Christmas Tree Syndrome

Do you have a living Christmas tree in your house? Think again!

HERE is an article about mold issues and Christmas trees.

No mention of the pesticides that are used on them. Although I don't know what organic tree farm uses to control insects, I was once told without some kind of bug control Christmas trees are covered in aphids. I would not want a bunch of bugs crawling around in my house either!

Artificial Christmas trees made with synthetics and plastics offgas toxic fumes. Some of these synthetic materials are also coated in lead-based plastics for strength that come off on your hands. This is a common material for Christmas light wiring. Over time these materials start to disintegrate leaving toxic dust all over the house. Check the labels on the boxes for health and safety warnings.

Again, only California cares about the health and safety of American citizens!

My little fake Christmas tree is made with bendable wire and synthetic needles. It doesn't stink.

I think metal Christmas trees are the answer. They don't smell as good, but they are safe. Hang some fancy glass ornaments and good to go!

Desperation = Stupidity

There aren't many rentals out there right now and I'd say for every one advertised there are at least thirty applicants. More if the place is clean, maintained, and in a decent neighborhood. Competition is tough. In the recent past I've been put on waiting lists as the landlords are overwhelmed by the response. Besides my long lists of non-toxic needs, this competition makes it even more difficult to find a new home. I want desperately to move out of Rathole. I'm a prisoner here. It's depressing.

I found another rental. The key is to respond as soon as they are posted, but I was told it was rented and the guy backed out. I should have taken that as a sign. It's a small, freestanding cottage with a small yard. I had misgivings right away as it's located in the same town as the Moldy Slumlady's mold-invested dive, but I was going to be up in that area and I thought I'd just look. Just look. Famous last words.

It was small and cute with a little bedroom loft. It had all electric appliances and heat and real hardwood floors. It also had a carpet, but the carpet had been offgassing for four years. They allowed pets. Carpet and pets on my "no way" list. It also had a non-existent crawlspace sealed up with wood planks with little evidence of ventilation...and a roof covered in moss. That screams MOLD. Third strike, your out! I should have high-tailed it back to my van and drove away, instead I walked inside expecting to smell mildew and mold. For a flash of a moment I did smell something, and then it stopped. That was weird. Then nothing. I smelled nothing. This gave me great amount of hope. I liked the landlady. She also didn't stink. She was an organic gardener.

Fifteen minutes later my head did a little spin and stopped. That was weird. Then my lungs started feeling heavy, but it was minor. I stalled, buying time to stay in the space and continued to breathe deeply. The spin and lung issue was a little perplexing. Did the former tenants have cats? There are two heaters in this tiny space, both on full blast. The place is hot. Is that what caused my reaction or is the heat camouflaging the smell.

As I inspected the place, I'm finding it unreasonably dirty with dead bugs in the window sills and soap scum in the shower. Old, used soap is left in the dispenser. Gross. I justified all this with no one is as clean as I am and instead of registering this as a concern I wondered if I'm just a weirdo and need to be reasonable. I'm not looking for perfection, just safety. I took an application and the landlady told me to get it back to her by the weekend as that's when she'd be making her choice. This house was being rented month to month (so rare) and the landlady wasn't charging for the application nor credit check (so rare). It didn't cost anything to take the application or even submit it. Still my instincts are screaming at me. The head spin and lung reaction was a little unnerving, but it was minor and went away immediately. What am I missing? Can I do this?

I sought counseling from my two closest friends. One is a nurse. Neither are chemically sensitive. I list my concerns hoping one of them would recognize my idealistic pattern of ignoring the obvious. I even expressed the concern the landlady reminded me of the Moldy Slumlady: both are from California, about the same age, have organic gardens, and both own a house that used to be a garage without an inadequate foundation. My friends tell me to jump right in there and give it a shot. Both know I'm desperate and are trying to be supportive. Advice is free and neither of them will lose money because of my bad decisions.

So why am I ignoring the obvious?

Once I'm home I fill out the application and email it to the landlady. Why not? What do I have to lose? Yet. When the landlady started calling my references, I start praying she doesn't pick me. But I AM selected! Out of 35 applicants, the landlady wants me. I WIN! Damn...

But my instincts still are screaming at me. Do I listen?

I email the landlady asking her more specific questions:

Is there a plastic vapor barrier under the house? NO.

Were the carpets cleaned before my visit? NO.

Did she use any air fresheners before my visit?  I asked this because during my visit my head was spinning, but I smelled nothing. Did she use Febreze which would have annihilated my sense of smell? Perhaps the chemicals caused the spin? NO. She claimed she doesn't use air fresheners nor toxic cleaners.

She figured out really quickly I was chemically sensitive and did tell me there is a mill in the town. I knew that. I've been in that town many times with no reaction. I told her I was worried about the foundation and crawlspace as without a vapor barrier there would be mold issues. She claimed when they remodeled there was no mold to be found anywhere. She has asthma and is very sensitive to mold and chemicals as well. This gave me great hope. I made the assumption the carpets just needed a good cleaning. I volunteered to do it for her since I had the non-toxic shampoo. She had the carpet cleaner.

WHY am I volunteering to clean a rental that should be clean before I arrive? Why am I even considering a filthy place that screams loudly THESE PEOPLE ARE SLOBS.

This is where I should have walked away, but I'm desperate. I want it to work. My instincts are screaming at me and I'm ignoring them. I planned to go look at it one more time and then I'll decide if I want to give this woman money. For a moment I consider I should stay the night in it before I sign anything, but the carpets were never cleaned. I wouldn't last the night sleeping in the same space as filthy carpets.

I looked a second time. This time I don't smell anything. My head doesn't spin. My lungs don't even hurt or feel heavy. I check the ceiling for any leaks. I ask about the overabundance of heaters and why the house is kept so hot. She doesn't give me any reasons just how wonderfully they work. Heat would camouflage stink, but I forget that. I want so desperately for this to work. I look at the floors and walls. At one point I get on my knees down on the carpet to check a corner and when I get up I have long white fur all over my black pants. I ask the woman if the previous tenants had cats and she says they shouldn't have, but maybe they did without her knowing. I make the ignorant assumption I might be reacting to cats and if the carpets are cleaned, that might do the trick. I'm being hopeful and idealistic, but I need this to work.

I sign over an enormous amount of money to cover security deposit and rent and she hands me the keys along with the carpet shampooer. I vacuum and clean the carpets. Immediately I feel sick and my head starts spinning. The water the carpet cleaner is sucking up is nearly black with dirt. So gross. How can people live in such filthy? Granted, on the surface the place looks clean, just don't look too closely. The longer I'm in the house, the sicker I get. I'm tempted to rip up a corner of the carpet to see what's under. At one point I leave to go out to my van, come back in and I can smell the musty stink in the air. Is it mold? Did the moisture from the carpet cleaner incite the mold spores in the air? The electric heaters would have dried the inside of the house out. By the time I leave I am so sick my whole body is hurting, but I think I just need to get away. At this point I'm STILL hopeful!

I have yet to sign up for electricity, garbage, and internet. Internet is a one year commitment. Is it mold? Is it the carpet? Is it the pet dirt? All these things are on my NO WAY list, so why did I even consider them for a second? I kept thinking if I can fix whatever problem, I'd be fine. That's what I did with my house. I fixed it and it's safe. But with a rental, I forget I don't have the luxury of making changes. It's not my house. The landlady is adamant there is no mold so she's not going to let me fix something that isn't there. I'm feeling worse with every passing minute. By the time I get home I'm feeling the full effects of some kind of exposure.

I call the landlady when I get home and tell her I can't move in. I consider I should wait a week and go back, but then I would lose two months rent instead of one. She tells me it might be the mill as it causes people to get sick. I tell her it's mold. She tells me it isn't. I keep wondering why Californians don't think a vapor barrier under a house is necessary. She thinks it might be the carpet, maybe residue from past cleanings. I doubt it. I saw the dirt that came up. I doubt if those carpets had ever been cleaned. I wonder why the HELL I cleaned them and she didn't? I give her my 30 day notice according to the rental agreement I signed less than five hours ago (how ridiculous). She tells me to sleep on it and decide in the morning. She wants me to be the tenant. Even though we are talking on the phone I can hear the dollar signs cha-changing in her eyes. I'm the winner after all.

All night I can't breathe, my body itches and burns, my head pounds and I feel sick to my stomach. This isn't cats. I haven't had a reaction like this for a long time. Even the house of the Moldy Slumlady didn't affect me like this. Anytime I start to doze off I wake up gasping for air. The landlady didn't realize "sleeping on it" would only make me feel worse. By the morning my decision is clear and I give an official notice. I lose $700 in less than 12 hours. She said she will return my security deposit. She claims she has to go through the application process again. I tell her she doesn't if she had 35 applicants. This is how she justifies keeping money she doesn't deserve. This is my reward for being the winning candidate, the responsible one, and my reward for ignoring my instincts. Lucky me.

No more rentals for me. Not only should I not be wandering into strange, toxic homes, but I don't even have the sense to trust my instincts. I'm an idiot and it's too expensive to keep trying. At this point I'm convinced I'll never be able to find a place to rent that's reasonably priced unless I want to be in a slum, and I can't afford to buy a new home in a nice neighborhood. Cheap rent or cheap mortgage and I'd be stuck once again in a trailer-trash community where all the poor people and their low-class barking dogs congregate. Whatever move I make, rent or buy, I can't imagine it'll be an improvement. I might as well stay right where I am. At least it's safe, that's if I can manage the growing depression due to my circumstances. I am a prisoner.

I wish I could find an advocate. Someone who understands chemical sensitivity who would keep my instincts in check and go to bat for me. Someone to scream at me, Look at what you are saying, IDIOT, this isn't right for you! If I end up in the hospital unconscious, I'd need someone like this. A body guard to stand over my helpless body and scream at doctors and nurses, Keep those nasty chemicals and drugs away from her! Are you wearing perfume, you ignorant fool, stand back! I think anyone who is chemically sensitive needs an advocate. I'd be a good advocate for a chemically-sensitive person. If I knew anyone in my area, I'd volunteer for them.

Unfortunately, I am alone. Only the stupid move to Rathole and get stuck here.

The Elimination Experiment, or Fatigue Testing

After five doctors and no answers, I'm determined to figure out why I'm always tired so I'm attempting some elimination tests.

The Paleo-Hashimoto's diet I been on has been very successful. I have not had any episodes of exhaustion. The "exhaustion" is when I am so tired I can barely move, lifting my arm takes enormous effort, and the only thing I am capable of doing is lying in bed. I'm not tired or sleepy and I can't sleep, I just can't seem to move. It's very frightening. It's the memory of those exhaustion episodes that helps me maintain my will power and keeps me from eating gluten and chocolate. I believe it's the gluten that provoke the autoimmune attacks on my thyroid.

The underlying fatigue started when I moved into this house eight years ago, maybe even a few years prior although it wasn't very apparent. I don't feel like exercising. I can often work through the fatigue with walking, gardening or projects, but no bike riding or stretching/exercising and even sitting still and reading feels like great effort. I experience the fatigue more in the spring and summer, and most often in the afternoon. I feel so tired I just want to nap, usually around 2pm to about 5pm.


Fatigue Theories:

Hay fever allergies are known for symptoms of fatigue and it's a little coincidental that most of my fatigue takes place in the spring and summer. As a child I lived in the country, dealt with hay fever, and as soon as I came of age I headed to the city where all my hay fever issues went away. I've now moved back to the country to get out of the pollution. There isn't much I can do about hay fever other than take drugs like Benadryl. Benadryl will clear up the respiratory symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, and sinus congestion, but it also causes fatigue. If all this fatigue is caused by hay fever allergies, my only alternative would be to move back to the city where I don't have allergies, but then I would have to suffer chemical exposures which are worse.

Air-borne chemicals  During the spring and summer the city sprays the streets, sidewalks and parks with herbicides and my neighbors spray their lawns. I do notice during the spring and summer there are days when if I go for a walk my lungs start feeling heavy and hurt. In addition, when my neighbor does laundry, it stinks to high heaven and pollutes the whole neighborhood. Incredibly toxic. Is it causing the fatigue?  Other than staying inside all summer, there isn't much I can do about air-borne chemicals other than to continue to do what I can to avoid exposure.

Mold  In the dirt? In the air? Spring and summer is when the ground and air warms. Does it activate mold growth? Every now and then if I dig in the garden, I become very tired. Might be a correlation or the correlation is the exercise? I don't know. I'll not dig in the dirt and use it as a test.

Computers and electromagnetic field exposures  I can keep track of the time I spend on the computer, but other than that it is another uncontrollable variable as I have to work.

Water-borne chemicals  I tend to feel tired once a month consistently and this leads me to believe there might be a connection to the city's water treatments and the fatigue I experience. I love soaking in the bathtub. I can take very short showers and see if that makes a difference and during the time period in question, avoid bathing all together and use it as a test.

Adrenal fatigue  Any number of things can contribute to adrenal fatigue, but stress is the number one factor.  I tend to be very reactive to emotions and sensitive to stress, but I don't have much on a daily basis. Bathing in hot water affects body temperature and puts a lot of stress on one's adrenals which could also affect energy levels. I have done some experimentation with adrenal support and nothing has made a difference. I'm at a loss for what else to try. No bathing might make a difference.

Diet  I've done well to reduce my intake of bad foods, but I still have my guilty pleasures and most of them are NOT on my Paleo-Hashimoto's diet. Although I don't eat a lot of the forbidden foods, every now and then I do treat myself.  Dried fruits are high in carbohydrates and affect blood sugar, and I'm addicted to raisins and dates as snacks. Yogurt (dairy) is known for inflammation, and unfortunately, when I get bored with the same old foods I treat myself with high fat, no sugar, plain yogurt. Potatoes are also high in carbohydrates (sugars) even though I eat them rarely, I haven't stopped completely. Grains are not on the diet either and I rarely eat gluten-free grain products with rice flour, potato flour or other substitutes, but every now and then for something different, I do. Rice is a carbohydrate and even though I don't eat it nearly as much as I did prior to starting this diet, I start feeling discombobulated if I go without it for up to two weeks. I also eat a lot of eggs, more than any human should consume. Are they causing fatigue? Let's find out. Can I give up these foods for three weeks? I'll need to add some recipes to my diet that will keep me full and satisfied like more beef and lamb.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome  One doctor suggested chronic fatigue, but I don't seem to have the other symptoms that accompany this condition. If so, there is nothing I can do about it.

Menopause and Hormonal Changes  Maybe. Not much I can do about this, either. Old people feel tired and nap a lot. I'm in that in between stage - I'm not old enough to retire, but I'm old enough to start feeling like I should. Damn.


Elimination Plan:

For three weeks I am not to soak in hot baths. Brief showers only except between the 19th and 25th when I sponge bathe in distilled water. No eating problematic foods (eggs, yogurt, dried fruit, potatoes or rice, gluten-free flours) for three weeks. I can't avoid the outside which would be ideal, but I can't stop what little exercise I'm getting and it's summer. I need sunshine for vitamin D. I'll keep track of everything I'm eating as well as anything unusual that I do or that happened during the day, for instance, air pollution encounters, labor-intensive projects, when I take a shower, and how often I'm on the computer.

Notes and Highlights:

The first day: NO FATIGUE. The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth days: NO FATIGUE.  Even after strenuous work, walking, or computer time, I didn't feel the normal afternoon fatigue. There were a few days when I felt a little tired around 6pm, but nothing that stopped me from functioning. I had high hopes that I was doing something right until the evening of the ninth day.

Day eight I was exposed to long grass and my hay fever symptoms went crazy. Later that night, I wanted to eat eggs. I couldn't stop thinking about them. It's the only thing I wanted to eat, but I didn't. Sinuses were painfully raw and respiratory tract was uncomfortably congested. The next day allergy symptoms were still bothering me, but not as bad. Later that night I started pacing around the kitchen like a caged animal. I'm hungry, but nothing looks good. I didn't eat rice although I know it would have stopped me from pacing. Tenth day woke up tired and stayed that way all day crashing around two in the afternoon and sleeping for two hours. Allergies?? Or maybe coming down off of allergies?

Around day five I started feeling like I want to exercise! Nothing strenuous, just stretching and movement, but normally I don't even feel like I'm capable of any kind of exertion.

After a week of no raisins or dates, I didn't even care. I really thought I'd have problems giving up the sugary stuff.

Air-borne chemical encounters clearly gave me headaches and migraines usually within a few minutes and the intensity depended on the encounter. Getting one whiff of that sickly-sweet laundry detergent wafting over from my neighbor's house nearly killed me one morning. I ran back into the house and stayed there for a few hours with the windows closed until I thought their laundry was done. Didn't seem to have any correlation to fatigue, though.

Around day seventeen I was COLD. My whole body cold. And hungry. I wanted to take a bath just to warm up, but instead crawled into bed for about an hour. Didn't sleep because I wasn't tired. Hungry all day, but nothing sounded satisfying. Later in the day I wanted to eat eggs. I didn't. I ate rice...I couldn't wait any longer.

The Challenges:

I added a "forbidden" for one day and stop for four days to see what happens.

RICE: no negative effects, felt better, no hunger and no fatigue

GLUTEN-FREE CUPCAKE WITH SUGAR: YUM! I couldn't help myself. I was awake later than usual (lots of energy), I seem to have more hot flashes, and slightly tired about four hours later with slight headache, but no crashing type of fatigue.

EGGS: The cravings indicated eggs might be an issue, maybe associated with hay fever? Eggs are really high in zinc which assists detoxification. As soon as I ate them I kept having to clear my throat. Then I ate them again and again all day. I felt a little tired at the bewitching hour (2:00pm), but not much and no crashing. I ate them again and had no reaction at all.

YOGURT: The yogurt was heavenly, I slept good after, and awoke with lots of energy the next morning. It's not yogurt!

POTATOES: Yum! I baked them as French Fries in olive oil. No fatigue. I do wonder if I ate them a lot or repeatedly for days if they would also produce fatigue. So several weeks later I tried that and experienced no fatigue.

GLUTEN-FREE PANCAKES: These are made with rice flour and some other stuff. I eat them so infrequently, maybe once every two or three months so it's been a while since I've had them. I went picking blueberries and thought this would be a good opportunity to make blueberry pancakes and test the reaction. I ate one pancake and felt really awful. About an hour later the headaches started and then I crashed and slept for two hours. All before noon! Fatigue and headaches the rest of the day.

BATH: I was getting a strange rash on my calves before I started this experiment which only got worse every time I took a bath. It nearly all went away during the bathing elimination phase.  I took a fast dip in a cool bath thinking a hot bath was causing the rash, and my calves started burning anyway. I had planned to take hot baths the whole day to test the fatigue, but if one short cool dip would cause the burning, I decided to wait to add hot baths later. I took that cool dip when the chemicals in the water are at their worst.

About a week later, I just wanted a bath and it was time to do a bath challenge. To soak in hot water. It was wonderful. Two hours later I did it again. I felt tired immediately after and crashed, sleeping for two hours. Took another bath and the headaches and nausea started. I jump in the shower with a gallon of heated distilled water and tried to rinse the water off. Even so, I woke up the next morning with nausea, pain in my lower back, a headache and fatigue and later that afternoon, crashed and slept for one hour. It took two days to recover and the whole time I felt groggy and tired. Is it the chemicals in the water? I've had problems with them in the past. Or is it the heat stressing my adrenals? I have no idea. Maybe both. But the rash didn't come back with the second bath. I think maybe the rash and nausea are from the chemicals and the fatigue is from the heat.

DRIED FRUIT: Oh, raisins and dates...my addiction. I was surprised it was so easy to give them up. For me, dried fruit might as well be straight sugar. I had a bad feeling and almost considered not using them as a test, but I needed to confirm. I bought a small bag of dates and immediately felt sick after eating some. Ate a few more of the dates the next day and around 2pm crashed for nearly FOUR hours. Good to know.

DIGGING IN THE DIRT/MOLD THEORY:  This was the last test. I cut all my lettuce and gave it to the food bank then the next morning I dug out all the roots. I dug deep and got my nose down in the dirt to make sure the exposure was good. No fatigue at all.


Conclusion:

Besides the normal dietary restrictions of gluten, sweeteners, dairy, tomatoes, mushrooms, pork, shellfish, high glycemic fruits, juices, junk food and processed foods:

*Stay away from hot baths.
*Stay away from bath during city treatment periods.
*Stay away from flours or grains (other than rice).
*Stay away from dried fruits.

*Limit egg intake.

*Continue limiting rice intake no more than once every ten days.

*Avoid potatoes and yogurt because they aren't on the Paleo-Hashimoto's diet, but if I treat myself, I know these items not causing the fatigue.

*Hay fever reeks havoc on my body. Oh well.

*Stay away from chemicals. Knew that.

The closer I get to following Dr. Kharrazian's Hashimoto's diet, the better I feel. The rice is still a cheat but I don't have a clue why it makes me insane not to eat it. I'll avoid potatoes and yogurt, also cheats, even though they don't affect me. That random fatigue episode after the hay fever reaction is puzzling, but I feel closer to an answer. Non-scientific tests done at home without laboratory control are really inconclusive at best. I have no idea if combinations of things create the fatigue or other variables, but this is the best I could do.

The plan and challenges took about two months total. I'm so tired of eating pot roast...

Effects of Locations

I just found this really cool website-list for checking the effects of locations:

http://locationseffect.proboards.com

 

 

Interestingly enough, a lot of the people on this list talk about mold causing fatigue especially in my area of the USA. Some contributors say they got so exhausted they couldn't function at work. I've always wondered if the mold is the cause of my fatigue and I'm pretty sure it's the cause of my face rash. It rains a lot where I am located and most houses here smell like mold or mildew. I've worked hard to make sure mine doesn't and I've done everything possible to eliminate water drainage problems or possible mold issues, but I think once a house has it there isn't much you can do. Even if you dry out a house, the mold dries, too, creating a dust, but that's just my theory.

 

Check this resource, find your location, and see what people are saying! Then add your own comments for your area.

Slumlords and Refunds: Let the Games Begin

May 2, 2013 

It's been almost 14 days since confronting the landlady about the mold and insect problems. Although she said it would take a few days to refund my money since she needed to wait for my checks to clear the bank, I have received nothing. According to my online banking account, my checks cleared the same day as our conversation. For almost two weeks I've been stressing. Anger stress. Stress is very motivating. I've spent all that energy researching landlord-tenant laws, emailing attorneys, and calling legal self-help lines.

Attorneys are worse than landlords. If you've read some of my older blogs, you know I have a little experience with them. In between calls and emails I chanted to myself, "The only people to benefit in a lawsuit are the lawyers." It's all about money to them and any way they can suck it out of you. Several people I spoke to said many attorneys give free consultations. Yeah, right. I emailed one and asked if he gave free consultations or what his rates were. He suggested I contact a low-income organization for free advice. He didn't even entertain the possibility I could be his client. Maybe he thought if I even bothered to ask for a free consultation I couldn't afford him?  Another said he only represents landlords. Again, assuming I'm a renter and not an owner of property I can't possibly have enough money to afford him. Sounds like economic discrimination to me. Another attorney agreed to a phone conversation but wouldn't answer any of my questions unless I threw money at him. Most didn't even answer my emails! The problem is I am not trained in law nor do I know tricks to research statutes, codes, and regulations so I need advice in order to proceed effectively. One small slip could throw it all in the toilet. I did find attorney in my little town who was informative and kind, but he told me I needed an attorney in the county where the rental is located. Damn. Why is justice so difficult?


Although moldy landlady said a few days, she's a liar. I already knew this. Still, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and waited in hopes she'd do the right thing and send my money back to me. I also know fourteen days is always the magical deadline with rental agreements of any kind and she would need to do something within this time frame or she would be required to refund my deposit no matter what. Sure enough, I received a letter from her on day twelve. She refunded one month's rent for the month of May, plus four days of the ten days I rented in April, She kept the deposit and six days of rent. WHY did she keep six days of rent? Because it took six days for her to receive the written, signed, certified letter from me. She's not counting from the day I told her, but is squeezing out as much money as possible. Sorry...I call that petty.

Problem is now that she's refunded half my money, the stakes are lower so this voids out the use of a lawyer because the lawyer would cost more than any money I'd get returned. Maybe this was her strategy? Maybe she contacted her attorney and this was his/her advice? According to the wording of the lease if it were a normal situation and I just bailed for the fun of it, not only should I lose my deposit, but also be responsible for rent until the space is re-rented. The problem with this logic is how easy will it be for her to re-rent a moldy, insect-infested house? She's going to have to find someone as blind as I am. I also know moldy landlady is very picky about who she wants living on her property, so she's not going to rent it to just anyone. Sending me a partial refund is a strategy rather than a lease stipulation. I think she knows she can't keep my money because she can't rent it again until she forks out lots of money to fix it, but she's hoping this partial refund will satisfy me. And I'll walk away.

Not hardly. So here is my next step: Research. Hey, that's what we pay lawyers to do although I know for a fact they are much better at it than I am. There are state laws to read, ordinances to understand, and regulations to interpret. Some states, like California, have mold disclosure laws so the landlord MUST disclose the presence of black mold. California is always way ahead of everyone. My state doesn't. We have a "mold information law." The landlords are required to tell you about mold. How incredibly useless and ridiculous. Still, there are state law codes that will help my situation and override the lease.

For instance, she failed to provide a rental space that is habitable. Instead, the rental has issues that would "endanger the health and safety of tenants" and according to the Center for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, my state laws and most intelligent people, mold is a health hazard. She also failed to provide a "reasonable program for the control of insect infestation". Therefore, moldy landlady is derelict in her duties as a landlord and is guilty of managerial negligence. She is not compliant with state laws. She'll be getting a letter from me highlighting the state laws in question, listing my rights to health and safety as a tenant, re-summarizing the situation in conjunction with my lack of fault and her irresponsibility, emphasizing her managerial negligence, and demanding my full refund.

I'm not going away without a fight. I'm tired of people thinking they can take my money and screw me over. If she played this game with five more people, she'd have enough money to remodel the whole building. If in response to my letter she seeks the advice of an attorney...cha-ching. It'll cost her.  To go to court she better be very certain she did comply with state laws, which she didn't. It would be cheaper and in her best interest to just give me back my money. It's not like she did anything to earn it.

Checkmate, Moldy Slumlord. You're move.

May 24, 2013

I gave her until May 26th to return my money. Why so much time? I have no idea. Why a Sunday? I have no idea. I must have picked some random day that sounded good. Again, she waited until the last minute to meet the deadline. Today I get a certified letter from the slumlord accusing me of trying to take advantage of her because she is in a wheelchair with a broken foot. How am I taking advantage of her? She has my money; I don't have hers! In the letter she says she's refunding the six days of rent she previously didn't refund, not because of any legal obligation, but because she feels sorry for me. She kept the deposit. If she feels sorry for me, then why not refund the deposit, too?  I'm never quite sure of her refund rationale.

As someone who is chemically sensitive, how do I take her to small claims court? What happens if the judge is wearing perfume? Or the court reporter? Do I walk out? Suppose the slumlord wears perfume? If I walk out, will I be fined? I know if I walk out the case may be ruled in her favor so then what choice do I have? How does the law work for the chemically sensitive if courtroom exposures may limit our participation? It's a system of discrimination.

I'm just so grateful I got out of there when I did! I'm so glad I never have to have any contact with this slumlord or her moldy house again. It has definitely been a learning experience and it only cost $490. Cheaper than going to college!

Dodging Bullets

I deleted my last post called, "The Commitment". For those of you who read it, you are aware I inspected the rental cottage and satisfied it was clean and safe, signed the one-year lease. I was so thrilled and excited to move into my new place and finally be a resident of a wonderful community. The memory now horrifies me.

So clean. So deceiving.

 

I spent five hours cleaning, scrubbing and sterilizing every surface. As in past moves, this affords me the confidence to know everything is clean and safe. Unfortunately, I kept finding very odd signs of problems. Most I didn't understand, but I kept right on cleaning excited to finally find a home after many months of searching. Nothing a little cleaning won't take care of, right?

My first discovering was the cleaning people who were hired a month before didn't do a very good job. They missed the blinds totally and the filth matched the rug the landlady tried to give me. Really disgusting. But dirt doesn't necessarily mean danger so I kept working.

The next discovery was a little problematic. Under the kitchen counter there was a rubber-coated metal garbage receptacle attachment. It was dirty, caked with food, peeling and rusted. There were bits of old, dried food behind it. (I think the money the landlady paid the cleaners was truly a waste.) The rust was a little odd, but at the time I wondered if spilled liquid left and not cleaned was to blame.

Then as I wiped down the new shelving paper on the bottom surface under the sink, I felt a bump. I peeled it up and underneath found a pile of yellow dust. Hmmm....Did someone repair? Drill? Saw? And leave saw dust? Maybe there was a moisture problem and it was fixed? That would explain the rust. Why did the cleaners cover it with the shelf paper? I removed the shelving paper and cleaned it up looking for evidence of repairs. Couldn't see anything. For a half of a second I considered bugs. Naw! The landlord wouldn't rent a space with an insect infestation.

As I cleaned the floor I kept seeing tiny specks of black dots. Dirt the cleaners missed? Fly poop? (Eeewww.) I knew this space had been used for storage for the last two years so flies would be normal and I knew the cleaners were bad. I kept cleaning.

My lungs were hurting and my sinuses burning so I opted not to stay in the house overnight. It just felt wrong like it needed to be cleaned again. 

This is where I'm embarrassed. Did someone shanghai my instincts? Why am I being so incredibly blind and optimistic?

My lungs, sinuses and head were hurting all night and the next day. The evidence was gnawing at me all day as I packed up more belongs to take to the rental. Finally I got online to search for clues.

"particle board yellow piles of dust"  This is evidence of wood-boring bugs, either carpenter ants, termites or wood-boring beetles and therefore, evidence of water saturation.

"tiny black dots linoleum"  MOLD. FUCKING MOLD. How did I miss evidence of mold before I signed the lease?  It seems these little black dots are the mold growing underneath the tiles and seeping through the porous surface. The mold will also push up the tiles. While cleaning I did come across one tile that was loose and made a note to glue it back down. Another indication of mold is black around the edges of the tiles. I saw this near the front door. It didn't wash away so it seemed hard. I assumed it was remnants of black adhesive, maybe repairs.  I have never seen mold before and only know how to prevent it.

Sunday night I was in a panic. Oh my god! I left my cleaning supplies, some dishes and a MATTRESS in the rental. I envisioned the little mold spores infecting everything. But I didn't know for sure. It was all I could do to sleep and wait for morning.

At five in the morning I drove to my new digs to confirm the signs of mold to prepare to get the hell out regardless of the cost due to the lease agreement. Sure enough, I pulled up the one loose tile and there is dark black mold growing underneath.

Mold growing under tile.

The tiny dots of black on top of the linoleum are not as obvious as the dots underneath. They were much smaller, almost microscopic. I could see them while cleaning because I was on my knees and close to them. Walking around looking at surfaces before I signed the lease, I expected mold to be very visible. There wasn't any on walls or in the corners where I expected it to be.

 

 

Mold seeping out from tile edges.

 

Looking under the kitchen sink, the bugs are back at work and there is new little mound of yellow dust started.

Infestation dust

Before leaving I took photos. I read you should put a dated newspaper in the photo, but I think you are supposed to do that when you move out. I figured it couldn't hurt.

Overflowing water next to foundation outside kitchen.

 

I also took a photo of the overflowing rain barrel outside the house near the kitchen area. Then I packed up all my supplies and my mattress and shivered the feeling of YUCK off me.

I knocked on the door of the landlady at 8:30 a.m. She was still in her nightie. She was surprised to see me and I apologized for getting her out of bed, but it couldn't wait. I told her I couldn't move in to the cottage as the space is contaminated with mold growing under the linoleum. I showed her the piece of tile with mold shadows on the under surface. She didn't look surprised, but she feigned ignorance whining, "I don't know why no one told me." Really? It didn't matter to me whether or not she knew. I continued to inform her about the bug infestation and showed her the shelving paper with dust.

Wood-boring bug dust on underside of shelving paper.

Although her chosen words indicated she was apologetic, her demeanor was not. I think she knew about the mold. How could she not? I repeated I couldn't believe the cleaners didn't tell her as it would have been very apparent to them. She looked uncomfortable. We also discussed the possible problems of the house, the fact it was closed up and used as storage with no heat, the crawlspace height, and the water barrels. She admitted to being the one who installed the linoleum. I told her even if she got an exterminator in the building to get rid of the bugs, I can't be in the same space with those chemicals. And according to online information, she was going to need to rip out all the linoleum and maybe remove the wood floors underneath to make it livable.

She told me she had just deposited my checks so it would be a few days before she could give me a refund. This sounded hopeful. She's not going to hold me to the lease? We'll see. I told her I would really appreciate it.

Then she slipped and said, "I wish I hadn't deleted all those other responses to my ad because now I will have to re-post it and go through the process again of finding another renter."

I just stared at her. "Are you sure you want to rent it out without fixing the problems first? That mold can cause real health damage." She stared at me. I don't think she has any intention of fixing the problems and is hoping to get a tenant to take responsibility for them. I'm torn. If she finds another renter, I'm not liable for the lease and future monthly rent payments, but how do I live with myself for allowing another renter in there? If she doesn't or can't find another renter because she has to fix the problems, I might be liable for twelve months of rent. That's a whole lot of money.

I kindly told her I was really disappointed as I was looking forward to living next to her. She said she was also looking forward to being neighbors and showing me around town. I asked if I could come by to visit if I find another place and she said yes. We said our good-byes and I got the hell out of there.

At home I sterilized everything with hot, soapy water and bleach. The mattress I left out in the sun to heat up. Light kills mold. Not much else I could do with a mattress.

I just dodged a bullet. A deadly bullet. Suppose I had moved out of my house and put everything in this rental? What would I have done if I didn't have my safe haven waiting for me to return? Supposed I had stayed the night? Or continued to ignore the warnings and never did that online research?

This has been a huge learning experience! First, I'm an idiot. Second, I can desperately rationalize anything in hopes of a good outcome. Third, my optimism is bad for my health.

The whole experience is frightening. I'm hoping I don't put myself in the line of fire again. I'm a bit gun shy right now. My house is looking really lovely these days. At least it's not going to kill me.

Fungus Among Us

Where I live in the land of no sun and overabundance of rain, mold is taken for granted. It infiltrates our lives living in the walls and basements of our homes, wafting through our car's heating system, floating in the air, and buried in the dirt. If I don't wash my van a few times each winter, green fungus-y growth can be seen in the outside seams of metal. Lovely. Our environment is so saturated with mold that state real estate laws were changed regarding disclosure statements. It doesn't matter if your home is crawling with the fungi, and no one cares if you disclose it because they won't be allowed to sue anyway. It's assumed if your house is located here, it's moldy. Everyone's house is moldy. That's life. Get used to it. Mold is our official state...flower? Animal? Is there such a thing as an official state environmental health problem?

Since I've lived here most of my life, I have a history of mold exposure. It's always fun to watch the eyes of a new doctor light up when I start confessing the highlights of my life: the basement of my family home used to flood every winter, I grew up around apple trees and my sensitivity tests claim an intolerance to apple mold, I lived in Arizona for a short time and I've tested positive for molds that grow in air conditioners, and right around the time my chemical sensitivity began disabling me I was living in a basement apartment with carpeting from the 1970s. Just saying basement apartment and holistic health practitioners get very excited.

Although conventional allergy testing rated me negative for mold, I don't know if it really matters in terms of danger.  There are thousands of different kinds of molds. Which molds did they test me for?  I never take the information from any doctor at face value.  Do you really need to be formally allergic to mold for it to affect your health?

One of my neighbors has never had allergies of any kind throughout his life, but his sinuses and lungs have been messed up since moving to the state of mold. His house is very old and wasn't very well cared for. He has since repaired it, rebuilt parts of it, and after getting rid of the water-rotten wood and termites, it all dried out so he claims there shouldn't be a mold problem. While inspecting the thick layer of dust on his computer I replied, "So you DRIED the mold and it is now AIRBORNE? Floating around like toxic dust?"  The furrows appearing on his forehead betrayed his confidence. Breathing for him has become uncomfortable for sure, but he's pretty lucky. At least he's not dying from it. Yet.

I knew a woman who's newly-constructed house came down with a bad case of black mold. Before she realized what was happening, all her pets died mysteriously, one after the other. The house was eventually condemned, unable to even be sold and her family after losing everything moved into a tiny apartment. Shortly after that her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and she died from ovarian cancer about a year later. She was only in her thirties.

So, I am properly afraid of mold. I should have seen the signs when I considered buying this house but I was so eager to get out of that basement apartment, I wasn't thinking rationally. First, there were air fresheners all over. Normally, I would walk away from any house that had air fresheners, but for some reason I held my mask tightly to my face and didn't run. The laundry room had walls removed and the floor removed down to plywood. I figured someone must have been remodeling. I justified purchasing this house because there were no obvious signs: no black fuzz crawling up the wall, no drips, no visible water leaks, the crawlspace didn't smell either. I had seen all manner of mold infestations in my very, very long search for a new home.  This house looked awesome in comparison, even with the air fresheners. I told the house inspector of my mold concerns and he said, "I don't know why people worry about mold. Mold is good for you!" I should have fired him on the spot, but I was desperate to get out of the basement apartment. And I really loved the house.

On purchase, I immediately removed the air fresheners and got a closer look at everything. I could smell the mustiness. Oh god, what have I done? I assumed it was the heating system that I found out hadn't worked for years and yeah, I got under the house and animals had made nests out of the heat vents. This was another clue I missed since lack of heat during the winter would have created a whole lot of dampness. I later found out the house was unoccupied for a few years, too. Who knows what can happen when tenants aren't there to watch over a house? I went to work eradicating the problem: spraying the whole crawlspace with Four Thieves Oil (herbal stinky stuff, but tolerable), re-covering the ground under the house with thick plastic, getting the heating system fixed, replacing the missing walls, having all the plumbing inspected, redoing the floors, fixing the rain gutters, and re-roofing the whole house. No more musty smells and I felt safe and secure. It worked.

Or did it?

Since I've been in this house I been in a constant state of fatigue. Every doctor I've seen is quick to assume any fatigue must be my thyroid, but thyroid medications don't help. My thyroid labs aren't really bad enough to cause these symptoms and the Kharrazian diet hasn't improved my energy on any level. In fact, nothing seems to work. During the spring and summer months when everything warms up I experience periods of exhaustion on top of the fatigue. Mold loves wet and damp, but warmth enables it to grow and spread.

My early theories were mold. I had an online chemically sensitive acquaintance from California who told me when she visited her friend in the moldy state she could smell the mold in the yard. Another chemically sensitive person said she was tested for dirt mold and came up positive. This got me thinking.  If it were thyroid, I'd be tired in the winter when the weather is cold.  Instead, it's seasonal during the warmer months, when the environment begins to heat.

In addition to the fatigue and exhaustion, about three years ago I started experiencing burning. It started at the back of my head, crawled up and over my head and down through my body. It's constant. I've been to many doctors and no one seems to have any idea. I've read a few possible theories online, but most information comes back to MOLD. Mold keeps popping up. Mold, mold, mold.

Is there a connection between mold and chemical sensitivity? Did the mold in the basement apartment contribute to my overexposure? Has continued mold exposure in my current house kept me from healing or detoxing adequately?  

So what to do?

There are diets that lower your yeast/fungus levels but that involves giving up fruits which are naturally moldy and I'm not sure I want to do that since the foods I can eat at this point are so limited. Besides, I really don't think if you live with mold as a roommate changing your diet is really going to make a difference.

I think the best plan is to move...easier said than done in this economy...but eventually. Where to go? Is there really any place that is safe?

I've heard Colorado doesn't have mold.

Vehicles and Transportation

Only once in my life did I exist without my own transportation. I was living in a city, walked everywhere, used public transportation for distances, and if I needed to travel long distance I'd rent a car. It was heavenly not to have to pay for gas, maintenance, parking and insurance, not to mention feeling like I was doing my part toward a cleaner environment.

Alternative transportation for the chemically sensitive is more of a challenge. Riding a bike or walking long distances is only an option if you have the energy and health, however, both are constantly compromised and not dependable on a daily basis. Public transportation is risky. Enclosed in a bus wondering if the next rider will stink and knowing you may have to get off in the middle of nowhere is painfully stressful.  When does the next bus come? Who knows. Although most rental car companies strive to provide clean, scent-free cars, renting a car on a full-time basis would be incredibly expensive. And there is never a guarantee when dealing with the unstable variable: previous renters...people!

Living outside a city without your own transportation is difficult; living in the country without transportation is nearly impossible if you want to get anywhere unless you own a horse. Even a simple errand like getting groceries is a major event if you live miles from the nearest store. In search of organic food? Those miles may turn into hours of driving. Depending on another person for transportation is frustrating, especially someone who does not live with you. MCSers need their own reliable transportation for safety and peace of mind.

Shopping and Buying  Eight years ago I was forced to shop for a new vehicle after a crazy man high on Coca Cola and sleeping pills plowed into me at a stop light going forty-five miles an hour. Never mind my injuries, the thought of having to shop for a car was more worrisome. Automobile salesmen are notorious for cologne and used cars are guaranteed to be perfumed with air fresheners. Ditto on private sellers. After a long search, I did find a fragrance-free salesperson who seemed to understand my restrictions. He found a van that wasn't air freshened by snatching it up before it was detailed and asked the detailers not to put stink in the car when they prepared it for purchase.

Detoxifying When I was finally granted custody, it smelled. They did avoid any smelly preparations on the inside, but who would have predicted a freshly cleaned engine would stink so badly inside and out?  I drove home with all the windows down and my head hanging out like a dog.

Once I got it home it took about a week of vacuuming, carpet cleaning with non-toxic carpet shampoos, vinegar bowls to suck up the stink, baking soda all over the carpet followed by more vacuuming, and finally freshly ground coffee beans in bowls sealed up inside over night. I don't know if all this did any good, or if the week of sitting with the windows down was enough time to offgas, but eventually it was clean enough to enter and drive.

Practicality I chose to buy a van even with its less than stellar fuel efficiency as I needed something as a backup should my living area become contaminated. It was definitely a change from my tiny, energy efficient Toyota. It felt like I was driving around with my living room attached behind the driver's seat, but so much potential and well worth the sacrifice. In addition to serving as a emergency shelter, it has moved all my furniture to my current location, carried all manner of construction materials, transported garage sale treasures and freebies, and last fall hauled sixteen loads of rabbit manure, two yards of beauty bark and one yard of river rock. I don't recommend hauling river rock - it nearly flattened the back tires and I drove home with the tail pipe about an inch above the roadway. As mentioned in the previous post, I've often used it for accommodations and camping, too. I love my van.

Maintenance For the chemically sensitive, keeping the vehicle in good running condition is extremely important. Proper maintenance prevents problems such as leaks, ventilation issues, etc. that would contaminate the interior air space.  I also have a fear of breaking down somewhere. Who would I call? If the tow truck driver wore cologne or had air fresheners in his truck, would I be forced to walk home? From miles away? Most mechanics who offer me a ride home from their shops have air fresheners in their car so no matter where I go for maintenance, it must be within walking or cycling distance. Be sure when you take your vehicle into the shop that you state very clearly no one wearing cologne should get in it and no one should be tempted to add an air freshener or anything that stinks.

Interior cleanliness is also very important. The driver is sealed in a tiny compartment with limited air space. Dirt, animal hair, dust, food particles, dead insects, and trash can make this environment intolerable. Opening a window for fresh air will make these contaminants airborne. I vacuum the carpets and upholstery all the time, wash surfaces with vinegar, and occasionally shampoo the carpets with non-toxic shampoo. I also don't leave items in the car as I value the limited amount of air space available.

Mold is a concern in my area of the country and the HVAC system can be easily contaminated affecting ventilation and air quality. Turn on the vehicle, turn up the air conditioning and pour vinegar down the air vents on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle, located above the hood near the window. This simple precaution kills any mold spores, mildew or bacteria. Avoid eating and drinking in your vehicle as dropped liquids or food particles promote mold and bacteria growth as well. (Yeah, easier said than done, I know.)

Driving City or freeway driving especially during high traffic times is enough to kill someone who is chemically sensitive. When I still lived in a suburban area, one short jaunt on the freeway during a traffic jam and I'd have to exit for home, curl up in my bed for a few hours and sleep off the nausea and headache. One way to alleviate the asphyxiating smell of car exhaust is to keep your windows rolled up and turn the air conditioning on full blast making sure the air is re-circulated from the inside rather than using air pumped in from the outside. This is a situation where it is imperative to have a clean interior or the dust, dirt and mold will become airborne creating more breathing problems.

Passengers In the small interior of my van, I become ultra chemically sensitive! Passengers must be truly fragrance-free with no residue on their bodies or clothing. Anytime transportation is necessary, I always volunteer to drive. It's a requirement. If my prospective passenger shows up with even a hint of smell on them, we drive separately. I warn them in advance of my rules.

Shopping and Buying: Ten Years Later Lately, I've been considering buying a more fuel efficient car. My technique is going to a dealership and waiting for the first eager salesperson to approach. As you watch them rush to your side with that I-can't-wait-to-screw-you-over smile, ten to twenty feet away I loudly ask, "Are you wearing any cologne or scented products?" If he says he is I respond loud enough so he can hear it clearly, "I am deathly sensitive to stink, don't come near me." I turn and leave. Sometimes they try to talk me into staying or offer to find another salesperson, but I keep walking hollering over my shoulder, "No thanks!" It sends a clear message.  My belief is if one salesperson is ignorant, there obviously isn't some kind of fragrance-free policy. Sales personnel really should more knowledgeable about health issues of potential customers. If not, they aren't that interested in selling anything. If he says he isn't wearing anything smelly, I exclaim also loudly, "You are my guy! Thank you so much for not poisoning me!" Out of twenty encounters last summer, only ONE wore stink. Another said he normally wears cologne, but the dealership manager was fragrance sensitive and he's not allowed. That is a HUGE improvement! Eight years ago it was one out of every twenty wasn't perfumed!

I've stuck my nose into some of the new economy cars: Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevy, Dodge and the interiors are made with such cheap plastics the chemical offgassing is deadly. I can't even get in them. In fact, I have to select and limit the number of cars I smell with each shopping trip. One bad smell can make me stagger home and crawl into bed.


I have found only two cars I can enter because they don't have cheap, smelly interiors: the Smart Car and Mini-Cooper. They use leather which could be problematic for many but for some reason, I had no issues with it which leads me to believe they must be using a safer treatment. I'm not looking at the more expensive Mercedes or BMWs although I'm sure their interiors are made from quality materials as well. Unfortunately luxury cars are not anywhere near my budget so I have to settle for their economical counterparts. I've considered buying a convertible. I can't imagine being in traffic surrounded by car exhaust with not only the windows down but the roof down, too! These are the factors one must consider when chemically sensitive.

Currently my plan is to save my money and wait for an electric car of quality. Can you imagine driving around without the stink of car exhaust? Mini-Cooper is on the top of my list, but they are in the testing stage. Buying an electric car may involve moving closer to a city in order to use electrical facilities. We'll see. I'm not in a hurry. Until then, I love my van and plan to keep it as a second car anyway. I won't be hauling rabbit manure in a new Mini-Cooper!

MCS Membership: Joining the Club

How do people become chemically sensitive? For some, it's long-term subtle chemical exposure to everyday poisons; for others, it's one massive overexposure experience.  Still others become chemically sensitive as a by-product of other health issues: cancer, pregnancy, mold exposure, to name a few, as our immune systems hyper-react to toxins trying to protect the body from further damage.

I was poisoned at a school where I worked. It wasn't an old school, but it's often newer construction materials using modern chemicals that create many "sick building" environments. First day on the job the carpets were being replaced. New synthetic carpets and the glues used to hold them in place are incredibly toxic and can offgas poisons for years, but old carpets harboring a very serious mold problem are deadly. This school had both. Didn't seem to bother me at the time, but everyone else was ranting about the stink. The school also had ventilation problems and three times a day bus fumes would waft through the building. Uncomfortable and making everyone sick to their stomachs, but didn't seem to bother me other than an occasional "ugh!". To camouflage the stink so we could all pretend it wasn't there, air fresheners were sprayed through the halls and staff wore copious amounts of perfume and cologne. Now THAT did me in! With the repetitive assault, my body just gave up and started defensively attacking back.

In addition, my history includes growing up surrounded by acres of perfectly manicured turf grass drenched in pesticides and herbicides, a home full of second-hand smoke, a house treated for termites, and a perfume-saturated office job where I thought I had a very bad, lingering case of the flu. For me it was a combination of long-term subtle exposure culminating in a massive overexposure that pushed me over the edge.

How did you become chemically sensitive? Share your story.