About 2 weeks ago, we noticed our laminate floors were starting to bubble. We had a rug in the kitchen and we didn’t notice until the water came past the rug, Darrell saw that it was coming from the dishwasher. Darrell called our insurance company and they sent out a remediation company. This was Friday the 20th of February. The remediation company saw the mold… and wanted to take all the cabinets and flooring out, however the insurance company decided they should wait until they inspected it themselves the following Monday.

So, they removed the flooring, drilled holes in the kick plates and brought in huge drying fans to dry the kitchen out….. but in the mean time, they proceeded to blow mold all throughout our house. On Monday when the insurance adjuster came out… under the kitchen sink, he saw a lot more mold…. and said the cabinets needed to come out…. I was very concerned about Greyson’s lungs because he was already showing signs of sickness as of Sunday…. coughing, etc.]

Tuesday was my surgery, I had a total hysterectomy first… followed by breast reconstruction and capsulectomy. The surgeries went fairly well…. My ovaries and uterus were about 1/3 of their normal size and they figured that is from the medications they’ve been giving me monthly to suppress my hormones. My capsular contracture and lock shoulder was one of the worst cases he had ever seen… He took my arm and cracked as much as he could to hopefully help with my mobility and said that if he didn’t, I would never regain the mobility in my arm. He said I need very heavy duty physical therapy.

Tuesday during my surgery, Darrell was getting sick.

I stayed overnight at the hospital and I recalled them commenting how my heart rate was continuously high and I was having low oxygen sats throughout the night. When my OB/GYN came to visit my room, she was concerned about it and asked if I was short of breath… Their concern was another Pulmonary Embolism, I was being treated for it.. with Lovenox and was for over a week after I came home. At the time, I was not having shortness of breath. I was released on Wednesday to come home.

Wednesday we received a call that the cabinets needed to come out that afternoon. We anticipate they took a mold sample.

Wednesday evening, I was having extreme shortness of breath…. I was scared to death I was having another PE. Darrell called 911. I was still having high heart rates and so at the hospital they were concerned it was also another PE. They schedule me for a CT Scan…. I was diagnosed with Acute Hypersensitive Pneumonitis…. which is an infection caused by MOLD. I was prescribed Levaquin. I was already taking Clyndamycin for my breast surgery. 2 very potent antibiotics.

Darrell and Greyson are now horribly sick as well, they saw our family doctor and she prescribed them with steroids and Zpacks.

Over the weekend I started to notice my left radiated breast was looking red and inflamed. I tried to go to the ER at CMC Main and I left after 2 hours and decided to go see my PS the next day…. When I went on Monday, they decided to admit me for intervenious antibiotics… more clyndmyacin. I was released to come home on Tuesday…

My recovery was awful…. not because of my surgeries as much as just the coughing and the incisions…

Last Thursday I went to see a Pulmonologist and he’s treating me for asthma.. believed to be caused by mold. He said that many times the asthma will not go away. And, it appears…. this is the case.

I left Target today in tears because it’s JUST NOT FAIR! I fully expected to be back to work this past Saturday. I usually bounce back very quickly. But…. not this time. I get extremely tired, extremely tired from doing the smallest of tasks…. I picked up a few groceries. I came home had to do a breathing treatment and laid down to rest. I went for this surgery and I feel like I’ve come out disabled! It’s ridiculous! I’m extremely tough… extremely resilient and this time…… it’s just so incredibly upsetting. I fully expected to be just like my mastectomy…. and I’d be bounced back in no time. But…. this is not the case. I pray that the mold has not caused long term damage. As it is…. my life may be impacted from the cancer. The rest of my days, I would like to feel well! If I continue to feel like I have….. I just cannot imagine! I feel literally like I have to struggle to breathe and it hurts to breathe….

I’m scheduled to return to work on Saturday…. I am on my feet all day long. I’m usually buzzing around there like a firecracker. I just can’t imagine how this will impact me.

It’s been what my boss has called “The Perfect Storm”…. in such an incredible mess!