Possible Toxic Black Mold Exposure from my dorm, what can I do?
Hello everyone.
I have strong reason to believe that I am suffering from Toxic Mold Exposure due to the presence of mold in my college dorm. I moved into the dorm last December and my health started collapsing within the week. Within a month I began having serious respiratory and neurological symptoms which got progressively worse until I moved back home about a month and a half ago. The university is located in an area known for high levels of toxic black mold and several of the dorms have been shut down in the past due to the presence of toxic black mold (on the down low, of course). I did send a sample of the mold to the Department of Agriculture and it was visually identified as toxic black mold but they did not do a chemical analysis of the sample, so I can not be sure. The staff at the school conducted a bogus air quality test (they walked around and tested humidity levels, nothing more) and I have not been able to get a hold of them since to see the results and conclusions. I know they were worried about what they found because they immediately replaced the bathroom vent (which reeked of mold) . I went to several doctors at the time that my immune system began to fail ( I NEVER get sick, so this was unusual) and they thought I had a brain tumor or epilepsy. I don't, so the MRI came back clean. Since then it has been very difficult to find a doctor who even knows which tests to order or how to proceed (in fact, I still haven't found one!).
These are the symptoms I was experiencing while in the dorm:
Chronic Sinusitis:
Acid reflux/indigestion
Altered immunity
Balance problems
Body aches and muscle pains
Burning in mouth and/or throat
Chills
Chronic Sinusitis
Choking / Wheezing / Difficulty Breathing
Cold and flu symptoms
Depression/anxiety/dementia
Difficulty in swallowing
Dirt-like taste in mouth
Eye and vision problems, eye irritation (watery, burning, or reddened eyes)
Face flushing intermittently
Irritability, mood swings
Metallic taste in mouth
Night sweats and hot flashes
Nose or throat irritation
Numbness in face and limbs
Physical weakness
Sensitivity to smells/odors
Seizure
Sneezing fits
Swollen lymph nodes
Tremors (shaking)
Unexplained fevers
Prolonged muscle cramps and joint pain
miscarriage (2 weeks ago)
Mucus production.
Memory Loss
Heart Palpitations
These are the symptoms I am still experiencing:
Memory Loss
Fever
Headache
Acid Reflux
Body Aches
Fatigue
Sinusitis
Occasional difficulty breathing
Occasional numbness in limbs, face, and throat
Occasional Heart palpitations
Mucus production.
As you can see, I have far less fewer symptoms than before and the symptoms are far less severe than before. The most bothersome ones know are the fever, memory issues, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. Could these be long-lasting effects of the mold? Should I expect them to go away completely with time?
What kind of doctor should I see to identify is this is the cause of my symptoms and to get the appropriate blood work done?
How can it be treated?
Also, do the spores remain in the body permanently or will they eventually go away?
Thank you so much for any help!