My Symptoms Now...

Just a few weeks ago, I had experienced year-long pain throughout my body.  Weakness.  Couldn't do normal activities without throbbing muscle pain, shooting nerve pain, fatigue, low-energy, etc...

Today, I feel better, yes.  But I am not 100%.  I'm not sure what % I am.  I'm so grateful not to be in that pain every day I want to sing about it from a mountain top!  But I still suffer.  Today, I...

• still have shooting pain sometimes in my left thigh and less often in my arms or other places I used to feel it daily...all day long
• have hands cramp after writing, typing or extensive use like cake-making
• have daily inflammation in my hands and arms when I wake each morning so mornings worse and much more noticeable than others
• my mind has gotten clearer and I can remember things I learned more recently but things just weeks ago or especially months ago, I struggle with greatly.  In fact, I don't remember much of the last year unless I took a photo, wrote about it or regularly recall it like the birth of my daughter or this blasted illness and its journey!
• I am still very sensitive to light, almost any noise near me that isn't what I want to focus on is too loud, very sensitive to fragrances especially those hellbent on wearing daily bottles of perfume and cologne (yuck!), the laundry detergents, too!!, I'm still quite sensitive to cats.  I hate cats.  Sorry, but they make my life miserable so I don't want to even see your cat's picture!
• I feel a level of weakness that is hard to describe.  I can easily feel faint when i get up from sitting or lounging.  I get very lightheaded.  I need a minute.  When I sleep, I sleep hard and deep.  And when my body needs sleep (even that daytime nap), it takes it with or without my permission!  I have to call people to get safely to my destination or sleep in parking lots to avoid excessive driving. 
• When I eat even though I strive for a low sugar diet and to balance my meal with proteins and carbs of all kinds, I still want to fall into a deep coma.  Not normal folks.  And eating 5-6 meals a day, that crashing gets old quick!

I'm  glad I have more energy than the sloth I felt like for so long.  And I've gotten a ton done in the month of September that I'm quite proud of.  I have a lot more to go.  A lot more to get caught up with and words cannot express how thankful I am to those who help me.  Babysit so I can go to appointments to get well and learn answers, help with the kids when I need a break if even for 2-5 minutes, surprise soup-making, and I'm sure other things my short term memory won't allow me to recall as I write this post.

I'm still struggling.  I worry most now about my children because I'm well enough finally to do so.  I also worry about my in utero baby.  Only time will tell if this exposure has affected my little growing bean.  I know what the worst can be and I pray for normality, health and LIFE.

Pray for us as we go through this journey back to wellness.  Full wellness.  I'll accept nothing less.

A Month Later... Has Removing Mold from our Home Helped?

It only took 1 1/2 weeks after moving back into our home for the pain that I had shooting through my body in my muscles or nerve pain to nearly completely go away.  I suffered all day every day.  Amazingly, I rarely have this pain today.  It is a true testament that mold exposure illness does exist and it can wreak havoc on our bodies!

Over the last month (despite being in the first trimester of pregnancy), I have noticed my energy level has improved.  I've gotten so much done around my home, in my business, with my kids, running our family...  I've caught up with things I was greatly behind on.  The mental fog I had and debilitating pain and sluggish energy daily wore on me.  I couldn't get anything done.  Didn't want to.  Didn't even care after awhile.  Now I care again!  Now I'm motivated!!  I feel happier, more peaceful and hopeful. 

When you feel like what you imagine is like living an elderly life where you are days or weeks from death, you have a deep appreciation for wellness!!!

I've been able to not only focus on myself, my new pregnancy including lining up a new team for prenatal care this time (a wonderful perinatologist and midwife that work together at a local hospital), but I can now also focus more on my children's health and how this biotoxin and mold exposure has possibly affected them.

My oldest son is 7 and has been exposured since the age of 4 or 5 years old.  He has developed a focus/attention/concentration issue which is prevalent in children exposed to toxins.

My next son is now 6 and has been exposed since the age of 3 or 4 years old.  He has a bit of an obstinate streak (gets it honest) but has been emotionally more extreme in his reactions to things which we thought would improve with age but has yet to do so.

My daughter who is 3 years old seems fairly normal for her age as far as my parent analysis goes but does have persistent swollen glands in her neck which I'm not content with.  I want her to be evaluated to rule out anything concerning causing these or anything I haven't myself observed.

My baby girl is 9 months old now.  She is at least 3 months behind in developing teeth for our family.  All 3 of the others got teeth in at 6 months.  She has no sign of teeth.  She's also delayed in talking.  She doesn't making any syllabols at all but what makes me feel good is that she can mimic sounds we make (not syllabols) and she has very well developed and early gross motor skills - early to crawl, stand and walk holding onto things.

I've been looking for a doctor who specializes in mold exposure illness, who understand what we are going through, who does Dr. Shoemaker's extensive genetic and mold illness diagnosing tests, who takes our insurance or at least can help us file for insurance reimbursement (a biggie for us right now!), who will see the entire family in one day for initial evaluation and blood work, and is within 1ish hours of our home. 

I believe I found someone!  A doctor in Gaithersburg!  Dr. Alan R. Vinitsky is a medical doctor, an internist and pediatrician who specializes in environmental medicine.  Who treats autonomic nervous system dysfunction which comes from exposure to toxins like mold.  He's written books, articles, given lectures, workshops, severed on boards, etc...  He seems extremely experienced in this area in which we are in need of evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.  He "gets it".  So many doctors don't fully understand that people like me who are sick are very sensitive to light, sound, chemicals, perfumes, fragrances, and that their allergies like food/cat, etc... become worse with mold exposure illness.  He understands all of this and doesn't allow his staff or other patients to wear scented products.  :) 

Dr. V.

His testing includes: 

• Autonomic Nervous System Testing.

• Visual Contrast Sensitivity (screening for neurotoxicity).

• ELISA/ACT testing for non-IgE mechanisms of sensitivity to foods and substances.

• Skin testing to evaluate and treat food and other sensitivities (perfumes, fragrances, tobacco, cats, etc.)

• Comprehensive Digestive Stool analysis with Parasitology - evaluates digestive function, dysbiosis, inflammation, and parasites of the GI tract.

• Metal testing - heavy metals, nutritional minerals, and challenge for metal elimination.

• Organic Acids, Amino Acids, Essential Fatty Acids and minerals for nutritional and metabolic analysis.

• Porphyrins, Histamine, Zinc, Copper, Magnesium,Vitamin B6,  Folate, B12, to identify nutritional causes for depression.

• HLA DR genetic markers for Mold Toxins, ANA, immunologic markers,    TNF- a, lymphocyte distributions, natural killer cells, titers for toxoplasmosis, EBV, CMV, HHV-6, Lyme, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma.

• Carbon monoxide, venous and arterial blood gases.

• Identification of pesticides, Volatile organic chemicals (aromatic and aliphatic), herbicides.

• Hormonal Evaluation - including Adrenal, Thyroid, Ovary (or Testis), Pituitary, by blood, saliva, urine, or all 3.

• Pulmonary Function Testing.

• EKG

• Other testing as indicated based on above results

Note many of these tests are those Dr. Shoemaker uses to diagnose mold exposure illness!  

I'm really hopeful this is the doctor for me and for my family!  He seems on paper perfect!  I'll update after I set up a consultation and get to check him and his staff out!  Maybe this will help our family to change everything!

Mold exposure illness is serious.  If you live or work in a water damaged home/building, please consider removing yourself or getting your toxic home/building remediated asap!  You don't want to go through what our family is still going through.