Here we go again...

If you've been following along since the beginning, you know there were a few different levels of our exposure - my symptoms being the most widespread, but our son's being just as troubling with an unidentified cough that didn't go away with any treatment for months (until we moved).

Now the hubby, out of nowhere, developed a cough this fall that won't go away, despite treatment with cough medicine, steroids, an asthma inhaler or antibiotics. Sound familiar? I thought so too.

We've been trying to figure out what on earth would cause a sudden chronic cough in the one member of our family that has been relatively healthy all along. Suddenly it hit me... the hubby, who works in education, changed school districts this fall. He's been in a new environment. What if one of his schools has a mold problem? How would we know?

I asked him (without telling him why) whether he feels like his cough is better or worse at home or at school. He told me it's always worse at school.

Now it gets more complicated - he used to be a classroom teacher, but is now working as a district-level employee, assigned to a couple of different schools and the district office, so how do we know (if it's mold) where the mold is? And since it's not our property, how do we go about getting testing done to find out? Will the school district play ball?

Back at square one?

I'm better than I was earlier this week, when I reported the co-working troglodyte who decided painting indoors in a poorly ventilated office was a great idea. But I'm not as good as I was the day before that... it's hard to say back to normal, as I haven't been back to normal in a very long time.

Where does that put my treatment plan? No idea. I go back this afternoon for more needling. Poke, poke, poke. It has really been helping my energy levels in general, although this feels like kind of a setback. I'll certainly ask my practitioner for some advice moving forward. I was thinking about seeking out a sauna to do a little more detox on my own.

To be honest... I'll just be happy not to wind up in Stanley's Death Park.

Make. It. Stop.

People who don't have chemical sensitivities can still relate to this - painting in an enclosed space is foul, whether you've been exposed to mold or not.

But my reaction seems to be extreme. My ears hurt. My chest is tight - almost like my lungs are crackly. That probably doesn't make any sense. And my head is spinning.

Why? Some jerk face is painting in the office this morning. We don't have windows that open. The acupuncture continues to help with stuff like my energy levels... I'm like a new human being for the most part. But then stuff like this happens and reminds me just how far I have to go. Bleh.