Help, Help, Help, Help!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Asthma Message Board

Whohov · 10-08-2003, 07:24 AM

My asthma is out of control. I'm on prednisone all the time now, yet still I feel as if I'm in the state of having a perpetual asthma attack. I'm on the usual suspects of meds - advair, singulair, albuterol, clarinex, prevacid, etc. I've been to two pulmonary specialists. They say to give it time. I've never had this. It's been going on for months. Help!!!!!

Monday1954 · 10-08-2003, 08:19 AM

Has something changed in your life? New house, new pet, new state? It could be that you are constantly be exposed to something that is triggering your attacks.

Check your house for mold, write down anything new that has been added, or at work. Has your house been painted recently, new carpet (hate new carpet, couldn't breathe for about a month), down comforter?

Look for anything new or different in all aspects of your life, you may find the cause.

Whohov · 10-09-2003, 07:14 AM

Yes. We bought a house. How do I get it tested for mold? And if it is the house, do I have to sell it? Thanks for the help.

Monday1954 · 10-09-2003, 07:27 AM

We bought a house once that we only lived in for 6 months. It was at the bottom of the mountain and we have a high water table, everytime it rained the water from the mountain poured down into our crawlspace, the sump pump got the water out, but it was always damp and moldy under there, I couldn't breathe!!!! Had to sell that house and move. The next place we bought was on a slab and now we live on a crawlspace again but on top of the hill.

You can start your own investigation and process of elimination. If you have a basement, does it have a damp, musty odor? See if you have more symptoms in one room than another? Check the bathroom for leaks, sometimes older houses have leaks in the bathroom that you can't see but the floor is decaying. Check your crawl space for dampness. It could also be something planted in your yard. It will take time but maybe you can find out what is causing your problem.

I have read stories about new houses having some sort of toxic mold, I am not sure who to call to have your house checked out but you could start with one of those places that clean out your duct work, sometimes if the ductwork is several years old, it has a buildup of mold and dust that blows out in every room of the house. Write back and let me know what you find.

CapsFan · 10-09-2003, 09:56 AM

Does it have new carpet & new paint? New carpet sends me into violent attacks. Has to do with the formadehyde being released into the air from the carpet. Paint can make me wheeze too.

Did the previous owners have pets? They may not have cleaned enough to remove the allergens.

Definitely look to see if certain rooms or levels make you feel the worse. And then thorougly check those rooms out - look in cabinets, closets, etc for anyting odd. Check floors around sinks & tubs for sponginess. Have someone else look in the attic for signs of seepage.

Have the ductwork cleaned & change your furnace/AC filter. It's disgusting what hides out in there.

After a major pipe leak in our house, I started having asthma attacks in our finished basement within a couple weeks. We found out the drywall had never dried thoroughly & was growing quite a nice colony of mold by cutting a small hole in one wall & looking in. Our insurance paid for all the drywall in the basement to be removed & replaced while we were on vacation the next week. They also had the ducts cleaned afterwards. No problems since.