Mystery Mold & Lung Problems
 

Hi! I've got an ongoing problem that we can't figure out. I am EXTREMELY sensitive to molds. They affect me like no one else in my family.
Is that part of having a messed up immune system? I can smell molds before anyone else can, and it makes me really, really sick almost instantly with headache, sore throat, and if not remedied, my lungs really start to get irritated which leads to me having trouble breathing and/or needing medical care.

My problem is that in my family room, every so often (usually after lots of rain), I detect mold. Heavy, black mold. We've searched everywhere...we've had floor boards replaced even..can't find anything. But now it's back and I have a sore throat, can smell it and don't know what to do! I can't clean what I can't find. We've checked everywhere.

Does anyone else have this problem with a high sensitivity to mold? My lungs are bothering me as I type this. I live in my family room, only leaving there to sleep at night. What does it do to my system that makes me the only one who has such a severe reaction to it? Is it as serious as my body makes it out to be?

Also, would a good air purifier be enough to save my lungs from getting so bad?
Sorry if this is a little off topic. Thanks!:(

Do you have an attic? Have you checked up there to make sure there isn't a leak that's promoting the growth of mold and/or mildew?

I have always been extremely sensitive to mold, I have asthma. Like you I can detect the odor before anyone else and I start coughing and my throat starts to swell shut.

I would check the basement under the family room to see if water is leaking in and the odor filtering up.

It may be even outside. In our last house, if you opened the windows on the shady side of the house, I detected a smell of mold from the soil outside. My asthma is so bad, I have to keep the windows shut and the air conditioner running as soon as the heat turns off and until I have to turn it back on in the fall, just to keep the air free of pollen and mold from the outside. You may also want to have your air vents cleaned professionally. I have them cleaned every few years. I also have those 3M air filters that are suppose to filter out 95% of pollen, mold and air particulate. With all that, I do not have a problem anymore. I hope you find the cause.

kathie

I would get a dehumidifier to put in that room. It should help a lot. We keep a humidity detector in our house. We like to keep the humidity in the room at about 50%.

Hi :)

Many years before muscle weakness symptoms started I worked in a room which I noticed was getting increasingly´damp´ I also began having constant headaches which kind of hung around for 2 years. I also noticed some odd breathing and lung sensations at that time.

I brought it to the attention of employer but it was a long time before anything was done about it. I even took in an instrument case with a humidity measuring device built into the cover and found out that the difference between my room and my colleagues room was 20%. When not used for a longer period the windows in the room would be´sweating´

So professionals were brought in and they found the culprit. A whole entire wall had to be taken down. The carpenter said I could be happy I didn´t see it - Black mold almost alive and crawling was how he put it :cool: The whole establishment received a facelift after this discovery including brand new air conditioning installed.

I know its common - I don´t know what it does to people who are already susceptible to muscle weakness. I sometimes wonder about it.

Please don´t give up the detective work as you are for sure better without this added health menace....

:hug:

PS Celeste - they put a dehumidifier in temporarily and emptying the water out of it was a BIG job - you would have thought I worked in the rainforest!!!!

Thank you all for your input. My dear hubby went out and got me an air purifier with high ratings in mold removal, and we're waiting to hear from our insurance to see if they'd pay for a company to come in and check for mold. I know its here somewhere. Hopefully the air purifier will help me in the meantime. Ugh. Wish me luck! :)

Do you have a chimney? What about the ceiling, have they checked that?

I hope you can have an expert come and check it out. If they do use bleach at any point, that is not good to breathe in either, so make sure you are gone!

A dehumidifier is great, which we use in the rainy months, but the ultimate solution is getting rid of it, wherever it is!

Have you tried using a mask for when it's really bad?

Also, have you had your radon checked? It doesn't smell but it is harmful and quite common.

There are people whose immune systems are sensitive like that. You might need to take precautions around any smells, so as not to put more of a "load" on your immune system.

Annie