I'm on the Medical Merry-Go-Round

[Lisa Guliani]

I have now talked with three law offices and one actual attorney.

As I suspected, and as the lawyer I just spoke with confirmed for me, it is not a viable case for an attorney to take on until and/or unless a doctor states that mold is causing my health problems. This is why I wanted to see the doctor first, get the results and have those in hand when speaking with a lawyer.
I worked for an attorney for a year many years ago in NYC, and I know they only want to take on cases like this that they are fairly certain they can win.

Toxic mold cases can be very difficult to prove and the law firms here in State College, for the most part, are small and already I've been told that I may have difficulty finding a lawyer who will agree to take this case.
I'm going to keep looking, and one firm is supposed to be calling me back either to set up an appointment or to give me a referral to another law firm.

I also just received a letter from the rental management company wanting to know if I am going to continue renting from them or not, and I'm supposed to let them know by March 22 or they will begin showing my apartment.

Nice.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

I just called the State college Health Department and spoke with the Health Officer. He is emailing the guy in hcarge of inspections and I'm going to be called either Monday or Tuesday so an inspector can come out and check this situation out. This guy tells me that the presence of this 'common' mold' in my apartment does not constitute an uninhabitable living space as far as the rules or guidelines for the state of Pennsylvania.
They are going to check out why the apartment keeps flooding too.

So now the ball is rolling. This man knows precisely where I live too, since he lives right nearby.

 

[knowledge_of_self]

What a nightmare. I'm doing my best here, but really don't feel up to all of this.

I know you don't feel up to it and that is what makes it so infuriating. Perhaps you should sit down, write one of your excellent rants about it, and send it as an email to all the local media?

I think that's a great idea! I think you should start writing articles and spreading the word about your situation because I think that there are many others in your shoes and will probably come out of the woodwork to share their experiences as well. Fwiw.

 

[Laura]

I think that's a great idea! I think you should start writing articles and spreading the word about your situation because I think that there are many others in your shoes and will probably come out of the woodwork to share their experiences as well. Fwiw.

I agree.

Geeze, this planet is so toxified and the people are just dying from it and it seems that nobody cares.

You prolly ought to wait for the inspector before you tell the rental company anything.

 

[anart]

I just called the State college Health Department and spoke with the Health Officer. He is emailing the guy in hcarge of inspections and I'm going to be called either Monday or Tuesday so an inspector can come out and check this situation out. This guy tells me that the presence of this 'common' mold' in my apartment does not constitute an uninhabitable living space as far as the rules or guidelines for the state of Pennsylvania.
They are going to check out why the apartment keeps flooding too.

So now the ball is rolling. This man knows precisely where I live too, since he lives right nearby.

This is good! I think the health department would be a more efficacious way to get a response here, since the lawyers sound worthless. I would love to see the health department determine that it's uninhabitable and that the rental company must pay for accommodation while the mold remediation is going on. The sooner you are out of there the better - and that applies to your dog too, it's not just your health that is being affected negatively. Anyway, hopefully an inspector can get there early next week.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

I know, I have been thinking the same thing and wondering how all of this is effecting Goose. He seems okay so far.
You've got that right - the lawyers ARE worthless. I knew they would be. Talk about a double whammy to deal with - doctors and lawyers.
I'm not contacting the rental company or the landlord until after the inspector comes. The health Officer called me back to say he'd contacted the inspector and I will be getting a call on Monday. I want the inspection to take place without the rental company or landlord here to lie. There's nothing more bs than when they know the date of an inspection and can prepare for the lies to be told and the story they'll stick to, ahead of time.

A nice spontaneous inspection is just what the doctor ordered, methinks.
I just issued Goose his MD.

None of this is any fun at all, but I am trying to keep my sense of humor, so please forgive the noise.

 

[Lan8r]

This guy tells me that the presence of this 'common' mold' in my apartment does not constitute an uninhabitable living space as far as the rules or guidelines for the state of Pennsylvania

Don't let that comment get to you. The inspector might not see it the same way, especially after he sees your bathroom and tests it. Black mold is Toxic http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/03/molds-making-you-ill.aspx.

I agree with Anart that the Health Dept might be able to put enough of the right kind of pressure on your rental co. Although, I find it odd that I easily googled a list of about four 'Toxic Mold Lawyers' in State College, PA. If this 'common mold' doesn't constitute an uninhabitable living space as far as the rules/guidelines for the State of PA, why is so easy to find a list of Lawyers that specialize in toxic mold related cases?

So, I guess that you will be able to decide your next step after the inspector gets there. Hopefully Mon/Tues! Then on the 22nd you can advise the Rental Co that you will be moving out and they will footing the bill, and don't forget to show the new tenants the moldy bathroom!!!

Laurie

 

[Guardian]

Strip 2 tested for Stachybotrys, ( I think this is the black mold stuff mentioned by Voyageur's friend in the post above).
Strip 2 tested POSITIVE.

Stachybotrys (Black Mold) is the mold that almost killed me. A doctor told me I had the "highest white cell count of anyone he'd ever seen walking upright" Normal is between 5000-10,000, mine was 280,000...so high they thought I had leukemia at first.

In all the tests you've had, did they ever test your white blood cell count?

 

[Guardian]

I have now talked with three law offices and one actual attorney.

As I suspected, and as the lawyer I just spoke with confirmed for me, it is not a viable case for an attorney to take on until and/or unless a doctor states that mold is causing my health problems. This is why I wanted to see the doctor first, get the results and have those in hand when speaking with a lawyer.

That's unfortunate since the good "we sue um" lawyers here usually have a list of Doctors they can refer you to who are willing to document your case in preparation for a legal action, and appear in court if necessary.

 

[Lisa Guliani]

My WBC count has been tested twice. The first time it was 11. The 2nd time, it tested at 14.6. I've been taking a combo antibiotic composed of augmentin and amoxicillin.

 

[Guardian]

First off I'm NOT suggesting that Lisa try to do anything about the mold, that's her landlord's job!

However, for any homeowners reading this, mold is not that difficult to kill, IF you catch it soon enough. First off, fix the leak that caused the mold. Then BAKE the area that got wet with a high output heater for at least a couple of days. When it is completely dry, spray the entire area with a fungicide....concrobium is my personal favorite because it doesn't contain any toxic chemicals.

If you let a leak go, you'll wind up having to do a total tear-out of the affected area. If that happens you have to block off the area you're removing with plastic and tape it up real good, and go over every inch with a good shop vac when you're done. Failure to do this could contaminate the rest of the unit. The new materials you install should also be coated with a fungicide, just to be on the safe side.

There is absolutely NO excuse for the repeated flooding Lisa has gone through. The majority of basement flooding is caused by clogged drains, poor/improper grading and/or cracks and open seams in the foundation. All problems that can be fixed for about the cost of a few month's rent.

There is one simple rule for being a landlord. You should be willing to live in every unit you rent out. If someone owns rental property that they're not willing to live in for ANY reason (except size) there's something seriously wrong.

 

[Guardian]

My WBC count has been tested twice. The first time it was 11. The 2nd time, it tested at 14.6.

I don't know enough to say how that compares to the WBC tests I had? I went over my file from then, and 5000-10000 was what I was told was normal? Either you have almost no white cells at all, or we need to add some zeros?

 

[Lilou]

I have managed to read about half of the book on Raynaud's (it's about 150 pages total). What I've learned so far, is if you have to have Raynaud's, you prefer to have the primary (benign) syndrome. Secondary causes of Raynaud's includes Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.

So my questions are, Lisa, which bone did you break, when did you break it, how did it get broke, and and how soon after the break were you diagnosed with RSD? Did they do any treatment for RSD? Have you had symptoms of RSD since being diagnosed, or does it wax and wane? Are your symptoms more pronounced in your feet or your hands? Is there any swelling? Does it extend up either leg or arm?

I suppose it is possible that black mold can exacerbate an underlying condition - so for god's sake, try to get out of that moldy place as soon as you can. Maybe you can hang out during the day elsewhere or somehow limit your time there if you can't move straight away?

p.s. A bit of good news, the book also states that smoking does NOT make Raynaud's worse or cause attacks. :P

 

[Lisa Guliani]

I broke the bone on the side of my right foot in 1999 or 2000 ( the little toe bone, but further along the side of my foot, after falling 8 feet face first down a flight of stairs and landing on the concrete basement floor. The bone took a long time to heal and wasn't healing properly because I had to keep working on it for a few months. My boss wouldn't give me the time off or get me any help. I was an innkeeper at a Bed & Breakfast. The accident occurred at the mansion where i worked.
After a few months, my doctor told me I could no longer try to work ( I couldn't walk because of the foot pain) and I ended up going in and out of pain clinics and seeing all kinds of specialists. I had multiple nerve blocks and spent 3 weeks at a pain institute in Minneapolis. I was put on several medicines, strong painkillers, calcium channel blockers and antidepressants.

Doctors told me I had nerve damage when the bone still wouldn't heal after months of attempted treatments failed. The symptoms mirror-imaged onto both feet, both legs and my right arm up to the elbow. The diagnosis became RSD. I was told the nerve damage was in my brain stem. The doctors wanted to send photos of my feet to the American Journal of Medicine, but I don't know if they ever did. My feet resembled eggplants. I was in constant pain and couldn't walk for quite a long time. I was in a wheelchair for a while and then used a walker and then finally a cane.
They tried all sorts of things to treat the RSD - hypnosis, a TENS unit and electrical stimulation, various nerve blocks, biofeedback, altering my perception of pain with chemicals, putting me on methadone, some kind of relaxation therapy where I had to visualize myself in a hot air balloon, lidocaine infusions into my belly. Lots of treatments. Once, they paralyzed me from the waist down. They told me I would probably never walk again.. They talked about cutting off my feet, but I asked them if they planned on cutting off my head, too, since they said the nerve damage was in my brain stem. So, they didn't cut off my feet.

I ended up having to teach myself to walk again. I've walked thousands of miles since they told me I'd never walk again.
Just not lately.

 

[Laura]

I broke the bone on the side of my right foot in 1999 or 2000 ( the little toe bone, but further along the side of my foot, after falling 8 feet face first down a flight of stairs and landing on the concrete basement floor. The bone took a long time to heal and wasn't healing properly because I had to keep working on it for a few months. My boss wouldn't give me the time off or get me any help. I was an innkeeper at a Bed & Breakfast. The accident occurred at the mansion where i worked.
After a few months, my doctor told me I could no longer try to work ( I couldn't walk because of the foot pain) and I ended up going in and out of pain clinics and seeing all kinds of specialists. I had multiple nerve blocks and spent 3 weeks at a pain institute in Minneapolis. I was put on several medicines, strong painkillers, calcium channel blockers and antidepressants.

Doctors told me I had nerve damage when the bone still wouldn't heal after months of attempted treatments failed. The symptoms mirror-imaged onto both feet, both legs and my right arm up to the elbow. The diagnosis became RSD. I was told the nerve damage was in my brain stem. The doctors wanted to send photos of my feet to the American Journal of Medicine, but I don't know if they ever did. My feet resembled eggplants. I was in constant pain and couldn't walk for quite a long time. I was in a wheelchair for a while and then used a walker and then finally a cane.
They tried all sorts of things to treat the RSD - hypnosis, a TENS unit and electrical stimulation, various nerve blocks, biofeedback, altering my perception of pain with chemicals, putting me on methadone, some kind of relaxation therapy where I had to visualize myself in a hot air balloon, lidocaine infusions into my belly. Lots of treatments. Once, they paralyzed me from the waist down. They told me I would probably never walk again.. They talked about cutting off my feet, but I asked them if they planned on cutting off my head, too, since they said the nerve damage was in my brain stem. So, they didn't cut off my feet.

I ended up having to teach myself to walk again. I've walked thousands of miles since they told me I'd never walk again.
Just not lately.

I don't understand how an injury to the foot can affect the brainstem. I think that was a load of baloney because they were having so little success treating the problem at the site of injury. It also seems possible that all their messing around then contributed to the problems today. Maybe once you get moved you can look into the possibility of suing that previous employer too? It may be beyond some sort of statute of limitations, but no reason not to look into it.