It’s been more than seven years since we vacated our home. Our mold crisis taught us a great deal, not just about mold, but about life. If you’re in the middle of a crisis, I hope these lessons encourage you.
Our mold journey has been longer than I’d hoped and filled with unanticipated twists and turns. The knowledge I’ve gained is one of the benefits of traveling this road. Thankfully, mold is not in the forefront of my thinking now, and while we do have some lingering issues, we are no longer consumed with our health. I do, however, remain vigilant and aware, and I am always learning.
Lessons I Have Learned From Our Mold Exposure
1. Take care of yourself and your family.
When we first left the home, I wanted everyone to know about mold. This drive to educate others drained me of energy. It also dictated some unwise decisions. If I had it to do over, I would spend less time trying to convince others and more time learning this ourselves. I would not spin my wheels trying to keep this from happening to others. We could have easily sold our home “as is” with full disclosure, but we were too traumatized to see that being up-front and honest about our home was enough. We lost valuable resources trying to protect others and lost momentum on our own recovery
2. Keep moving forward.
It’s easy to find yourself looking back with regret.
- If only I had known . . .
- I wish I had . . .
- I should have done . . .
- Why didn’t I . . .
As much as possible, use your knowledge to propel yourself forward. Maybe your next step is to test the home. Perhaps it means tossing some books or clothes that are causing you problems. It may mean a radical step like sleeping outside. It could mean hiring a qualified remediator. It might be a diet change. Whatever moving forward looks like for you, don’t drown yourself in “what ifs;” just use your experience to take the next step.
3. Don’t jump ahead.
When evaluating a course of action, it’s easy to think too far ahead.
- If I test the home, I might have to leave it.
- If we hire a mold remediator, it might not work.
- If I spend money on this step, I might not have the money I need in the future.
The scenarios are endless. If your house is on fire, there is no time to think about the long-term implications. Unfortunately, an unhealthy building is far more complicated. As much as possible, focus only on your next step and keep yourself from becoming paralyzed by the “what if” scenarios.
4. Embrace the process.
After we left our home I put time limits on our recovery. As a result, I felt behind schedule and sure I wasn’t doing enough to get us well. The self-imposed timeline made me vulnerable to those who touted a specific remedy, supplement, or treatment. With time, I learned there is no magic pill when it comes to the recovery process. Once I relinquished my sense of urgency, I was able to enjoy subtle changes and small victories. I gave it time, and seven years later I’m glad I did.
If you’d like to learn more about our journey or have questions about toxic mold, check out Is Your House Making You Sick? A Beginner’s Guide to Toxic Mold.
Thank you so much, Andrea, for sharing your wisdom. Those are lessons that I am still in the process of learning. Just purchased your book and can’t wait to read it!
Thank you, Jill! So great to hear from you. I so appreciate your encouragement.
Andrea…I know this is a hard question. ..but for you….how important is a dry climate?
Thank you…I am really hurting and tend to do better out of the house on drier days
For those of us with “damp heat” (as it is termed in Chinese medicine) the dry climate makes sense. However, there is no perfect place as many don’t do well in Arizona because of the chemicals. Ultimately it’s an internal condition. Drying up the inside can be enough in many cases from what I understand, Sean. Ultimately I find that a radical approach – even just spending lots of time outdoors whenever possible can do a lot to recover the body. This makes sense since indoor environments can trigger so much illness.
I don’t know how to handle #3 – Don’t Jump Ahead
When money is very limited, surely it makes sense to try to figure out if paying for remediation is worth the risk of it not working, and you being left with no funds for other options. On the other hand, I’m definitely wasting time and emotional energy on all the various “what if” scenarios. It’s a real struggle for me right now.
It’s so tough, Debra. If I can help at all my direct email is andrea@it-takes-time.com
Let me know where you head out Debra….I am trying to head west. …would love to know where friends are if you head that way
All the best to you
Sean
I hope moving to a drier climate makes a difference. …I’m dying here in TN
I had an allergy test taken because for the past 2 years I have had chronic pink eye but it isn’t contagious. I did the test to see if there is an allergy causing it. To my knowledge I am not allergic to anything. I found out I am allergic to mold but it is 2 kinds of molds. The dr said that he didn’t think it would be causing me to have pink eye. He said I would be breaking out in other areas of my body.
One thing I am doing is washing the pillow sheets more often to see if it has an affect. The other is to clean the bathroom with ajax and bleach rather than just solely bleach. It doesn’t always get the reside out of the tile cracks.
You are wise to consider environmental factors whenever a health issue is present. If surface mold is a problem, it’s always good to rule out the presence of a deeper issue in the area. I would advise against bleach as a method for cleaning. See this article for better suggestions.http://it-takes-time.com/2014/06/got-surface-mold-ten-natural-solutions.html
Thank you. #3 is a big one.
Do you have any plans to make the book available on Kindle? For obvious reasons I tend to avoid buying physical books now 🙂
Brandon, we are working on getting it on Kindle…it should be another week or so Thanks for asking!
Hello Andrea,
My house was flooded 2 1/2 years ago. i didn’t realize that I was living in mold until 3 months ago when I moved out. I will be having a remediation company remove the effected hardwood floors and parts of walls, and clean the crawl space. They said they will remove the flooring and stop when they don’t see mold. My question is: Can there be mold that is there and not visible to the naked eye? I am so sick from the mold that I need this remediation to be thorough.
Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer.
Mary
There will always be a certain “goo” that remains. Remediation can make a situation better, but may not be enough for the one who has been injured. Here’s a bit more information on remediation.http://it-takes-time.com/2015/06/how-to-choose-a-mold-remediation-company.html
We are looking for a new place to live for another year here in California. I’m scared to death it’s going to have mold. We rented a house in Oakland last fall and when I arrived (my husband rented it the month prior to me moving) I got sick immediately and spent the next month in a hotel. I also have lyme. We had a hard time moving everything out and wonder if the 30 days of the clothes and mattress being in it effected them. BTW, the mold was behind the jetted tub panel. The owners did live there just recently and with a baby!!! They fought us for a while to get our $5k deposit back, but CA has laws regarding mold and we did get it. It cost us thousands in hotels and moving fees, storage, etc.
We’ve been in what I think is a mold free apartment now, but need to move. Husband is looking at a house tomorrow, wish I could go but recently surgery makes it so I can’t. What to look for is hard. He will look under sinks, on roof and hopefully smell if it’s damp.
When I lived in Colorado, I remember seeing on the news a dog, that sniffed out mold. I wish they had something like that around here. I wonder if that would hurt the dog though. Maybe because their DNA is different.
We had our home of 15 years in Colorado tested with a good company $800 with samples….no mold 🙂 Sad I ended up selling it.
I wondered about the same question above, where in the US has the least mold. AZ is way to hot for me, and I am damp according to my acupuncturist. I’ve had massive antibiotics for lyme, before I knew it didn’t do anything for someone with late stage lyme.
Thanks for sharing your story, Gwen. This post might help as you search for a safe house.
http://it-takes-time.com/2015/08/guidelines-for-buying-a-home.html