Hardware stores and healthfood stores carry it. Put a little in a spray bottle, fill up with water and spray on any surface, then wipe up the mold/spot/stain.
I also use it as my tick repellent, as it kills and deters bugs. Same deal - a little in a spray bottle, filled with water, spray on clothing, immediate environment, lightly mist/rub on dog/cat fur. Stings the skin a little, so use other essential oils on skin.
If you go ahead and try this remedy, let us know how it goes.
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penguingirl
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I own my condo. It's a very small unit though - I am hoping that any cost to test for mold and treat it will not be too expensive since I have such small square footage.
I emailed my property manager to get a recommendation for a mold expert to test the type. I will go from there I guess.
I will call my dr this week to ask about how to go about this potential mold exposture and treatment. I would probably prefer to start with some herbal method first. I will ask about Cholestyramine though.
Robin - I am afraid of spraying it - I don't want it to spread or something - it is like this big black fuzzy ball. Seems like it would be easy to just take a paper towel and take it off the wall but I am too scared to go near it! But thanks for the Orange Guard suggestion - I will look into that.
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posted
Why don't you get someone else to rub it off with the Orange Guard then? I've taken mold off my bathroom walls zillions of times with it. It's just got an orange smell that evaporates with some good air circulation.
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karenl
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penguingirl,
you need a professional for mold cleaning.
Also there is no harmless mold, so leave till the house is save. Not tomorrow,today.
It is your health and your future. Sure the mold was making you sick, you are on this board. Dr. K said that if there was mold you never get better from Lyme.
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karenl
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Robin,
" I've taken mold off my bathroom walls zillions of times with it."
You are so sick and have MCS and have mold at home? Mold cannot be remediated by just cleaning.
Have you done a mold test of your AC?
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Carol in PA
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quote:Originally posted by penguingirl: I live in a tiny one bedroom condo. It gets very hot in my unit because I'm on the top floor and it's a brick building and retains heat.
Where did you find mold? Is it possible that the roof leaks?
If the roof leaks, that has to be fixed.
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
How can mold be avoided? It's everywhere. Uhg, just another thing I can't control.
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momlyme
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sickpuppy - Yes, some mold is really that bad.
Yes, mold is everywhere... and it is difficult to avoid. Now that I am recovering from the mold exposure, each new mold exposure sends me right back to where I was before... brain fog, headaches, confusion, burning eyes, throat, stomach pains, diarrhea, hair falling out...
If you have toxic mold like we did (stachybotrys)... the only way to leave mold behind is to leave everything behind or carefully clean everything you take with you - before you bring it into your new home.
If you moved and took all your things with you, your new home is now contaminated with the mold from your moldy NYC apartment.
We found toxic mold in our home and we are in the process of cleaning up the mess. These are some of the things we are doing to try to get rid of the mold.
1. We got a dumpster and a storage unit and we decided what will stay and what will go. The house is empty... just like we moved out.
2. We tore into the walls, floors, ceilings until we found the mold & the leak that caused it... removed all building materials within 12 inches of visible mold growth. Replace and repair.
4. Ozone Blater @ 18,500 mg/hr while no living thing is in the home. We do this at night after we are done working and we leave to go back to our motel room.
5. Installed dehumidifiers (even though the humidity in our home was not over 42)
6. Caulking windows, painting trim, replacing trim that is broken, painting the outside of the house.
7. Repairing cracks in the foundation, cleaning the cellar to a hospital clean... painting with Dryloc
I don't know if or when we will be able to move back into our home. This house and the mold in the walls made my family very sick. We could not see or smell the mold.
EVERYONE in my family had some kind of symptoms.
The one who was least affected was my husband... but he has toenail fungus and has had some heart troubles which may be due to the mold.
My son was the sickest. He was diagnosed with lyme disease July 2010. Never responded well to abx. Liver count kept going up and WBC count kept going down.
Now I know that abx and mold do not mix! Our new LLMD explained: Abx are made from mold and giving a mold toxic person abx is like throwing fuel on the fire.
We have to detox the mold before we can address the Lyme Disease.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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penguingirl
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Carol - there are two places of mold in my bedroom. One is by the radiator (which is off now obviously since it's summer) but it's near the that between my wall and the base trim.
Then there is a puckering in my ceiling of my bedroom - above one of the windows. I am on the top floor - so yes the roof is above me. I suspect a leak. I talked to our insurance agent and of course we have a $10K deductible on our master policy. That is such bogus. I don't think I should have to pay for damage that I didn't cause!!
Anyway I ordered home test kits that I can send back to be analyzed. But I need someone to assess the potential damage/cost in my ceiling.
Now my dilemma is should I hold off any further abx treatment until I know all this is remediated? I just dont' want to waste any $$ on drugs that won't be doing their job. I don't really feel worse than before though - so I am hoping I don't have that gene where I can't detox.
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seekhelp
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Karenl, you mention testing your AC unit. Wouldn't an air quality test in a basement, bathroom or other main area of the house automatically show if there was mold infiltration in the A/C unit, especially during the summer when it's running constantly? I recently had air testing done in the basement and main bathroom which was OK.
My cold air return was not specifically tested. Is that a concern?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Mold is not a bacteria-- so it shouldn't effect your abx treatment, although it does effect your detox. I'd load up on detoxing, binders and things of that nature.
Posts: 844 | From CA | Registered: Apr 2010
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Karen, the mold is really small, like little patches on the walls. It's there from my taking showers. And tiny enough that I can handle it -
The TKO Orange (concentrate version of Orange Guard) works instantly - I just put some of the diluted spray bottle mix on a towel and wipe off.
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momlyme
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quote:Originally posted by WhitneyS: Mold is not a bacteria-- so it shouldn't effect your abx treatment, although it does effect your detox. I'd load up on detoxing, binders and things of that nature.
I disagree. Mold is mold. Abx are made from mold. Taking abx while toxic with mold can add fuel to the fire.
My son got consistently worse while taking abx for Lyme Disease. IV abx were a mistake for him. His liver counts climbed to dangerous levels and his WBC plummeted.
Now, we know that mold was a major part of his illness. Until the mold is detoxed properly he cannot take abx. It would be a waste of time and money for him.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
Hilarious idea, moving, throwing what little I have away, new home. Like that's happening with no job and no income. Gosh. They should just call lyme Catchtwentytwodosis. One person'll say I can't get better because of stress. Another because of mold. It's just not realistic to think you can escape life, its pressures and hazards.
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seekhelp
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Very true.
quote:Originally posted by sickpuppy: Hilarious idea, moving, throwing what little I have away, new home. Like that's happening with no job and no income. Gosh. They should just call lyme Catchtwentytwodosis. One person'll say I can't get better because of stress. Another because of mold. It's just not realistic to think you can escape life, its pressures and hazards.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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momlyme
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For me, the choice was easy. Get out or die.
My son could barely get out of bed, he was crawling some days, walking in short bursts other days and he needed a wheelchair to get out of the house.
I was becoming severely dislexic, forgetting what side of the road to drive on, stopping at green lights and wondering why I was getting beeped at. I could not tell a 9 from a P and I forgot what side of an envelope to put my stamp on.
My husband was in the hospital twice for what presented as a heart attack with no evidence of heart trauma.
My daughter was getting nose bleeds that would turn on like faucets.
My dog was oozing mucus from her eyes and having trouble eating, drinking and some days walking.
My son and I have been diagnosed with lyme & bartonella, the dog has lyme...
BUT WE ALL HAD MOLD!
We got out and we are all improving.
I am so sorry that you have no job and no income. I wish there was a way I could help you.
We are going into debt tying to fix what we have. My kids are traumatized that I threw out all their stuffed animals, books and most of their games.
They do see that we are all healthier and I hope that they understand why we are doing what we are doing.
I would like to start a non-profit to help people get out of their homes. A safe place to live and heal - while you repair your own home.
I am pretty lucky. My parents own a motel. We have a room, free of charge for as long as we need it. I just help with cleaning rooms, mowing the lawn and taking care of the pool.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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Also there is no harmless mold, so leave till the house is save. Not tomorrow,today.
It is your health and your future. Sure the mold was making you sick, you are on this board. Dr. K said that if there was mold you never get better from Lyme.
* you DO NOT need a professional for mold cleaning * Most molds ARE HARMLESS * you must remove moisture or water source to kill the mold...no moisture = no mold growth
PLEASE INFORM YOURSELF BEFORE POSTING FALSE INFORMATION
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seekhelp
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Seasicktick, I'm not arguing with anything, but surprises you only have a handful of posts and choose to direct them all at mold posters. lol. Do you have an initial post anywhere showing why you joined Lymenet?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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I am an Environmental Scientist, and I have 15 years experience inspecting mold in homes and buildings. Most mold websites are people wanting to make $$$$$$ on mold cleaning when simple household products will do. These people exaggerate mold problems to instill fear just to sell a product. If you want more info on mold or my posting activity please send me a PM.
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seekhelp
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It's great to have you here with that background SeaSickTick. Nice to hear that aspect. What do you think of the famous mold doctor's work (Dr. S in MD)? Real or BS? Any validity to his testing/therories/treatments?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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My daughter is a patient of one of Dr. K's colleagues at his clinic. We did ERMI testing with results around 7. So, after reading Surviving Mold and before talking to our doctor I was sure she would tell us to do major renovations or move. She asked a few questions about where the mold is visible (it's on the windows), and she looked at the types of mold that they identified from my home. No stachybotris, and a very small amount of aspergillus. She basically told me that the ERMI score is not ideal, but that she didn't think it was contributing much to my daughter's illness. She said I should clean the mold and that I didn't have to move or spend thousands on renovation. I was sooo relieved. That's our experience.
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seekhelp
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What does the clinic feel is your daughter's true issues?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Nice background, SeasickTick - I appreciate where you're coming from - hopefully you can help a lot of folks here -
Have you ever used the Orange Guard/TKO Orange to stop mold? I love the stuff - so easy to use. As I said above, I put a small amount in a spray bottle, fill up with water and either spray directly on the walls or spray on something to wipe the walls with.
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momlyme
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Robin - here is a study on "Testing antimicrobial cleaner efficacy on gypsum wallboard contaminated with Stachybotrys chartarum."
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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momlyme
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In response to SeaSickTick's post:
* you DO NOT need a professional for mold cleaning
> If you are sick, you cannot clean mold without getting sicker. Even if I wear a mask, a hazmat suit, rubber gloves and safety goggles I still get sick when I try to help with the clean up.
My husband does not get AS sick as I do... so he is doing a lot of the work inside. If we could afford a professional, we would hire one. The estimates we got were between $18K and $50K
* Most molds ARE HARMLESS
> Some molds are deadly. I am glad you are testing penguingirl! You are sick and it is important to find out if the mold is making you sicker.
* you must remove moisture or water source to kill the mold...no moisture = no mold growth
> removing water will not kill the mold. It will stop the growth. Dead mold of a toxic strand is just as deadly as live, growing mold... if not more so!
You must remove the rotted building materials and then remove materials 12" beyond the rot. Clean everything thoroughly, dry with dehumidifiers, fans with hepa filters, and repeat.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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springshowers
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is there not a blood test that would show whether we have mold exposure and or mycotoxin exposure and that would answer whether we are living in a bad environment?
Just seeing mold here or there and knowing if it is bad enough to move or think it is part of our illness is so vague and problematic for us to know or not know the seriousness
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springshowers
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SO you have decided to move. HOW Do you test or know that the new Place does not have problems? What can you use or do for testing?
Anyone?
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momlyme
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I would love to hear that there is a test. My LLMD says no there is not. I have heard that there is a skin biopsy that can be done but I don't know what lab does this or what the cost is... or whether insurance would cover it.
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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springshowers
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Yes I posted that interview just this week of Dr C and I am wondering if anyone knows where Dr C is? It seems he has closed down his website and i sent an email with no response?
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momlyme
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Yes spring - that is how I found the interview. I half listened to it and heard him speak about that biopsy.
A light bulb went off that I had read about someone who had that biopsy done... it was Lori Tondini, the author of "Are You Moldy" She saw Dr. C from WI and had the biopsy from the bottom of the leg.
I will send you a phone number and address. BTW, he is a medical pathologist, not an MD. Not sure if he even sees patients.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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momlyme
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I found this page on testing but it is very old (2005) and all the links to testing are bad.
I called Immunosciences Lab a few months ago about the serum antibodies (IGG and IGM) test they did for mold and they no longer offer the testing.
This page also mentions a urine test for tricothecenes that Dr. C is offering... the link for that is bad too.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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