Mold

I get tired of negative updates, but I am so disappointed in our rental townhouse lately. I feel like there has been nothing but problems with this place since we have been here. For the most part they have been good about coming and fixing things when they need fixing. But it does really seem like it has been one thing after another, guess that's what happens with an old house that hasn't been updated in a long time. There are many things we like about the community- there are tons of kids for our children to play with, nice trails, swimming pool, lake and lake access, tennis courts, basketball courts, nice parks. But the actual home, its been disappointing. 

The really big one was when our shower pipes kept shaking/vibrating and was so crazy loud. We would turn it off really fast because it sounded like it was going to explode, that made showering interesting for sure. I kept contacting the rental company to come take a look, over and over again. Nothing, no one came. Three months worth of trying to get them to come look at it. And then one day it burst, yup, the pipe burst. Which in turn meant our living room ceiling started flooding and in the end came crashing down. Did I mention I was pregnant with our second child at the time and due any day. Awesome timing, so they came to fix it, and before they finished I had our baby. Thankfully they rushed to get it done before we came home from the hospital. But, it all could have been avoided if they actually were diligent with response time and getting things fixed, or actually coming and taking a look at it before it becomes a massive problem. Funny how fast the owner of the company that you didn't know existed, contacts you when you write a not so nice review/rating on google about the rental company. I hate being mean and having to get to that point, but I will if it effect my family and our health. So now I worry if they actually fixed it properly or if there could be mold growing under the surface. Which brings me to my next point-

I recently discovered mold in our bathroom. As if we don't have enough health problems in this family, hey, lets add in more mold exposure, that will be fun! Who ever installed the bathroom floor did a piss poor job and it shows. The edges aren't flush with the walls and they never would stay down. I had maintenance come caulk around the edges but it still would pop up. I finally just peeled it back to see what was going on, and there it was, mold, all on the underside of the vinyl floor. This was a horrible idea on my part because I exposed myself even more to the mold, but I tore it all up and threw it away. I went into pure panic mode and wanted it OUT of my house ASAP. There was a floor under it and after taking the floor up I could see the toilet had been leaking and it was clearly poorly installed. Who knows how long this has been going on, insert more panic. Maintenance came out, scolded me and told me he didn't see any more mold. I wasn't convinced but we had to wait for the owner of the place to respond before they could move forward with tearing everything up and re-doing it all, including installing a new toilet properly. That was probably a week ago, still waiting. 

Since then I have noticed that every time we shower, there is a black like dirt material that appears on the floor. At first I thought it was my messy 9yr old. Lord knows that girl practically rolls around in the dirt. But nothing was adding up. I would just wipe it up with a towel and throw it in the laundry. Tonight I had enough and investigated again. Yup, more mold. Can I tear someone apart now? Really? When I was looking around, I was pushing on the wall and baseboards. One section was damp and actually peeled off, that's where I found the mold, behind the drywall. Ugh, this is so dangerous and unhealthy. Not only for my own health, which is already struggling, but for my babies. My children do not need more health problems and this makes me so angry. So, once again, I am taking photo's for proof, emailing the management company, sending photo's to them, and demanding to know what they plan to do about this. Seriously, I don't even know what to do anymore. I can't have my health go to shit even more than it already is and my children cannot get sick from a house that should have been taken care of by these "professionals." I am at a loss and just really disappointed and upset. We cannot have these set backs. I guess if I have to, I will get higher up people involved and call the city etc, just real tired of having to fight extra hard for health. We will see what happens, in the meantime I guess I won't be taking detox baths since we only have one bathroom. 

Weak

I have been wanting to update but haven't made the time. Today is short and to the point. Today is one of the worst herxing days so far. I am so exhausted I can't stand it, major muscle weakness and fatigue, and just don't feel well. Overall feel like I got hit by a bus. That's all for now, I will update when feeling better. 

Two Weeks In

I am two weeks into round two of treatments and the exhausted has hit. I was doing pretty good over all, until the last day or so. Now I'm super tired and sore. Not letting it stop me though. Last night and tonight my oldest had softball practice. So, we ate dinner fast, loaded up and off I went with the two kids and my PM infusion items. I try to sneak off to the side someplace to hook up my IV, it's kind of awkward otherwise. Once I'm hooked up I just put the IV bullet into my hoodie pocket and play with my little one while we watch practice. It's completely exhausting working, parenting and fighting a tough illness. But it has to be done, so I just power through and hope for the best.

 I do get a lot of strange looks and people staring at the IV line That's clearly hooked up to me, when I'm out and about. So far no one has asked me about it. I was at target the other day and the check out lady noticed, she then told me I should probably lift the bags with my other arm because they are very heavy. She wasn't kidding, those bad boys were loaded! I thought it was kind of her to let me know and try to help me out some, but also respect my privacy and not ask a million questions. I wouldn't mind if she did though, I just make those conversations into an educational talk to try and spread the word and hope people protect themselves better. Speaking of exhaustion, I can barely keep my eyes open, so excuse me while I go crash on my pillow! 

Loosing A Friend To Lyme Disease

It is with tears running down my face that I write tonight's post. I learned today that I lost a Lyme friend of mine to Lyme Disease, Co-Infections, and Early Onset Alzheimer Disease, caused by the Lyme. She was such a brave, loving, giving, caring and courageous person. Many of us knew that she wasn't doing well, and that she would enter heaven sooner than later, but we didn't think it would be this soon. She has been suffering for a long time, like many of us, but it still seems too soon. I feel selfish writing that, because I know she is in a better place, free of pain and doing all her artwork she loves so dearly. But its just not fair, someone so young and so full of life shouldn't have to leave this earth so soon. I am so sad the world lost her. 

She was an amazing person, she didn't let her health define who she was. She made sure to reach out to people and ask how they were doing and still tried to do things that made her happy. She was a great artist and would post pictures often on facebook of her creations. Such talent, it was amazing! We would talk about art, crafts, family, our illness and just life. She made such a huge difference in so many lives! Its pretty powerful to see a person come from a broken childhood and struggle, but not let that define who they become in life. She used it to her advantage and created a great life and helped many along the way with the same past struggles. 

It really is so amazing to see everyone writing on facebook about how she had changed so many lives for the better. It is a broad range from people that have known her for a very long time, to a short time, and some that never met her in person. Each person has been moved by her, it didn't matter if they never met in person, she was just such a powerful, positive being and made such a difference here on earth. I could write a lot more but I want to protect her identity so I won't go into much more detail. She will be missed by me and so many others. I am glad she was a friend and that I had the privilege of knowing her. The artwork above are some of her creations. Rest in peace warrior my friend. Until we meet again.