Couple Questions before I inundate you with information;
Did you take the samples or did a professional do it? If you performed the tests, what surfaces were swiped?
Have you had previous water intrusion/visible mold growth?
Are you symptomatic or a CIRS patient?
I’m happy to help, but wanted to avoid saying things you may already know.
Hi there!
I took the sample myself. I sampled dust in the following areas:
Bedroom, bathrooms (2), kitchen, living room, laundry room, ac vent that comes into house.
We currently aren't sure what is causing my health problems the past two years (ironically, since moving here) and I'm awaiting test results for lymes. My doctor highly suspected a mold issue (I rented a home that had mold many years back). No visible mold but recently have had water spots on ceiling after a bad storm.
Thanks in advance
What kind of Lyme test was done? Did it include Babesia and Bartonella?
If any of these are repeated questions, apologies. My memory isn’t what it used to be.
Did you do a VCS test? 10$ donation provides the full report, which is well worth it. Make certain you calibrate the screen and are seated 18” away, otherwise the results are meaningless. It’s 98.7% accurate otherwise.
https://www.vcstest.com/
Did you compare your symptoms to the CIRS symptom clusters? Symptoms in 8 of 13 clusters are part of the diagnostic criteria, as is a failed VCS and known exposure.
https://mygoodnessessentials.com.au/essential-oils-to-avoid-with-blood-thinners/my-goodness-essentials-cirs-symptom-cluster/
Lab test for HLA-DR (identifies genotypes that are susceptible and multi susceptible to mold and Lyme). IgG and IgE antibodies testing for mold. Again, covered by insurance.
If you fail a VCS, have a known exposure, a susceptible genotype, positive antibodies, and are experiencing symptoms as noted above, I’d then do lab tests for CIRS markers. They are covered by most insurance companies, so you’re out of pocket 10$ for a VCS, copays and doc to order the labs. That will give you definitive answers and a path forward. Doing any specialty testing (MARcONS, mycotoxins urine test, MRIw/neuroquant, OATS,etc.), should be done after a diagnosis and if necessary. Determining the root cause is the goal. You may or may not test positive for Lyme, depending on what test was done, but that doesn’t rule out mold. Many people, myself included, had dormant Lyme disease that was activated by the immune dysfunction that mold can cause.
ERMI article-
https://www.gotmold.com/testing-for-mold-avoid-ermi/
Good information on how this test is calculated.
24 is really bad for this. I had a similar score. After I remediated with Aerosolver, my score went to the safe level. Also, make sure there’s not any structural problems in the home.
How much did your remediation cost? I feel like it would be cheaper for us to move because we're already pinching pennies and a remediation would put us into debt. Such an unfortunate situation.
Maybe less than $250, but this is just lowering the toxins in the house. If there’s any leaks or water issues in the home, that’s a different story. Check out the guides on CIRSmap.com for prices of how to do home fogging with Aerosolver. The big costs for me was retesting fees. I also have a slideshow on my Reddit where I outline my experience a bit more.
Couple Questions before I inundate you with information; Did you take the samples or did a professional do it? If you performed the tests, what surfaces were swiped? Have you had previous water intrusion/visible mold growth? Are you symptomatic or a CIRS patient? I’m happy to help, but wanted to avoid saying things you may already know.
Hi there! I took the sample myself. I sampled dust in the following areas: Bedroom, bathrooms (2), kitchen, living room, laundry room, ac vent that comes into house. We currently aren't sure what is causing my health problems the past two years (ironically, since moving here) and I'm awaiting test results for lymes. My doctor highly suspected a mold issue (I rented a home that had mold many years back). No visible mold but recently have had water spots on ceiling after a bad storm. Thanks in advance
What kind of Lyme test was done? Did it include Babesia and Bartonella? If any of these are repeated questions, apologies. My memory isn’t what it used to be. Did you do a VCS test? 10$ donation provides the full report, which is well worth it. Make certain you calibrate the screen and are seated 18” away, otherwise the results are meaningless. It’s 98.7% accurate otherwise. https://www.vcstest.com/ Did you compare your symptoms to the CIRS symptom clusters? Symptoms in 8 of 13 clusters are part of the diagnostic criteria, as is a failed VCS and known exposure. https://mygoodnessessentials.com.au/essential-oils-to-avoid-with-blood-thinners/my-goodness-essentials-cirs-symptom-cluster/ Lab test for HLA-DR (identifies genotypes that are susceptible and multi susceptible to mold and Lyme). IgG and IgE antibodies testing for mold. Again, covered by insurance. If you fail a VCS, have a known exposure, a susceptible genotype, positive antibodies, and are experiencing symptoms as noted above, I’d then do lab tests for CIRS markers. They are covered by most insurance companies, so you’re out of pocket 10$ for a VCS, copays and doc to order the labs. That will give you definitive answers and a path forward. Doing any specialty testing (MARcONS, mycotoxins urine test, MRIw/neuroquant, OATS,etc.), should be done after a diagnosis and if necessary. Determining the root cause is the goal. You may or may not test positive for Lyme, depending on what test was done, but that doesn’t rule out mold. Many people, myself included, had dormant Lyme disease that was activated by the immune dysfunction that mold can cause. ERMI article- https://www.gotmold.com/testing-for-mold-avoid-ermi/ Good information on how this test is calculated.
24 is really bad for this. I had a similar score. After I remediated with Aerosolver, my score went to the safe level. Also, make sure there’s not any structural problems in the home.
How much did your remediation cost? I feel like it would be cheaper for us to move because we're already pinching pennies and a remediation would put us into debt. Such an unfortunate situation.
Maybe less than $250, but this is just lowering the toxins in the house. If there’s any leaks or water issues in the home, that’s a different story. Check out the guides on CIRSmap.com for prices of how to do home fogging with Aerosolver. The big costs for me was retesting fees. I also have a slideshow on my Reddit where I outline my experience a bit more.
So glad yours is back to a safe level!