Could Mold Be the Cause of Your Health Problems? One Family’s Unbelievable Story – Part 2

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black mold in the corner of a wall with text saying One Family's Health Nightmare Andrea Fabry's Mold Story

{More on mold toxicity. Last week, Andrea Fabry shared with us the beginning of her family’s story of mold poisoning from black mold. If you missed it, you need to go back and see what they went through.

Her story continues here.}

When we vacated our home in October 2008, due to an overwhelming presence of black mold, I felt certain life would return to normal. (Read our story in this previous post.)

We finally connected the dots with our deteriorating health and the decision to vacate would make everything better.

Or would it?

I failed to realize that while our external environment had changed, our internal environments had not.

Two months after vacating, I frantically searched for answers.

– Why was our 8 year old still suffering severe headaches?
– Why the continued dizziness for my 12-year-old?
– Why did my memory loss seem to worsen after we left?

I was in utter despair.

I contacted a doctor in Arizona who specialized in environmental illness. Two of the kids and I traveled to Arizona for the first of many appointments. Our insurance refused to pay for the out of network expenses.

However, I saw a ray of hope as the symptoms matched perfectly with toxic exposure. We weren’t crazy after all! Mycotoxins were literally destroying our health.

The warm desert air felt like a balm to my weary body. I began to think, what if we relocated through the winter months and tried to heal?

My kids and husband agreed, and by December 22, I was in a vacation rental with five of the kids. After a brief visit for Christmas, my husband returned to Colorado to tie up loose ends.

With impaired brain function, I struggled to learn the detox protocol and find my way around a new city. I was increasingly isolated from friends who couldn’t relate or understand why we were taking such drastic action.

I cried often and fought the ongoing depression. I still felt that hint of hope, having now identified the trigger for these serious symptoms, but overwhelmed by the road ahead. It was clear this was not going to be an overnight fix.

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Big Life Changes

It was also evident that we were going to have to radically alter our diet.

No more McDonald’s.

No more Doritos.

How would my kids possibly adjust? They were raised in the drive-through lane. (See the perspective of one of my children in My Real Food Story.)

– Alone in a new city
– facing monumental tasks and decisions
– with severe health issues

I couldn’t see how we would possibly dig out of this hole.

But there was no turning back.

I no longer doubted our decision to vacate the home. That part was clear, as I was now able to comprehend the toll the home had taken on our bodies. My husband was completely on board, despite his initial reservations.

A Bump in the Road

On February 1, 2009, my husband, Chris, drove a trailer full of new mattresses and belongings from Colorado to Arizona to move into a home we agreed to rent for three months.

Together again, and united in our determination to forge ahead, we began a new chapter.

But…Within hours symptoms appeared.

Nosebleeds, breathing issues, headaches, rashes and more.

Something was clearly wrong with the home.

Most of us slept outside the second night, (though it was February) perplexed by our response to the home.

I had done my homework before moving in – researching the history of the home and performing a preliminary mold test – what could be wrong?

After a bit more probing we learned the home had been sprayed for pesticides several days before our move. It had been sprayed indoors and on the carpets.

This was my introduction to the issue of chemical sensitivity.

We could no longer tolerate chemicals. (Hyperreactivity to chemicals is common following a toxic exposure.)

Moving On

We left the home and traveled from hotel to hotel in search of safe housing. I began more and more to notice plug-ins and other artificially-scented cleaning products.

I thought back to a recent visit to a local park where several of the kids rolled in the grass. No wonder they had headaches and red eyes – they were reacting to the chemicals on the grass.

We needed a mold-free home with no chemical smells or recent pesticide treatments. Truly, we were looking for a needle in a haystack!

By February 21 we settled on a new 3 bedroom home with all tile. We now had a majority of our kids with us.

Eight of us slept in one room on air mattresses.

I was stunned by how quickly life had changed. Six months prior we were living the “good life” in our luxurious 5500 square foot home.

And now — air mattresses.

Detox

Our detox began in earnest. The kids were adapting to our slow transition away from processed foods. They nebulized glutathione and took supplements.

This had to be the turning point.

Because of the protocol, our symptoms escalated. We started getting nosebleeds from being around each other. A friend felt sick after walking into our house simply because of the toxins coming from our skin.

Each child had unique symptoms.

I was struggling to function.

My husband was trying to work from this tiny house and pay our massive medical bills due to the lack of insurance coverage for out of network providers.

We tried alternative therapies like energy medicine and acupuncture. The therapies helped, but continued to drain us financially.

The Next Move

In the summer of 2009, we moved to a larger rental home. We had space to breathe again.

Our oldest daughter moved in with us to try to recover from her continued health decline, and I began to study the impact of diet on health.

I noticed changes from our improved diet and I began to feel empowered that perhaps we wouldn’t be beholden to office visits, lab tests, and expensive treatments for the rest of our lives.

GAPS Diet

On August 1, 2010, all 11 of us began the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Introduction Diet. (Read more about our family’s GAPS journey here.)

GAPS didn’t fix us but it did empower us to let go of medical intervention and move forward.

The GAPS Diet is fully covered in this book.  

There are affiliate links in this post from which I will make a commission.

Gut and Psychology Syndrome book

Slowly I watched as my kids moved back into the world. Some started school. Others got jobs. Still others embraced the journey and worked hard at the detox protocol. The chemical sensitivity was improving.

I started an intense detox protocol for myself and began to function again. (see my article Healing as a Lifestyle.)

After an almost four-year long journey, four months ago our oldest daughter got married. The day represented a milestone not only for her and her husband but for our family.

Chris Fabry and Andrea Fabry's family - wedding photo
Fabry Family Wedding photo – March 2014. A fresh start on the other side of mold toxicity and detox.

 

Lessons Learned

As painful as it is to reflect on this season of my life, I am grateful for the lessons learned. I hope these encourage you wherever life has you right now.

1. When you’re doing everything right with diet and still fighting a health battle, always rule out the presence of hidden water damage. Toxic mold can hold a person back from recovering their health.

2. Mothers have a God-given instinct – especially when it comes to a home. Moms are nesters by nature. They sense what their family needs. Moms, trust your gut – even if it’s buried in confusion.

3. The next step is enough. When it comes to large battles it’s easy to get mired in the uncertainty and overwhelming nature of the journey. Don’t look too far ahead. Take it one step at a time. It really is enough.

4. Symptoms will instruct–if we listen. Our current medical system tends to focus on the suppression of symptoms without considering the cause. What is your body telling you? It could be a food sensitivity, hidden allergy, or environmental issue.

Don’t be afraid to ask why.

5. Sometimes relinquishment (doing nothing) is good medicine. We can work hard, try new things, and ask hard questions. We can take drastic action. We can seek justice and we can try to convince others. But there comes a point when the best thing is to let go. Wisdom is knowing when that time comes.

Andrea Fabry - sunset photo
Andrea – looking to the future.
Loneliness is part of this new journey – but so is richness and hope.

Our lives have become “normal” again, but not the normal I once imagined. It’s a new normal –

filled with richness and hope.

Affordable Mold Tests

This information was shared in the previous post in this series, but I’m sharing it again since these products are so helpful.

If you are concerned about mold in your home there are many tests on the market (including those available through professionals), but here are some solid options that don’t cost an arm and a leg. These are the ones that I would personally use after discussing the matter with friends who are true experts on the topic.

1. ERMI Dust Test

The ERMI is thought to be one of the best tests out there. You can get it at Momsaware (Andrea’s site) and use code MOMSAWARE to get a discount.

2. ImmunoLytics Diagnostic Test

Micro Balance Health

If you are on a tight budget, then the ImmunoLytics Diagnostic Mold Test Kit is a great option.

Micro Balance Health Products also has Mycotoxin and Mold Cleaners to help address your mold issue effectively.

You can also get 10% off your order with code wholenewmom.

CitriSafe

CitriSafe has the same exact tests at a lower price point, plus loads of other great products as well.

They carry the fantastic Austin Air filter. If you’d like one, however, I have a special offer on those. Just reach out to me at adrienne {at} wholenewmom {dot} com for that offer.  You can comment on this post as well since I see all comments.

3. Mold Detective

mold test kit

The Mold Detective uses the same technology that mold inspectors use when they do air tests, but this system is MUCH more affordable than hiring this workout.

I personally think that a combination of the Mold Detective and the Microbalance is a fairly affordable option that can give a good picture of what is going on in your home. If desired, you could then follow up with any of the above 3 after remediation (if necessary).

Have you had an experience with mold or another toxicity issue?

What changes have you had to make / what’s YOUR new normal?  Please share any lessons learned to help others.

Andrea Fabry in her kitchen chopping vegetables.

Andrea is a former journalist and the mother of nine children ranging in age from 28 to 12. Following a toxic mold exposure, Andrea and her family discovered the wonders of natural living. Andrea is the founder and president of momsAWARE, an educational organization designed to empower others to live healthy in a toxic world. You can follow her family’s journey at It Takes Time.

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83 Comments

  1. I have done the vision test, and putting have done the putting trays in rooms test. The vision test said yes I have I’m old problem, and a few places in my house had mold on the tree. On the directions though it said to not be concerned with our results.
    Where would you go next? Do I do more testing? What is the next economical next step to possibly find and heal from mold?

    1. Hi there! Mold is a toughy. We had an issue in our house that made me quite ill and yet the trays didn’t show any problem at all. It’s just one way to test.

      In particular, I think that stachybotrys doesn’t show up well on those tests and it’s a really bad one (often thought of as being the worst). Some people use the air test that I links to in the post. That’s an inexpensive next step. Some say that if you feel well when you leave your home, then that’s a good sign that you have a problem. Hiring a really good air quality expert is of course the best. You could try an ERMI test. That’s less that going all the way w/ the expert. I guess I would consider the ERMI and the air test for now if you aren’t ready to hire someone. I can possibly help you find someone if / when you are ready to go that route.

      1. So do I try the air quality and ERMI both at the same time, or do I try one then the other? If these come back showing that I have mold then do I have to have to hire someone at this point?
        Thank you so much for the time and energy you pour into helping others feel better.

        1. Hi there. If it were me, I would probably try one and then the other. Most consider the ERMI to be the gold standard but nothing is perfect. Having a few different results are often helpful.
          The expert who tested our house did several types of tests including surface tape lift and swab of anything suspicious but never a surface exposed to sunlight. You are so welcome and I so hope you an find relief.

  2. Hi Andrea your story is giving me hope! Me my partner and 2 small children 4 &6 are really suffering we had water damage and mould in our home we have moved it to a new home in February left most of our stuff behind about 80 percent we left! We are still experiencing headaches exhaustion aches nose problems and chest and breathing difficulties! We have seen some improved since we have left but still struggling! Do you think we should test our home I can’t see any mould or smell any ? Lovely to see your family well again thank you Lyndsey

      1. Thank you Adrienne for replying do you have any groups on Instagram as. I am not on face book Thanks Lyndsey

  3. Thank you so much for sharing your story! It is very similar to mine, though we are not at the end chapter yet. We moved into our brand new 4400sq foot house 7 years ago with big dreams and a healthy family. Within a year, I had been in and out of ERs and specialist offices for blackouts, severe vertigo, hashimotos, and debilitating fatigue. I had to close my boot camp business and could no longer even drive. My cat died of a very aggressive rare cancer that came back a month after we removed it. My dog had the same thing happen to her. My kids have been in the ER 9 times in the past 5 years for bacterial pnemonia, RSV, seizures, and many other scary things. Doctors kept telling me we were just “unlucky” and they had never seen this happen so often in a family. My 16th specialist finally discovered my husband and I both have CIRS. I have the double dreaded gene and he has one. We have still not found the mold and are currently trying to get out. It is a very desperate and helpless feeling to be living in a place that you know is slowly killing your family. Your story gave me hope that we will one day make it to the other side.

    1. Oh my how terrible! And so frustrating that you have never found the cause!! Did you do air quality testing? There are some things you can do to address the air while you are there–of course leaving can be imperative, but feel free to reach out if you’d like help. I haven’t put all of the things on my site yet that we have done. By double dreaded gene, I assume you mean HLA, correct?

      We’re also starting some other therapies to help address overall health that I’m hopeful for.

  4. Adrienne…your website is amazing and provides a wealth of information. Professionalism at its best! You are truly amazing! I love what you’re doing here!!!

    1. Hello Robin! Wow. Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. So appreciated! I must say that I don’t think I deserve this, but I do receive your kind words with gratitude. You made my evening.

  5. I’ve been away from my house for a week now and feel like I’m having withdrawal symptoms. My hands.wont stop shaking , I’m falling asleep at all times, can’t concentrate and lose track of time . Could l be having from leaving a toxic environment?

    1. I’m so sorry you are having this. I can’t medically advise, but mold can do a lot of things. My symptoms got worse after leaving our house when we had mold–but we ended up in another home that had mold. I have heard similar things from others. I just started this Mold and Chemical Sensitivity Support Group on Facebook to share our experience. You are welcome to join–https://www.facebook.com/groups/416630345744824/

  6. I just got back from the dr today after months of ears ringing, ears leaking, bloody noses, asthmatic bronchitis, rashes, nueralogocial issues I have discovered I’ve been living in a black mold infested apartment for 10 months now. Seeing a specialist this week then bringing in the health department!

  7. So glad I found your story, a friend has gone through something similar to your story. we are in Arizona, what environmental doctor did you go to?

  8. Sad to hear the same problems we had. Our home was built and for 8 1/2 yrs we were exposed. The roof put together with just the shingles ot rained inside we complained. 7 mths into my pregnacy my daughter was now going to be born with heart failure. Now 9yrs old with so far 3 open heart surgeries. My husband had his atenoids removed the house had electrical issues etc. This is a cruel world but i took a stand im fighting back this is just wrong on all levels

  9. I think my current problem of coughing and wheezing plus short term memory loss and anxiety may be coming from mold in two corners of my basement. I’ve had three tests so far and they have all been ok. This week going to Ears, Nose, Throat Specialists to see if he can find anything. Also, have an appointment for mold the removal. Hope he’s a professional.
    Please keep me in your prayers. Linda

    1. I’m so sorry – praying right now for you. What kind of mold test are you doing? I just updated both posts with some very affordable ones. Hope that is of help!

  10. I worked in an office for over 2 years that was infested with black mold and aspergillus. I’ve been sick more times in the past 3 years then I have throughout my entire life.
    I’ve been out of that environment since the middle of May 2017 but still experiencing symptoms (brain fog, memory loss, digestive problems, random dizziness, severe fatigue, passing out multiple times, etc.) and for the past several months I’ve had pretty strange menstrual irregularities, such as being late (like a week late) every month for several months, periods only lasting 2 days, bleeding between periods, etc. I’m not pregnant and just last week was told that I have several ovarian cysts on both of my ovaries. Does anyone know if prolonged exposure to both of those molds could have caused these menstrual irregularities and the cysts? Aside from migraines I would get one or two times a year, I was completely healthy before I worked in that office, never had issues with my reproductive system, memory, fatigue, nothing! And at most I got sick once or twice a year but while I was there I was sick like every 2 or 3 weeks!! Anyway, if anyone knows if prolonged toxic mold exposure can cause reproductive issues like I’m experiencing please let me know. Thank you!

    1. Hi Shannon. So sorry for all you are experiencing! Sadly, I had read that so many things can be caused by mold toxins b/c they act on so many key parts of your body. I would do whatever you can to get better. Of course I can’t diagnose anyone so please do connect w/ some real experts and medical professionals…perhaps a good functional doctor? The woman who wrote this post is great and this gal has great info as well: https://hybridrastamama.com/need-to-detox-from-mold-exposure-heres-how-i-did-it/

  11. Anyone have any idea if black grit in stool is a symptom? My 1yo has been having digestive issues for months and I’m fairly certain that the home he was born and spent the entirety of his life in until a month ago had mold issues. The rest of us have had more frequent illness, and some dizzy spells… My blood pressure has droppedpretty low and i was borderline preeclampsia before i had my son.

    1. Black “coffee grounds” in the stool can indicate bleeding in the digestive system. Please take your baby to the doctor if you haven’t already done so! Best wishes

  12. Why does everyone say this?
    Shelters are toxic
    And I had brain surgery from mold
    I have no help from anyone

  13. I am so upset. I am living in what I believe is a mold infested mobile home. I have been rushed to the hospital 4 times in the past 2 years. Pneumonia last year and again this year which ended up with clasped lung. Seems sense I move here in 2007 my health has gone down hill drastically. I had roof leaks and had the roof replaced, spending more money than I had. Then had windows replaced. I have been tested for mold allergies, which came back negative. I lost my job because I’m always sick. Tired, depressed, achey,I’m on oxygen most of the time. My memory is terrible. Went to a neroligest and they ask you to repeat what they say, really. My vision has gotten worse also. I have developed tremers. I had to go a get medicaid and food stamps. How degrading it is. Even my dog has been getting fatty tumors and not himself. It breaks my heart thinking being here is killing him too. I have no money and no place to go. I have to stay here. Every year the yard has been dug up do to water leaks, so meny times there is water under my home. Last week I found “black mold” between my kitchen floor and wall. To my horror the wall is rotted out behind the panneling.I am so exhausted and don’t know what to do. I fear someone with a athority will make me leave my home. I have stomach problems and now baretS asophicits. I need help suffering depresin and extreme social anxiety.
    .

    1. I am so sorry! Do you have family who can help? Friends? A local church you could go to for some kind of assistance? I am praying for you right now.

  14. Out of the last five years I’ve lived in a mold-free home for two years in the middle. My family is now trapped in a second mold infested home. All of our health has gone down hill and financially we can’t leave. I feel hopeless, sick, exhausted, depressed and anxious. I hope we can get out soon before it’s too late. Thanks for your story of hope and inspiration on the other side of recovering. I never thought I would have to go through this again.

    1. I’m so sorry! It breaks my heart to hear this. I’m so sorry! Is there someone / some organization that can help you? Maybe contact Andrea through her site…I wonder if there are any resources that she knows of.

      1. My kid I were very sick as well I lost everything I owened do to black mold I didn’t even sell the house we had. Leaving all my possessions and leaving the house best decision I ever made. I would rather lose my belongs and house and $$$ If it meant my kids would get healthier … money u can always get more but u only have one family. Easy choice for me I’d do it all over again if I had to with no hesitation!!!

  15. I have my own experience with mould. Just discovered a month ago.

    6 years ago I was climbing mountains with 150 lbs on my back alone in bear and cougar country. I could drink alcohol like a horse, and while unhealthy, had no problems with it (nor stopping drinking it for days). I could run, jog, lift over 100 lbs with ease.

    The past few years have been a completely different story. First, I developed some sort of massive sensitivity to alcohol. I’m a sailor, I like my rum. I developed serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Dizziness, tremors, nausea just when I was trying to be a good boy and take it easy. Freaked out, I checked myself into a medical detox facility. The doctor was befuddled with how I suddenly developed such serious withdrawal symptoms after so long and no major increase in my alcohol intake, she sensed something was wrong and while trying to figure it out, she couldn’t put her finger on it.

    After detox, I didn’t drink a drop for 45 days. As I gradually started to enjoy wine and rum again, I was fine. Still am to this day (dont beleive the AA crap). I smoke, and woke up with morning cough and constantly blowing my nose in the mornings before work, but this abated once I got to the office. I blamed it on smoking. I had constant postnasal drip at home, which was bearable but pretty annoying (and a bit gross, having to spit all the time).

    After switching jobs, that fall I got pneumonia. Again. And again in the spring, vomiting blood one fine Monday morning. For a few years now I’ve been getting it 2-5 times a year. I contemplated getting the vaccine but never got around to it. I did the antibiotics, some so strong they made me dizzy, but as I got better I just kept on working and living in my world.

    Then I got terminated (long story but irrelevant to the story here). I went on unemployment and as my old job had burned me right out so I figured I’d take some time off and use my unemployment to just relax and kick back at home for the summer.

    Few months later, I got what are called “intractable hiccups”. These are not normal hiccups. Sometimes they were so bad I couldn’t breathe. I’d hiccup in my sleep, I’d wake up, drink a glass of water and go to pour a cup of coffee, and hiccups. Everyone blamed it on me for drinking too much. I knew something was off however – one way for me to get rid of the hiccups was to just go to sleep for a while. Another way was to force myself to vomit (something I really don’t like because I’m not bolemic and I am in good shape and I hate vomiting, but it worked – most of the time). So some days, despite being on unemployment, I spent most of my time trying to sleep off these hiccups, or forcing myself to vomit and then just feeling gross. It wasnt like I had much time to be drinking. Associating these hiccups with the drinking just didn’t make sense to me, but that’s what everyone around me assumed, I was sitting on unemployment drunk all day.

    Then, on New Years Eve day, I was hiccuping so bad, not only could I not drink at all, but I could barely breathe and even vomiting wasn’t helping. I was about to start a new job on the 2nd – and I work in sales mostly on the phone – I had to get this dealt with so I went to the hospital. I was hiccuping like mad and burping up foam.

    The hospital of course makes you wait forever, and after I was triaged waiting around for a doctor, there was blood in the foam. I told the triage nurse to update my status, because this was getting scary.

    When the doctor saw me, I was honest about the drinking and being on unemployment. She blamed everything on the alcohol like everyone else. She ran some blood tests, and said my pancreas was completely out of control and my liver function was not good. She gave me a prescription for a PPI (proton pump inhibitor, used for reducing stomach acid). It helped with the hiccups but made it really hard to digest food. It was nice at least to not have hiccups 24/7 again. I didn’t drink a drop for over two weeks (no withdrawal symptoms either, it wasnt that hard).

    After getting home from the hospital, not hiccuping for the first time in 10 months, I just wanted to go to sleep. I laid down in bed, then vomited up two quarts of blood. Talk about scary! What the hell was happening to me?

    They did an ultrasound and discovered a bit of liver damage, no cirrhosis, everything else was normal.

    I got to work and did my new job, which didn’t work out because it was a bit sketchy from the start, plus it was 100% commission and I was still on unemployment anyway. I was trying not to take the PPI prescription because it made it hard to eat, the hiccups just came and went depending on the day.

    I went to work a temporary hard labor job (not at all my field, I work in finance and IT) and slept on my boat. Rare hiccups, no burping foam, my fiancee was worried as hell because I was out of town and this labor was HARD – like dead lifting 75 pound concrete boards up two storeys hard, she was worried about my health. I didn’t take any PPIs while I was there and there was no hacking up phlem, no constant cough, no constant sneezing or blowing my nose. I figured maybe that the hard work was helping me.

    After I got back, the hiccups came back pretty feirce, so did the burping up foam. Of course everyone was blaming it on the alcohol, but it was super hard work up there and I would have some vodka to numb the pain of such hard work, my muscles were super sore. One night, the foam contained some blood. My fiancee took me to the hospital, forced me rather.

    The blood tests came back that my pancreas was doing better, albeit not fully healed. The doctor handed me a bunch of pamphlets for a detox centre, but I wasn’t really interested. I know what the withdrawal symptoms are like and I wasn’t feeling any of them.

    A few weeks later, we discovered black mould in the house. I showed my landlord pictures, and we moved out in short order because he freaked out about the health problems. Once I got my subtenants out of the house, we realized that the black mould had permeated three rooms of the house, one room had a 15 square foot patch that was behind a dresser. A cursory investigation showed why – the soffit was rotted out on that side of the house so bad there were ferns growing out of it, it was rainy season.

    My ex fiancee in San Diego who is a medical professional nailed it: she said the reason I was getting pneumonia every spring and every fall (our rainy seasons when the temperature is moderate) was this mould. It started to make sense. I researched mould and realized that the reverse side of that drywall was probably a complete science experiement. We had repainted and done all the drywall only three months prior in the worst room with the 15 square foot infestation. It was probably everywhere, in the ducts, in the roof. Yikes. We moved out.

    When I went back to take pictures of the mould two days later, I saw a dead mouse in the middle of the floor of that room. I had taped it off and put a WHIMIS logo on the door about the black mould, there was no mouse in there when I taped it off. It killed a mouse in UNDER TWO DAYS! Freaky bad toxic stuff. After being away for a while I could feel it in my lungs, a mild burning sensation.

    Things started to make sense. That house was making me sick.

    After moving, No more wheezing, sneezing, coughing all the time, blowing my nose every five minutes. The hiccups are better most days I dont really get them, but sometimes they come back. I bought an OTC PPI for when I really need to make sure I’m not hiccuping (ie. work related stuff), but it makes me sick. I’ve vomited blood, urinated blood a few times, sometimes when I blow my nose occasionally, there is a bit of blood in there. It’s getting a lot better – but scary as hell.

    I think I’m still toxic, but I am on the mend. I dont know how long it takes for the body to expel this stuff, but it sure isn’t an instant thing, I can relate to your story. Looking at the dietary changes, I have always minimized carbohydrates, I mostly eat proteins and vegetables, things like fish and whole beef and chicken, maybe some potato, the occasional bit of rice (my fiancee is Filipina) and fruits for snacks, so it seems like I’m on the right track.

    I’m just not sure if any health professional is going to believe me, whether there is permanent damage done to my liver and pancreas, or how long it’s going to take to expel this garbage. On the upside: no pneumonia this year despite record levels of rain. I wish that health professionals would take this mold problem more seriously and do more research on humans. If this stuff can kill a mouse in a couple days- what on earth has been happening to me being in that house for 18 years??

    The health unit and bylaw inspectors concurred. They condemned the house and disallowed the negligent landlord from re-renting it, he has the choice to fix it to bylaw standards or demolish it. Good riddance. I loved that house, it was my home, but I wanted to make sure he didn’t slap a coat of paint on top and try to rent it for more money to someone else. He has received an Order of the City.

    Thank you for sharing your story, and thank you for reading mine.

    1. How terrible!!! My heart breaks reading these things. I hope you have been able to get some relief!!