Toxic Mold Recovery
My name is Trish. My husband Don, our daughter Morgan, and I have lived in our house 18 years. Sixteen years ago, I went to the doctor because I was experiencing symptoms of clinical depression. I tried some meds, but nothing had any effect. Eventually I either got used to the symptoms or they cleared up... I stopped trying to treat them. Over the following decade and a half, I saw doctors for an assortment of ailments - had tests for diabetes, heart problems, hormonal issues, internal issues, and sought counselling and additional treatment for symptoms of depression.
Around the same time, my husband started to experience pain... he has all the identifying points of fibromyalgia and has been diagnosed with 'chronic pain'. He was forced to take medical leave to treat issues with his rib joints and undergo incredibly painful treatments and has basically been in pain 24/7 for most of the time we've been here.
My daughter didn't seem to have any symptoms until about three years ago... when she started vomiting multiple times a day and starting to have symptoms of depression as well. We went to our family doctor, but she could only request certain tests, and then we were referred to pediatric specialists. She was eventually diagnosed with depression and anxiety, but nobody could figure out what was wrong with her stomach. Finally, we found a doctor who prescribed cannabis... if it hadn't worked, the next step would have been to hospitalize her and feed her through a tube. It allowed her to eat, but she still felt sick most of the time and her anxiety kept her from being able to attend school even when she felt well enough to go.
At the same time as my daughter was getting worse, so was I. While my symptoms had been bad enough to seek help previously, over the last three years, my health deteriorated so much more... by December 17, 2015, when I left my house to find clean air, I was unable to sit up because of how sick I felt, and I was suffering severe depression, anxiety, paranoia and even having delusions.
We found the mold in September 2015. Our foundation had cracked during a freak storm, and we had to have it braced, so we had to clear any remaining walls we hadn't pulled away... and the only ones we hadn't were in the little bathroom that someone had installed so cheaply that we knew we couldn't use it... people occasionally used the toilet, but the shower we just used for storage. When we pulled the wall down, it looked like someone had poured molasses all over the wall... and it was every wall in the room.
So... we finally had the answer to so many unanswered questions. I found out that I had symptoms I didn't even know I had when they went away... my joints hurt all the time... I often limped because of the pain in my knees... I couldn't cross my legs or sit cross legged... and now all of that is gone. Unfortunately, mold toxicity is not the same as an illness, and just being away from the mold isn't enough. The toxins have to be purged and it takes time... and unfortunately what that means for me is that I am still not healthy enough to work. My husband is still in constant pain, but pushes himself every day to go to work because he is providing our only income.
Our insurance did not cover the crack in the foundation (act of god), nor did it cover the mold decontamination (ongoing problem, even though we didn't know it was there). All in all, the two issues probably cost us about $40,000, and we now have half a house (our basement is gutted) with a whole mortgage and a list of maxxed out credit... and I have no idea when I will be able to go back to work. I have tried to apply for disability benefits, but since I don't have a diagnosed illness, it's unlikely that my application will be accepted. Our daughter has just turned 18 as well, so we have also lost all of our child credits and supplementary health insurance for her.
I put $10,000 as the goal because I had to pick a number... but we will appreciate any help from anyone who wants to donate. We've worked hard all our lives and put time and money into our home... we just left the wrong room unrenovated... and now we are trying to move forward and recover physically, emotionally, and financially. I think we're doing okay with the first two... it's the last one that we just have no control over and we've exhausted our resources, so here we are; we're struggling to pay our bills and don't want to lose our home.
Thank you so much for reading our story. I hope that even if you can't help, you will go away knowing that mold is not just 'bad'... it's devastating... life destroying... and can actually kill you if you don't find it in time. If you have symptoms of any kind that doctors are having trouble diagnosing - or treatments aren't working... check for mold. :)
