My Story

Polymyositis

Pulmonary Fibrosis

My Health Update

My Drugs & Herbs

My Diet & Nutrition

My Healthy Home

My new home: July 2004

In May of 2003 I had my house tested for mold. They found several mold types Aspergillu, Penicillium, Ascospores, Cladosporium some of them extremely harmful. I’m not sure if the mold was a contributing factor to my health problem however, I’m sure it hasn’t been helping.

April 2003 we started the process of removing the mold. I was very lucky that this was covered under my homeowner insurance policy. My policy covered 100 percent as long as the source of the mold was caused by water. They discovered the source was an undetected leaky roof over the guest bedroom and the laundry room. Apparently this had been going on for years. The water ran behind the sheet rock into the basement, from that the mold started to grow on the paper of the insulation, then on the sheet rock.

Everything had to be removed and treated including all the sheetrock, insulation, right down to the frame. All the exposed wood was treated. They removed all the insulation in the house, and treated the basement and attic. This process took four months.

Construction is done! It took fourteen months.

The new Guest Bathroom:

Laundry Room: Before and After

Library:

The Kitchen before:

The New Kitchen:

Master Bathroom before and after:

Dining room and Living room:

Master Bedroom:

I decided to take a look at the rest of my house, what other things could be harmful? I wanted to have the healthiest house I could. Here are some things I did to make my house healthier.

Air Filters
I bought one for the house and one for my office. With Pulmonary Fibrosis I wanted to be sure that the air I was breathing everyday was clean. After a couple of weeks of research, I found the Q Air Filters System—a bit expensive but I felt it was worth it. I have both air filters running twenty-four hours a day.

Dehumidifier
In Connecticut we have a lot of humidity, which could be a big cause of mold if it’s not controlled. I have one in the basement and one in my house. I also have a humidity gauge.

Filter System
I put in a filter system on the kitchen sink. I had the water tested and it didn’t come back with flying colors.

Cleaning Supplies
I’ve been using commercial brands with all the toxic chemicals. So one-by-one I’ve replaced them with all-natural products. My favorite product line is Seventh Generation. They have everything from dishwashing products to natural laundry soaps.

Hardwood floors
I had all my wall-to-wall carpets removed and replaced with hardwood floors. This keeps the dust and dog dander down because it can’t be trapped in the carpet.

Bedding
Since I spend a great deal of time in bed, I wanted it to be the healthiest it could be. I read a lot about dust mites and how people with allergies suffer from them so my thoughts were if they are bad for people suffering with allergies then they can’t be good for someone with a lung disorder. So I put covers on the mattress, the comforter cover and the pillows. I also replaced all the sheets with 100 percent organic cotton.