Symptoms of Mold Exposure …What to look for ~ or is it just Allergies?

Symptoms of Mold Exposure

People often mistake the symptoms of mold exposure for other things. They might think they are experiencing seasonal allergies, like hay fever. They might wonder if they are allergic to pet dander. They might think they just have a cold or sinus infection since mold symptoms resemble those common conditions. Of course, if you realize you have a mold problem in your home, you might suspect your symptoms are related to mold.

Many people don’t realize they have a mold problem until they start getting sick, though. That’s because mold often grows in places where it’s hard to spot, like inside walls, inside heating ducts, and under flooring.

We encountered mold in an apartment we lived in for about 5 years.  The building was about 40 years old, and although the property and building were well maintained, the carpets in the bedrooms appeared old. We used to watch T.V. in one of the rooms, however, my husband has asthma and always had huge breathing problems while living there.  We’ve moved from that building a couple of years ago and his asthma has improved greatly in our new place.  Makes you question, what was lurking in those walls or under the carpets?

Common Symptoms of Mold Exposure

The most common mold symptoms are similar to symptoms of exposure to other environmental allergens, and include things like:

• A runny nose
• Sinus congestion
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Red, itchy, watery eyes
• Headaches, migraines
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Feeling of tightness in the chest
• Asthma attacks. Follow this link to learn more about asthma due to mold

Indescribable: Fibromyalgia ~ Chronic Pain

This describes many chronic illnesses, too many to list.  We’re used to appearing “well” on the outside, yet on the inside, it’s indescribable hell. Please don’t judge us.

New Discovery for Fibromyalgia Could Aid Diagnosis

Researchers discovered a neural signature that identified fibromyalgia with 93% accuracy, according to a 72-patient” study.

These results build off of other important previous work and have to be replicated using other samples of fibromyalgia patients. They represent a natural step in the evolution of our understanding of fibromyalgia as a disorder with an important brain component.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.painmedicinenews.com

I’m not getting enough Sleep with my Fibromyalgia Pain. Why?

Patients coping with the complex (pain disorder) fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and a new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that despite the negative quality of life implications, poor sleep is not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity and duration.

The complexity of fibromyalgia as a pain disorder is rooted in the variable, patient-to-patient, influence of physical, psychological, social factors that contribute to clinical pain, and their influence often is difficult to understand. Previous research has shown that variables such as negative mood and the number of localized pain areas are significant predictors of clinical pain in fibromyalgia patients.

Many fibromyalgia patients complain about poor sleep, and studies have shown that interrupted sleep experienced by individuals with other pain conditions is predictive of next day clinical pain.  Also, sleep duration has been shown to predict clinical pain in healthy adults.  For this study, a research team from the University of Florida hypothesized that decreased total sleep time would predict higher clinical pain in a sample of patients with fibromyalgia.

Seventy-four adults with fibromyalgia were recruited for a University of Florida study and they were observed for 14 days.  Subjects rated their clinical pain every evening and completed sleep diaries describing the previous night’s sleep.

Results of the analysis showed that four sleep measures evaluated in the study failed to significantly predict clinical pain.  The authors noted that the effects of impaired sleep, such as fatigue and inactivity, may play more significant roles in clinical pain than measures of sleep duration or insomnia.

Source:  ScienceDaily.com

Originally posted on my blog “Living in Stigma“