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Symptoms of Household Mold Exposure
What are the Symptoms of Mold Exposure?
When a person feels ills they may not immediately consider the cause to be mold. Mold can and does cause serious health problems in many people.
Exposure to mold has several symptoms including:
- A skin rash:
Although you may think that the skin can only become inflamed by direct contact with the mold this isn’t always the case. You can develop redness in your skin simply from inhaling the fumes from the mold.
- Eye irritation:
Mold can cause both redness and watering of the eyes. During the spring months, many people associate this with seasonal allergies when in actuality the cause is the mold within their home or office.
- Headaches:
Breathing in mold can cause headaches in some people. This is especially true of people who suffer with migraines. They are very sensitive to certain stimulants and mold can be one of them.
- Feeling tired:
Feeling tired for several days in a row, even when you are getting adequate sleep can be a symptom of mold exposure.
- Sore throat:
Experiencing a raw feeling when swallowing, or hoarseness when speaking, are both indicative of mold exposure. Spores can become lodged in the throat and irritate the sensitive membranes.
- Shortness of breath:
Breathing in mold spores can cause respiratory difficulties in some people. This is especially prevalent in those with allergies.
They may even develop asthma or may have asthma and not realize that their asthma attacks are being trigged by the mold in their homes.
- Runny nose or sinuses:
If you are constantly reaching for a tissue to catch your runny nose this can also be a strong symptom of mold exposure. This can be triggered either by an allergy to the mold spores or the membranes of the nose become irritated by the spores.
In either case, you may again misdiagnose yourself as having a head cold or seasonal allergies, but if the runny nose persists, consider that the source may indeed be mold.
- Bleeding nose:
Although this symptom is rare, it does occur. Some people are more sensitive to certain allergens and those offending irritants cause severe reactions.
One of these reactions can be damage to the membranes of the nose resulting in regular bleeding. If this is happening to you, it can be caused by mold within your home.
Do You Suffer From Mold Exposure Symptoms?
If you realize that you suffer from several or all of these symptoms on a regular basis, it’s advisable that you inspect your home for mold. It’s also wise to track how your symptoms occur.
If you leave your home each day to work and notice that you feel better during the day, this can be a clear indicator that something in your home is causing your distress.
The same can be said if you travel and find yourself in better health then. Your home shouldn’t make you sick and finding and treating the mold problem will ensure that doesn’t happen.
Further Recommended Reading :
Joslyn from the Moldblogger Team
I constantly smell musty smell around different areas in my manufactured home. The more snow we get the worse it gets. I have headaches, sinus burn and constant nose bleads. Does it sound like I need to call someone for mold. We have also had 2 problems with flooding in both of our bathrooms. My husband says he cant smell anything, but I smell it all over the house.
Marsha Gray on February 26th, 2007Thank you this info helped me alot. My son has been haveing a runny nose for a month now. Many of my friends kids have had these syptoms when they are in our house. My husband will not listen to me that we have a serious mold problem. It needs to be taken care of right away before it causes serious health problems. Is there any way I can proove to my husband that we have a mold problem so he does something about it?
Krystal on April 19th, 2007Just want to let you know…My boyfreind has been living in this cottage for 11 years..I lived here for 2. He always complains that he’s tired. His eyes are always running. Nose too. I took up the carpet and lo and behold…MOLD. The bathroom must have been leaking around the tub inclosure for years. The wood floor under the old linolium was wet and moldy. As well as the wall in the bathroom.
Gail on September 12th, 2007Now I know why he’s “tired” all the time. needless to say. I have to rip out all the flooring and walls in the living room and the bathroom. and start over. But at least now I know. i CAN’T WAIT TO TELL HIM THAT IT’S NOT IN HIS HEAD!!!
Krystal –
You could always hire a mold remediator to run some tests for you, or get a “do-it-yourself” kit and save some money!
Remember that a mold remediator’s test are more often correct and recognize more types of mold than the home self kits.
Here are 2 informative posts that will help you to decide which is right for you :
Thank you for your question and Have a Great Day!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on November 9th, 2007I think there is mold in the house we are renting. The bathroom and the kitchen are both carpteted and I am having asthma attacks when I am at home. As soon as I leave my house I feel better. My fiance is constantly choked up and even sometimes wheezes too even though he doesn’t have asthma. I see a discoloration around the baseboards in the bathroom and the kitchen but I can’t tell from the pictures on the internet if it is mold. Any advice would be necessary. I am currently doing a mold test that I bought at Lowes.
Amanda on December 31st, 2007Amanda –
Do-It-Yourself mold tests are definitely the first step. Depending on the results, a professional mold team may be the next decision to make.
The symptoms you describe are also a definite sign that there IS a mold problem.
The discoloration around the baseboards does not necessarily mean that that IS mold, however it could be a water leak or moisture problem — which is the main cause of mold growth.
Also, severe mold remediation cases can be extremely expensive. You should definitely report the suspected problem to your land owner as well as present the results to your home mold test and any other tests you may have done.
I wish you the best Amanda, and if you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
If anyone else has anything to add or suggest, feel free to comment =).
Suggested Reading :
How to Test for Mold in Your Home
3 Tips for Choosing a Mold Remediator
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on January 3rd, 2008Thanks so much Joslyn for replying to my comment. Upon further searching we did come across some obvious mold. Also the home test is showing red, whitish, and black spots of what looks like mold. Thanks so much for your advice and comments.
Amanda on January 6th, 2008You are very welcome Amanda! Glad that we could help =)
Let us know if you have any more questions!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on January 6th, 2008I have been having some episodes that I think are possibly related to mold and I was wondering your thoughts on this. When I drive my truck, it seems that when i get in the truck and start on my drive,that my breathing begins to feel constricted somewhat and i begin to have drainage in my throat and in my chest and my chest gets heavy, like someone is stepping in the middle of it.And also I experience these same symptoms when I am on my riding mower , mowing grass.And when I have these episodes my chest will feel weak for 2 or 3 days and I will have the drainage.But after the 2 or 3 day i feel fine .
Jeff on January 15th, 2008Jeff -
The symptoms you are describing definitely seem to point towards a sensitivity towards mold and the allergens it produces.
I would advise you to speak with your doctor about your symptoms and maybe he or she will have a solution as to what to do to minimize the affects while you are in your truck as well as mowing.
Thank you so much and I hope that helps. If anyone else has anything to add, don’t hesitate to post a comment! =)
Have a Wonderful Day,
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Joslyn on January 16th, 2008my family and i moved into a mobile home last march.there seemed to be alot of water leaking under our trailer.my landlord finally fixed the leak bu the trailer is older and i’m sure that there is more water leaking from somewhere.in august my daughters started school.well to tell you the truth they have been out of school sick over 15 days so far and am afriad the school will punish me.My girls and i have athsma symtoms,flu symtoms,headachs everyday and now nausea.we dont have much money.I need help
colleen on March 17th, 2008Colleen,
It definitely sounds like your home has been infested with mold. The symptoms you are experiencing seem to be mold related and the only thing you can do to eliminate the health risks and keep your children in school is to get out of your home. Especially if you have already talked to your landlord and nothing is being done to get rid of the mold problem.
Yours and your girls’ health is the most important factor here. Do you have any family you could move in with for a short period of time while you look for another home?
I would look into all of your options, the number one thing in your mind being you need to get out of the mold infested trailer.
I wish you the best of luck,
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on March 17th, 2008Thank you for your response.We are in quite a bind being sick and all.I was fired from my job and have no family.not a clue as to what will happen next.PLEASE PRAY FOR US!!!
colleen on March 17th, 2008Thank you.
Hello, I have been reading up on mold and the sythoms associated etc. I now have been diagnosed as having asthma and allergies. I have been living in this house for 2 years and have tried to remember when this all started. I have a hard time catching a deep breath–some days are okay and others terribly scary. Every morning it takes me 15 minutes to clear my sinuses and it is very unplesant. Here about 1 month ago we had major storms and that is when I noticed water leaking that I can tell is going right down the walls. My mom lives above me and smokes so everyone says that her coughing and mucus is from that but I know her coughs and here lately it has been so much worse and diffrent but yet the Dr. says her lungs are “okay”. I asked my doctor what the sythoms are from mold and she said “everything that you are going thru” and it was like a light bulb went off in her head. We are in the process of trying to move out but have to stay here until that happens. When we do move, do you think these breathing problems are permanent or do you think they will go away?
Nicole on May 2nd, 2008My daughter, son-in-law & grandchildren are living in an apartment complex & their neighbors apartment leaks, gets wet every time it rains & their apartment smells badly of mildew. Their child is constantly sick with runny nose & rashes. My children have been exposed to their child while playing outdoors & just recently have had to take my children to our physician for symptoms including runny noses that have been constant. I have noticed sudden headaches with myself & being tired. My fiancee has been having pain in his feet & muscle aches throughout his body. What can I do to find out if these are all symptoms of mold exposure? How do I investigate my neighbors without being mean? Should I contact the landlord to control this? Could you please give me positive & accurate inpute? Thank you so much.
Tina on June 14th, 2008Nicole’s question was answered personally via email.
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on June 24th, 2008Tina,
You’re in a difficult situation as it is your neighbors apartment and they have the right to deal with the problem as they choose. Have you tried approaching the subject with them? They may have no idea it could be mold exposure and then both of your families can approach the landlord.
All of the symptoms you’re describing are symptoms of mold contamination.
The following posts may help as well :
Symptoms of Mold Exposure and Who is at Risk
Symptoms of Household Mold Exposure
Hope this helps!
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger team
Joslyn on June 24th, 2008I am 43, but when I was a child, I was exposed to Black Mold for many years. I had extreme dizziness that would last for weeks. My doctor at the time had literally no clue what was causing the dizziness (of course I do now), he ran hundreds of tests for blood sugar, inner ear, etc.. so I continued to live/sleep in a bedroom that was infested with Black Mold and we didn’t even know it. When we moved out of that house many years later, the dizziness stopped. Here’s my situation though – throughout my adult life, whenever I have had any physically stressful or mentally stressful situation, I believe that I have an outbreak of that old dormant Black Mold allergy. I get dizzy, stuffy head, sinus issues, burning skin in different areas, rashes that last for a couple of weeks. I guess I just wanted to know/see if anyone else may be experiencing the same thing, I have been wondering for years why this is happening and I have been reading a lot about Black Mold exposure and it all makes sense to me now. Thanks!
Kevin on July 14th, 2008I was living in a apartment with a terrible leak under the sink that had a bad odor and shower that had bad pipes and water damage and water that was disclolored per Water Company.
I didn’t know it at the time, and 2 weeks after I moved in I broke out in a terrible black rash allover my body.
I looked like I was in terrible ocean water and fungus.
after 10 surgeries on teeth, sinus, eyes and others I finally had to convience my doctors it was mold.
I was the doctor not them, it took them 3 years to believe me.
Robin on August 8th, 2008Don’t let this happen to you, feel free to e-mail me, I have alot of info on this comdition and taking care of my health and not letting anyone else tell me what I see and feel
I have been living in a rented flat for the past year and in that time have had a few under groud leaks which has caused alot of damp and mould in my flat. My childrens room has mould behind the fitted wardrobes and smells moldy. My bedroom has mould behind the fitted wardrobes and up the wall it seems to be everywhere. My 7 yr old son has asthma and i am worried this may been putting him at risk. Since moving here i have developed bad headaches and am having to take pain killers everyday doctor is unsure what it is. Do you think it is to do with the mold? What should i do?
Becky Carter on August 18th, 2008My son has been very sick with runny nose, chest infections, headaches, puffy black eyes and many more side affects, and we have seen many doctors as to why he has these symptons. He had surgery in October to remove his tonsils and adenoids… Well he is no better and some days I think he is worse. Doctor says he does not have allergys. Now after adding up things and really sitting back and thinking back to when this all seemed to start it seems ever sense we started renting our apartment 3.5yrs ago. I really think our apartment has a mold problem.
Our apartment always seems moist and smelly not too musty but not clean smelling. I find I always have to have windows open or its hard to breath. I would like to talk to my landlords… Who’s responsibilty is it to have the apartment cleaned of mold? Mine or the landlord?
I have some of the symptons as well. Headaches, dizzyness, tight chest etc. But it really has been a struggle for my son having a constant runny nose for almost three years.
I think my best bet is to move…but what if my landlord does nothing and someone else moves in and is not aware of the mold…Please advise or and helpful suggestions would be great!
Kadie on September 19th, 2008How can I get my landlord to realise I have a problem with mold in the house.My Dr did test on me and the results are that I’m allergic to one of the two molds they tested for. How do i tell my landlord to let me take up the bad carpet.
Linda Micholson on October 11th, 2008Hi and thanks for your site. I moved into a rental and within 24 hours felt ill. I had flu like symptoms and felt very weak. I got rashes and was coughing a lot.
I had asked the landlords when I moved in if there were any mold problems and they told “not that we are aware of” After the rains began I felt worse. The more time I spent in the apartment, the weaker I felt. I couldn’t see or smell any mold so I took them at their word. After living there a month and feeling ill, they finally told me that a bedroom wall had been black with mold when they did the remodel. They said they fixed the problem, but after they showed me the area, I can see where water could be getting into the wall.
I have removed myself from there a week ago and noticed a big improvement quickly. Does this sound like mold exposure symptoms and if so, how long does it usually take until a person is back to normal completely?
Helen on January 16th, 2009My girlfriend, our kids and I just moved from a place we were renting. For the past two weeks I’ve felt worse than I’ve ever felt before. Constant nose bleeds, very bad headaches and just an overall blah feeling. I’ve come to the conclusion after reading your blogs that I’ve come into contact with mold. What is the best way to get rid of these symptoms?
Robert on January 16th, 2009There was a water leak in an apartment two floors above ours which was not rectified until early last year. The apartment had this leak for a few years. We only had slight water damage to our carpet and skirting board. The skirting board was replaced after the leak was fixed and a few months ago we ripped out the carpet to find a patch of mould on the underside. The concrete under the carpet had water stains and although we painted the walls, you can still see a slight water mark on one wall.
Michelle on January 22nd, 2009My concerns stem from the fact that my partner developed a skin rash about a year ago. The Dr believes it to be a food allergy however partner is 37 and has never suffered from any allergy and he has been on numerous diets and cannot find the source of the rash. The rash was controllable until recently. He ends up with large, itchy red welts all over his body and occasionally certain parts of his face will swell. He has also been feeling quite listless of late.
We started dating approx 18 months ago & I began spending a lot of time in the apartment. All most immediately I developed arthritis in my ankles where there is no family history of arthritis. I was one of those people who was in the gym everyday and I am absolutely devastated. In the past year my eyesight has also deteriorated dramatically, I lose my concentration easily and my memory is not what it used to be. I’m only 26 !!
I’ve been doing a fair bit of research but my results are inconclusive. The associated symptoms on websites are mainly breathing related. Also my partner had an allergy test for mould which was negative. Can the test still show up negative if he has been affected by mould?
I don’t know if our aliments are related to mould & my partner thinks I’m crazy but I am at desperation point right now!!
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hello All,
Lilly Jenifer on February 26th, 2009I have been living in my house for two years now. In about two months after we moved in, I started getting sick with sinus infections and colds. I thought nothing of it because I’ve always been prone to sinus infections every winter season and since I work with kids, I thought colds come with territory. However, I eventually I started experiencing sore throats in the morning all the time and then a very dry, hacky cough in the evenings. I started a regimen of immune boosters but it didn’t help. I simply thought my allergies were acting up so I bought an air purifier. Which only helped for a while. But my husband started recording my symptoms and it turns out that I was sick at least once a month for a week and in between I would have a constant sore throat. Just last summer, it occurred to me that the problem was not me, but something in the house. Sure enough, we found mold right in the corner of our bedroom where our bed was up against. We’ve been sleeping in a moldy room for 1.5 years! My husband did not have any of the symptoms as I. We switch our rooms around and after a few weeks in the new bed room, I slept better, woke up with no bad taste in my mouth. But a few months later, the symptoms returned but worse. Immediately, I moved all the furniture around and found another mold patch by our bed. That was the final straw for me, we immediately got specialists in the house and they went into the crawl space to find the walls covered with mold. I am glad that we finally found the cause of my sickness. I cannot wait for the clean up to be finished. But meanwhile, I am still sick all the time. How long do would it take for me to get better? Would getting an air purifier speed up the healing process?
Hopefully, once spring rolls around and the house is cleaned, we can open some windows and get some clean air in our house and my lungs!
I had lasar eye surgery on March 23, of this year. A week later I came down with a sore throat, ear aches, and my eye was red and swollen. Then it went to my other eye. I started using the meds from my surgery on both eyes, the other eye was not as bad, but the eye first affected was totally red, and irritated. This all started after I had visited a friend who was moving and she gave me some rugs, which I took home and washed, some I left on my front outside porch and they are still there. Her basement smelled bad from mold, she didn’t seem to be aware that that is a problem. Could all of these problems I’ve had with my eyes be from the mold? The doctor thought it was a viral infection. I was only around it for about an hour. My eye is somewhat better, but my sight is stilled blurred in one eye. The doctor seems a little puzzled also.
V.A. Bowen on April 13th, 2009I have been living in my house for about seven yrs. During heavy rains, my carport floods and the water goes under the house. Last year I had plastic placed under my house and “treated”. I have been having intermittent breathing difficulties for the past three yrs. and it has become more frequent and severe in the last yr. I have not been able to recognize a pattern, but when it does occur, it is like I can’t get a full breath, I constantly yawn, and I have tightness in my chest. My nose is a little runny and I have had two sinus headaches in the past few months (which I have never had before). Also I have had the worst itchy skin. I noticed that other people have said “rashes”; does anyone itch like crazy? Thanks!
Liz on April 15th, 2009We moved into our home in March and have an infant son. I am experiencing aches in my joints, headaches, shortness of breath, tiredness, runny nose, and a sinus infection so severe I had to get antibiotics. Our son has had 3 episodes of runny nose and sneezing. The landlords know of the mold and have been promising to fix it since we discovered it two weeks after moving in. Will these symptoms be permanent or will they go away once we move? I am most concerned of my shortness of breath.
Sequonta Jonese Lovitt Beasley on May 11th, 2009I have noticed minor sinus problems and drainage down the back of my throat & a persistant cough (dry & w/phlegm)that started a year ago. My 3 year old has similar problems (began a year ago) & my hubby has reacurring sinus infections. When I leave the house….I feel 98% better. Coughing stops & sinus normal. My doc says allergies to something in the house i.e. dust (we have a big dust problem). She put me on an anti-histamine (my son too) and I’ve been massively dusting every nook & cranny every few days. I feel like I am breathing something in that is irritating my lungs hence the cough. I smell a faint hint of a musty dusty type smell when the house is closed up. My hubby says pollen is the problem. But why would I feel better just going out on the patio? If it were the dust, why haven’t I felt any improvement with the aggressive dusting & drugs? I’ve brought up the household mold theroy and EVERYONE dismisses me, literally! COULD IT BE HOUSEHOLD MOLD? BTW, our sons daily dose of Claritin and Nasonex doesn’t seem to make a difference in his symptoms & he’s been on them a year now. I’ve had bronchitis 3 times the past year which in hind sight all began with sinus pain, post nasal drip, & the stuffy head feeling. No fevers. ANY THOUGHTS? Thank you!
Deborah on May 28th, 2009Deborah:
Lilly Jenifer on June 4th, 2009That sounds exactly like what I went through. The mold situation in our crawl space was extremely bad and mold remediation happened in April. Since then, our house smells much better, no more musty/moldy smell. I have not been sick since March, what a relief that is. I can’t tell you just how toxic mold can be. The experts stated to us several times that we should not have been living there at all and was surprised that we were not sicker!! Allergy medication did not help because you are always exposed to the allergen. Inhalation of the mold is what is causing the lung/throat irritation. I would suggest getting an expert in there for just a estimation and find the source of the mold. Better start the process now because it can get worse. Good Luck!
Lilly Jenifer,
Deborah on June 4th, 2009Thank you! Luckily, there is a company advertising on this website for mold remediation in my area. Thank goodness, becasue if not, I wouldn’t know where to start. I hope it isn’t too expensive becasue I don’t know where the money will come from. Wish us luck and thank you again! Finally someone NOT dismissing me!
I am 39 and have always had allergies and asthma. Two years ago my apartment in the basement flooded. The landlord replaced the kitchen and bathroom floors but not the laminate flooring in the living room or bedrooms. When they pulled up the old floors in the kitchen and bathroom the smell of mildew would knock you over! They painted those floors with “Killz” and told me the laminitate floors in the other rooms would just dry up. I got an angry, SERIOUSLY ITCHY red rash on my chest, which started in one spot then spread around to cover my whole chest. Doc prescribed me some steroid cream and it helped a bit but did not get rid of it and I could only use it for a few weeks. He sent me to be allergy tested, and of course it turned out I am allergic to pretty much everything; dust, mould, animals, pork, ham, bacon, chocolate, wheat, soy, lobster, tuna, alfalfa sprouts, countless other foods, silk, etc. Many of them, I was already aware of. I tried cutting stuff out of my diet, saw my doctor a bunch more times, but my rash stuck around. Within 6 months of getting the rash on my chest, the rest of my body started to itch too. If I got what seemed like a normal itch, I would scratch it and little welts would appear everytime I scratched my skin. Scratching only made it worse, like mosquito bites, no relief from scratching. I tried Benadryl cream and pills, Aveeno cream, baking soda baths, etc. but those things would only calm the itching down enough to sleep, and actually, IBU worked better than anything. After spending a few weekends at my parents I started to notice my skin felt better by the time I came back home- that’s how I came to realize it was environmental not food-related and made the connection to mould. I told my landlord I wanted to move to an apartment on the top floor and demanded he provide the movers- which he did
I have been up here for 6 weeks and my rash is finally gone, though my chest is still slightly itchy. Also the skin on the rest of my body has calmed down too, and I can usually scratch and get relief from scratching instead of getting welts and hives. I can hardly wait to be able to get a back scratch again!!! For the last week I have not needed cream or IBU to sleep though when I wake up in the morning, nice nad toasty warm, my chest itches but it’s so much better now. It seems to be taking a long time to get better from this and I’m wondering how long it will take to finally be free of it completely?? Also, could there be permanant effects?
Erin on June 23rd, 2009We live in northwest washington where it rains a lot and it is constantly moist and humid. We are currently renting an old 70′s trailer. I am always cleaning out the window seals because mold builds up in the corners. I never thought much of it but for the past year I have developed headaches, severe head pressure, dizziness, confusion, chest pain, foggy headed, shortness of breath, night sweats, tiredness, insomnia, and recently have had severe depression and now panic attacks. I have had MRI’s, blood work, CT scans, EKG’s. Everything and the doctors dont know what is wrong. I just dont feel good. Something is wrong, I thought I was going crazy until I found that it could possibly be mold thats causing my problems. Can these symptoms be related to mold exposure???
Krissy on July 14th, 2009i wanted to find out what to do 1st. my story goes like this: i bought my 1st home in 2007 and since then have been suffering from “allergies”. i came from an old house in queens ny and moved to suburban area in long island where there’s alot of trees and grass,so natrualy i’ve been saying that all my symptoms have been from seasonal allergies. i developed a weird rash all over my body when i was pregnant with my daughter and after being on steroids and all sorts of cortisone creams, my dermitologist decided to biobsy many different parts of my body and each time came back with a result of a serious allergic reaction to something, but what they couldnt say and was then sent to an allergist. he told me that i was definitly allergic to something and that many tests needed to be done to find out the cause. i know from years ago that i was allergic to mold, mildew, dust and dust mites but never imagined going through this. Since reading this blog, i noticed that not only did it make me aware of the common symptoms that i have with the symptoms of mold exposure but now has me determined to end this crazy investigation. my only concern is that i dont know what step to take next,or how much it would cost to get my house tested and remove it. can anyone give me an idea of what to do or how to go about it?
Violet on October 23rd, 2009Hello,
I have been living in a house that I am renting now for about 6months about 3 months ago I discovered that there was the “black” mold all downstairs in my basement. Which there is no door from the upstairs to the downstairs and also vents in the floors. I told my landlord that there was mold in the basement and removed the mold himself, not professionally after I asked him to. The vents and the doorway to the upstairs was not covered the right way so when the were removing the mold all the mold spores came upstairs. I had my air tested and it came back positive for mold in the air. Recently I’ve had constant back pain right over where my lungs are, I’ve had that pain for about 2 months now. My roomate has been constantly sick cold like symptoms and other serious conditions. I’m not sure what my next step should be. How do I know if the mold has not gotten into my furniture and beds? Any advice would be great!
Katey on November 21st, 2009We have a leak in our basement and over the past year there has been a slight musty smell in our basement. Today i discovered a couple of patches of mold (about the size of a hand) and black growth in the corner of our windows. I cleaned the windows after spraying with a mildicide but want to tackle the basement. My question is, if something from the basement (like momentos, childhood toys etc.) has no visible mold on it should i be worried about bringing it upstairs to store?I;m scared that if i bring these items upstairs i will be spreading the mold. we will be doing a complete cleanup of the basement, removing all walls to check for any other mold, but i don’t want to throw everything out, especially since the items don’t smell, have never been wet and have no visible mold.
cory on December 15th, 2009Hi. I am not sure if my symptoms are mold-related, but I’ve been to every doctor and nothing is wrong with me, except for these crazy symptoms. An endocrinologist finally suggested I see an allergist, but the appointment is not until mid-January 2010.
So let me give you some background.
I have been swelling in my ankles since April 2008. The swelling used to go down, but since August 2009, the swelling never goes down (unless I go home to my parents or stay away from my house for a long period of time) and now I’m experiencing swelling on the tops of my feet, my legs, my arms, my middle, underneath my chin, etc. I have headaches EVERY DAY! I have trouble breathing. I feel like my heart is always racing. Constant allergy-like symptoms (sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, coughs). I’m tired all the time.
I have been living in my house since January 2008. It was built new in 2006 and sat vacant for one year. Today (December 23, 2009), I can walk into my house after being gone (while at work), and come in and it still smells like it’s a new home. Everytime my parents visit, they get congested. Like I said earlier, everytime I visit my parents, I get better. Other than the house idea, I was given a mattress set at the time of moving into my house from friends (I do not know where it came from). I also took my parents old couch from a not-well-ventilated garage apartment.
Other than that…anyone have any ideas of what’s wrong? Bad carpet, mold?
Daphne on December 23rd, 2009Robin, your blog said to email you as you have a log of info. We have a new home construction gone bad. Inspection showed 3 types of mold, one being black mold. Our daughter is having headaches, red, watery eyes, sinus issues, rashes, and much more. All of our pets are sick and two of our cats are bleeding from nostril. Would appreciate you contacting me via e mail.
vickie yencha on February 4th, 2010I had a water leak in my apartment and around that time I began experiencing symptoms that I believe are a mold allergy, but would appreciate your honest advice. I feel as though someone is pinching the front of my nose, it feels so inflammed. I have trouble getting a full breath, but I know I don’t have asthma. My symptoms vary. One day I feel decent, the next I can barely get air. Sometimes my chest is tight, sometimes I have acid reflux feelings, sometimes my chest burns, etc. One week I had really had #2 issues and a fever, then back to the pinching nose feeling. Run around to doctors for months and all they can determine is some allergic reaction, but can’t figure out to what. I’ve been through the works – PFT, chest xray, steroids, etc. I would like to think it’s something else, but there are too many bodily issues going on out of the blue. The thing is, when I leave my home, the symptoms don’t go away – sometimes they get worse! I did leave for a couple weeks and was coughing up green SLIME. I don’t know if it was bronchitis/cold because of a weakened immune system because of the steroids or if I was detoxing. I just want to know if it is mold and I get out for good, will my normal function return? I’m an otherwise healthy, athletic 30 year old woman. Please help.
Katharine on February 4th, 2010Katherine:
Lilly Lam on February 22nd, 2010Even though I did not have the same exact symptoms as you, individual bodies differ in how they react to mold exposure, I do believe you are suffering from mold allergies. My husband never displayed the same sinus/allergy conditions that I had. Safe to say that even though you leave your house, the allergens are still in you system. In fact, when I would go away from my house for a week or so my symptoms got “worse” but I think it was my body’s way of trying really hard to get rid of all the nasty buildup. Once we had the mold eliminated and everything in our house cleaned, I recovered pretty fast. Its been almost a year and I went from monthly sinus infections and daily sore throats to barely getting a cold this whole winter. Trust your immune system, it will recover once you remove yourself from the constant exposure.
We been renting a house for a year and half. When it rains heavy at times our basement leeks. We have 3 kids and we noticed that our daughter has been getting sick a lot. See has complined about headaches and often has diarrhea and vomiting. It only happens to her and no one else in the house. I’m taking her to the doctor this week. What are some of the things that I should tell the doctor. What type of test can they run. Also how should I approach this to my landlord. What type of home test can a get from a store?
Sean on March 15th, 2010I would like some advice on the detox process. I am out of my damp apartment for good. The first time I left I had violent releases of green slime and mucus. This time, I do not have that, but I have bad headaches, feel the congestion in my head is thinning out, and today I slept 8 hours after throwing up. I would like to know the signs and symptoms of detox from mold and the best things to do for yourself to aid that process. I don’t really believe in the whole ‘cut out all carbs/sweets/major food groups’ but some common sense advice on what to expect and how to handle it is appreciated!
Katharine on May 10th, 2010