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http://toxicmolddetox.blogspot.com
Shannon Chavez January 30 at 7:13pm
ok- finally have time to chat. Here's my story. My hubby and I bought a 1920's house in 1998. We renovated it, spent tons of money on it... long story short- it ended up with lots of stachybotris in it. I have an auto-immune disease called rheumatoid arthritis. At the time, I was taking Humira injections which lower your immune system. I didn't know the mold was in the house, so I ended up getting deathly ill. It started with respiratory problem and sinus stuff. Anyhoo- that home jacked me up pretty good. I now have bronchiectasis of the lungs and other things like auto immune hemalytic anemia from the mold. From 2005-2008 I was deathly skinny, weighing 98lbs. I am now doing better, weighing 125. I also had to have a few blood transfusions in 2007 from all of this because my red blood cells are lycing. I have been on prednisone now for so 3 yrs because of that problem. It helps my hemoglobin to stay at a safe level. It is suppose to read 15. When I went for the transfusions, it was at 5. The toxic mold has also caused many other problems for me: fungal infections of the nails, severe sleeping problems, low weight., etc. The side effects of prednisone are scary too. I am only 38 and I had to have cataract surgery a few months ago because long term use of steroids will do that. I am also noticing dental problems. I have beautiful teeth and I am going to freak if anything happens to them. What else? Oh- did I mention the money it costs for me to live? Since I sold the mold castle in 2006, I have moved every 3-4 months because of cross contamination. I am severely sensitive to mycotoxins. I can feel them 10 feet away. Do u experience this too? Anyhow, I am married but my hubby doesn't live wit h me. Evrytime we try to live together he makes me ill because of his job. He has a really good job but he brings mycotoxins back to me because he wont find a new job where he can make the same good money and have the same insurance plan we have now. So I finally got tired of him getting me ill, so we don't live together. I am on apt. # 18, car #6, computer #4, etc.. I am trying to find a way to stop the insanity. For now, we are just living apart and he is trying to find a new job out of town so this problem will go away. I don't know if you have experienced the cross contamination and the hell of mycotoxins but it is such a hard life!! I am trying to raise a daughter through this and keep her life sane. Anyways== sorry to make this a novel. Write back if u can. I have done many diets. What I think works best is fruits and veggies. I watch my red meat and I take supplements and eat live acidophilus and bifidus capsules for the candida. The only antifungal I have done is a nasal rinse called amphotericin b because I have mold growing in my sinuses. Sorry forgot to mention that. that is a huge deal!!! Do u have this too? That is one of the worst things because depending on my immune system and this problem, I feel the strength of mycotoxins. I don't notice them as much when my immune system is strong. But when I get a hit of toxins, my immune system goes down and the fungal problem in the sinuses gets worse. hope I am making sense to ya!
Shannon Chavez January 30 at 7:36pm
hi. Here are my mold symptoms-- lung and respiratory problems ( bronchiectasis), sleeping disorder, low weight, mold growth in my sinuses ( I think it is alternaria and some other species I don't know), had fungal infection in my finger and toenails but now I am fine. When I was living in my mold house I had dizziness, shortness of breath, hair loss. My hair is ok now. It has thinned some but overall is back to as normal as it is going to get. I have auto-immune hemalytic anemia. I know it is mold related but trying to prove this has been difficult. I have to take steroids to keep my hemoglobin safe so I don't end up having blood transfusions again. The steroid have done bad things like give me cataracts in both eyes, given me low bone density which I constantly have to watch so I don't end up with bad bones and spine. Pred. has also changed my hair. It is finer than it was. So these are mostly my syptoms. I try to live with total mold avoidance because I can't be anywhere near mycotoxins. They are my criptonite :D They take me down hard!!! Please let me know if you have tried any antifungals and what u thought. Have u seen Shoemaker or Gray or Rae or anyone? I saw Shoemaker in 07. I've learned a lot about mold but there is still so much to be learned!!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Joe Salowitz's Mold Story
> From: Joe Salowitz
> Subject: You Have My Permission To Use MY Story
> To: "pete helfrich"
> Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2009,
>
>
--- On Mon, 12/28/09, Joe Salowitz wrote:
> From: Joe Salowitz
> Subject: My Mold Story
> To: "pete helfrich"
> Cc: "Cheryl Wisecup"
> Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 11:33 PM
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Pete,
>
> I have attached, to this email, my "Mold
> Memoirs". K.C. made me submit my story, before he would
> approve my participation, on Sickbuildings, three years ago.
> I have never updated it, because it is a record of how I
> tried to save my father's life. He died, 2 years and 1
> month after I wrote my mold memoirs, as the direct result of
> 3 years of mold exposure, from his car. He was 92 years old,
> when he passed away, on Oct. 11, 2008.
>
> When I had my original, massive mold exposure, on a
> new job, I did not own a computer, and I had no idea what
> was making me sick, until I saw the actual mold, in the
> unoccupied parts of building that my office was in. The
> mold almost killed me. But, since I was only exposed
> for 6 weeks, I made a rapid recovery, without any treatment,
> other than my regular asthma medicines.
>
> My longest mold exposure, from my father's car,
> probably lasted less than 4 months, (only about 5 hours a
> week), and I also made a rapid recovery, without any
> special treatments. It was about that time, that I
> discovered "Sickbuildings", and learned that
> special mold treatment therapies even existed.
>
> I have personally been very lucky. But, my
> daily warnings, for two years straight, to my father,
> failed to save HIS life. That is why I try to help others.
> It says in the bible: "he who saves a
> single life; it is as if he has saved the
> world."
>
> Your friend,
> Joe
> ........................................................................
> You Wrote:
>
> Hi Joe,
>
> I have been using activated charcoal & benonite clay
> the same Shoe protocol way & it did the same efect.
>
> It must be the toxins making a pissed off exit.
>
> What was your mold experience?
>
> How did you live through it & was it high levels?
>
> Regards,
>
> PJ
>
> Hi Pete,
>
> Thanks for asking my permission to post my story.
> Anything I write, can be posted, anywhere, by anyone.
>
> I caught a "lucky break", in discovering
> that it was mold, that was killing me. I had recently
> started a great, new job, where I was the only American-Born
> person. Because of this, I was the "indispensable"
> employee, explaining what the customers were saying, to a
> crew of Russians.
>
> It was a new, "start-up", limousine company.
> After working there, as a salesman, and getting sicker, each
> day, for 4 or 5 weeks (I thought it was the asthma that
> I've had since I was 9), my boss asked me to organize a
> corporate event, for a large client, involving the all-day
> use of a dozen, or more, chauffeured limos.
>
> He asked me to go with the limos, for the day, to make
> sure everything went O.K. I looked at a map, and saw that he
> was asking me to go from Manhattan, to a
> "millionaires" section of the north shore of Long
> Island, wait there all day, and return the passengers to
> Manhattan.
>
> From my previous work experience, as a chauffeur, I
> knew that meant spending the entire day, IN A FOREST,
> with a HIGH pollen count, in the middle of the summer.
> As a life-long asthmatic, and since I could hardly breathe,
> already, I figured that the pollen exposure would
> "finish me off", and I would not get back alive.
> But, it was fun being "treated like a God, and paid
> like one", so I didn't say
> "no".
>
> When we arrived in the forrest, ON Long Island Sound,
> I waited to see what dying would feel like. While I was waiting to
> die, I began to notice that I WAS FEELING GREAT !
> Since I had all day, to walk along the beach, and think
> about why I wasn't DEAD, I realized that whatever was
> killing me, MUST be either in my home, or my
> JOB.
>
> The NEXT day, working in my office, I returned to
> feeling deathly ill. I told my boss that I wanted to see the
> remaining 90% of the building, that was still unoccupied.
> Since I was "God", he got the keys from the
> landlord, and we both went into the rest of the building,
> for a tour. To this day, I still have
> "nightmares", over what I saw. The entire
> building, which was in an abandoned shipyard, had been
> rained into, through still-broken windows, FOR 50 YEARS
> ! The interior of the building looked like a Hollywood
> movie set, for "The Invasion of the Body
> Snatchers". It was completely overgrown by slimy
> blue-black toxic mold.
>
> I immediately quit the best job of my lifetime, and
> tried to explain, to my boss, that HIS much milder symptoms
> were being caused by the mold. But, since I was probably
> incoherent, from the massive mold exposure, I'm sure
> that he was just sad over the fact that his best employee
> had gone "insane".
>
> So, in the final analysis, my life was saved by the
> "LUCK" of
> having been an asthmatic all of my life. My
> "forrest" experience showed that I was NOT
> DYING from asthma.
>
> Your misfortune, Pete, was having been
> "HEALTHY" all of your life, so you had no
> "frame of reference" to help you figure out what
> was killing you..
>
> Your Friend,
> Joe
> ...............................................................
> You Wrote:
>
>
> Thanks Joe,
>
> I wish I learned as fast as you did.... I had no idea what
> was behind the shower.
>
> One year 16 hour per day...
>
> I hope we can all save a life.
>
> ..........................................................................
>
>
> Jeeze Joe.. It reminds me of when I ripped the
> stinking shower apart & got nuked.
>
> Sorry to hear your dad died... Its frustrating to try to
> help someone & they are too stubborn to take heed.
>
> Can I post your story on FB or my blog??
>
> I want people to know the other symptoms..
>
> Subject: You Have My Permission To Use MY Story
> To: "pete helfrich"
> Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2009,
>
>
--- On Mon, 12/28/09, Joe Salowitz
> From: Joe Salowitz
> Subject: My Mold Story
> To: "pete helfrich"
> Cc: "Cheryl Wisecup"
> Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 11:33 PM
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Pete,
>
> I have attached, to this email, my "Mold
> Memoirs". K.C. made me submit my story, before he would
> approve my participation, on Sickbuildings, three years ago.
> I have never updated it, because it is a record of how I
> tried to save my father's life. He died, 2 years and 1
> month after I wrote my mold memoirs, as the direct result of
> 3 years of mold exposure, from his car. He was 92 years old,
> when he passed away, on Oct. 11, 2008.
>
> When I had my original, massive mold exposure, on a
> new job, I did not own a computer, and I had no idea what
> was making me sick, until I saw the actual mold, in the
> unoccupied parts of building that my office was in. The
> mold almost killed me. But, since I was only exposed
> for 6 weeks, I made a rapid recovery, without any treatment,
> other than my regular asthma medicines.
>
> My longest mold exposure, from my father's car,
> probably lasted less than 4 months, (only about 5 hours a
> week), and I also made a rapid recovery, without any
> special treatments. It was about that time, that I
> discovered "Sickbuildings", and learned that
> special mold treatment therapies even existed.
>
> I have personally been very lucky. But, my
> daily warnings, for two years straight, to my father,
> failed to save HIS life. That is why I try to help others.
> It says in the bible: "he who saves a
> single life; it is as if he has saved the
> world."
>
> Your friend,
> Joe
> ........................................................................
> You Wrote:
>
> Hi Joe,
>
> I have been using activated charcoal & benonite clay
> the same Shoe protocol way & it did the same efect.
>
> It must be the toxins making a pissed off exit.
>
> What was your mold experience?
>
> How did you live through it & was it high levels?
>
> Regards,
>
> PJ
>
> Hi Pete,
>
> Thanks for asking my permission to post my story.
> Anything I write, can be posted, anywhere, by anyone.
>
> I caught a "lucky break", in discovering
> that it was mold, that was killing me. I had recently
> started a great, new job, where I was the only American-Born
> person. Because of this, I was the "indispensable"
> employee, explaining what the customers were saying, to a
> crew of Russians.
>
> It was a new, "start-up", limousine company.
> After working there, as a salesman, and getting sicker, each
> day, for 4 or 5 weeks (I thought it was the asthma that
> I've had since I was 9), my boss asked me to organize a
> corporate event, for a large client, involving the all-day
> use of a dozen, or more, chauffeured limos.
>
> He asked me to go with the limos, for the day, to make
> sure everything went O.K. I looked at a map, and saw that he
> was asking me to go from Manhattan, to a
> "millionaires" section of the north shore of Long
> Island, wait there all day, and return the passengers to
> Manhattan.
>
> From my previous work experience, as a chauffeur, I
> knew that meant spending the entire day, IN A FOREST,
> with a HIGH pollen count, in the middle of the summer.
> As a life-long asthmatic, and since I could hardly breathe,
> already, I figured that the pollen exposure would
> "finish me off", and I would not get back alive.
> But, it was fun being "treated like a God, and paid
> like one", so I didn't say
> "no".
>
> When we arrived in the forrest, ON Long Island Sound,
> I waited to see what dying would feel like. While I was waiting to
> die, I began to notice that I WAS FEELING GREAT !
> Since I had all day, to walk along the beach, and think
> about why I wasn't DEAD, I realized that whatever was
> killing me, MUST be either in my home, or my
> JOB.
>
> The NEXT day, working in my office, I returned to
> feeling deathly ill. I told my boss that I wanted to see the
> remaining 90% of the building, that was still unoccupied.
> Since I was "God", he got the keys from the
> landlord, and we both went into the rest of the building,
> for a tour. To this day, I still have
> "nightmares", over what I saw. The entire
> building, which was in an abandoned shipyard, had been
> rained into, through still-broken windows, FOR 50 YEARS
> ! The interior of the building looked like a Hollywood
> movie set, for "The Invasion of the Body
> Snatchers". It was completely overgrown by slimy
> blue-black toxic mold.
>
> I immediately quit the best job of my lifetime, and
> tried to explain, to my boss, that HIS much milder symptoms
> were being caused by the mold. But, since I was probably
> incoherent, from the massive mold exposure, I'm sure
> that he was just sad over the fact that his best employee
> had gone "insane".
>
> So, in the final analysis, my life was saved by the
> "LUCK" of
> having been an asthmatic all of my life. My
> "forrest" experience showed that I was NOT
> DYING from asthma.
>
> Your misfortune, Pete, was having been
> "HEALTHY" all of your life, so you had no
> "frame of reference" to help you figure out what
> was killing you..
>
> Your Friend,
> Joe
> ...............................................................
> You Wrote:
>
>
> Thanks Joe,
>
> I wish I learned as fast as you did.... I had no idea what
> was behind the shower.
>
> One year 16 hour per day...
>
> I hope we can all save a life.
>
> ..........................................................................
>
>
> Jeeze Joe.. It reminds me of when I ripped the
> stinking shower apart & got nuked.
>
> Sorry to hear your dad died... Its frustrating to try to
> help someone & they are too stubborn to take heed.
>
> Can I post your story on FB or my blog??
>
> I want people to know the other symptoms..
>
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Another Mold Victim Requesting To Go Un-Named For Fear Of Reprisal From The Mafia Tactics Of The Insurance Company Involved
"I sent the following message to many people throughout the country. We need to get this information to our elected officials so they can create new laws to prevent this type of vicious behavior by insurance companies. What if they did this to your family?
If you know of anyone who is being harassed by an insurance company, please share these tips.
I wanted to warn you of several tricks (known as crimes) that your insurance company will use against you. Some of these things were done to our family and some were done to other families we have talked to. I will add suggestions for protecting your family in parenthesis after some of the items. We had to do several of these things.
I am sending you this information to help you so you will be aware of what they might be doing and to give you ideas on how to deal with their criminal behavior. We had to learn all of this along the way.
-They will tamper with your mail. They would take our mail (especially mail from our attorneys) and then it would show up a couple weeks later. (Get a heavy duty locking mailbox or use a P.O. Box at a local post office. Install surveillance cameras that watch your mailbox. It is a federal offense to tamper with the U.S. mail, so if you can prove it, they will go to jail. We didn't install surveillance cameras, but I wish we had.)
-They might tap your phone or listen to your conversations with special equipment from somewhere near your house. (If you think your phone has been tapped, check with your local phone company. You could also hire a private investigator to look into it.)
-They will try to hack into your computer, so you make sure you have a good antivirus or antispyware program and make sure the firewall feature is turned on.
-They can take photos of you from up to a mile away with long-distance camera lenses. (Don't open your blinds or curtains unless you are fully dressed.)
-They will use illegal surveillance people. In our case, they had people following us who weren't licensed investigators, and that's illegal. One woman who followed and photographed us was the sister-in-law of another attorney. (Get their license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions. Serve subpoenas on them requesting them to appear for depositions. That woman I mentioned only quit harassing us after we served a subpoena on her. Then she lied and said she was just taking photos of traffic and people for fun.) Another idea is to take pictures of the surveillance people. They like to think they are sneaky, so they don't like it when you notice them.
-They will use illegal license plates on the surveillance vehicles. Some of the vehicles that were following us had license plates that didn't belong to those vehicles. (Take pictures of their vehicles and license plates. Tell the police that a strange car is following you and the license plates don't belong to the car. If you mention that you are fighting an insurance company, the police won't do anything even though they are committing a crime by using those illegal license plates.)
-They will use vans or RVs as surveillance vehicles. In our case, they parked an RV near our house and used it as their base of operation. The RV was parked there for several months. When we finally got sick of it, we moved. That was a waste of time---the RV moved with us that same day and parked near our new location. (We should have approached the RV and let them know that we knew what they were doing. We asked the police for help, but again they said "no".)
-They will put you and your attorneys under surveillance. They are trying to find something bad about you or your attorneys to force you to give up. They won't admit they had you under surveillance unless they find something to use against you. In other cases, they found that the policyholder was having a secret affair, and they found that another policyholder was gay. Both of those families gave up under threat of exposure.
-They might damage your property or your car as another form of intimidation to scare you into giving up.
-They will follow and photograph other family members including your children. Our 18-year-old son is still reluctant to drive a car because he was followed and harassed so often. I wish we had hired a bodyguard for him, but we didn't think about that until much later.
-They will pay your neighbors to spy on you or to make up lies about you. This happened in our case.
-They might go into your house and steal things or damage things. (Get a security system, especially if it's monitored by a local security agency. Again, a surveillance system would also be helpful.) In one case, the homeowner found a surveillance person inside their home. The homeowner shot the intruder in the leg.
-Wait for the spy to pass you and then follow their car. Take pictures of them and their vehicle. Write down their vehicle description and license plate number and give the information to your attorneys.
Another suggestion would be to hire your own surveillance people. They could get details about the people who are watching you. They would also be more aggressive about getting them to stop. If a private investigator is following you, you are supposed to be able to approach them and ask for their I.D. We couldn't do that in our case. If we tried to approach them or even looked at them, they would disappear and then new people would show up to watch us. This happened several times.
Hire your own surveillance people to watch the insurance company representatives and the insurance company attorneys. Some policyholders have done this in other cases and have discovered valuable information (such as drug use).
We tried to get help from law enforcement, but they wouldn't help. They just laughed at us and said that insurance companies are "allowed" to put people under surveillance. If you decide to call the police for help, don't mention that you are fighting an insurance company.
I hope this information helps you to be prepared for their tricks/crimes."
Here are 3 related items on this subject:
http://www.disabilityclaimssolutions.com/articles.html
http://abajournal.com/news/video_surveillance_trips_up_insurer/
http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/054927p.pdf
If you know of anyone who is being harassed by an insurance company, please share these tips.
I wanted to warn you of several tricks (known as crimes) that your insurance company will use against you. Some of these things were done to our family and some were done to other families we have talked to. I will add suggestions for protecting your family in parenthesis after some of the items. We had to do several of these things.
I am sending you this information to help you so you will be aware of what they might be doing and to give you ideas on how to deal with their criminal behavior. We had to learn all of this along the way.
-They will tamper with your mail. They would take our mail (especially mail from our attorneys) and then it would show up a couple weeks later. (Get a heavy duty locking mailbox or use a P.O. Box at a local post office. Install surveillance cameras that watch your mailbox. It is a federal offense to tamper with the U.S. mail, so if you can prove it, they will go to jail. We didn't install surveillance cameras, but I wish we had.)
-They might tap your phone or listen to your conversations with special equipment from somewhere near your house. (If you think your phone has been tapped, check with your local phone company. You could also hire a private investigator to look into it.)
-They will try to hack into your computer, so you make sure you have a good antivirus or antispyware program and make sure the firewall feature is turned on.
-They can take photos of you from up to a mile away with long-distance camera lenses. (Don't open your blinds or curtains unless you are fully dressed.)
-They will use illegal surveillance people. In our case, they had people following us who weren't licensed investigators, and that's illegal. One woman who followed and photographed us was the sister-in-law of another attorney. (Get their license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions. Serve subpoenas on them requesting them to appear for depositions. That woman I mentioned only quit harassing us after we served a subpoena on her. Then she lied and said she was just taking photos of traffic and people for fun.) Another idea is to take pictures of the surveillance people. They like to think they are sneaky, so they don't like it when you notice them.
-They will use illegal license plates on the surveillance vehicles. Some of the vehicles that were following us had license plates that didn't belong to those vehicles. (Take pictures of their vehicles and license plates. Tell the police that a strange car is following you and the license plates don't belong to the car. If you mention that you are fighting an insurance company, the police won't do anything even though they are committing a crime by using those illegal license plates.)
-They will use vans or RVs as surveillance vehicles. In our case, they parked an RV near our house and used it as their base of operation. The RV was parked there for several months. When we finally got sick of it, we moved. That was a waste of time---the RV moved with us that same day and parked near our new location. (We should have approached the RV and let them know that we knew what they were doing. We asked the police for help, but again they said "no".)
-They will put you and your attorneys under surveillance. They are trying to find something bad about you or your attorneys to force you to give up. They won't admit they had you under surveillance unless they find something to use against you. In other cases, they found that the policyholder was having a secret affair, and they found that another policyholder was gay. Both of those families gave up under threat of exposure.
-They might damage your property or your car as another form of intimidation to scare you into giving up.
-They will follow and photograph other family members including your children. Our 18-year-old son is still reluctant to drive a car because he was followed and harassed so often. I wish we had hired a bodyguard for him, but we didn't think about that until much later.
-They will pay your neighbors to spy on you or to make up lies about you. This happened in our case.
-They might go into your house and steal things or damage things. (Get a security system, especially if it's monitored by a local security agency. Again, a surveillance system would also be helpful.) In one case, the homeowner found a surveillance person inside their home. The homeowner shot the intruder in the leg.
-Wait for the spy to pass you and then follow their car. Take pictures of them and their vehicle. Write down their vehicle description and license plate number and give the information to your attorneys.
Another suggestion would be to hire your own surveillance people. They could get details about the people who are watching you. They would also be more aggressive about getting them to stop. If a private investigator is following you, you are supposed to be able to approach them and ask for their I.D. We couldn't do that in our case. If we tried to approach them or even looked at them, they would disappear and then new people would show up to watch us. This happened several times.
Hire your own surveillance people to watch the insurance company representatives and the insurance company attorneys. Some policyholders have done this in other cases and have discovered valuable information (such as drug use).
We tried to get help from law enforcement, but they wouldn't help. They just laughed at us and said that insurance companies are "allowed" to put people under surveillance. If you decide to call the police for help, don't mention that you are fighting an insurance company.
I hope this information helps you to be prepared for their tricks/crimes."
Here are 3 related items on this subject:
http://www.disabilityclaimssolutions.com/articles.html
http://abajournal.com/news/video_surveillance_trips_up_insurer/
http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/054927p.pdf
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Kind Words & Leslie's Story
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sickbuildings/message/72659
From Dean's List To Death Bed.. A Students Mold Nightmare Topic List < Prev Topic | Next Topic >
Reply | Forward < Prev Message | Next Message >
Re: [sickbuildings] From Dean's List To Death Bed.. A Students Mold Nightmare
Pete,
I just saw your blog and I too had oral surgery in Nov. 2008, I had a tooth
pulled. After the oral surgery I started to notice red dots on my arms and legs.
I was very weak and sick. I could not figure it out. At first I thought it had
something to do the oral surgery. But before the surgery I had been having head
aches and feeling bad....but after the oral surgery is when it hit me. The bumps
turned into lesions which did not itch. Not long after that I noticed a
springtail in my bath water. I would soak in the bath with tree tea oil trying
to heal myself. There would also be black specs in the water. I started saving
them and I called an exterminator. He took a sample back to his office and told
me they were springtails...he came back over to spray and went up underneath the
house and came back and told me I had springtails because they were attracted to
"all the mold underneath the house." From there I called in a licensed state
home inspector to
take samples and we had
Chaetomium Cladosporium Penicillium/AspergillusThe cladosporium isn't so bad but
we had so much of it, the inspector said it's levels were way too high and then
of the Chaetomium and the Penicillium/Aspergillus of course are mycotoxin
producing and our indoor levels were way higher than the outdoor levels. about a
week after moving out and not realizing yet that all of our things were
contaminated...my son turned on a portable heater that had been in the old house
to keep warm. The next morning he woke up and came to me and told me he could
not see out of his left eye. I took him to the eye doctor and they immediately
sent us over to have an MRI done. That day they found eight lesions on his brain
and shortly there after diagnosis him with MS. I quickly realized the extent of
damages not only to our health but also to our personal property. So then I had
to replace our furniture, clothes, books etc...on top of having the expenses
associated with a move
and now new medical bills. Looking back my son had eye problems the entire
time we lived there and one year after living in the moldy property our cat
died.
It is almost Nov. again and I still have some red dots but nothing like what I
had living there. I still feel weak but at least I do have some "ok" days. I am
always short of breath and my teeth are decaying at a rapid rate. I did not know
that the mold could cause tooth decay. I was just at my dentist and she is like
what are you eating? I said nothing....much...really. I weigh 100lbs and I do
not have an appetite. Could you explain the connection between mold and tooth
decay. My son is on medication for MS and is also doing better. He is in college
too. But I wanted to tell that you did a fantastic job on your blog! And to tell
you ....you are NOT crazy. I hope you keep up the good work....but don't stay
out of college too long. Trust me I know its hard to study when you feel so bad.
I had gone back to school myself at age 43 when my son left for college. And I
was about dead trying to finish out the semester and being sick from mold. But
you are very
talented and passionate and you cannot give this the satisfaction of keeping
you from your college classes. One semester off is ok....but get back in there
as soon as possible. Again "thank you" so much for doing what I wish I had had
the energy, knowledge and talent to do. Thank you for helping people sick with
mold poisoning... you did a really good job.
sincerely,
leslie
Monday, October 5, 2009
Fungi a Danger to Cancer Patients (And others)
Watch Out—Fungi a Danger to Cancer Patients (And others)
Monday, October 5, 2009 8:50 AM
From:
"KC" <tigerpaw2c@yahoo.com>
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sickbuildings@yahoogroups.com
Watch Out—Fungi a Danger to Cancer Patients
Debra Wood, RN
Oncology Nursing News - New York,n,USA
http://www.oncology nursingnews. com/Watch- OutFungi- a-Danger- to-Cancer- Patients/ article/150938/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA—Fungus lives among us, typically causing minimal trouble in healthy individuals. But for patients with compromised immune systems, a fungal infection can often prove fatal.
"We're seeing a higher prevalence of fungal infections in our patient population," noted Susan McCollom, RN, ND, CPON, a clinical manager at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Dr McCollom spoke at the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Annual Conference.
Statistically, fungal sepsis has increased 207% in the last 20 years. Fungal infections develop in 19% of people with acute lymphocytic leukemia patients, 47% of those with acute myelogenous leukemia with remission induction therapy, 5% of autograft transplant patients, and 18% to 45% of persons undergoing an unrelated allogeneic transplant. According to Dr McCollom, 30% to 95% of these individuals will die.
Fungal spores float in the air. Once they land, they begin to grow in an environment containing moisture, nutrients, and the right temperature. Controlling moisture is the key to controlling fungal growth, advised Dr McCollom.
People can inhale or ingest the spores. A healthy person's respiratory tract cilia, normal flora, and immune system will prevent the fungus from becoming harmful. But immunocompromised individuals often cannot fight off fungal infections.
Many patients arrive for treatment colonized with fungi, and once their immune system is suppressed by chemotherapy treatment, the fungi flourish. Broadspectrum antibiotics, graft-versus- host disease, intravenous catheters, and environmental contaminants also increase the risk of fungal infections.
Three Main Types of Fungi
Dr McCollom described 3 fungus types— Fusarium, Candida, and Aspergillus—that commonly cause infection in patients.
Fusarium is found on plants and in the soil. Hence, Ms McCollom's hospital does not allow patients to have potted plants. "It's the most emergent opportunistic infection in humans," she reported.
Fusarium is often drug-resistant and can cause superficial and systemic disease, with resultant thrombosis.
"Patients with a malignancy or stem-cell transplant often have a poor outcome [with this fungal infection] because the immune system is so suppressed," Ms McCollom explained. "We use combination therapy, but when [the disease is] invasive, it's typically fatal."
Candida is the most common mycosis worldwide and the fourth most common bloodborne infection. This fungus is found on human skin, in the mucous membranes, and throughout the body, and grows rapidly.
Another common fungus, Aspergillus, is found in soil, building materials, spices, and the hospital environment. Although most people breathe it in daily and it is then dispatched by the immune system, Aspergillus can be very invasive and start to take over in an immunocompromised patient.
Symptoms of fungal infection include wheezing, cough, fever, bloody mucus, and hemorrhage. Infections are diagnosed by x-ray; by computed tomography (CT) scan, which might show a halo shadow around the fungal wall; by bronchial alveolar lavage; and by biopsy.
Treatment
Providers typically begin antifungal treatment on patients with neutropenia who have had a fever for 5 or more days, when a blood culture grows yeast, or when a CT scan indicates something suspicious.
"You want a drug that's fungistatic and fungicidal," counseled Virginia Koepsell, RN, MSN, MBA, CPON, a nursing educator at Children's Medical Center Dallas. (Fungistatic drugs are used to stop fungi growth; fungicides kill fungi.) "The optimal [drug] has wide-spectrum activity, because you often don't know what [the infection] is in the beginning, [and] is effective but has low toxicity and low cost."
The 3 drug classes used to treat fungal infections are azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins, also known as fungins. They are often given in combination, with the different agents using different mechanisms of action to combat the infection. "You can bring down the drug dose to get less toxicity [with combinations] , and it decreases the emergence of drug resistance," said Ms Koepsell.
Azoles inhibit fungal growth by preventing formation of ergosterol, which is vital for cell membrane integrity. An older azole, fluconazole, is fungistatic but will not kill fungi. It is often used to treat Candida albicans.
Voriconazole is a newer drug that inhibits growth and kills the fungus. It's commonly prescribed to treat Fusarium and Aspergillus infections. Voriconazole is nephrotoxic when given intravenously. It is hepatotoxic in the IV and oral formulations; therefore prescribers may need to decrease the dose of cyclosporine or tacrolimus if those drugs are also ordered. A high-fat meal will decrease absorption by 25%. About 30% of patients report visual disturbances within 30 minutes of starting the dose, but these resolve within another 30 minutes.
Polyenes or amphotericin derivatives interact with the cell membrane to kill the fungus. Amphotericin B has been used for more than 50 years, and although very little resistance has developed, the drug has many toxicities. Nurses noticed that when it was given with lipids, patients experienced fewer side effects, and now it is available in 3 lipid formulations: Abelcet, Amphotec, and AmBisome. AmBisome can be given in higher doses than amphotericin B, with fewer toxicities, but it is more expensive. It causes potassium depletion and is not compatible with normal saline. Because of sterility issues, nurses must administer AmBisome within 6 hours of preparation. The patient should receive a bolus of normal saline prior to starting the AmBisome intravenous infusion to salt-load the kidneys and protect the renal tubules.
Echinocandins block synthesis of the fungal cell wall and are used in treating Aspergillus and Candida. One such agent, caspofungin, is not compatible with dextrose.
Providers also may add GM-CSF (granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and interferon in an attempt to enhance the body's immune response, especially when treating overwhelming fungal infections.
"We want to reverse the immunosuppression, " clarified Ms Koepsell. "In order for the patient to get over the infection, we have to boost the white-cell count."
Prevention
Hospitals have taken many measures to decrease the risk of fungal infections, such as installing HEPA filters, controlling clutter, prohibiting flowers and plants, and having nurses educate patients and their families about methods of modifying the home environment.
Patients should avoid dusty areas and construction zones. If they must pass through such an area, they should wear an N95 respirator. They should keep at the home humidity level at 40% to 50%. "Fungal spores are greater in the natural environment than in the hospital, where we have more control," Ms McCollom said. "Controlling the relative humidity will help."
Patients should use air conditioners and dehumidifiers, but not fans. The home should have adequate ventilation and bathrooms and basements should be tiled or concrete, with no carpeting. Patients should not vacuum, dust, or reuse towels.
From the October 2009 Issue of ONN
Monday, October 5, 2009 8:50 AM
From:
"KC" <tigerpaw2c@yahoo.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To:
sickbuildings@yahoogroups.com
Watch Out—Fungi a Danger to Cancer Patients
Debra Wood, RN
Oncology Nursing News - New York,n,USA
http://www.oncology nursingnews. com/Watch- OutFungi- a-Danger- to-Cancer- Patients/ article/150938/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA—Fungus lives among us, typically causing minimal trouble in healthy individuals. But for patients with compromised immune systems, a fungal infection can often prove fatal.
"We're seeing a higher prevalence of fungal infections in our patient population," noted Susan McCollom, RN, ND, CPON, a clinical manager at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Dr McCollom spoke at the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Annual Conference.
Statistically, fungal sepsis has increased 207% in the last 20 years. Fungal infections develop in 19% of people with acute lymphocytic leukemia patients, 47% of those with acute myelogenous leukemia with remission induction therapy, 5% of autograft transplant patients, and 18% to 45% of persons undergoing an unrelated allogeneic transplant. According to Dr McCollom, 30% to 95% of these individuals will die.
Fungal spores float in the air. Once they land, they begin to grow in an environment containing moisture, nutrients, and the right temperature. Controlling moisture is the key to controlling fungal growth, advised Dr McCollom.
People can inhale or ingest the spores. A healthy person's respiratory tract cilia, normal flora, and immune system will prevent the fungus from becoming harmful. But immunocompromised individuals often cannot fight off fungal infections.
Many patients arrive for treatment colonized with fungi, and once their immune system is suppressed by chemotherapy treatment, the fungi flourish. Broadspectrum antibiotics, graft-versus- host disease, intravenous catheters, and environmental contaminants also increase the risk of fungal infections.
Three Main Types of Fungi
Dr McCollom described 3 fungus types— Fusarium, Candida, and Aspergillus—that commonly cause infection in patients.
Fusarium is found on plants and in the soil. Hence, Ms McCollom's hospital does not allow patients to have potted plants. "It's the most emergent opportunistic infection in humans," she reported.
Fusarium is often drug-resistant and can cause superficial and systemic disease, with resultant thrombosis.
"Patients with a malignancy or stem-cell transplant often have a poor outcome [with this fungal infection] because the immune system is so suppressed," Ms McCollom explained. "We use combination therapy, but when [the disease is] invasive, it's typically fatal."
Candida is the most common mycosis worldwide and the fourth most common bloodborne infection. This fungus is found on human skin, in the mucous membranes, and throughout the body, and grows rapidly.
Another common fungus, Aspergillus, is found in soil, building materials, spices, and the hospital environment. Although most people breathe it in daily and it is then dispatched by the immune system, Aspergillus can be very invasive and start to take over in an immunocompromised patient.
Symptoms of fungal infection include wheezing, cough, fever, bloody mucus, and hemorrhage. Infections are diagnosed by x-ray; by computed tomography (CT) scan, which might show a halo shadow around the fungal wall; by bronchial alveolar lavage; and by biopsy.
Treatment
Providers typically begin antifungal treatment on patients with neutropenia who have had a fever for 5 or more days, when a blood culture grows yeast, or when a CT scan indicates something suspicious.
"You want a drug that's fungistatic and fungicidal," counseled Virginia Koepsell, RN, MSN, MBA, CPON, a nursing educator at Children's Medical Center Dallas. (Fungistatic drugs are used to stop fungi growth; fungicides kill fungi.) "The optimal [drug] has wide-spectrum activity, because you often don't know what [the infection] is in the beginning, [and] is effective but has low toxicity and low cost."
The 3 drug classes used to treat fungal infections are azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins, also known as fungins. They are often given in combination, with the different agents using different mechanisms of action to combat the infection. "You can bring down the drug dose to get less toxicity [with combinations] , and it decreases the emergence of drug resistance," said Ms Koepsell.
Azoles inhibit fungal growth by preventing formation of ergosterol, which is vital for cell membrane integrity. An older azole, fluconazole, is fungistatic but will not kill fungi. It is often used to treat Candida albicans.
Voriconazole is a newer drug that inhibits growth and kills the fungus. It's commonly prescribed to treat Fusarium and Aspergillus infections. Voriconazole is nephrotoxic when given intravenously. It is hepatotoxic in the IV and oral formulations; therefore prescribers may need to decrease the dose of cyclosporine or tacrolimus if those drugs are also ordered. A high-fat meal will decrease absorption by 25%. About 30% of patients report visual disturbances within 30 minutes of starting the dose, but these resolve within another 30 minutes.
Polyenes or amphotericin derivatives interact with the cell membrane to kill the fungus. Amphotericin B has been used for more than 50 years, and although very little resistance has developed, the drug has many toxicities. Nurses noticed that when it was given with lipids, patients experienced fewer side effects, and now it is available in 3 lipid formulations: Abelcet, Amphotec, and AmBisome. AmBisome can be given in higher doses than amphotericin B, with fewer toxicities, but it is more expensive. It causes potassium depletion and is not compatible with normal saline. Because of sterility issues, nurses must administer AmBisome within 6 hours of preparation. The patient should receive a bolus of normal saline prior to starting the AmBisome intravenous infusion to salt-load the kidneys and protect the renal tubules.
Echinocandins block synthesis of the fungal cell wall and are used in treating Aspergillus and Candida. One such agent, caspofungin, is not compatible with dextrose.
Providers also may add GM-CSF (granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor) and interferon in an attempt to enhance the body's immune response, especially when treating overwhelming fungal infections.
"We want to reverse the immunosuppression, " clarified Ms Koepsell. "In order for the patient to get over the infection, we have to boost the white-cell count."
Prevention
Hospitals have taken many measures to decrease the risk of fungal infections, such as installing HEPA filters, controlling clutter, prohibiting flowers and plants, and having nurses educate patients and their families about methods of modifying the home environment.
Patients should avoid dusty areas and construction zones. If they must pass through such an area, they should wear an N95 respirator. They should keep at the home humidity level at 40% to 50%. "Fungal spores are greater in the natural environment than in the hospital, where we have more control," Ms McCollom said. "Controlling the relative humidity will help."
Patients should use air conditioners and dehumidifiers, but not fans. The home should have adequate ventilation and bathrooms and basements should be tiled or concrete, with no carpeting. Patients should not vacuum, dust, or reuse towels.
From the October 2009 Issue of ONN
Joe Salowitz
"Joe Salowitz" <josephsalowitz@yahoo.com>
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To:
"sickbuildings" <sickbuildings@yahoogroups.com>
For those who have not yet heard of Dr. Lisa Nagy's personal encounter with mold, a good place to start, is her recent column about how household mold causes marital discord.
Click on this link for part 1:
http://tinyurl. com/ydpczud
Click on this link for part 2:
http://tinyurl. com/ye7n5r3
Add sender to Contacts
To:
"sickbuildings" <sickbuildings@yahoogroups.com>
For those who have not yet heard of Dr. Lisa Nagy's personal encounter with mold, a good place to start, is her recent column about how household mold causes marital discord.
Click on this link for part 1:
http://tinyurl. com/ydpczud
Click on this link for part 2:
http://tinyurl. com/ye7n5r3
Erik Johnson (Reno, NV) wrote
TOXIC MOLD VICTIMS DONATIONAL FUND
PLEASE HELP A TOXIC MOLD, LYME, & TOXIC ROOT CANAL VICTIM GET THE MEDICAL CARE THEY NEED
Erik Johnson (Reno, NV) wrote
8 hours ago
I remember that the doctor who told the Porath's to run for their lives (Dr Herman) gave them the best advice I'd heard to date.
He made them drop all their clothes in the front yard and change into new ones that were brought in Karen's mothers car... and "Don't bring out so much as a toothbrush".
July 09, 2001 Vol. 56 No. 2 The Fire CureBy Alex Tresniowski
To Rid Themselves of the Toxic Mold That Savaged Their Lives, Steve and Karen Porath Burned Down Their HomeFor Valentine's Day, Steve and Karen Porath both got some-thing they really wanted: the chance to see their dream house burn to the ground. They stood serenely on the front lawn of their rolling five-acre spread in Foresthill, Calif., and watched as flames devoured their three-bedroom ranch-style home, destroying family photos, stuffed animals, even their son's baby book. "It was a relief," says Karen, 34, of the controlled fire the couple arranged in February. "That house almost killed our child."
The scourge that invaded their home and prompted the burning was something straight out of The X-Files: Stachybotrys chartarum, better known as black mold. A toxic fungus that feeds on moisture and thrives in damp areas, black mold can cause rashes, sore throats and severe respiratory ailments. Claims of mold infestation are on the rise, particularly in states hit by heavy rains, such as Texas. And while no national statistics exist, mold out-breaks in flood-prone areas are "a major public health problem," believes Frederick Herman, a California immunologist who has treated hundreds of patients, including the Poraths, suffering from mold-related illnesses. "When people find out a major contaminant has been living in their home, they feel violated."
The Poraths' mold encounter was more like a nightmare—and, they believe, one of the reasons their older son, Mitchell, now 2, was diagnosed with delayed developmental disorder. Steve, a building contractor, and Karen, a former financial coordinator for an AIDS research center, married in 1997 and began searching for a home near Auburn, where Steve, 35, was raised. They found a house just northeast of the city that had been repossessed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and seemed in fine shape. A bid of $120,000 won them the house.
In May 1999, a month after moving in, Karen gave birth to Mitchell, who was declared healthy. But two days after he was brought home, he became violently ill. "He started thrashing like he was in pain," says Karen. The infant developed a severe rash, constant infections and high fevers, which baffled his doctors. Gaunt and dehydrated, Mitchell wouldn't crawl or smile and often vomited up to 70 times a day. When the Poraths, who developed respiratory infections themselves, noticed that Mitchell slept more soundly at his grandmother's nearby home, they had their house tested for contaminants in April 2000. Two weeks later they learned there were high levels of black mold in the house, including in Mitchell's bedroom. "After that," says Karen, "we never went back." At the time, Mitchell was 1 year old and weighed only 10 lbs.
Further inspection revealed that faulty pipes were spewing sewage beneath the home, which, coupled with poor ventilation, created a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and black mold (Stacbybotrys tends to grow on surfaces that absorb water, like carpets and drywall). The Poraths believe the property's managing agents knew about the contamination, but David Piersall, the U.S. Veterans Affairs officer who oversaw the sale, insists "we were not aware of any mold." And Mike Lyon, a broker with the Sacramento Realtors who handled the sale, also denies any knowledge of the mold problem.
There was more bad news for the Poraths: Getting rid of the mold would cost $85,000 and would not be covered by their home insurance. Unable to save their belongings, they enlisted 40 volunteer firefighters to burn down the house, sold the five acres for $149,000 and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Auburn. Karen, who was pregnant with second son Blake for six months while living in the infested house, says he is healthier than Mitchell but blames his chronic respiratory infections on the black mold. Mitchell, now 21 lbs., still speaks only four words. (Karen quit her job to care for him.) "You can't say for sure that the Stacbybotrys toxin caused his developmental problems," says Dr. Herman. "But we know that high levels of exposure can produce neurological disorders."
The best way to block the spread of mold is to promptly fix leaking pipes and ventilate damp areas (small traces of mold can be cleaned with bleach and water). Such measures, however, won't help the Poraths, who are planning a lawsuit against their Realtors even as they struggle to put their lives back together. "If Steve and I make it through this, we'll have the strongest marriage ever," says Karen. "This has just been hell."
PLEASE HELP A TOXIC MOLD, LYME, & TOXIC ROOT CANAL VICTIM GET THE MEDICAL CARE THEY NEED
Erik Johnson (Reno, NV) wrote
8 hours ago
I remember that the doctor who told the Porath's to run for their lives (Dr Herman) gave them the best advice I'd heard to date.
He made them drop all their clothes in the front yard and change into new ones that were brought in Karen's mothers car... and "Don't bring out so much as a toothbrush".
July 09, 2001 Vol. 56 No. 2 The Fire CureBy Alex Tresniowski
To Rid Themselves of the Toxic Mold That Savaged Their Lives, Steve and Karen Porath Burned Down Their HomeFor Valentine's Day, Steve and Karen Porath both got some-thing they really wanted: the chance to see their dream house burn to the ground. They stood serenely on the front lawn of their rolling five-acre spread in Foresthill, Calif., and watched as flames devoured their three-bedroom ranch-style home, destroying family photos, stuffed animals, even their son's baby book. "It was a relief," says Karen, 34, of the controlled fire the couple arranged in February. "That house almost killed our child."
The scourge that invaded their home and prompted the burning was something straight out of The X-Files: Stachybotrys chartarum, better known as black mold. A toxic fungus that feeds on moisture and thrives in damp areas, black mold can cause rashes, sore throats and severe respiratory ailments. Claims of mold infestation are on the rise, particularly in states hit by heavy rains, such as Texas. And while no national statistics exist, mold out-breaks in flood-prone areas are "a major public health problem," believes Frederick Herman, a California immunologist who has treated hundreds of patients, including the Poraths, suffering from mold-related illnesses. "When people find out a major contaminant has been living in their home, they feel violated."
The Poraths' mold encounter was more like a nightmare—and, they believe, one of the reasons their older son, Mitchell, now 2, was diagnosed with delayed developmental disorder. Steve, a building contractor, and Karen, a former financial coordinator for an AIDS research center, married in 1997 and began searching for a home near Auburn, where Steve, 35, was raised. They found a house just northeast of the city that had been repossessed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and seemed in fine shape. A bid of $120,000 won them the house.
In May 1999, a month after moving in, Karen gave birth to Mitchell, who was declared healthy. But two days after he was brought home, he became violently ill. "He started thrashing like he was in pain," says Karen. The infant developed a severe rash, constant infections and high fevers, which baffled his doctors. Gaunt and dehydrated, Mitchell wouldn't crawl or smile and often vomited up to 70 times a day. When the Poraths, who developed respiratory infections themselves, noticed that Mitchell slept more soundly at his grandmother's nearby home, they had their house tested for contaminants in April 2000. Two weeks later they learned there were high levels of black mold in the house, including in Mitchell's bedroom. "After that," says Karen, "we never went back." At the time, Mitchell was 1 year old and weighed only 10 lbs.
Further inspection revealed that faulty pipes were spewing sewage beneath the home, which, coupled with poor ventilation, created a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and black mold (Stacbybotrys tends to grow on surfaces that absorb water, like carpets and drywall). The Poraths believe the property's managing agents knew about the contamination, but David Piersall, the U.S. Veterans Affairs officer who oversaw the sale, insists "we were not aware of any mold." And Mike Lyon, a broker with the Sacramento Realtors who handled the sale, also denies any knowledge of the mold problem.
There was more bad news for the Poraths: Getting rid of the mold would cost $85,000 and would not be covered by their home insurance. Unable to save their belongings, they enlisted 40 volunteer firefighters to burn down the house, sold the five acres for $149,000 and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Auburn. Karen, who was pregnant with second son Blake for six months while living in the infested house, says he is healthier than Mitchell but blames his chronic respiratory infections on the black mold. Mitchell, now 21 lbs., still speaks only four words. (Karen quit her job to care for him.) "You can't say for sure that the Stacbybotrys toxin caused his developmental problems," says Dr. Herman. "But we know that high levels of exposure can produce neurological disorders."
The best way to block the spread of mold is to promptly fix leaking pipes and ventilate damp areas (small traces of mold can be cleaned with bleach and water). Such measures, however, won't help the Poraths, who are planning a lawsuit against their Realtors even as they struggle to put their lives back together. "If Steve and I make it through this, we'll have the strongest marriage ever," says Karen. "This has just been hell."
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