Allergy testing - big MOLD positive
 

I decided to go get allergy tested with the "latest and greatest" of up to date testing. My results were surprising. I was sure I must have some bad seasonal allergies, but I did not react to grasses, ragweed, or any pollen except maple trees. I really swelled up from mold and dust mites though.
Even a week later and my arm still itches and has round swells where the antigen was put in. All the rest of the 30 spots are completely gone.

Hmmmmm, neurotoxic mold anyone?

Will I ever end this desperate quest to find out what happened to me?
I can't find any mold in my house. I even swabbed dust and vents to test it and it came out negative.

I just feel in my bones and my NERVES haha- that there is something toxic going on. I just can't figure out if it was exposure that happened or is chronic.
I thought I was over the mold theory.

Past leaks? Old flooding?
 

I remember a woman that had had a leak fixed under a cabinet and the wood got moldy behind something like linoleum and she couldn't see it. Have you had any old leaks or flooding that may have excaped your notice? We are all grasping at straws with you. Ken in Texas.

There seems to be a difference between having a mold allergy and being exposed toxic molds. Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus niger are some of the more well-known toxic molds. I assume you just had a IgE mold allergy panel? They didn't test your urine for mold, correct?

Neuropathy is not a common symptom, but it has been listed in some of the materials that I've read. When I have time later on, I'll post a few links to some new resources that I've stumbled on.

Those are big allergens for me, too. It was a pretty big investment, but I find my IQ Air Filter has really helped.

House dust must is the most common indoor allergens, im pretty allergic to it, i get nasal congestion,sneezing, post nasal, at 1 time i got nosebleeds from the cold and the allergies.it also causes hives, and worsen existing dermatitis. reducing exposure to dust mite should be helpful, but its difficult to control, if you have alot of "junk" in the house.

If you haven't already done so, people with dust mite allergy often find it helpful to seal mattresses and pillows in plastic covers.

Putting pillows and stuffed animals in the freezer for 24 hours, once a month can also help keep the mites down.

A few different links
 

Dr. Shoemaker seems to be on the cutting edge for this topic:

http://www.survivingmold.com/

A resource website:

http://www.momsaware.org/symptoms-of-mold-exposure.html

Here is a presentation by an MD; there are about 5 references to neuropathy:

http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/icim/patel1.pdf

Here are a few links that briefly mention neuropathy. You might want to try to go through and check out some of the cross links and references.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...oxins-06-00066

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19854819

Here is a MD who lists some of the toxic mold abstracts:

http://www.ei-resource.org/expert-co...oxin-exposure/

Here is an old NT link with someone who had neuropathy issues possibly due to mold exposure:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ht=mold&page=2

Another annecdoteal story, just because it's interesting:

http://wholenewmom.com/health-concer...sure-symptoms/

Toxic mold seems much like Lyme in that it's hard to understand what is really going on. Or even like toxic exposure to chemicals. There is not a lot that you are going to find in the medical literature to "prove" that its causing the issue.

http://www.iqair.com/home-air-purifiers

It's more expensive than something you would buy at the store, but I think has the ability to filter out more pollutants...especially if you think something in your environment is causing the family's symptoms.

You might want to look at water filter systems for the shower. Usually you can get them for under 200 bucks.

Yes, the IQ Air has a hefty price tag. The replacement filters aren't cheap, either. However, unlike cheaper models, it doesn't give off ozone. As I also have asthma, that was a factor in my purchase.

Hi Hockey,

Those replacement filters tend to last longer....correct? It seems from my research that you need to change the filters more often on some of the cheaper store air filter models.

Are you happy with the purchase?