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A few weeks ago I started ripping out walls in the master suite to start putting up drywall. I found a ton of black and green mold in the walls. I didn't think much of it, sprayed it with bleach and moved on.
Since then I've been wicked sick and was in the hospital Sunday. They said I was getting over pneumonia, did a breathing treatment for me and sent me on my way. I called my doctor Monday afternoon and told him the meds they gave me left me in a zombie state after a single dose and asked if I could get something else. After a quick chat with him he said he thinks the mold I uncovered was the problem and wants the Health Department to come check the house.
So now I"m wondering if that's been my husband's problem all along. He's always had medical problems but since we moved into this house it's gone off the charts.
Within 6 months of moving here he'd had a stroke and a heart attack. A few months later another stroke followed by 2 more heart attacks over the next year. His mental impairment - complete confusion, forgetfulness, etc - has gotten scary. He gets very dizzy and falls constantly, something we'd just blamed on the strokes. His asthma isn't controllable anymore and he does regular breathing treatments at home with his nebulizer as well as keeping his inhaler on him constantly. His depression has become so bad that his medication doesn't work anymore and he can barely get himself out of bed in the morning or keep moving all day; just constantly exhausted. The list just goes on and on.
Based on what I've read on the internet it does sound like all these problems could be contributed to mold. Not only is it in the walls, but we've seen it in the walk in closet our clothes used to hang in that backs up to the tub in the master bathroom. The tub leaks BTW. I've also noticed that I'm forever scrubbing black mold off shelves and furniture in the house.
We went for the first 4 years in the house with no central heat and air and for 15 years before we bought it the house was vacant. We're in rural middle TN and the summers can be brutally humid. I have no doubt that also played a part in the mold taking hold, probably before we even bought it.
My questions are 1) does it sound like this could be mold and 2) where do we start to find out if that's the problem? Should we call the Health Department or find a professional? Our insurance covers mold removal so should we call them to find someone? Anyone have any ideas?
A few weeks ago I started ripping out walls in the master suite to start putting up drywall. I found a ton of black and green mold in the walls. I didn't think much of it, sprayed it with bleach and moved on.
Since then I've been wicked sick and was in the hospital Sunday. They said I was getting over pneumonia, did a breathing treatment for me and sent me on my way. I called my doctor Monday afternoon and told him the meds they gave me left me in a zombie state after a single dose and asked if I could get something else. After a quick chat with him he said he thinks the mold I uncovered was the problem and wants the Health Department to come check the house.
So now I"m wondering if that's been my husband's problem all along. He's always had medical problems but since we moved into this house it's gone off the charts.
Within 6 months of moving here he'd had a stroke and a heart attack. A few months later another stroke followed by 2 more heart attacks over the next year. His mental impairment - complete confusion, forgetfulness, etc - has gotten scary. He gets very dizzy and falls constantly, something we'd just blamed on the strokes. His asthma isn't controllable anymore and he does regular breathing treatments at home with his nebulizer as well as keeping his inhaler on him constantly. His depression has become so bad that his medication doesn't work anymore and he can barely get himself out of bed in the morning or keep moving all day; just constantly exhausted. The list just goes on and on.
Based on what I've read on the internet it does sound like all these problems could be contributed to mold. Not only is it in the walls, but we've seen it in the walk in closet our clothes used to hang in that backs up to the tub in the master bathroom. The tub leaks BTW. I've also noticed that I'm forever scrubbing black mold off shelves and furniture in the house.
We went for the first 4 years in the house with no central heat and air and for 15 years before we bought it the house was vacant. We're in rural middle TN and the summers can be brutally humid. I have no doubt that also played a part in the mold taking hold, probably before we even bought it.
My questions are 1) does it sound like this could be mold and 2) where do we start to find out if that's the problem? Should we call the Health Department or find a professional? Our insurance covers mold removal so should we call them to find someone? Anyone have any ideas?
You need to hire a mold inspector. They will come out and take samples to find out what kind of mold you have. Then you need to determine where the water is coming from that is allowing the mold to grow. It can't grow without water. (The inspector may be able to tell you that as well).
Certain types of mold can be a serious problem. A certified inspector can help you with this. Do not attribute all of your problems to mold as that can be short sighted. Strokes and heart attacks are much more likely to be attributable to lifestyle choices. You indicated that you sprayed bleach on the mold, this could very likely have caused you to be ill if you did not protect yourself while doing it. Bleach is corrosive and very damaging to the lungs. Here is an anectdote to ponder...I once had a lady that was concerned that her child was getting exposed to germs as he would get ill frequently (she appeared to be a bit obsessive/compulsive). She sprayed everything down with Lysol repeatedly including clothing etc. It took me forever to convince her that it was the over/improper use of the Lysol causing the health problems her child was having and not the "germs".
I had clients who wanted to bid on a very nice property that had an extensive, sudden flood problem. The listing agent made the decision to bleach the developing mold. A mold remediation company explained that bleach explodes and spreads the spores; that containment (and remediation of the environment) would be necessary. The house went off the market for a month, my clients decided that, since they didn't know if/what remediation was done, they weren't interested.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrs1885
A few weeks ago I started ripping out walls in the master suite to start putting up drywall. I found a ton of black and green mold in the walls. I didn't think much of it, sprayed it with bleach and moved on.
Since then I've been wicked sick and was in the hospital Sunday. They said I was getting over pneumonia, did a breathing treatment for me and sent me on my way. I called my doctor Monday afternoon and told him the meds they gave me left me in a zombie state after a single dose and asked if I could get something else. After a quick chat with him he said he thinks the mold I uncovered was the problem and wants the Health Department to come check the house.
So now I"m wondering if that's been my husband's problem all along. He's always had medical problems but since we moved into this house it's gone off the charts.
Within 6 months of moving here he'd had a stroke and a heart attack. A few months later another stroke followed by 2 more heart attacks over the next year. His mental impairment - complete confusion, forgetfulness, etc - has gotten scary. He gets very dizzy and falls constantly, something we'd just blamed on the strokes. His asthma isn't controllable anymore and he does regular breathing treatments at home with his nebulizer as well as keeping his inhaler on him constantly. His depression has become so bad that his medication doesn't work anymore and he can barely get himself out of bed in the morning or keep moving all day; just constantly exhausted. The list just goes on and on.
Based on what I've read on the internet it does sound like all these problems could be contributed to mold. Not only is it in the walls, but we've seen it in the walk in closet our clothes used to hang in that backs up to the tub in the master bathroom. The tub leaks BTW. I've also noticed that I'm forever scrubbing black mold off shelves and furniture in the house.
We went for the first 4 years in the house with no central heat and air and for 15 years before we bought it the house was vacant. We're in rural middle TN and the summers can be brutally humid. I have no doubt that also played a part in the mold taking hold, probably before we even bought it.
My questions are 1) does it sound like this could be mold and 2) where do we start to find out if that's the problem? Should we call the Health Department or find a professional? Our insurance covers mold removal so should we call them to find someone? Anyone have any ideas?
Yes, it absolutely could be mold. You need to contact a professional mold inspector, get samples taken and cultures grown, and make certain your physicians get the info. ASAP. In the mean time, if you can afford to, you and your husband might consider leaving the house for a hotel or relatives house and see if your symptoms improve. You do not want to stay there with mold as obvious and in the colors that you have described.
The mold inspector will be able to tell you if your house is a total loss. Read your homeowners coverage to make certain that mold is not an exclusion. Don't mean to scare you but, from what you describe, this is serious.
Mrs. my gosh you 2 have had it rough. I feel so terribly sorry for all you've been through. The poster who brought up the bleach & mold hazard, told us all something I wish was well known! I'd never heard that & I'd bet most of us would use bleach. Very scary!
Please if you can, do what the last poster suggested. You two need to get out of that house. Even if it isnt the home & mold, I'd want to see if I felt better out of it. Wishing you 2 the best, please keep us updated.
You should immediately go in for a mold removal expert's service. Molds can prove to be very dangerous and can harm the health of your and your family members, especially children and old people. Molds have the tendency to multiply quickly and within no time they will spread at the entire space. I had seen a site which provides the service of mold removal. I had gained very useful information about it from there. You can also have a look at that. The site is moldwinnipeg (dot) com.
Look I am not going to say that the OP's pneumonia could not have been aggravated , maybe even triggered by exposure to mold, after all lungs are pretty amazing, delicate organs that mostly survive some unbeliievable abuse in smokers and others, with only a small percentage of folks getting cancer or other serious diseases.
Dizziness due to either infection or just poor lung function is also well within the expected symptoms.
But stroke? Come on. And two heart attacks? The dude has some major health issues. You cannot correlate those kinds of things to mold...
I feel bad for the OP and hope that their family gets the kinds of medical attention they need.
Mold is obviously something you don't want growing in your walls, as other have noted since it needs moisture and moisture means ROT that is huge indication your house is going to need serious repairs if not addressed quickly / properly. The fear mongers that claim "bleach explodes mold" are trading on half truths at best -- mold spores can be disperssed by any disturbance, whther that is from a vacuum cleaner, misting bottle, deck sprayer, fan whatever. A bleach solution that is concentrated in HCl will "lyse" or dissolve the spores to a great extent and make it impossible to do harm THAT IS THE WAY 99%+ of surface Disenfectents / antifungal / antiviral cleaners work! You don't need a "remediation expert" to clean up rotten leaves, just get 'em away from your house. Mold counts are very high in moist forest with lots of fallen leaves!
If you encounter a house that was properly cleaned up after water damage it should not press t any future issues, mold is generally vey visible andmby properly sealing up / during up things as well as using sane methods of clean up you have norhing to fear.
I'm with Chet on this one. Strokes and heart attacks are just not caused by mold.
Wait a minute.... they lived in a house for 4 years without heat and air.....in middle Tennessee? And the house was vacant for 15 years before they bought it????
How about looking at rodent infestation as well? It must have been a moldy mess when they first looked at the house.
I live in a house with mold and found out that I had a stroke and two tia's. Mold causes inflammation which then caused my migraines and from the inflammation that is why I had strokes so whoever thinks this cannot happen does not have a clue on life and I have no serious health issues till I moved into this house also I am allergic to mold we are moving asap just got all results back from neurologist.
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Come on people, stroke?!?
