8 ms·
I suffered from a wide variety of issues (inflammatory symptoms, weight loss, extreme fatigue, severe joint issues, gastro etc...) when living in a moldy house.
by davej 8y ago
I suffered from a wide variety of issues (inflammatory symptoms, weight loss, extreme fatigue, severe joint issues, gastro etc...) when living in a moldy house. At first I was sceptical that mold could be the cause because there is no scientific or medical consensus established for mold and the huge list of symptoms I was experiencing.
My GP tested me for Aspergillus antibodies and I came back very high. My GP remained open-minded and went along with treating me with cholestyramine (a binder that can supposedly bind up mold spores, according to the "Shoemaker Protocol") and I'm gradually getting better. My Aspergillus antibodies have dropped significantly. I'm functionally 80% better now but I still have a bit of a road to travel to return to how I was feeling before all of this happened. I generally avoid discussing this too deeply with friends because I know they would be sceptical (as indeed I would be if I had not experienced it directly).
It's difficult to explain how it feels to be in a situation where you've been healthy for your whole life and you suddenly come down with a whole host of symptoms in your late 20s for which doctors can find no biological markers. You get used to recognising the "internal eye roll" from doctors when you list your symptoms. It wasn't mentioned directly but you can tell they are dismissing it as either hypochondria or depression (I have no history of either and never even visited a GP before any of this started). The most positive thing that I can take from these last couple of years is that it has thought me a much higher level of empathy for other people and their experiences.
- snowwindwaves 8y agoHow prevalent was the mold in your house ?
- davej 8y agoMy shower leaked quite badly, whenever I used it then water would drip from the ceiling below. I did my best to seal it up and forgot about it. Then, I was away on holidays for 6 weeks during the cold months here in Ireland. The heating was kept off and there was no natural ventilation in the house. There was quite a bit of mold on the ceiling when I arrived back but nothing horrendous. I cleaned up the surface mold with some bleach as best I could and then painted over it. There was a very slight musty odour in the house that I masked with fragrances but mostly I forgot about it. Over the next year I started to develop a lot of non-specific symptoms. I never even considered that the mold could be an issue until I started googling for a really weird symptom that I was having. Everytime I touched something grounded I would get a static shock, it was happening all day long. Anytime I touched a shelf in a supermarket or even if my touched my girlfriend's forehead (depending on the shoes she was wearing and the surface of the floor). What was happening here was that the serum osmolality was very high (311 mmol/kg). Essentially there were too many electrolytes in my blood and these salts were being excreted onto my skin giving my skin a positive charge. Googling around led me to an interview between Chris Kresser and Dr. Shoemaker who highlighted it as a red flag for people suffering with mold issues.
- sizzle 8y agoCould you visibly see the mold?
- davej 8y agoYes, in my case. It is not always the case though.
- mitchtbaum 8y agoWhile familiarity equals believability, we lose. Humanity is fucking helpless this way. @everyone: Prove me wrong, please.