Mold On the Bed

I have posted this week about sudden MCAS development and tied it to brief mold exposure. What I had forgotten is how exposures to toxigenic mold in water damaged buildings can greatly increase reactivity to mold everywhere.

My mold sensitivities had improved over time but have flared again to an all time high.

Last night, I was in the kitchen and felt worse. Looked around and started checking produce and bread loaves on the counter. A moldy tomato. A sweet potato with blue spots on one end.

This morning, I decided to check under the bedding. Since December, I have been sleeping on a queen air mattress with my mom. The mattress was covered with sheets, then an old foam topper, some kind of thick comforter type pad, and top sheets. I decided to pull everything off, and there it was - spots and smears of dark mold on the sheet directly on top of the air mattress (only on my side near the head), spots on the air mattress itself, and one spot on the underside of the foam topper.

All the moldy stuff is now either in the trash or the backyard.

I’m still reacting in most rooms. Very likely it’s small amounts of mold on windows, counters, etc. I am going to have to clean and hope it doesn’t kill me with the MCAS stuff. Had another scary night last night.

Just want to make folks aware that it’s not always scary mold hiding behind a wall or ceiling or floor. If you’re hyperreactive, it’s all the mold everywhere. Put on a mask and gloves and start cleaning or have someone else clean for you.

I hope to post a follow up soon that it helps and I am better.

Yes, thanks, I will review the conference notes just in case there's anything else I'd like to ask the inspector about.

I don't want to hijack this post, with its impressively chilling title, but do you have any suggestions about appliances? I have read that the air intake on an appliance - dryer, microwave, dishwasher, etc. - is drawing in the surrounding air and cannot be cleaned effectively, so after a remediation you have to replace appliances, otherwise they will inoculate the area with new mold spores the next time they are run. Thoughts? Do you think I have to replace all the appliances in the new place, or is there a way to clean out the interior of my laptop, microwave, dryer, etc. effectively?

I hate that we all deal with mold issues, but I have to say it's incredibly validating to be able to connect with those of you who know where I'm coming from with this stuff, and who (...I hope...?) don't just think I'm bananas.

This is why I keep my nebulizer + essential oils around.

Anytime something like this happens I hit the nebulizer a few times and I feel so much better. The mold spores are getting into your lungs and no oral supplement will stop that, but breathing in the nebulizer + EO's will kill any fungus in the lungs. Its not a one time cure all, but Its been very helpful for me in dealing with mold issues.

Zimica,

You made some excellent points here. I agree that everything else is almost worthless if you don’t get away from mold.

I know I am exposed in the relative’s house I live in, but it was the best option at the time and had a HERTSMI-2 of 4 at the time I tested. There have been incidences of water damage but no active mold growth that I am aware of.

I believe what has flipped me over the edge is exposure to mold at the house we bought in April. We are not living there. I knew there was mold and water damage from roof looks. I consulted with one of the CIRS remediation experts, and he thought the house could be cleaned and would be okay. Unfortunately, I have found no mold professionals in my area who will even do the kind of thorough, whole house inspection I wanted. They all seem to be unconcerned with finding mold growth - only in doing air samples to try to ease your mind and tell you that you have “normal” levels of mold, and they charge $1,800 and up.

Anyway, we had the roof replaced. I was at the house several times that day and remember smelling mold after they removed a section of roof decking that had water damage. Several days later we came back and went inside to check things. We found the ceiling and wall in the bathroom was wet and called the roofer. He came out, found that his guys had nailed into a water line that was too close to the roof edge. He shut the water main off. What’s happened since is a long saga and the water damaged materials have not yet been replaced and no remediation has been done.

Ever since the roof was replaced, I have been smelling mold and feeling effects from the street. At first I couldn’t figure out why. Now I think it could be coming from the attic, but the smell and toxins are at the front of the house not the side where the water leak happened.

I have not gone inside the house since the day we discovered the leak. But like I said, I have been reacting from the street. about a week ago when I was feeling somewhat better, I walked around the house trying to detect the full scope of where I was smelling/feeling mold. It was a very bad thing for me to do. Since that night I have been much worse. A week later, I opened the mailbox at the street and my tongue, mouth, and scalp started burning right after. Since then, I have had MCAS symptoms and reactions to everything. Wracked with pain and scary symptoms.

Sorry. I’m just rambling.

Feel really bad for you, Walking :/ I wish people understood what we deal with.
I rummaged through something in the closet in my parents' house today and am feeling the same stuff.
Mold puts me into literal psychosis and near dementia states. The depersonalization is insanely bad and it blows that out. Does taking CSM help you when you have an exposure?

That just sounds horrible.
I am not at all familiar with how things work in the US, but is actually building your own house an option at all? I am aware there are many reasons why it might not be, personal and other. Of course not on your own, but hire professionals, and then do it the way you would want to, maybe a small house but built from solid materials, concrete, no drywall etc, like the way houses are built in Europe.
In some countries this is cheaper than buying a finished house, it just takes a lot of hassle with all the contractors, constant supervision, a great amount of energy.

Aerose91 said...

Lapis_29 said...
This is why I keep my nebulizer + essential oils around.

Anytime something like this happens I hit the nebulizer a few times and I feel so much better. The mold spores are getting into your lungs and no oral supplement will stop that, but breathing in the nebulizer + EO's will kill any fungus in the lungs. Its not a one time cure all, but Its been very helpful for me in dealing with mold issues.

What oils do you use in the nebulizer? That's a very clever idea.

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Currently 2 drops cinnamon and 3 drops eucalyptus. Works very very well. I have experimented with other oils also but those 2 seem to work best for me