Musings on Myself, My Morning Jacket and Mold Poisoning

[DejaView2011]

Hi everyone,
       I'm new here to the boards and (as I can see from reading all your posts) also a MMJ newbie as one of the lucky people who got to discover MMJ only last year due to American Dad. I wanted to formally introduce myself and say Hello to everyone and send out much hugs, as I see this is a wonderful place with very interesting and intelligent, fun and family-like people. It's a nice place to stop in and visit now everyday before crashing and upon waking. Reading words from people who've been affected by this band like I have. It's beautiful.
       I kinda stormed onto these boards not realizing how rude I was being, not introducing myself and making a stupid blanket comment or two. I sincerely apologize as this kind of behaviour is not like me at all. I've also been tapping most of my messages into my phone so it gets a bit tedious when trying to get a point across before my fingers go numb. But with Louisville so close, I'm trying to get a bit more plugged into the MMj community here so we can meet up with friends for the show(s) to come.
     :Sharing time: For those who care (and it seems like most here do.) to know, my posts have been made in the middle of absolute insanity. You see, 2 1/2 Months ago my family moved to Virginia and into a lovely house. It really is a great place and we love it and (as you've seen in some pics I've posted) have really begun transforming it with design. Well....... No one noticed that everyone started having resperatory and digestive problems and thought our allergies had just flared with the move to the country. And even our guests didn't realize they'd been getting sick upon entering our home with headaches and stomach cramps. Even though it was spotless and clean. So no one said anything and as time passed I became the sickest (being that I was in the house 24/7 working on it and then sleeping in it too) and my blood sugar started crashing and I had  chronic stomach aches, loss of appetite and strange neurological things started happening (tremors, nausea, loss of short term memory, uncharacteristic agressive mood flare ups) to me. Then my dogs got sick and started acting bizarre and  I realized something was wrong.
       After inspecting the house (which should have been done)myself,  I found black mold in central areas of the house and walls as well as a secret grow room downstairs that had created a mold spore breeding ground that was venting through the house between ther floors and walls. By the time I realized it, I'd lost 55 lbs(!!!), Cody had lost 25 and Lee had lost 10 (Thank God his work kept him out of the house most days.) since moving in. I went from a 36 waist to a 32. Mold Poisoning.
        We've been living in a Marriot for 2 weeks now, with Lee going in to do surgeries at the hospital all day and coming home to a hotel room. It's rediculous. I've hired 4 contractors and none of them ever showed, so now I've had to do it all myself. And when you're allergic and already over exposed, doing mold remediation is like dying a little bit everyday when you get re-exposed.  Until the mold is cleared.
         So, as of yesterday the mold is now 100% cleared and we can move back in this week. I've got so much more work to do and construction to fix all the water leak damage, but it's at last safe and we're all feeling back to normal.
           I wanted to post this so people wouldn't think I was an ass. I'm sorry for the stupid things I said and really do look forward to meeting many of you at various shows this year. After all this work and now having to go get IV vitamin treatments to reverse the damage done to our systems, these MMJ shows are kinda like my reward for living through this nightmare and tackling the work no one else would do to make our home safe to live in again. Moving wasn't an option after investing so much money and time in design already.
         Watch out for mold in your homes friends. It's deadly and can really cause serious health issues.
                  Now back to the grindstone so I can make it till noon and the presales for CHARLOTTE begin!!!! Hugs and Love to all. Once again... sorry.     John :-\

[peafunk31]

Wow dude, that's pretty horrifying! Mold can definitely do some funky things to you. And if I found a secret grow room at my residence, I would hope it was growing something other than mold *cough*  ::). Here's to a speedy recovery man! :)

[tdb810]

Wow that sounds so awful!  Hope you are feeling better very soon, and that all works out!
Take care 

[vespachick]

Wow, well at least you found the source so that's good.  How awful.  But welcome to the Board!  Breathe easy.

[BH]

Wow DejaView!   What a relief that must have been when you found out what it was.   Is there a way to test for mold?  Either in your house or a medical test?  Or did you just put two and two together when you found the mold in your house?   Just curious as my family have had a lot of stomach and respitory issues lately.  Not as severe as what it sounds like you have had but strange nonetheless.

Great having you here, and I look forward to meeting you same day at a show!

[DejaView2011]

Wow DejaView!   What a relief that must have been when you found out what it was.   Is there a way to test for mold?  Either in your house or a medical test?  Or did you just put two and two together when you found the mold in your house?   Just curious as my family have had a lot of stomach and respitory issues lately.  Not as severe as what it sounds like you have had but strange nonetheless.

Great having you here, and I look forward to meeting you same day at a show!

Thank You all for reading this and for your kind words. It's been such HELL. (That Grow Room HAD been filled with goodies. All they left me though was a moist, dank room.LOL. There was a cloning room down there too) If your whole family is suffering with the same symptoms like digestive and respiritory distress (asthma, allergies, hypersensitivities to colognes and cleaning fluids) I would definetely look into an environmental cause. Even the cleanest houses can have mold in the walls and it causes a systemic, neurological breakdown that mimics things like diabetes, high blood pressure, ulcers, tremors and mental confusion. Many people think they're tired and worn out, but they don't realize they're being exposed on a daily basis in the home.
       I found the mold because I have an inbred high intolerance to it and when I walk into a room that has mold in the walls I begin to shake within 20 seconds. This house had been disguised and the ,mold was tucked away in crawlspaces and between the floors. But I could smell it and knew there was some water damage in places. It wasn't until I changed all the air filters in the AC returns that the house became toxic.
     I'd never realized the chronic stomach aches, constant nausea, feelings of blood sugar crashes, weird food intolerances and an inability to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time were connected. Now I'm down at 160lbs but gaining, and finally the hypersensitivitiy has started to subside and our appetites have come back. We're all putting the weight back on easily now (and my taste for wine has come back too! Yay!) and music doesn't hurt my ears anymore. That was a real drag. The stomach aches only happen when I walk into certain areas and now in public stores that have bad air systems. So I recognize it and get out fast.
   My advice is to not waste anytime with finding out what the cause is of your families digestive distresses are. It's too much a coincidence that more than 1 or 2 people suffer the same thing when there's no true reason in sight. Mold will damage your immune system and it causes muscle weakness, which causes the smooth muscles of the stomach and digestive tract to become inactive and peristalsys (the motion that moves food through your g.i. tract) ceases causing food to rot in your belly and your stomach becomes slightly gassy and distended. Please contact me if you think you may have a problem and I can tell you what to do and what to look for.
  As for us. The road to recovery began yesterday for us all when I felt the house finally clear. For Cody and I it ends in Louisville with the greatest band in the world playing their new album and hopefully surrounded by the coolest people on the planet.
     If this was the price I have to pay for the journey ahead.... so be it. Nothing good comes easy in this world. And I Thank God our daughter hadn't come to live with us yet. Maybe that's where the answer lies. As a Dad, I accept that I'm also a shield. I'm OK with that.

[Ruckus]

Glad to hear you and your family are doing better man!  I didn't want to have to resort to mold to lose my 30lbs but... :-\

Great to have you around!  Your enthusiasm is invigorating!

[johnnYYac]

Hey John, nice name.  Sorry to hear about your epic mold battle, but you won!

And I can't find anything from your posts to apologize for.  Trust me, after being on here a few more months, you'll see we all occasionally regret one or two posts.  Doesn't help that many posts are through the fog of weed, alcohol, or MMJ poisoning.

Just stay healthy enough to live through Louisville and then give us a great report on your first show.  No texting or heavy picture/video taking, either.  Just get hydrated, take a good long piss, and dig in for the long haul.  Focus on the music, the stage, watch Jim and Patrick, Carl and Tommy, going nuts.  And, my my my, Bo's going to be a busy fella with all these new tunes.  We'll be waiting for all of you on the other side. 

[DejaView2011]

Hey John, nice name.  Sorry to hear about your epic mold battle, but you won!

And I can't find anything from your posts to apologize for.  Trust me, after being on here a few more months, you'll see we all occasionally regret one or two posts.  Doesn't help that many posts are through the fog of weed, alcohol, or MMJ poisoning.

Just stay healthy enough to live through Louisville and then give us a great report on your first show.  No texting or heavy picture/video taking, either.  Just get hydrated, take a good long piss, and dig in for the long haul.  Focus on the music, the stage, watch Jim and Patrick, Carl and Tommy, going nuts.  And, my my my, Bo's going to be a busy fella with all these new tunes.  We'll be waiting for all of you on the other side.

Ruckus &Johnny,  Thank you both so much for these posts. I felt I really made the wrong impression because I really wasn't myself. You're both incredible and I hope to share space with you in the pit at one or several shows along the way. @Ruckus, my enthusiasm is like a runaway train and always has been. Sometimes it gets me into trouble.... most of the time its infectious and I drag others in. Lol. With music and things I'm passionate about I've always been an "all or nothing" kinda Guy. I'm glad its welcome here. Ill try to keep a leash on the beast.  @Johnny.  All advice noted and taken! Omg. Texting from the pit???? I plan on being so connected to this band and the people I wouldn't dare let ANYTHING distract me like that. It may sound cheesy but I know ill be crying most of the show anyway. Especially if they play "thank you too" or when they explode my heart with "I will sing you songs". Crying is allowed right? :-) Tears of joy Stan....... Tears of joy.

[mahg33ta]

Deja-

I just found this thread and wanted to add that I think you've been a breath of fresh air on this board.   New blood is healthy for the long-term survival of a forum and I love your enthusiasm.   Keep it up !!   

[DejaView2011]

Deja-

I just found this thread and wanted to add that I think you've been a breath of fresh air on this board.   New blood is healthy for the long-term survival of a forum and I love your enthusiasm.   Keep it up !!   

Magh33ta, Thank You so much for this.  :dankk2: After some unexpected mold surprisingly came back up in the house renovations today, exposing me and making me really sick,   :P  it was really nice to come find this, especially since I've kinda felt a bit like a leper on here since my faux pas.  :-X  I've really done my best to apologize and even really adhere to the forum rules and so forth.   But I guess some folks just kinda shut me down. It's all good though friend.  :) You can't make everyone like nor understand you in this world and I guess that's just the way it will be here. I'm certainly not going to leave. But I won't get rude either. I have indeed made some truly fantastic friends already here and plan on blogging the journey to Louisianna. The bumper stickers came out today. Here's a peek at one of the uncut printed sheets.



Lemme know if you'd like one. Friends are welcome here.  :dankk2: :) Thanks Again for the virtual hug.

[DejaView2011]

Deja-

I just found this thread and wanted to add that I think you've been a breath of fresh air on this board.   New blood is healthy for the long-term survival of a forum and I love your enthusiasm.   Keep it up !!   

I can't help but laugh at the "breath of fresh air" comment on this Mold inspired thread though.   ;D ;D ;D ;D :D :D :D