I think there may be toxic mold in my house? Please help. (roof, window)

[SLSL]

I’m sorry this is so long but I desperately need help.

I think there’s mold in my house. When I first moved in 10 years ago, I was very healthy. Then I started to feel sick all the time and I broke out into terrible, painful cystic acne all over my face, chest and back. No acne medication would work – only full spectrum antibiotics. I have some nice pitted scarring as a result which basically ruins my face, not trying to be vein. I still get acne and I still get pockmarks as a result of it. I’ve been off and on antibiotics since living here, in and out of doctor visits trying to figure out why I felt sick. I missed a lot of school as a result of this and flunked a grade more than once. I used to get straight A’s but my concentration started falling poor. Then I started getting panic attacks out of nowhere. Psychiatrists /psychologists would ask me if anything tragic has happened to me and I could never think of anything, therefore I have no clue why I have panic attacks. They just happen spontaneously. I also wake up with anxiety.

In the past 2-3 years things started getting even worse. I always wake up with a headache, sneezing attacks and a runny nose. Sometimes feeling dizzy and weak. Sometimes I’ll even wake up feeling nauseous with a sour stomach, I thought I was pregnant for a good while when this started. I’ve had hair loss, thyroid issues (hyperthyroid), no energy, blurry vision, poor wound healing etc. I have also started to lose a bunch of weight with no intentions, I am now underweight at 108 and I stand 5’6. I now have multiple food intolerances. I get sick if I eat dairy, I’ll have terrible muscle aches and a feeling of sickness if I eat gluten, I’ll get horrible brain fog and a headache if I eat any grains, fruit, nuts or seeds and none of these digest. I'd see undigested food in my stool. Fruits cause diarrhea for me. I feel shaky if I eat any simple carbohydrate. I think the food intolerances are an indirect cause of just mold, but I could be wrong. I think most of it has to do with all the antibiotics I’ve taken since moving here though. And what sucks is my father lost his job late last year and I was under his health insurance, so I’ve had to figure out most of these things on my own, and sometimes with the help of a naturopath (natural doctor).

I dust everything in my room (wet the areas first so it doesn’t go airborne) every few days since dust piles up quickly, but this brings little to no relief. I also have a mattress protector and clean my mattress with a HEPA vacuum every 2-3 weeks. I clean all my blankets and pillows at least once a week. I have a HEPA room air purifier as well.

My house has always had a musty smell ever since I could remember. I remember walking into the house and asking my mother why it smelled like dirty socks or sometimes even a urine smell. The smell is worse when it’s raining. I also feel worse when it’s raining. We don’t leave any fruit out in this house because they go bad quickly. I’d use a rag to wash my face with and the next day the rag would still be drenched. We always have to completely dry clothes, running the dryer a couple of times, before taking them out or else they’ll quickly start smelling of mildew. Mildew also grows VERY quickly in the restrooms. And I’m thinking the exhaust fans are instinct and not working correctly. Honestly the landlord never wants to fix or replace anything. My father isn’t the best handy man but has had to make more repairs to this house than the landlord ever has in the past 10 years.

In the past 2-3 years when things have been getting worse, there has been a deep crack forming at the corner of my wall. I also have a deep crack all across my ceiling that I’ve sealed up myself since the landlord did nothing about it. It seriously looks like part of my roof is about to fall in.

Over a few months ago when it was still cold out, I went haywire on my room and even wiped down every inch of the walls with a solution of vinegar, water and lavender/tea tree oil. This is when I noticed mold growing on my window seal. I took precaution and cleaned it up best I could.

The only place in my house I feel better at is in the living room where coincidentally there’s no air conditioning vent (the living room used to be a garage but we made it part of the house). I moved my bed into there for about a month and never woke up feeling like I do when I’m in my room. I should also mention there were dark marks forming at the top of my room’s air conditioning vent, I showed it to the landlord and she said it was from air escaping from the vent. I guess condensation? Doesn’t that make a perfect environment for mold to grow? She didn’t seem concerned in the least bit, just like with the deep cracks I showed her. Which brings me to my next problem.

How am I supposed to go about all of this? I have been going crazy trying to think of a way. My health is deteriorating and I have no money to do this all myself, nor should I have to because it is also my landlord’s problem, at least in my opinion. The thing is, she had to replace a bathtub because the pipes were rusting and it wouldn’t drain out, about just a month ago. I’m honestly surprised she paid for it all. But before leaving she said and I quote, “I can’t keep making repairs on this house or I’ll have to sell it. Either that or I’m going up on the rent.” Since my father lost his job of 25 years and was the main source of income, we can’t afford her to do neither one. There are a total of 6 people living in this 3-bedroom house for only $925, you can’t find that anywhere else here.

To be honest and blunt, my landlord is and always has been a cheap$@$. Partly because my parents tolerate it and she knows it too. I don’t want her to threaten my family about kicking us out if this mold issue is huge and the house needs a lot of remediation. I think that’s what she’d do, she’d rather kick us out and have others move in. Though I really don’t think anyone would want to move in the condition this house is in, she'll need to spend money to fix it up anyway.

How should I bring all of this up to the landlord? Or should I even? Do I list my symptoms to her? What if she doesn’t bring the right people in to take a look or even think mold is never an issue? What if mold really isn’t the issue and I’m just imagining things (which I highly doubt)? What should I do if she threatens to kick us out or go up on the rent? Should I offer to pay half of costs or is it her responsibility? Should I try to take some things into my own hands before/instead of telling her?

Does anyone have any ideas of what step by step I should take? Please, please advise. I should mention that I have a half sister with down syndrome I share a room with, and I have been seeing her mental disability worsen. I also have a twin brother with adult autism, I don’t share a room with him but his condition has gotten a lot worse, which I don’t know is a coincidence or not.

Thanks in advance.

[Bill Keegan]

Get yourself to a doctor. Quickly.

And I suggest this thread be moved to Health issues, or some such forum where the real issue here can be discussed. I'm no expert, but I don't think the biggest problem here is potential mold.

[SLSL]

I've been to numerous doctors with my health concerns before I lost my insurance, had plenty of blood drawn etc. None could find out what was wrong. Only one suggested I had Celiac disease and did a blood test, but it came back negative. He then wanted me to see a gastroenterologist, but that's when I ran out of my insurance. Doctors are crazy expensive without insurance, especially all the tests they need/want to run. He did suggest I cut gluten out of my diet anyway and it did make me feel better. Everything else was normal though, except my thyroid which kept alternating between normal and overactive.

[yellowsnow]

Move. Go somewhere else to live. You rent so you can be mobile. Why continue to fight this when you are convinced it's environmental. Just change your environment. Find out for sure.

[SLSL]

There are more than 3 adults living in this house. My mother who gets financial aid because of health issues and inability to work. Me who takes care of my mother, half sister and twin brother. And my half sister and twin brother who are both mentally disabled. I can't just move out and leave them. And with my father only having a temporary job with little income now, we can not afford to move, even if I get an additional job. We have to be able to prove to another place that we can pay rent before we can move anywhere, which we can't, plus come up with the money for down payment.

[yellowsnow]

OK, the next step I would take is to discuss this with my Social Worker. You are paying rent so there are standards that have to be met. I'm sure your SW can get the place tested for toxic mold or find some way to get you out of there and moved somewhere else.

[Bill Keegan]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

OK, the next step I would take is to discuss this with my Social Worker. You are paying rent so there are standards that have to be met. I'm sure your SW can get the place tested for toxic mold or find some way to get you out of there and moved somewhere else.

His social worker? I'm sorry, but why would you assume there is a social worker involved?

[SLSL]

Anyone..?

[Barking Spider]

You have been given advice to go to a Doctor, move, or get help from a Social Worker. You seem to have an excuse or reason not to take that advice.

It just stands to reason that if you feel the house is making you sick, you need to get out of the house. Since you ARE sick, it makes sense to go see a Doctor. If you don't feel the Doctor is listening to you, go find another one. There are health clinics in most cities that will treat low income people.

Not sure what kind of response you are looking for here..........

[Molly12]

I'm sorry you have suffered so long, maybe the first thing you can do is to see a doctor whether psychiatrist or physicians.