Help me escape my moldy apartment so I can heal!

TLDR:

Doctor says I have to get out of my moldy apartment ASAP because the constant mold exposure is making my symptoms worse and I will never be able to heal as long as I remain here. He suspects I have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which is causing constant hives, itching, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, and random allergic reactions to things I've always been fine with. I was already saving to move in October, but it can't wait that long. Unfortunately, there is no way I can cover the cost of a move right now, due to multiple factors.

If you want more details... read the long version!

(Breakdown of expenses appears at the end.)

THE LONG VERSION:

Those of you who know me probably know about some of the "mystery" issues I have been experiencing for months now (constant itching being the one I complain about the most), which doctors from multiple specialties have been unable to figure out. I've been on multiple rounds of oral steroids, steroid cream, strong antihistamines that left me unable to work, antibiotics, & even a prescription antifungal powder. I have done elimination trials involving both food and medications... currently I am off of ALL of my regular prescription medications, as well as all supplements I've taken for years. I am also off gluten/wheat, almonds, & wine (WINE!) as I have had various levels of reaction to all, with the wine being the worst :-(

After all of that, the current working theory is that multiple things have teamed up to create "the perfect storm" leading me to become histamine intolerant and possibly triggering Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. My allergist has put MCAS on the table, but because diagnosing it can be difficult, we haven't gone down that path yet. However, after doing quite a bit of reading and watching videos from doctors who have expertise in the area, I feel like this makes more sense than anything else they've tried to say over the past 6-8 months.

LONG COVID:

On July 4, 2022 I tested positive for COVID for the first time. I quickly became very ill and was prescribed Paxlovid. I recovered, but the fatigue and brain fog lingered, and a new thing that had never happened before started happening. I was having random and intense flushing for no apparent reason multiple times per day. My face, especially my cheeks, along with my neck and chest, would turn very red and become puffy, hot, and even painful. In addition to this, I suddenly could not drink whiskey, even the tiniest bit, without becoming very sick to my stomach and flushed (and I have always been a whiskey drinker!). Over the next year the frequency of the flushing decreased, but it didn't fully stop. I was also able to occasionally have a little whiskey without feeling like crap, but it was a roll of the dice.

MEDICATION INDUCED IMMUNODEFICIENCY:

I have two forms of autoimmune/autoinflammatory arthritis, which require immune modulating medications to slow/stop disease progress. In November 22 I was taken off of the medication I had been on for years, which is much more forgiving on the immune system, and put on Humira, a biologic medication which compromising the immune system, leaving you susceptible to all sorts of fun things. I accepted this switch in medication as my previous med was beginning to fail me and I was losing mobility again. I began the injections and a couple days later awoke with a terrible swollen ear that was red, hot, and painful. It was so swollen that I could not remove my conch piercing, despite still wearing the longer bar that is used to accommodate swelling. I had to have the jewellery removed by my piercer, as it was digging in to the swollen ear and hurting quite a bit. The swelling eventually resolved, but never figured out why it happened.

About a month later I noticed a small patch of dry skin above my left temple. Over the next few months, lasting into early 2023, the spot grew to a raised, hard, crusty bump that was very visible. At times it would itch & the skin around it would become red and inflamed. My PCP referred me to a dermatologist, but in the weeks leading up to the appointment, it suddenly went away. The same weird spot (I called it my horn) came back again in the fall of 2023 and again suddenly went away.

At some point in the summer of 2023 I started having itching spells on my upper torso, under my breasts, my neck, and lower abdomen. At the time I was taking care of my cat who was dying from cancer, so I brushed it off as stress or heat rash and didn't think much else of it. Over time, the itching spread to the rest of my body, which was then exacerbated by mosquito bites all over my legs, which is when the actual hives started to appear in areas where I had no bites at all. Before that, it was just itchy without a rash or hives. By October I was in to see a dermatologist about this itching, which was daily and very intense. I no longer had any bug bites, but I was itching all over to the point of making my skin bleed. The dermatologist put me on a long round of steroids (primary doc had previously put me on a medrol pack, which is not as strong). The steroids helped a lot, but only as long as I was taking them. Eventually the itching returned.

In November, as we were eliminating things a little at a time to try to rule out causes, it was decided by my doctors that my estrogen patch, which I had been using for three years, was the culprit. They asked me to stay off of it for a couple weeks, then put it back on. At this point I had taken more steroids and was again feeling better. I had also done a trial of being off my Humira and my rheumatologist advised me to start taking it again, so I did. After a couple weeks I put the patch back on and at first I was fine. But within another week the itching was returning. At first intermittently, then all over and very intense! I took the patch off around December 28th and have not put it back on since.

Without my estrogen patch my menopause symptoms, particularly bad hot flashes, have all come back. The hot flashes trigger the flushing and hives so my allergist advised I speak with my gynecologist about an alternative method of estrogen delivery. During this time I also learned that it can take 3-6 months for Humira to fully leave your blood stream. Because I have always suspected that the Humira had something to do with all of this (countless patient stories of similar experiences can be found online) I made the decision to discontinue my Humira. I did my last injection on January 26th.

In early February I saw my gynecologist and we decided on a compounded estrogen cream, as it was least likely to cause problems. I got the cream and patch tested it on my inner arm, which almost immediately began to swell, followed by large red welts, facial swelling, and tongue swelling. I took a Benadryl and saw the doctor, who told me that I was becoming more and more reactive to things without warning and until we get to the bottom of this I needed to stay away from anything I've ever had a reaction to, even if mild. At my follow up with my allergist he told me to start taking 1-2 Zyrtec and 1 Pepcid together, twice per day to see if it helped. It does help, but not entirely. 2 Zyrtec works better than 1, but when I take 2 I fall asleep at my desk.

Meanwhile... I am still itchy! Granted, the further I get from my last Humira shot, the less intense it is. And the Zyrtec/Pepcid combo has been a greater help than anything else I've tried, but I am still randomly reacting to new foods and substances (now a soap I've been using for over a year can no longer be used).

CHRONIC MOLD EXPOSURE:

And now we get to the reason for this whole begging for money thing. The reason I have to move as soon as possible. My apartment has mold and it is keeping me in a constant state of mast cell activation - histamine release - inflammation loop!

In April 2017 I made the decision to move into an old, unrenovated (to put it nicely) building because my rent was going up quite a bit and I was told I could have this apartment for significantly less, if I would take it "as is". I went to look at it & told them I would agree to that, provided they pulled the carpet out first, as it was very old and smelled like mold/mildew. They agreed to pull the carpet and padding, but said they would not be putting anything new down in its place. I planned to put in new flooring myself, but wouldn't have time before moving in. Instead, because the subfloors look disgusting, we used deck paint to paint over the ugliness in the living, dining, and hallway. Both bedrooms remained bare subfloor until I painted the "office" room floor last year. The kitchen and bathroom both have (had) tile.

Within days of me moving in the tiles in the kitchen began to buckle and pop up on the end nearest the stove and sink. After stubbing my toe on loose tiles a few times I pulled up everything that was loose and threw it away. More have come up since, exposing nasty subfloor that is clearly water damaged and warped. In one corner the board started cracking and coming up, more and more over time, exposing a different pattern of tile underneath.

The bathroom floor tile also cracked and came loose in a couple places, but it is newer and not as bad as the kitchen. The problem in the bathroom is the visible mold on upper walls and ceiling that has grown more visible over the years. Currently the ceiling mold is covered by plastic wall covering (the kind you'd find in a mobile home) which was placed there after maintenance came to repair a leak above my tub, which then resulted in a massive hole in the ceiling (with visible mold all up in there) for over a month before they put the plastic crap up across the entire ceiling.

There is also mold growing in the crawlspace under the building, on the bottom of the subfloors that I walk around on every day. There are spots in the apartment that become dark & tacky when it is moist outside. These are the moldy areas, which are noticeable even under the paint.

While I have no visible confirmation of what the duct work looks like, I can only imagine there is mold in there as well. The vent in the bathroom has mold around it & there is an obvious smell of mold when you open the closet housing the HVAC unit. Fortunately the unit itself is brand new as of August 2023, but it's still blowing mold from everywhere else all over the place.

I suppose the fortunate part is that this does not seem to be the "toxic black mold" you hear about on the news. It is just run of the mill, gross ass mold. But I am highly allergic to mold and always have been. Previously, I survived in here, despite my allergies seeming a little bit worse, by taking allergy meds daily and being out of the apartment most of the day. But after we stared working from home in March 2020 (then decided it made more sense for most of us to stay home) I started having even worse allergies. And after I got put on immunosuppressive medication in 2022, all hell broke loose and everything became an allergy trigger!

Per my doctor, as long as I stay in this environment my reactions will continue to get worse, putting me at risk of anaphylactic episodes. No amount of medication or treatments I take while living here will help me heal because I am constantly being bombarded by this thing I am severely allergic to, while also living with a compromised immune system on top of Long COVID issues and my other previously diagnosed autoimmune diseases. The only way to give myself a fighting chance is to get the hell out of here so my body can begin to detox and regulate.

I had already made the decision to move out months ago, but had planned it to be around October of this year. I have been working hard to get out of debt and have been making large payments on some high interest loans so that they would be paid off by then. I have only recently been in a position to start putting money away for the move, but as of right now I have only $200 in savings. I have found an apartment I would like to move to, in a good location, with a very reasonable rent for the area. They actually have a slight surplus of available units right now, so they keep running various specials. Depending on what they are running at the time of my lease signing, the figures below may change.

COST BREAKDOWN:

First month's rent at new place - $1425

Deposit - $800

Application fee - $75

Administrative fee - $150

Movers* - $800

Paying off old electric debt so I can transfer services - $900

Updated vaccines for both cats** - $300

While the total of the above is $4450, I've set the goal to $5000 in case of any unforeseen costs I haven't considered. Anything extra left over after all of this is paid for will go towards covering any out of pocket expenses I have related to my medical issues and healing.

* - I plan to hire movers because I have had a difficult time finding friends who could help the last two times I've moved. I am incapable of doing a lot of the lifting and carrying without being in a lot of pain (especially while off my meds). We hired movers to move into the current apartment and it was a very quick and smooth experience.

** - My cats are certified as Emotional Support Animals so I do not have to pay deposits or pet rent for them (yay!), but the leasing office has informed me that they will request proof that they are current on all vaccines. Because they have been 100% indoor animals since they were 4 weeks old, I have always forgone most vaccines, which my vet has been in agreement with. They do usually get rabies vaccines, as required by law, but are currently past due for that. The $300 should cover well visits and all vaccinations for both kitties.