[Annie59]

I have to wade back into the civil rights complaint that I filed against my landlord. I am scared. I tried to go over as much as I could tonight in prep for a scheduled talk with the civil rights office director tomorrow. I have the gist of what my landlord is trying to say.

It seems that A) he is generally trying to make me out to be a bad tenant and B) that what I said is not the case about the AC unit issue. He says apparently that he took my 10000 BTU AC out and put the 6000 BTU in temporarily so he could fix the 10000 BTU unit. I said he put the 6000 BTU in being aware of how heat affect my health to get me to move out. The 10000 BTU unit had failed. I may have been somewhat responsible for that but I immediately said that if that were the case I would pay for it.

When I callled to say that this one was too small and affecting my health, and yes I went into tears cause I was so, the landlords wife ultimately said that I had a choice to move. Given I knew this woman before I moved in here and she and her husband HAD been nice to me for the most part this has all been devastating. NOt the least of which is I am too sick to try to move away from all this.

This has dragged on and now this fella who I talked to at Civil Rights is treating me rotten. Feels like they are already on his side. I negotiated filling out questions for an interview they wanted. When I asked if this was part of the mediation that I had signed a form for they fella said "oh no. I guess I didnt tell you they refused mediation." OK. So I dont feel I am neglectful for thinking that mediation was being set up while now they are saying things need to be finished and closed 'chop chop!'

Blast it. I just wish my brain was functioning better for this. I thought given who they are they would tend to understand disability issues. I am not getting that. I actually had to have one of my docs write a letter to ask for an extension. I called my congressman and the state civil rights office to ask for suggestions of best way to proceed beyond this fella. That is why the call tomorrow.

Geez............ Annie59

[Poetist]

Annie,

It seems that A) he is generally trying to make me out to be a bad tenant and B) that what I said is not the case about the AC unit issue. He says apparently that he took my 10000 BTU AC out and put the 6000 BTU in temporarily so he could fix the 10000 BTU unit. I said he put the 6000 BTU in being aware of how heat affect my health to get me to move out. The 10000 BTU unit had failed. I may have been somewhat responsible for that but I immediately said that if that were the case I would pay for it.

My advice is to keep your responses at court/grievances short and simple, which means you answer their questions without all the minutia, especially admitting any fault.

It seems that A) he is generally trying to make me out to be a bad tenant and B) that what I said is not the case about the AC unit issue. He says apparently that he took my 10000 BTU AC out and put the 6000 BTU in temporarily so he could fix the 10000 BTU unit. I said he put the 6000 BTU in being aware of how heat affect my health to get me to move out. The 10000 BTU unit had failed. I may have been somewhat responsible for that but I immediately said that if that were the case I would pay for it.

Annie, you have your theory, but no one will hear it. They are only hearing your case to see whether the law was broken, so try to prove the law was broken.

I suggest you try to prove the landlord kept the 6000 BTU unit in your home for an unreasonable amount of time, and that it did not adequately cool your sleeping quarters. Emphasize that your are often bedridden.

It's good that you have a doctor's note. Hopefully, it emphasizes that you need the AC.

Do not say anymore, other than proving the 6000 BTU was kept in your home too long and that it did not adequately cool your sleeping quarters.

Please prove that by looking up the unit/manufacturer to determine the range of the unit and specify how far away the unit is from your sleeping quarters.

Good luck.

[Stellatum]

I'm sorry you have to deal with this along with everything else. Don't be afraid to cut your losses when the time is right.

How are you feeling? I was thinking yesterday that we hadn't heard from you in a couple of days, and I was wondering how you were holding up.

Abby

[Annie59]

Hi Stellatum and all. The call is done to the Director of the Civil Rights office for my city. He was way way nicer and accomodating than the last fella. I am so so prooud of myself and my mushy brain for finding the key statements for this conversation. The result is that I am filing to reopen the case. This is due in 10 days which is the 24th so I gotta get it done tonight. I have to write a statement of why and key points.

When I posted the first post in this thread I hadnt read the full complaint response (landlord) in that was part of the closing document. WOW!! He tore me to shreads making up stuff that even stunned my daughter. This gives me a witness for a number of big issues. My daughter was speechless at the literally wicked nature of what they said and out right lies. All I wanted was to get the AC that failed replaced by one the same size. I offered to pay for it and if he chose to try to clean and rework the old one I and my daughter both offered to pay for his time to do this. His statement about this is that I wanted a larger one than standard and expected him to pay for it.

He said "she would rather fill out a form to complain than clean her apartment." He said my apartment is a filfty health hazard. This statement is easy to counter as I have had housing aid for 11 years and am required to have yearly inspections.

I said stuff happens when one is this sick. I said I had no mold the first year and none this year. I said I offered immediately to pay for replacing the AC if I was the cause. I told the director my housing inspector told me that this landlord 'family' is white glove. I said that felt like a good thing given the last place. But they are so so unrealistic.

To Stellatums remark about me being away yes I have been in down turn. Not being able to drive has my vitamin D at the lowest it has been in sometime. So Friday I had a new piece of inflammation in my left jaw. This besides the myositis that is now across both eyes causing headaches above them. These headaches are awful in that they are hard to help. Added to the neck strain head-headache pain this has had me in a bad place. Even just the looking down to my laptop here to talk to you all aggravates the neck weakness pain.

My daughter offered to take me tan Saturday which tho sick and weak especially my neck I had to go. I didnt think that all the dressing and undressing would make my neck worse leaving me in considerable pain. Any bending over makes my neck-head pain come on and get really intolerable. It was that way Saturday nite. Also I was kinda scared cause I tried a standing tan unit as I was too weak to beable to lay down and get up by myself. I have never been in a unit that produced that much heat. I finally got out and sat in front of the door full of bulbs.

I will be so grateful when my eye issues get sorted out and I can drive even just short distances again. My overall health is so much better when I can tan regularly.

Annie59

Originally Posted by Stellatum

I'm sorry you have to deal with this along with everything else. Don't be afraid to cut your losses when the time is right.

How are you feeling? I was thinking yesterday that we hadn't heard from you in a couple of days, and I was wondering how you were holding up.

Abby

[Stellatum]

Thanks for the update. I always think of you--with so much going on at once, it must be overwhelming.

The weakest I've ever been was a couple of weeks ago when I had gotten chilled, and sat near the wood stove to warm up. My husband turned it way up for me, and I was too lazy (well, you know, MG lazy--not the same thing as normal lazy) to move. I got way over-heated after being chilled. After that, on my way to bed, I spent some quality time on the floor (with my husband, whom I pulled down) contemplating my housekeeping sins, I can tell you that! So I am glad you are being attentive to the problem of over-heating when you tan. I think it's common for people with MG to get weak when they get over-heated, especially if it's a sudden transition.

My husband the tinkerer is talking about rigging up a home-made elevator to get me upstairs on bad nights like that. "Hmm...if I just cut a hole in the ceiling right here it would lead up to the closet. And I have a block-and-tackle in the shed..."

Abby

[craftyRCC]

Annie, I know you can't wait for all this mess to be over. It's hard enough to have landlord issues, but when you add all your medical problems into the mix it must really add to your frustration... Keep plugging alone, things can only get better.

Abby, if your husband does make an elevator for your home please be sure to post pictures, we loved the rickshaw!!!

Rachel

[shalynn]

Annie, I'm also sorry for all that you are going through. I agree with Abby about cutting your losses when the time is right. The stress of fighting throught this mess might not be worth it if it is going to affect your health so much in the end. I don't know a whole lot about your situation, so I don't feel as if I can offer a whole lot of advice. But do take care of yourself.

Hang in there!

[Annie59]

Thanks for the chuckle Abby...block and tackle huh.

Yes moving may need to happen tho I had my first crisis after moving in here. I really hoped this would be my home for some time. It has many many advantages. It would be very very hard to replace. The hardest is needing radiant heat. this comes in 2 version, boiler and electric base board. With my severe Sjogrens my eyes, nose, mouth and throat cant tolerate daily winter heat from forced air. The last one I had like that was about 5 years ago and the last 2 years were hell. I could only heat using my oven.

Even using all the usual interventions for Sjogrens I cant tolerate it. I have tried doing so at my daughers like after proceedure needing to stay over nite. I have to take my own humidifer but also have to close myself in a bedroom to get the humidity up high enough to sleep well. See it even affects my lungs. All those soft tissues in there get dry. I used to wake at nite trying to breath just from this issue before the MG weakness got worse.

My apartment is also close to my kids and has a laudry room right outside my door. This is the first time a some time I have been able to do some of my own laundry without it being a major deal.

Annie59