My 10 yr old son, Ethan, has suffered with allergies for years. He’s been on just about every prescription allergy medicine and over the counter medicine available. We’ve done 3 blood work-ups with varied results. We’ve even tried a chiropractor that does some kind of electro-something for allergies. The only thing we really haven’t tried is shots. The allergies aren’t the same year round. Some days no problems, and no medicine for a week or so. Some days he’s miserable. And most days are kind of in between. Runny/stuffy nose, scratchy throat, sinus drainage, etc.
Long story short, this last blood test we had done shows he tests at a 3 out of 5 scale for the most common household mold, and allergic on a minor level to 2 other kinds of mold. This doesn’t seem bad enough to cause his level of problems, but I’ll do/try anything to get him some relief.
Our house is 15 years old, ranch-style, on a slab, and we’ve lived there for 8 years. We have no evidence of any mold anywhere in our house. Nothing on the exterior siding/soffits. New shingles 2 yrs ago, and no sign of mold on the old ones. Roof hasn’t ever leaked. We replaced the carpet 3 years ago. Concrete was all dry and no sign of any mold. We use a washable electro-magnetic filter in our HVAC. We’re getting a complete new unit this spring, and I will probably replace all of the flexible ducts in the attic.
I guess I’m asking is there people that come in and test for mold? Do they test the air, or do they start tearing off drywall? Is there an air purifier that will really work in your house? Any other ideas that will work?
Thanks for any help.
Tracy
Replies
Tracy, any ductwork in the slab?
Would an air exchange system help or hinder the problem?
Best of luck.
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Calvin's on it. Never hinders.
Air changes, with mold-free air. Simple to filter. We do a total air change every 2 hours. Made living here possible for me (after I rejected the allergists' antihistamine suggestions).PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
No duct work in slab. I don't know about the air exchanger. The house isn't anywhere near airtight if that could be a clue.
You can get folks to come and test the air. They set up a little chug-chug air pump and filter and run it for a day or three, then examine the filter with a microscope to see what they caught.
I'd recommend the shots, based on personal experience. Some people don't tolerate them well but I did, and, though it took several courses over 10 years, they appear to have eliminated almost all of my once severe asthma, leaving me with only mild nasal allergies a couple of times a year.
Have those same allergies myself and am interested in these replies, too. I have other allergies caused by substances and irritants. I'm not sure the mold has to be in the house. I notice my allergies kick up with one day of light rain. I can tell you my allergies improved when I removed the carpet in our last house. There are other things in the carpet even if there's no mold below it.
I tried several of the air filtering machines. My dr. said I needed to keep the bedroom as free of allergens as possible and he suggested a machine in there. No help. I've heard the filtering machines aren't really that great. We have an electrostatic (?) cleaner on the furnace, but I can't really say it's a help.
By the way, I have also heard that those in-home mold tests are a scam. I'd have a pro do it.
While other people pursue the mold question with you, I'd be curious whether they checked for dust mites allergies. Dust mites are pretty common and you have them in your carpet, bedding, drapes, etc. Unless you are vacuuming/washing daily, of course. Carpet is a major culprit for them, and if your son has a major allergy to dust mites, the answer could be a new floor covering, such as wood or tile.
Dust mites were checked. Tested on the low scale of the blood test. Oak pollen was really the only other irritant that showed up.
The house may or not be the problem. My personel experience with allergies is I am extreemly sensitive when there is High pressure area. My alegies include cedar, cut grass. Everyone is somewhat allergic to mold, some worse than others. What works for me is combination of clariton and flonase nasal spray. One other allergy is spruce. Try being a carpenter with these allergies..
I suffered from allergies as a kid, pretty much just as you describe for your child.
I started with allergy shots when I was 9 or 10 years old. When I was 15, I had a "reaction" to the shot, and went into anaphylaxis. You never want to see this. I'll skip the gory details, but I never went in for a shot again. They've gotten better about formulating anti-allergy injections nowadays (~25 years later), so the probability of this is much lower.
I'm sure the experts have brought this up, but you should seriously consider getting rid of the carpet. Fabric drape removal is a cheap date as well. I would try it in his room first, and see if it offers any relief. As noted by other posters, virtually everyone is sensitive to dust mites, and they're impossible to eliminate if you have a lot of fabrics.
As a scientist, let me offer you some sound advice: keep a journal. Record the date, temperature, weather, foods eaten, activities and allergy symptoms shown ("none" is important). After a few months, you'll be in a much better position to come up with some solid connections. Be aware that immune responses generally take a week or two to develop (i.e. that's why it takes you a week to get over a cold) - and it can take much longer for the symptoms to fade. So give it time.
And cheer up - after all sorts of episodes, my allergies faded away as I passed into my 20's and 30's. Now, I'm pretty much down to a few mildly annoying days a year at the height of the pollen counts.
Agree about the carpet, but you can't always hope for relief with age. If I didn't get exposed to triggers like paint and glues, I did fine until my 40's. I have grown out of the seasonal hay fever that was a problem in my 20's but now suffer from year-round allergies and asthma. I am very allergic to dust mites and take all the precautions I can.
I have never tried the shots because of the side effects, but I have been very tempted at times.
Very good idea about the journal!
Mold is a big problem for me as well. I've tried several types of air cleaners alone and in conjunction (HEPA, electronic etc.). They seem to mitigate my problems but my health still tracks the outdoor conditions. When the humidity is up outside I feel worse. I still run some air cleaners but don't know if I would bother to replace them. They also stir up dust, consume electricity, make noise, and produce heat when they run. I tried using an air cleaner to create filtered positive air pressure in my bdrm again without clearcut results.
How does your son feel in other buildings? Tracking that can help you determine whether there is a problem with your house. I assume you are aware of molds in various foods and have scrutinized any house plants as well. I can get some info about daily outdoor mold levels in Canada online (The weather network claritin pollen forecast) and there must be an equivalent resource for your area. Keeping a journal (as per WebTed's post) reflecting these factors is a great suggestion.
Keeping your son's bedroom as minimalist and hypo-allergenic as feasible is an obvious starting point (which you have probably already considered)