Back and Confused

Hi Louise,

I remember you!

You recovered without taking any meds....or you haven't taken any lyme meds for the past 5 years?

Did you have a LLMD back then....? And could you have a consult and get his/her opinion?

Is it possible that you moved to a place that has mold? (I'm sure you've thought about that already)

I'd be curious to know the answer to Girlie's question too.

My Lyme "started" when I moved into an apartment with severe mold.

But I suspect it was already in my body long before that.

The apartment lied in an area without ticks among other factors.

Louise,

I saw your post from today and went back to read your other recent posts, as I seem to have missed them. I am so sorry for the horrible symptoms you’re having and the lack of support.

When I carefully read what you posted here, I have to ask about mold. I have mold, too, and I tend to pick up on clues that might point to that.

Three things struck me:
1. It all started after a trip to NY.
2. You had previous mold illness.
3. Your husband suddenly developed Lyme symptoms at the same time you “relapsed.”

Did you move/change job locations anywhere near this time?

The trip to NY seems significant to you and your husband. Possible mold exposure on this trip that may have suppressed both your immune systems? Lots of ticks and Lyme in NY from what I hear - new tick bites? Could your house have sprung a hidden leak somewhere while you were gone to NY?

Louise,

The symptoms you’re having don’t sound like mold symptoms. What I was wondering is if you may have had a significant mold exposure on that trip that triggered a Lyme/co relapse and caused what could have been dormant Lyme to surface with symptoms in your husband.

According to Shoemaker and his work on CIRS, a mold exposure in a susceptible person can trigger CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome) that won’t go away on its own without treatment. I know a lot of former Shoemaker trained doctors found his CIRS stuff to be incomplete or less significant than originally thought.

I just know from what I have read of some other people’s experiences is that an isolated exposure can, indeed, cause debilitating illness overnight. It’s not always long term exposure in your home or workplace.

I also know for myself that my reactions to exposure to molds in other places can be different than my reactions to what I was exposed to at home. This can sometimes make it hard to tell for sure if I am being exposed to mold or something else, like fragrance or chemicals.

Of course, there’s also the possibility you both had tick bites while there and didn’t know it.

The strange “cold” with the sinus symptoms does sound like it could have been from mold.

I also got horrifically worse off after bronchitis in 2015. It set off a chain reaction of unbelievable inflammation that wasn’t visible outwardly or via CT scan or X-rays but quickly spread throughout multiple body systems. I have also had long-term runaway inflammation following rounds of abx on multiple occasions. So, yeah, it does happen.

The thing that makes me wonder about mold (and also possible new tick bites) is that your husband suddenly developed Lyme symptoms at the same time. That seems very significant to me.

One other thought is it could have been exposure to something other than mold, like chemicals. You said it was as a newly renovated room. Renovations can spread mold spores and toxins and new furnishings can be full of chemicals. I have heard that not all toxic chemicals smell.

I just remembered something else. The mold avoiders group (paradigmchange.me) talk about sewer toxins, too. Were you in NYC? In the subways? There are outdoor toxins that can cause sudden chronic illness just like mold and other toxins found in water damaged buildings.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 5/28/2020 6:06:37 PM (GMT-6)

The CIRS doctors say to do the ERMI test from Mycometrics. I have done about 6 of their dust cloth tests. Others here have used them, too. If you need more info, let me know. Hope you can get to the bottom of this mystery and get well again soon.

I also used the mold dog pre and post remediation. The dog was very helpful in locating the sources (interior wall cavities under ALL the windows on 2 sides of the house and in some other places. If you’re interested, I can give you the information on that. The one I used is in FL (the owner and trainer). I know of another mold investigator in NY who has one of the dogs trained by the man in FL.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 5/28/2020 8:40:16 PM (GMT-6)

Maybe you caught a cold or virus in NY and it tipped things over the edge? My Lyme and Bartonella fully emerged after getting a horrible flu in March 2019. I’ve most likely had Lyme my whole life though, and until that point my immune system was mostly managing it. My boyfriend had the flu first and it was really bad, he got sick after a big sales convention. I also had sinusitis with it that wouldn’t go away.