I had to post this because I'm kind of in freak out mode. To all of those who have helped with my dizziness problem: I have found out what was causing it. I have found out that I have toxic mold in my apartment! I know that I have anxiety to begin with, but if you remember my past posts like Dizziness 24/7 for 4 months, that was what it was! I am having a battle with a very large company, because it is a nationwide apartment complex. There is noone directly to speak with, and I can not stay home for more than an hour or so. I have been staying at my mother's house, that's not fun! :rolleyes:
I had to have a certifies company come in and test my air quality, and the sorce of the mold, and it turns out, it is toxic, and EVERYWHERE! In the sheetrock and ceiling! It is really grossing me out! Anyway, I thought I would let everyone know, because as much anxiety that I have, I knew that something else was wrong the whole time. Anxiety can cause some really crazy and very real symptoms, so if you have a deep down feeling, keep looking into something. I could never have imagined that this whole time I was so sick, it was in my home! I wish this upon no one! :p

Wow! How did you find out lol?!

That's good you got it sorted :D

dizzygirl
Your kinda scaring me...I am not dizzy all the time,...but I have mold in my house too.I live in B.C. and it rains all the time ..so lots of houses have it.
Thing is I never had anxiety attacks or eczema till I moved here.I am also highly allergent to mold.I have come to believe this is part of whats wrong with me.My daughter also has a skin condition she never had before we moved here.I can not however move..as It would be hard to find a house I could afford.But I am hoping to get out of here within the next year.Glad you found out what was causing the dizziness.Good luck ;)

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another thing to be paranoid about!!

Great-get the hell out of there!!!

How much did that cost to bring someone in to test the molding? I have tons of mold, had to patch the ceiling that my landlord didn't do and then the back sunroom still smells like mold.

Dear Wenchling and Ainfante,

I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Interesting that you have had rashes though, as it is sometimes a side effect. Have the mold tested in your house to be safe, it saved my life. The consequences of toxic mold can be fatal.
Ainfante, I am not sure where you live, but it cost me around 300 dollars for the testing of an apartment. I think it is more for a house. Look up the different types mold, and see what your dealing with. It's scarey stuff, I can't breathe right now! I gotta het the heck out!

Dear Wenchling and Ainfante,

I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Interesting that you have had rashes though, as it is sometimes a side effect. Have the mold tested in your house to be safe, it saved my life. The consequences of toxic mold can be fatal.
Ainfante, I am not sure where you live, but it cost me around 300 dollars for the testing of an apartment. I think it is more for a house. Look up the different types mold, and see what your dealing with. It's scarey stuff, I can't breathe right now! I gotta het the heck out!

Hey dizzygirl,
I am glad you found the problem. I am glad you continued to search! I have been saying this ever since I first became dizzy a year ago that ANXIETY DOES NOT CAUSE YOU TO BE DIZZY 24/7. If you are dizzy and a doctor tells you it is anxiety than he is either uneducated or lazy!

If you dont mind me asking how long were you out of the apartment before your dizziness subsided? I spent 5 days away from my house to see if something there was causing my probs and was still lightheaded and spaced. Would five days be enough?

Really happy for you!!

Derek

Derek,

It is supposed to take longer than that to start to feel better. I also think it depends on the extent of the damage that it has done to you. I haven't been able to stay away for too long so I'm not sure yet. I felt that your and my symptoms were so similar, maybe you should have your home tested. I always knew thst in the back of head, something was wrong, and 24 hr dizziness is definitley NOT anxiety. Good luck. :wave:

Derek,

It is supposed to take longer than that to start to feel better. I also think it depends on the extent of the damage that it has done to you. I haven't been able to stay away for too long so I'm not sure yet. I felt that your and my symptoms were so similar, maybe you should have your home tested. I always knew thst in the back of head, something was wrong, and 24 hr dizziness is definitley NOT anxiety. Good luck. :wave:


Hey dizzygirl,
can you tell me all your symptoms. I tried to look at your post to find them and had no luck. How long should I be away from my house to know if it may be the house? I am running out of options, it looks like lymes. I am seeing a lymes specialist in July, cant wait.

Here are my symptoms:

lightheaded
spaced out
fatigue
weird sensations in back, shoulders, upper arms and neck.
flushing
hot/cold
tingly
buzzing
visual bluriness and sensitivity
stuffy nose
stuffy ears
sinusitus
headache in temples and neck
lower back pain
leg pain
prostate pain
bladder pain
urinary urgency
kidney pain
acid reflux
heartburn
nausea

Theres more i just forgot, oh yea forgetfullness!

Derek

Bothrops....you have exactly the same symptoms as I(except for the prostate pain) ;)
I have been searching for six months for answers to those very symptoms...especially the weird sensations in upper back, shoulders, arms etc, lightheadedness, blurred vision, nausea, ugh it goes on and on. How long have you been feeling this way? Our home does have some small areas of mold and I have worried about it for a long time, we have only lived in this house for 2.5 yrs. I have been sick for 6 months with no answers-all tests have come back normal.

I am def. going to look into having the air in our home tested. Nobody in our house seems sick though...except for me.

Take care,
Abby

Hi there. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you found out what was causing your symptoms, and that mold is a terrible thing! The company you are dealing with will have to do something. I work in a school, and one of our new teachers came in with a terrible allergy to mold. The room they gave her had so much mold in it that she couldn't stay in there for more than 5 minutes without getting sick. They had to spend 1000 dollars removing the mold from the room to make it liveable. It is truly a serious problem.

ONe thing that seems to help a lot is a machine that produces small amounts of ozone, and also ions that clean the air. It kills mold and all kinds of bacteria. They're kind of expensive, but my husband and I got one about a year ago, and my daughter, who has asthma, hasn't had an attack since feb. of last year. If you need a quick fix while fighting the company, they can do wonders.

Good luck
ps. IF you have asthma, you have to be careful about the amount of ozone produced by the machine. A little is ok, too much can cause an attack.

Bothrops,

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Here are some of my symptoms, if I can remember them all. :)

Dizziness ( not vertigo though)
Lightheadedness
Weird vision ( not blurry exactly)
Exaustion
Pains through all of my body
Stomach problems
Some nausea
Head pressure
Shallow breathing ( this is a new one)
Heart Palpitations
Heart beating feeling in my head
Problems getting to sleep
Nightmares!
Metallic taste in mouth
Spaced out
Forgetfullness
Anxiety, and some panic attacks
Headaches in the beginning og this thing
Loss of appetite
Pressure behind my nose, but not stuffed up

I am so sorry to rattle on, there have been so many symptoms for the last few months. I really am a very happy go lucky person, but this thing has made me so miserable, and on the verge of depressed. My apartment management is giving me the hardest time, and denying it. I need a lawyer for this! I know for this time I have been reading your posts, because we felt the same. I hope you find a diagnosis, and don't let them tell you it's anxiety if you know it's not! I had to go with my heart on this. You start to beleive these doctors when they tell you something, but some of them know less than us!
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions. :wave:
Carrie

TGRose,

I do have asthma, thank you for the recommendation. I will try anything at this point until I can get out of this mold trap. My Dad had the same problem as those teachers in his school. I seem to have extreme symptoms to this, because my boyfriend hardley feel anything, but then again, I am so sensitive to everything. Thanks for your help. Where did you buy the ozone machine?

We bought ours from a friend who sells them, but I think you can get them online. Just do a search for a machine that is an ionic air cleaner that puts ozone in the air. YOu want to get one that has a fan. THere are cheaper ones that don't have a fan but they don't work as well. I don't think I'm allowed to give out the name brand or anything like that. Posting rules, you know.

t

Bothrops....you have exactly the same symptoms as I(except for the prostate pain) ;)
I have been searching for six months for answers to those very symptoms...especially the weird sensations in upper back, shoulders, arms etc, lightheadedness, blurred vision, nausea, ugh it goes on and on. How long have you been feeling this way? Our home does have some small areas of mold and I have worried about it for a long time, we have only lived in this house for 2.5 yrs. I have been sick for 6 months with no answers-all tests have come back normal.

I am def. going to look into having the air in our home tested. Nobody in our house seems sick though...except for me.

Take care,
Abby

Hey Abby, its been a while. I take it you still feel lousy. My new ENT wants to run some test and get catscan of sinuses. I dont think it will show anything. I have researched inner ear probs and have never heard of them causing the pain and weird sensations I get. I cant figure out the mold. I have seen it on the ceiling in our bathroom. They say if its in your walls it will cause the paint to peel, it causes a musty smell etc. I just dont think I have a problem with it, dont know. I cant figure how to get away from my house for any length of time. I dont work now because of the way I feel so my
wife works and I take care of my kids that makes it pretty hard to leave.

Abby I have felt like **** since June 24, 2003 Of all my symptoms the worst
is feeling like I am in a dream, I am geting use to it though. I also feel worse in the morning. I feel more spacy after a shower.

I am so glad you dont have the prostate pain!

If you have any luck let me know, please!

Derek

Bothrops,

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Here are some of my symptoms, if I can remember them all. :)

Dizziness ( not vertigo though)
Lightheadedness
Weird vision ( not blurry exactly)
Exaustion
Pains through all of my body
Stomach problems
Some nausea
Head pressure
Shallow breathing ( this is a new one)
Heart Palpitations
Heart beating feeling in my head
Problems getting to sleep
Nightmares!
Metallic taste in mouth
Spaced out
Forgetfullness
Anxiety, and some panic attacks
Headaches in the beginning og this thing
Loss of appetite
Pressure behind my nose, but not stuffed up

I am so sorry to rattle on, there have been so many symptoms for the last few months. I really am a very happy go lucky person, but this thing has made me so miserable, and on the verge of depressed. My apartment management is giving me the hardest time, and denying it. I need a lawyer for this! I know for this time I have been reading your posts, because we felt the same. I hope you find a diagnosis, and don't let them tell you it's anxiety if you know it's not! I had to go with my heart on this. You start to beleive these doctors when they tell you something, but some of them know less than us!
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions. :wave:
Carrie

Man Dizzygirl those are pretty close to the symptoms Abby and I have. How did you find out about the mold. Did it smell musty was your paint cracking or peeling. How long were you away before you started to feel better? Sorry for all the question but I am dying to find out why I feel this way. I so badly want to return to work my kids are driving me crazy!

Take care

Derek

Abby,
one other thing I forgot to mention is we have the exact same symptoms as a poster by the name of FarmGirl30. Farmgirl was diagnosed with lymes disease several months ago. Do you spend any time outdoors? What state do you live in?

I will quit buggin u, later

Derek

TGRose, thanks a bunch!

Bothrops,

Well, I have been living here since May 2003. In october, I had some weird stomaach pains, and was diagnosed with an ulcer, and bloodwork was done. It showed that my liver enzymes were high, what ever that means. This whole thing with the dizziness started in March 2004. I have not had 1 good day since. I didn't really smell the mold to tell you the truth. I saw a little spot on the wall, and thought nothing of it. After having so many tests done, someine suggested it may be my living environment. I went to the shore for a few days, and started to feel a little, and I mean little bit better. Needless to say I was so happy, that maybe this " thing" was going away! Within a couple of hours of being home, I felt really dizzy again. I had the mold tested last week, and just got the results today. I have 8 different kinds of mold in my whole apartment.
I was told it may take quite a while to feel better. Maybe a few weeks or a month I am told. I always thought I may be a little sensitive to things, but not to this extent. Look up toxic mold, and mold symptoms on the net. The symptoms were discribing me. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have your home tested. It wasn't making my boyfriend sick, just me. That is common as well.I also think that where I live, we are in the height of allergy season, and it is aggrevating the mold symptoms. I still have a hard time believing the whole thing, but if this is it, I will count my lucky stars! Let me know what you do. :)

Bothrops, about 2 months ago my Dr tested me for Lyme Disease, it came back negative. I was partially hoping I would have it just so I would have an answer. I would really like to get our home tested, and like you, I stay at home with the kiddies, so don't have an opportunity to get out of the house for an extended period of time. DH and the kids seem fine, fortunately.
I have had many tests done, and other then ANXIETY, they can't come up with anything.

Dizzygirl, how long have you been out of your apartment now? Have you noticed a difference in the way you feel?

AbbyGirl,

It seems like we all have the same symptoms in common. I unfortunatley had to go home this week, because my mother was driving me NUTS! To tell you the truth, while I was gone ( 3 days), I felt maybe 25% better, but I think It's going to take a while. I was told by my doctor that because the mold has been making me so sick, it probably has also made all other allergies 10x more likley to affect me. Today I am really spaced out and dizzy, and it rained cats and dogs last night, so i'm sure that's why.
I guess it couldn't hurt to have your home tested. TGRose also suggested to use an ionic machine in the mean time, which I will do. I think it willl take a while for me to feel normal again. I hope 100% one day. But really, I couldn't believe it was this! I don't have the typical symptoms like runny nose etc. Let me know what you do. Hang in there. They LOVE to use anxiety as a diagnosis. ;)

Dizzygirl,
I have read soooo many of your posts, and you have responded to many of mine. We have had the same exact symptoms. I started going to Congunctive Behavioral Therapy and I have been feeling so much better. you learn not to think about everything so much. It is the best therapy and it is saving my life. I would reccommend it to everyone on these boards.

HONESTLY,
I am learning to deal with the symptoms and I feel great. When I feel the dizziness coming on I feel like I can almost control it and make it go away now. I still have bad days, but that is healthy. You should seriously look into this.

God Bless.

dizzy i thought the same thing at first i thought it was definally a mold allergie cause i live in florida and i just moved here 3 years ago. but for the first 2 and half years i was fine so i ended up to going to new york for a month i was sure it was it but i didnt get any better! i just wanted a reason for this except anxiety! but i do hope that this is what it is for you. i had all the symptoms like you i was soo sure lol til after a month i realized it wasnt it my heart still pumped i could breathe a lil better but i always could its hard to breathe in florida! i felt even worse in buffalo! i also got a lyme disese test done also well 2 acually lol they r not 2 reliable i read it could never be ruled out ... so i took antibotics for like 3 months straight just to make sure it wasnt that since my wbc is a lil high anyways! i wanted to have that also just so i had a reason !! i just did a ana test to rule out any Autoimmune Diseases that has alot of symptoms of anxiety also hopefully comes back good! i think i might go to a allergy doctor see if iam alergic to mold or just go back to ny for the summer to find out for sure!! do u think a month would of been long enough for my symptoms to go away and be completly normal? also i have another question for any 1 my adenoids not tonsils are swollen could this cause alot of my symptoms? the ent i went to o they r not that swollen but the doctor that did the xray said i have swollen adenoids that go all the way down to the prospect of my tonge? this sucks it is so many things it could be!

Bothrops dont forget about me--mine are just like yours and dizzigirls!

Dizzygirl-I hope this is it for you so we can cross you off of the list here! -and get your life back...

Jon895,

I would think that a month would be long enough to notice a change. Did you get your home tested? I got my results with lots of different molds, one being toxic. Hang in there. :)

Dback,


Nice to hear from you! I hope this is it too! I won't leave you guys if it is though. I still have this anxiety junk! I am going to spend a lot of time on my boat this weekend, maybe some salt air will do me some good!

Bothrops dont forget about me--mine are just like yours and dizzigirls!

Dizzygirl-I hope this is it for you so we can cross you off of the list here! -and get your life back...

dback, long time no hear! You feeling any better? Have you been checked for lymes yet? One thing I wanted to ask you a while back was if you had any pain in your kidneys and bladder. That is the latest for me. I am in month eleven now. My bones dont ache as bad since weather has got warmer. I love summer!

Hey Derek, I just saw on another board that Jon P got diagnosed with CFS. His symtpoms were like ours. Yes, I do get those weird pains, but not that often. Since we spoke last-- I got an EEG. Next is neuro-psych testing. Still searching!!! Ive been tested for Lymes many times and it was negative. Antything new with you?

Hello everyone,

I have had many symptoms as all of you...I have recently took a blood test for mold antibodies and the results should be in next week..Whenever there is a change in pressure(storm or riding thru mountains), my ears get bad and my head aches..Also, my ears feel stuffy and I feel dreamy 24/7. I'm working with a doc that explained everything to me.. I can bet my life that I have a fungal infection. I was first diagnosed with a sinus infection and treated with antibiotics with no improvement. Just recently, the Mayo clinic did research on about 200 people with sinusitis. Well, 98 percent had fungus in the sinuses, not bacteria. Antibiotics don't kill fungus. I'm suprised antifungal meds aren't given for sinus infections. You're right, anxiety does not cause spaciness 24/7. My therapist told me that only happens during a panic attack and should normalize. She is the one that recommended my doc and explained that the spacey feeling comes from Mycotoxins being released. Mold can colonize and grow throughout the body and even kill you if your immune system is weak. I have been fighting this for 10 months now. But I believe I've found my cause. This kind of infection is treated with antifungal meds and is followed up with a protocol of good yeast/bacteria. I think most of us are sick cuz we took so many antibiotics without the proper followup treatment. But the word is getting out though...Take care.

I can so relate to you I to had this problem 5 years ago and was in the ER at least once a week for a month because I was so so sick. I lost 45lbs in 1 month and they thought I had cancer as they said no one looses that kind of weight that fast but I did not have cancer and then one doc asked if I had moved or anything recently and I said yes about 2 months ago I moved into an old farm house and he asked if their was mold anywhere and I said that the whole basement was filled with it. they would not release me from the hospital untill we found a new home...with 4 kids at that time I was like great I am gonna be here forever but by the grace of God we found a place in 2 days. I was still ill for a good month and then started to feel better and was myself again about 3 months after. Then on december 24 of 2003 It all started again for me. Not as bad as it was but I am sick still and have no idea why.. they say anxiety..

Were you treated for the mold?? Did you take steps in healing your gut after you moved? You're immune system might have been pretty delicate at that time. Mold damages the intestines as well as other organs. If you recolonized with good bacteria and watched what you ate, you wouldn't be sick again...Hope you feel better

This is a long thread so I don't know if anyone will see this.

I will do more mold research but can mold stay in the sinuses over time then attack you? Can it weaken the sinuses so a viral infection can take place? I wonder if virual and fungal infections can coexist?

I have a rather spendy air filtration system - not to mention brands, its used in a lot of hospitals and was on the ABC TV show "extreme makeover". I'm not plugging for them only to say this really works and has multi stage filtration for dust, mold, gas, etc. It really works, I have to dust the room very seldom. Anyhow I say this because of Ozone systems. They sound great until you research Ozone, probably not something you want to breathe a lot of. Ozone is a colorless gas with a noticeable odor. When inhaled, it can damage the lungs and irritate the throat. I don't know how much it takes to make you sick, or how much the air cleaners that use it and ions produce. I know that a retail chain sued consumer reports for giving their ozone air cleaner such bad ratings, but if I recall CR won.

Anyways back to the mold. I wonder how long it stays in your system because years ago I lived in the Northwest and the Apartments were built on swamp land. I had black crud on the bathroom walls, and the garage ceiling litterally caved in - all the sheetrock collapsed from moisture and more black crud. I moved immediately. But I have hacked up phlegm since that time. I didn't even know I had Chronic Sinusitis until about a year ago when I had MRI's of my brain. If anyone with mold experience reads this please post.

Weird you should mention Toxic mold cause I've done some mold research in the past when i lived at a place that had a mold problem.

- Toxic mold is not only bad for you but can cause irrivirsable damage to your neurological system. (I really hate to share that info here all of all places, as if we need more crap to freak us out)

- Symptoms can include forgetfulness, and lack of concentration. Among other things.

- Ozone filtration for mold is very debated, some think it kills it some think it's useless or even make matters worse. Personally ozone and ionation filters have always made me feel lightheaded.

- Lowes home improvement sells a $10 toxic mold tester kit online and in their stores. Home Depot might also.

Just thought I'd share some of the things I remembered when i went through my toxic mold scare a few years ago.