A Fungus Among Us

Last fall we moved into a new house. We knew there had been a leaky roof that caused the addition to rot and required it to be completely redone. We didn't think much about it since the damage had been repaired. We also had a problem with the dryer vent backing up and allowing moist air from the dryer to come into the house. It bothered my allergies, but we finally got it fixed and thought that was the end of it.

A few weeks after moving in I was hospitalized with a case of pancreatitis. Although I don't drink or take drugs, I eat a healthy diet, and despite having every test in the world on my liver, gall bladder, upper and lower GI tract, they could find no cause for the pancreatitis. Then, a month later I was hospitalized for pancreatitis again, and they found ulcers in my upper stomach area. We assumed it was related to medication I was taking for narcolepsy with cataplexy, so I stopped the medications. After a couple months of eating a strict diet of soft foods and taking probiotics and L-glutamine, I seemed fine.

Then, a month ago, the painful symptoms of pancreatitis and stomach ulcers returned along with bleeding sores, Chron's-like symptoms, and the inability to eat solid food. That's when I realized this was my third GI flare since moving into this house. I knew there had to be a connection. So we did a home mold test kit. You can see the photo above of the mold spores that grew from our air samples in two different rooms. So I talked to my doctor and showed her this article about what inhaling mold can do to the body, which includes respiratory, digestive, cardiac, and even neurological symptoms. Scary stuff! She put me on a 10-day course of the antifungal medication Diflucan. After 4 days, I felt much better and was able to eat solid food for the first time in 3 weeks.

But now the medicine has worn off, and I am in agony again. We spent the last 3 days making huge batches of chicken stock and broccoli cheese soup in this huge 22-quart pot my husband found.

I spoke with someone at Healthy Perceptions an air and water purification company, and they told me that because I have a mold allergy, due to my symptoms since we moved in, and - based on the results of our mold test - since we have enough airborne mold to cause concern, they recommended their Zone Air Purification system. We purchased 3 of their Aclare Air Purifiers to treat the air in our home.

Because I am perfectly miserable and have been for over a month, I can't wait until the air purifiers get here and I can start feeling better. One of our dogs, Xander, has been very sick with respiratory issues as well. He has no bacterial or viral infections and allergy treatments have not helped. We believe the mold is affecting him as well. We're treating him with natural antifungals and assisting his congestion and inflammation with nettles and eyebright and using eucalyptus oil on his ears at night to help him breathe. I feel so badly for him!

I'll keep you updated on how we both feel after we get the air treatment units!