From hidden microscopic invaders in my own home to a whirlwind of mysterious symptoms, my journey through mold illness was a masterclass in finding light in darkness.
My various challenges with chronic illness sometimes feel like battles from an epic fable. Often when one ended, a new one began. Some of the battles that I faced include- Mast cell activation syndrome, IBS, Heavy metal toxicity, H. Pylori infection, SIBO, among various others. Among these, the greatest melee was the guerilla warfare of mold toxicity.
My journey with mold began in 2016, when I moved into a new house in Oakland, California with my then partner and three dogs. At first, it seemed like the dream place. As it was walking distance to a gym, I found myself working out a lot and quickly put on decent size.
One day, I faintly noticed myself becoming sensitive to foods like bread and cheese. I immediately brushed this off, took enzymes with meals, drank green juice and told myself it’s normal.
Eventually my digestion started to get worse and it felt like food just sat there after meals. Fast forward six months, I get diagnosed with and successfully treat H. Pylori, but only feel marginally better. As time went on, I started feeling exhausted after workouts and felt like my gut was completely stagnant. Even though my body temperature was normal, I felt that I always had a fever. Rapidly, I started losing weight and went down from a size 34 in pants to a size 29. “I went down from 180 pounds to a meager 130 pound weight.” My brain begins to feel like it’s on fire and I feel angry, depressed, sad, and manic all at once.
It was no longer ‘subtle.’ Something was attacking my body and any functional doctor I saw was unable to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, the universe gives me a clue!
During a routine repair, the contractor that renovated my house spills out the fact that the house was severely water damaged and their idea of ‘remediation’ was covering up the damaged areas with fresh drywall. Not even attempting to remove the contaminated building materials!
“My heart sank as all of the puzzle pieces came together”
Immediately I had remembered the shoemaker protocol from my functional medicine education and got my hands on cholestyramine and a few other nutraceuticals. I slowly started to regain my energy and most importantly my sanity. I am not going to pretend that I moved out of that place and immediately defeated mold and never dealt with it again. Throughout my journey I’ve had many exposures, all of which created a different set of symptoms. Through this process, I have learned a considerable amount about building biology, remediation, and the development of comprehensive mold protocols.
Mold really feels like guerilla warfare at times in the way that it sneaks up on you. However, my experience has taught me that it is possible to fight back and win. It takes diligence, patience, forgiveness, and often requires connecting with the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. As so many people are dealing with toxic mold, it is important to know that it is not only possible to come out on the other side, but it is possible to come out stronger and more resilient.