Artist, what a strange reaction to Phenergan, lol I use it for the aids nausea... when I get that sick, I can't even keep pills down, so I have to use the <ack> suppositories.

Ada, make sure that all your heating and cooling equipment gets thoroughly cleaned. There is usually a thick layer of dust inside the unit itself, and it gets blown all over the house whenever the air/heat comes on. Also, wash or replace the filters too. As you are new to that house, you have no idea what kind of housekeeper the last tenants were.

If you are worried about mold, the best suggestion I can give you is bleach, bleach, and more bleach! Mix up a spray bottle of bleach and water, and spray all the tile and porcelain. You can also use it on walls and wood, as long as the strength of the mixture isn't too gnarly. Do it every day at first, then cut back to once a week later, when you have the problem under control and just need to keep it from coming back. You can't see it until it gets truly awful, so don't quit using it just because you don't see any mold.... it's there!

We have all these new cleaning supplies on the market.... expensive ones that are meant to be used in different rooms. It amazes me that they can convince our citizens that they need a different cleaner for bathroom tile than they do for the kitchen tile, for example. I have tried a few of them, like everyone else, but I always go back to the basics... bleach and comet. They're cheap, effective and you only need one bottle of each, lol!

Hey Ada.
Sweetie, I feel for you. I have allergies too, and living here where I live, that is a pretty big problem!

I will tell you this, though...even though you might not want to hear it. My allergies were MUCH worse before we moved from our trailer to the house we have now. In fact, both of the kids were having horrible allergy problems too. Especially Jay, who was dx'd with "Chronic Sinusitis". He doesn't have that problem here in the house. IN fact, the only one that seems to be having a worse time with the allergies in our house is our poor doggy. There is something that she is super allergic too (on top of fleas...so we have a "Flea Free" house. A pretty nifty trick to pull off when you have a cat that comes in and out all day long! LOL). In dogs, allergies come out as skin problems (ie Hotspots and such).

But...we aren't talking about critter allergies here...LOL

Basically what I am saying is that you might have to consider moving back to your old house if at all possible. Didn't you say that you were keeping it, but renting it out? If that is the case, when ever the lease that the tenants signed runs out, try to move back in. If you have sold it....well....you might consider looking for somewhere to live that IS NOT a trailer. I will try to explain why.

Trailers are not very...what is word I am looking for here? It isn't "Solid"...but kinda sorta? What I mean is, that unlike a built home, they have lots of places for dust, pollen, critters (like little bugs and such), and moisture to come in your home. Try getting someone to look under your trailer for you, and see if there are places around the pipes going to the sinks and tubs and such, or around the floor vents (or, even wall vents, if you have those...that will be harder to see though), and such that have places where there are any kinds of gaps. Places where the installation (another thing that is HORRIBLE about trailers...they aren't well insulated and it is easy for the insulation under neath the flooring to get pulled loose and allow all kinds of crap to get in easier) is pulled loose, or fixing to come loose.


On the inside, make sure that all of your floors are sound and solid....the places that weakness can happen easiest is around the tubs/showers and under any sinks...and even around the toilet. Anywhere that water might have a chance to soak the wood and walls slowly and without you even realizing that it is happening. Even if you find that all floors and walls are totally solid and have NO signs of water damage problems...those are things that you really want to keep a close eye on, and check pretty regularly. The walls and floors in trailers are not the same as in built homes, and can absorb water that you don't even know is leaking from anywhere...and have been doing it for a LONG time before you figure it out. Especially if the wood has opportunity to dry out sometimes. Like, things getting damp in the summer from the condensation, but drying out in the winter. If that makes sense?

Also, look up at any fans or vents that you have in the ceilings of your home. You know, like the ones in the bathrooms, and in the laundry room? Even the one over the stove. Those are all places that small leaks can happen, that are hard for you to see...and usually by the time that you DO see it, it is a pretty big problem. Again, the stuff that they make the ceilings out of isn't the same as in built homes. I don't know if it is pressboard or what, but it is absorbent, up to a point. This might also be where you need to have some one check for mold. There, and under the tub...and under all the sinks.

Check around your windows, too....for the same reason. Windows get condensation on them...and some times in trailer houses, the it can seep or something...and again you can have the problem with the walls and area immediately around the window being damp. This can happen on EITHER side of the wall too, but the only way that I know of to check the outer side of the walls would be to move the tin and the insulation and check. Not the thing that you realyl want to have to do, you know?

Back to the fans and such, those are ways not only for air and moisture to be sucked OUT, but ways for those things to get IN, too. I don't know what you could do about that....do they make HEPA filters to go in those sorts of small places?


There are so very many different places that outside air carrying pollen and dust and whatever can easily get into a trailer house. It isn't like a built house that can be made basically "Allergy Free" with the right kind of equipment installed (those special AC units, and all of those filtration devices and what not).

Oh...About your swamp cooler. I know about those things Sweetie, because I was raised up in Arizona where those are what EVERYONE has for their AC stuff. For the same reasons too; to try to put some humidity back in the air in the house so that your nose (and whatnot) doesn't crack open on the inside and bleed, or your skin turn into a FOR REAL "Lizard Woman's". LOL. When I was a kid, the swamp coolers were usually on top of the houses. Where is yours? Is it on top of the trailer (which, I would guess probably not, since it seems to me that it would be kinda heavy to be up there, and trailers aren't the sturdiest things....that is why we had to leave ours every time a bad storm came up.....the get blown over and apart by not just tornados, but straight line winds too. Do you all have a wind issue to deal with in your area ever?)? Or is it out beside it some where? It is anywhere where the water inside it could leak onto your house? How much moisture is put out around the vents in the house and such? Have you ever noticed them feeling "Damp" if you accidentally stepped on one (if you have them in the floor), or looked up to see one drip (if you have them in the upper walls or ceiling)? That could be a super prime place for Mold to get started. Again...the whole weird wall thing. I think that my folks have a Heat Pump (actually, two. Whatever they have to cool their house, they have two of, one for upstairs and one for down) to heat and cool their house in Las Vegas. There isn't much of anywhere that is drier than Vegas. I mean...the only get about 4" of annual (Yes...I said ANNUAL!!!! That blows my mind....even being the Desert Rat at heart that I am. LOL) rain fall, and for the past few years they have been in a severe drought. Lake Meade is falling at the rate of a foot a week (!!!!!), because of usuage (I think that 3 [at least] States get water from there), but also because of evaporation. I am pretty sure that they don't have Swamp Coolers. But, I will make it a POINT to ask my Mom when I talk to her later today. Since she has had swamp coolers before, I will ask her if whatever it is that they use helps with the humidity levels in the house like a swamp cooler does.

Funny thing, while I am sitting here writing this....we have the OPPOSITE problem here, usually. We need to run regular type AC's to try to DRY OUT the house, because the humidity levels are so freaking high. Usually, that is. Like you, we are having a weird year here. We are almost 2 feet under what we are supposed to have in rainfall for this year (and this isn't adding on what we were behind for LAST year....which doesn't make sense to me any time that they say it on the news...), and our humidity levels are SUPER low...at least for here. Yesterday, I think that we only had 20 something % humidity! Tell you what, that makes ME a happy camper, as I do MUCH better in drier air (which is why I am moving back out to AZ in about a year...once Meghan is married and out on her own...BTW< she is engaged right now...has been since Jan. Jay is heading out to AZ to go to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University up in Prescott. He is going to be a pilot. Scares me to death to think of him doing that, and to have him so far away....but then, it will scare me to death to have MEGHAN being far away when I move from here too. *sigh....looks like heart ache no matter what I do, you know? Meghan is going to Cosmetology School still, and doing very well. She will be finished next year...and then plans on geting married to the fella she has been dating for YEARS now. I am NOT ready for all of this, I can tell you! LOL...Ok...back to the subject...sorry, but I wanted to update you a little.....LOL). But, we are under water restrictions here now, as we are in a EXTREME Drought. The whole northern half of the State is a tinder box ready to fire up at the least bit of provocation. Kinda scary...but I still feel lots better than I would normally this time of year! LOL

The only other thing that I can think of to caution you about, and to say check on, is the floors. I saw where you are thinking about putting tile down. That is good...and it will give you an opportunity to check the condition of the floors underneath all of the carpets and pads and such. You might see if you can replace the tile in the bathrooms, to check there too. I know that would cost more....but I am just trying to think of every place that we had mold show up in our old trailer. I know that mold is usually easier to grow here, because of the Humidity...but I figure that the places that we had it happen, would be places for ANYONE to check too...just ours were helped along and probably showed up worse then they would in drier places. If that makes sense?

Oh. One other thing. Is your trailer underpinnned? I imagine that is probably is, since you are in a mobile home park and those places are usually pretty big on that, for looks and for safety. But, stuff can still get under the house, and things can still grow up under there. You might see if you can get someone to check under...and see if there is anything that might be something that is setting off your allergies. There might even be mold and such, if there are nay places under there where water can sit on the ground. You know?

In the mean time, do try to stay in or away when the grass cutting is going on. If you notice being able to smell it in your house even with all of the windows and doors shut, and if you have a HEPA filter...then I would just stay away while it is being done and for a few hours afterwards until everything gets a bit more settled. Do you live on a dirt road, or close to one? Are the roads in your park paved? Do they have gravel laid down in stead? If you have the dirt or gravel...that will be where you will have a HUGE battle trying to keep the dust out of the house, it is will be constantly being stirred up by every car that drives around there. Hopefully a HEPA filter might help with that at least a little.....depending on if there are other places for air and whatnot to get in. But some help is better than none, right?

I really hope that you can get this all figured out, and that you start feeling better. I know how bad I was feeling when my allergies were SOOO bad. I didn't even realize HOW bad I was feeling in that respect until after we got away from there for a bit. I still have problems, as my allergies haven't gone away (I also am allergic to lots of different grasses, Honeysuckle [which is growing right across the street in my neighbors yard!], numerous other different kinds of flowers and weeds and trees, and others stuff too), but I just don't have as many problems with it as we did in the trailer. I really think that it is in large part because even in this old house we have here, we are better able to keep outside air out, then we were in the trailer. I know that Jay hasn't had a big problem with Sinusitis in a while (like me, he will still have allergies hit, but not near as bad, and he does get relief now, where he couldn't before), and certainly not any of the "Chronic" variety. The only thing that I can tell you is to try to have someone help you go over your trailer house and make it is air tight as possible. Weather stripping around the windows and doors....and I don't even know what else (the fan thing is stumping me, honestly). Anything to at least help keep some of that outside stuff OUTSIDE and not in the house with you.

I am really glad to see you back posting again, Ada Sweetie. I miss you when you are gone. I really do hope that things start going better for you, as you sure could use a break! I am glad to hear that you are getting an additional care taker to help you out, and that you are talking with your neighbors. I have been worried about you, because I know how hard you battle with depression. So, I am glad that you are NOT keeping to yourself, and that you are talking to folks and getting out, and such. Although, all of those doc visits so close together! I couldn't have pulled that one off either! LOL

Sorry that this got to be so long, but you know how it goes when I get started. I hope that it didn't bother you to sit and read it all.

Love and LOTS of
Jose

PS..I just had another thought. Did your doc suggest those maks things to you? You know, the white ones that you can wear over your mouth and nose? LOTS of folks around here use them when they are out mowing their yards. That might be something that you can do, if you can't leave the house when folks are mowing and such; just put on one of those and see if it helps? I'll keep trying to think on this. again
Jose

I don't usually read books but when I get started on yours, I just don't quit. LOL

About my other place, I still own it. My kids moved into it. They have theirs sold and then they intend to buy acreage and build on it and then we will put a mobile home on it for me. It most likely won't be this one as they cost so much to move. My place out there is just too big for me to keep up as well as the yard. The kids just put chain link fence around it. They are upgrading it so when they get out I will get

As far as this one, the swampcooler is on top. Travis got up there and put a new motor in it and checked it our for me. This trailer was redone inside, when you walk in it doesn't look like a trailer. They put up plasterboard and then did that stucco type stuff. It looks like new inside. By doing that it made it far more insulated then most.

Wendy says she will go through here and check out everything and clean everything. What makes it good with me getting Wendy for my other caregiver, she has been one for years and she is Travis's sister so she has always been a part of my family.

The mobile home park I live in is the nicest one in this area. It is mostly for the elderly and disabled and it has paved roads. The mobile is also very tightly underpinned.

I do intend to put new tile all through here in the next few months. I think Susan and Wendy can do it for me. Then we will be able to check out the floors as you said.

Travis just redid my roof also to make sure there were no leaks. We have had 8 weekends of snow through Nov thru Jan and have had more rain then I've seen here. Since the kids moved into my place they have seen water get up to the front porch and Bill and I only had that to happen 2 times in the 8 years we lived there. I think our drought is about over, we also have been dealing with drought for about 5 years now but I do believe we are getting the water level back up.

We don't see the humidity as you guys do. Today I don't think there is any if only about 5%. I forgot where you live but if it's like Ky. when the weather is 99 then the humidity is just about there also. I could see the mold in a house we lived in in Ky. once. I do know what you mean about that.

I often wondered about people missing their kids when they leave home, what they call the empty nest syndrome. I never had that even though I just had Susan but really I have always seen or talked to her about everyday so she really isn't gone. She's always been a Momma's and a Daddy's girl so when she got married, the husband's didn't have any choice but the be ok with it. I have a great son-in-law now, he's a blessing and has been there for me since we lost Bill. Even my ex-son-in-law still thinks of me as his Mom, he just put in a new sink for me.

As far as being around people. I do have some great friends. We have lived around here since 87 and I know about everyone here due to owning antique shops here.

My hardest part is that I can't answer the phone when I'm going through this. My brother called me twice Sunday and my niece in Denver has called several times and I just don't want to talk to anyone. I don't get out much except to go to town or help someone around here with one of the stores for a few hours.

As far as the VNS so far it hasn't done a thing for me and my Dr. said it is my call when we say enough but he still wants me to try and hold off for awhile longer and I will. I still have to have it turned up 2 more times. I have been having some bad days again over losing Bill. The past 4 days have been really bad.

Thanks for all of the good advice on checking things out. Rouge, that's a great ideal about the bleach and water. I totally agree with you. I have tried so many of those cleaners that do nothing with cleaning. I rely on the bleach, SOS pads, and comet also.

I got out awhile ago and my nose started running like a sift so so far the meds aren't working but it might take time.

Thanks again,

Ada

Hi Ada,

Maybe someone should do a poll on allergies? I was tested as a young adult. But they believe mine is relate to foods, including the way some are grown. Hugs, Roz

Hi Ada,
My daughter and her husband have horrible allergies.
They have 2 cats and a dog.
They were tired of taking allergy meds so they bought an air purification system and now they sleep much better, have less sniffles.

In a trailer, you won't need a very big one and you take it wherever you go.
Ours has a filter that washes clean with soap and hot water.
Not expensive either.
I hope you find something that helps.
Hope

Just reading through this and agree with all the others about filters, removing carpets, etc. One thing I believe in is natural remedies. Quercetin - is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory that has helped many people with allergies. I know I take it with my multivitamin in the am and it helps with my dust allergies a lot. I use a brand of Quercetin with Bromelain, which is basically pineapple extract that helps in digestion. So, if you are interested in natural remedies, that helps some. But, always check with your doctor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercetin

I will read up on that Quercertin. I never heard of it before. I just don't like the ideal of taking so many meds as they have given me so I will check into this natural remedy you are talking about.

I did try the Alegra and it makes me sleepy so I haven't taken anymore. I am scared to even try the Advair, Nasacort and the Albuterol. I want to read up on them first.

You know what I find is when they start shoving all of these meds at me I just get angry. I guess because I can't figure why it takes 4 meds for allergies, 4 for heart problems, and so many for pain and every other problem a person has. I cannot keep up with all of them either. I have a large tin full of meds that have been given to me and I tried awhile back to take some that were mentioned on here and I couldn't handle them.

I realize meds are needed and I don't knock anyone who takes them but I just can't take so many.

Thanks again for that good info.

Roz, you are right about taking a poll. I NEVER had allergies until I got RSD and Fibro. Now I am allergic to about everything going, I don't get why our bodies change so much that we end up with not just one problem but many with the RSD and Fibro.

Thanks,
Ada

I think sometimes we are over drugged!!! My son was on 3 allergy meds but now takes allergy shots and is drug free, it took a year but is amazing at the change. I try to go natural as much as possible. My doctor so far approves but I do need pain meds. But for general health, I take:
1 multivitamin, 2000 mg flax seed oil (for skin, bowels etc.), quercetin, and sometimes for stomach upset aloe juice.

I worked for a few years in a GNC/pharmacy and the owner made me his natural health guru. I studied plants, minerals and other "natural health" items. He let me keep these cd's with tons of info on them and I try to follow that route when possible.

Good luck to you and remember, I think the people here are much more informed than 90% of our doctors. I don't write in too much but I do care. Smiles.

I just don't want to be overmedicated. I went back today to the Immuneologist and he wants me to have a cat scan on my sinus. I still don't know what any of the blood work showed.

I took an Alegra and it made me very sleepy so he says to take them at night. It's exactly like my PCP says, what good is it to try and treat a person with CFS by giving them all of these meds that make them more sleepy. I agree.

I can't keep up with my meds as it is. I forget to take them or forget that I took them. I am getting one of those pill dispensers but if I can't work the thing or forget about it then it's a waste of money also. Odds are I will forget too.

Ada

Here is something that I was told. I really think it works. We buy local honey at the farmers market. I take a tablespoon a day. As it is local, it was made from local plants and all. after a while, you get used to the local flora, and it doesn't make you as miserable. It does have to be local tho. nothing from the store.
hope it helps.
mary