Hello Hyperboard!

Hello Hyperboard!

JustCarol

It's been a while since I dropped by, but I have been lurking here and there. I wasn't up to posting though. Last time I dropped in was sometime in the summer of 2009, a few months after having some surgery. It's what happened post-surgery that kept me away. My apartment building was equipped with PB pipe plumbing, which was recalled due to failures. A week post-surgery, my apartment was flooded by the third leak in my unit, due to the failure. Due to poor actions on the part of my landlord, a month later I was sick with asthma; and highly suspecting mold in the affected wall, I did a simple mold protein test, which was positive. I went to the rental office and took the test plus my concerns to the manager.
Maintenance pulled a panel of drywall and found mold, they pulled more, and found more. In the end, the entire outer wall where the flood occurred was moldy inside. All that was done was the mold was sprayed with bleach and the original drywall(yes, the original contaminated drywall panels)were replaced. My asthma did not go away; the day the work was done, NO drapes were used, and I ended up seeking emergency treatment due to a severe asthma attack. My asthma continued to bother me the months following this. Unhappy with the landlord, I consulted a lawyer and contacted both the local housing authority (I lived in USDA Rural Developments FmHa subsidized housing, similar to HUD) and the county health department. The health inspector was shocked at what I told him, and said that they followed improper protocol and put the health of the residents at risk, but without actually seeing the PB plumbing for himself, there was little he could do.
The director at Rural Development came the following day to meet with me and then demanded an explanation from the landlord. It turns out that the landlord had been hiding the gravity of the situation from them. The lawyer advised me to build a paper trail by keeping copies of all correspondence between landlord, Rural Development and myself, as well as medical records. I had a few more emergency treatments due to severe asthma attacks, as I am highly allergic to mold and dust mites. My apt maintained a constant elevated humidity, and the high humidity encourages dust mites. My peak flow barely hovered above 325-350, normal would be 455; it's an emergency if it drops below 300, I had a lot of close calls, going as low as 250. I would wake up in wee hours of the morning wheezing and feeling my airway close.
I was taking an albuterol inhaler up to 4 times a day, plus a steroid inhaler daily. An X-Ray revealed lungs full of junk. My landlord was pissed that I went to Rural Development, as the director was now involved and wanting answers. Landlord was denying my claims and dancing around the issue.
When I previously posted here, I had mentioned a move to Delaware in my future, to an apartment in an old house my sister and her boyfriend were renovating. This was supposed to take place in Spring of 2011, but due to my health and my PITA landlord, my mother forwarded an advance loan to finish the renovating of the apartment to get me in ASAP. Meanwhile, I had professional mold testing done, and they found the presence of mold in the very same wall. However, the amount of airborne spores was under 10% difference from outdoor ones, which would make it difficult to litigate in a lawsuit case, so I decided to not go that route.
I moved out at the end of October 2010, and my asthma began clearing almost immediately. I am diabetic, and the inhalers I am on are known to cause elevated blood sugar levels, so my doctor had added a new medication last summer. I was needing the inhalers less, so I probably should have but back or even cut out the added med, but didn't know that. Anyway, a week after moving, my sugar crashed and I ended up hospitalized. I nearly died, it was so low. My 17 yo niece had found me passed out and got my sister and my sisters boyfriend called 911. They revived me with a glucose IV.
I'm still settling in in the new location, just saw my new doctor and am working on getting transportation. I decided to give up my car and license, disability is making it harder to drive, plus Delaware has really great services for disabled residents. I can get inexpensive paratransit services to get to wherever I need to go to. Health-wise, the asthma is pretty much gone; the hospital doctors did a chest X-Ray and found my lungs are now clear, plus they didn't hear audible wheezing, which my primary care doctor heard every time I visited her. They took me off the steroid inhaler and said to use my rescue inhaler only if needed. They also recommended I not take the newer diabetes medication. But I ended up going back on a small dose (half a pill a day, instead on the 2 pills I was on), as my sugars were slightly elevated. They said it would take time for the inhalers to fully clear my system, and to get in to a new doctor ASAP. Given that information, my new doctor wants to wait and see if my sugars might finally stabilize over the next 3 months, if not she'll refer me to a specialist. They are not extremely elevated, only slightly.
As for my hair, I am almost at waist length, it's pretty darn close, but it's a bit thin as I lost some from being sick and on the steroids (famous for thinning of hair and skin :( ), but lots of new growth has been coming in. I see many familiar names, and also see many missing. I'll try to post some pics, as soon as I find my danged camera and rechargeable batteries and the battery charger, and set it up. Moving is such a royal PITA, I tell you. Newark is a large college town (University of Delaware), Emmitsburg was a small college town (Mount St Marys University); so I see lots of students, bound to be some longhairs among them, as there were in Emmitsburg. The one thing I will miss is the Franciscan Seminarians from Father Benedict Groechel's order with the ponytails hanging down over the hoods of their habits. They were the only seminarians with long hair at the Mount's seminary.
The house my apartment is in is surrounded by frat houses and student residences, the university is nearby. The University is the home of the Delaware Skate Club, which produced Johnny Weir and Kimmy Meissner. Delaware's social programs for low-income disabled and seniors is some of the best in the country, I have already applied for, and been approved for, a number of programs. The only one left is the paratransit service. I also have my mobility scooter and will be able go to many places within walking distance of the house; while a ramp was purchased for me, it hasn't been installed yet, and may not be until the Spring thaw. There are a lot of ethnic markets nearby where I can get staples and other food items.
Hope everyone is doing okay, and "Hello" to the old-timers and "Welcome" to the newbies. I see a couple of threads that have piqued my interest. BTW, is there any way to get my member profile changed from Maryland to Delaware?

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- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Oren
  
  Hi Carol,
  What a mess you've been through - Welcome back and glad you're in a better arrangement. I've been wondering where you were.
  - Oren
  
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- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  DavidN
  
  Hi Carol,
  It is so good to hear from you, and I have been wondering how you have been doing the past little while. Thank you for stopping on by to give us your update, and it does seem as though you have had so much on your plate lately. I am genuinely sorry to hear about the problems with your other place, but relieved that your new place is working out better for you. I am also glad that you are feeling better now than in the past, and my thoughts and prayers will be with you for better health in the days to come.
  Hopefully, we will see you posting on the hyperboard on a more regular basis.
  Take care,
  David
  
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- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Hairball
  
  Hi Carol,
  Wow, that was quite an experience you had to endure and I'm sorry what you had to go through health wise.What a shame your former landlord was so uncaring as mold infestations can be lethal to some people.Anyway sounds like you are in a much better situation today:)Newark,Delaware is a nice area as I'm familiar with it due to past trips through there.I'm sure you'll see many longhairs in that college town:)Hope to see you around more here now that things are looking better for you.Cheers
  Mark
  
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- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  jonalbear
  
  Hi Carol,
  Long time no hear or see!
  Wishing you the best of luck in 20011.
  Sounds like you are due for some!
  peace, jonalbear
  It's been a while since I dropped by, but I have been lurking here and there. I wasn't up to posting though. Last time I dropped in was sometime in the summer of 2009, a few months after having some surgery. It's what happened post-surgery that kept me away. My apartment building was equipped with PB pipe plumbing, which was recalled due to failures. A week post-surgery, my apartment was flooded by the third leak in my unit, due to the failure. Due to poor actions on the part of my landlord, a month later I was sick with asthma; and highly suspecting mold in the affected wall, I did a simple mold protein test, which was positive. I went to the rental office and took the test plus my concerns to the manager.
  Maintenance pulled a panel of drywall and found mold, they pulled more, and found more. In the end, the entire outer wall where the flood occurred was moldy inside. All that was done was the mold was sprayed with bleach and the original drywall(yes, the original contaminated drywall panels)were replaced. My asthma did not go away; the day the work was done, NO drapes were used, and I ended up seeking emergency treatment due to a severe asthma attack. My asthma continued to bother me the months following this. Unhappy with the landlord, I consulted a lawyer and contacted both the local housing authority (I lived in USDA Rural Developments FmHa subsidized housing, similar to HUD) and the county health department. The health inspector was shocked at what I told him, and said that they followed improper protocol and put the health of the residents at risk, but without actually seeing the PB plumbing for himself, there was little he could do.
  The director at Rural Development came the following day to meet with me and then demanded an explanation from the landlord. It turns out that the landlord had been hiding the gravity of the situation from them. The lawyer advised me to build a paper trail by keeping copies of all correspondence between landlord, Rural Development and myself, as well as medical records. I had a few more emergency treatments due to severe asthma attacks, as I am highly allergic to mold and dust mites. My apt maintained a constant elevated humidity, and the high humidity encourages dust mites. My peak flow barely hovered above 325-350, normal would be 455; it's an emergency if it drops below 300, I had a lot of close calls, going as low as 250. I would wake up in wee hours of the morning wheezing and feeling my airway close.
  I was taking an albuterol inhaler up to 4 times a day, plus a steroid inhaler daily. An X-Ray revealed lungs full of junk. My landlord was pissed that I went to Rural Development, as the director was now involved and wanting answers. Landlord was denying my claims and dancing around the issue.
  When I previously posted here, I had mentioned a move to Delaware in my future, to an apartment in an old house my sister and her boyfriend were renovating. This was supposed to take place in Spring of 2011, but due to my health and my PITA landlord, my mother forwarded an advance loan to finish the renovating of the apartment to get me in ASAP. Meanwhile, I had professional mold testing done, and they found the presence of mold in the very same wall. However, the amount of airborne spores was under 10% difference from outdoor ones, which would make it difficult to litigate in a lawsuit case, so I decided to not go that route.
  I moved out at the end of October 2010, and my asthma began clearing almost immediately. I am diabetic, and the inhalers I am on are known to cause elevated blood sugar levels, so my doctor had added a new medication last summer. I was needing the inhalers less, so I probably should have but back or even cut out the added med, but didn't know that. Anyway, a week after moving, my sugar crashed and I ended up hospitalized. I nearly died, it was so low. My 17 yo niece had found me passed out and got my sister and my sisters boyfriend called 911. They revived me with a glucose IV.
  I'm still settling in in the new location, just saw my new doctor and am working on getting transportation. I decided to give up my car and license, disability is making it harder to drive, plus Delaware has really great services for disabled residents. I can get inexpensive paratransit services to get to wherever I need to go to. Health-wise, the asthma is pretty much gone; the hospital doctors did a chest X-Ray and found my lungs are now clear, plus they didn't hear audible wheezing, which my primary care doctor heard every time I visited her. They took me off the steroid inhaler and said to use my rescue inhaler only if needed. They also recommended I not take the newer diabetes medication. But I ended up going back on a small dose (half a pill a day, instead on the 2 pills I was on), as my sugars were slightly elevated. They said it would take time for the inhalers to fully clear my system, and to get in to a new doctor ASAP. Given that information, my new doctor wants to wait and see if my sugars might finally stabilize over the next 3 months, if not she'll refer me to a specialist. They are not extremely elevated, only slightly.
  As for my hair, I am almost at waist length, it's pretty darn close, but it's a bit thin as I lost some from being sick and on the steroids (famous for thinning of hair and skin :( ), but lots of new growth has been coming in. I see many familiar names, and also see many missing. I'll try to post some pics, as soon as I find my danged camera and rechargeable batteries and the battery charger, and set it up. Moving is such a royal PITA, I tell you. Newark is a large college town (University of Delaware), Emmitsburg was a small college town (Mount St Marys University); so I see lots of students, bound to be some longhairs among them, as there were in Emmitsburg. The one thing I will miss is the Franciscan Seminarians from Father Benedict Groechel's order with the ponytails hanging down over the hoods of their habits. They were the only seminarians with long hair at the Mount's seminary.
  The house my apartment is in is surrounded by frat houses and student residences, the university is nearby. The University is the home of the Delaware Skate Club, which produced Johnny Weir and Kimmy Meissner. Delaware's social programs for low-income disabled and seniors is some of the best in the country, I have already applied for, and been approved for, a number of programs. The only one left is the paratransit service. I also have my mobility scooter and will be able go to many places within walking distance of the house; while a ramp was purchased for me, it hasn't been installed yet, and may not be until the Spring thaw. There are a lot of ethnic markets nearby where I can get staples and other food items.
  Hope everyone is doing okay, and "Hello" to the old-timers and "Welcome" to the newbies. I see a couple of threads that have piqued my interest. BTW, is there any way to get my member profile changed from Maryland to Delaware?
  
  reply close reply form
- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Urban Cowboy
  
  Hi Carol,
  OMG, what a horrific ordeal you've been through!!!! Like others have already stated, I was wondering where you had gone to, as you used to post here so regularly in the past.
  I am so SO sorry to hear about all the trauma you've been through; but ever so grateful to hear that you're in a better situation now!!
  WELCOME BACK to MLHH, Carol! I'm looking forward to seeing your posts and replies show up here more often in the future -- a sign that your health and well-being has improved enough to be able to be back participating again in the joy of MLHH hair-talk!!!
  - Ken in San Francisco
  
  reply close reply form
- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Kif
  
  Hey there Carol!
  Your experience certainly does sound horrific to be sure! Its good that you are now doing better though!
  I actually had a similar experience with mold in an apartment that I rented 6 years ago. It all started when the soap dish fell off the wall in the shower and they never fixed it. It eventually started to get very moldy and then the rest of the tiles in the shower started to literally fall off the wall! It was not uncommon to have tiles fall into the tub while I was showering!
  Then I started to become more sick than I was used to.
  It was an absolute nightmare trying to get the landlords to do anything to fix it.
  I finally just ended up moving out of the unit when I figured I was going absolutely nowhwere.
  Hope you continue to have improved health for 2011 and hope to hear more from you on here!
  -Kif
  
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- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  John C
  
  I work in construction, and whenever there's water damage, they immediately have to remove everything damaged. They use hazardous material handlers sometimes, like with asbestos. One new high rise I worked in recently, a few years old, had the sprinkler pipes freeze in one of our rare freezes in Seattle, and they burst, wetting some of the ceilings & walls. They were never insulated properly. There was insulation between them and the ceiling, but no insulation between them and the corrogated iron roof! The whole building was scheduled to be demolished a year from now, but that wet carpeting, drywall, and insulation all had to be removed seperately, immediately. Almost none of my co workers understood why they were taking all that trouble if the whole building was to go away in a year. I explained it. They're very very strict about that here. Too bad you couldn't have gotten some compensation from that. How awful. That could've killed you.
  Nice to hear from you anyway! I saw your profile pic and wondered why you didn't post. Just thought you were bored. Congratulations on growing your hair so long.
  - John C
  
  reply close reply form
- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Viking
  
  Hiya, Carol,
  It's good to see you back again. It sounds like you've been through an awful time, but hopefully you'll be able to put that behind you and enjoy your new home. All the best for the coming year.
  
  reply close reply form
- Thanks, all, for the welcome back! (n/t)
  
  JustCarol
  
  It's been a while since I dropped by, but I have been lurking here and there. I wasn't up to posting though. Last time I dropped in was sometime in the summer of 2009, a few months after having some surgery. It's what happened post-surgery that kept me away. My apartment building was equipped with PB pipe plumbing, which was recalled due to failures. A week post-surgery, my apartment was flooded by the third leak in my unit, due to the failure. Due to poor actions on the part of my landlord, a month later I was sick with asthma; and highly suspecting mold in the affected wall, I did a simple mold protein test, which was positive. I went to the rental office and took the test plus my concerns to the manager.
  Maintenance pulled a panel of drywall and found mold, they pulled more, and found more. In the end, the entire outer wall where the flood occurred was moldy inside. All that was done was the mold was sprayed with bleach and the original drywall(yes, the original contaminated drywall panels)were replaced. My asthma did not go away; the day the work was done, NO drapes were used, and I ended up seeking emergency treatment due to a severe asthma attack. My asthma continued to bother me the months following this. Unhappy with the landlord, I consulted a lawyer and contacted both the local housing authority (I lived in USDA Rural Developments FmHa subsidized housing, similar to HUD) and the county health department. The health inspector was shocked at what I told him, and said that they followed improper protocol and put the health of the residents at risk, but without actually seeing the PB plumbing for himself, there was little he could do.
  The director at Rural Development came the following day to meet with me and then demanded an explanation from the landlord. It turns out that the landlord had been hiding the gravity of the situation from them. The lawyer advised me to build a paper trail by keeping copies of all correspondence between landlord, Rural Development and myself, as well as medical records. I had a few more emergency treatments due to severe asthma attacks, as I am highly allergic to mold and dust mites. My apt maintained a constant elevated humidity, and the high humidity encourages dust mites. My peak flow barely hovered above 325-350, normal would be 455; it's an emergency if it drops below 300, I had a lot of close calls, going as low as 250. I would wake up in wee hours of the morning wheezing and feeling my airway close.
  I was taking an albuterol inhaler up to 4 times a day, plus a steroid inhaler daily. An X-Ray revealed lungs full of junk. My landlord was pissed that I went to Rural Development, as the director was now involved and wanting answers. Landlord was denying my claims and dancing around the issue.
  When I previously posted here, I had mentioned a move to Delaware in my future, to an apartment in an old house my sister and her boyfriend were renovating. This was supposed to take place in Spring of 2011, but due to my health and my PITA landlord, my mother forwarded an advance loan to finish the renovating of the apartment to get me in ASAP. Meanwhile, I had professional mold testing done, and they found the presence of mold in the very same wall. However, the amount of airborne spores was under 10% difference from outdoor ones, which would make it difficult to litigate in a lawsuit case, so I decided to not go that route.
  I moved out at the end of October 2010, and my asthma began clearing almost immediately. I am diabetic, and the inhalers I am on are known to cause elevated blood sugar levels, so my doctor had added a new medication last summer. I was needing the inhalers less, so I probably should have but back or even cut out the added med, but didn't know that. Anyway, a week after moving, my sugar crashed and I ended up hospitalized. I nearly died, it was so low. My 17 yo niece had found me passed out and got my sister and my sisters boyfriend called 911. They revived me with a glucose IV.
  I'm still settling in in the new location, just saw my new doctor and am working on getting transportation. I decided to give up my car and license, disability is making it harder to drive, plus Delaware has really great services for disabled residents. I can get inexpensive paratransit services to get to wherever I need to go to. Health-wise, the asthma is pretty much gone; the hospital doctors did a chest X-Ray and found my lungs are now clear, plus they didn't hear audible wheezing, which my primary care doctor heard every time I visited her. They took me off the steroid inhaler and said to use my rescue inhaler only if needed. They also recommended I not take the newer diabetes medication. But I ended up going back on a small dose (half a pill a day, instead on the 2 pills I was on), as my sugars were slightly elevated. They said it would take time for the inhalers to fully clear my system, and to get in to a new doctor ASAP. Given that information, my new doctor wants to wait and see if my sugars might finally stabilize over the next 3 months, if not she'll refer me to a specialist. They are not extremely elevated, only slightly.
  As for my hair, I am almost at waist length, it's pretty darn close, but it's a bit thin as I lost some from being sick and on the steroids (famous for thinning of hair and skin :( ), but lots of new growth has been coming in. I see many familiar names, and also see many missing. I'll try to post some pics, as soon as I find my danged camera and rechargeable batteries and the battery charger, and set it up. Moving is such a royal PITA, I tell you. Newark is a large college town (University of Delaware), Emmitsburg was a small college town (Mount St Marys University); so I see lots of students, bound to be some longhairs among them, as there were in Emmitsburg. The one thing I will miss is the Franciscan Seminarians from Father Benedict Groechel's order with the ponytails hanging down over the hoods of their habits. They were the only seminarians with long hair at the Mount's seminary.
  The house my apartment is in is surrounded by frat houses and student residences, the university is nearby. The University is the home of the Delaware Skate Club, which produced Johnny Weir and Kimmy Meissner. Delaware's social programs for low-income disabled and seniors is some of the best in the country, I have already applied for, and been approved for, a number of programs. The only one left is the paratransit service. I also have my mobility scooter and will be able go to many places within walking distance of the house; while a ramp was purchased for me, it hasn't been installed yet, and may not be until the Spring thaw. There are a lot of ethnic markets nearby where I can get staples and other food items.
  Hope everyone is doing okay, and "Hello" to the old-timers and "Welcome" to the newbies. I see a couple of threads that have piqued my interest. BTW, is there any way to get my member profile changed from Maryland to Delaware?
  
  reply close reply form
- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  Absalom
  
  It's been a while since I dropped by, but I have been lurking here and there. I wasn't up to posting though. Last time I dropped in was sometime in the summer of 2009, a few months after having some surgery. It's what happened post-surgery that kept me away. My apartment building was equipped with PB pipe plumbing, which was recalled due to failures. A week post-surgery, my apartment was flooded by the third leak in my unit, due to the failure. Due to poor actions on the part of my landlord, a month later I was sick with asthma; and highly suspecting mold in the affected wall, I did a simple mold protein test, which was positive. I went to the rental office and took the test plus my concerns to the manager.
  Maintenance pulled a panel of drywall and found mold, they pulled more, and found more. In the end, the entire outer wall where the flood occurred was moldy inside. All that was done was the mold was sprayed with bleach and the original drywall(yes, the original contaminated drywall panels)were replaced. My asthma did not go away; the day the work was done, NO drapes were used, and I ended up seeking emergency treatment due to a severe asthma attack. My asthma continued to bother me the months following this. Unhappy with the landlord, I consulted a lawyer and contacted both the local housing authority (I lived in USDA Rural Developments FmHa subsidized housing, similar to HUD) and the county health department. The health inspector was shocked at what I told him, and said that they followed improper protocol and put the health of the residents at risk, but without actually seeing the PB plumbing for himself, there was little he could do.
  The director at Rural Development came the following day to meet with me and then demanded an explanation from the landlord. It turns out that the landlord had been hiding the gravity of the situation from them. The lawyer advised me to build a paper trail by keeping copies of all correspondence between landlord, Rural Development and myself, as well as medical records. I had a few more emergency treatments due to severe asthma attacks, as I am highly allergic to mold and dust mites. My apt maintained a constant elevated humidity, and the high humidity encourages dust mites. My peak flow barely hovered above 325-350, normal would be 455; it's an emergency if it drops below 300, I had a lot of close calls, going as low as 250. I would wake up in wee hours of the morning wheezing and feeling my airway close.
  I was taking an albuterol inhaler up to 4 times a day, plus a steroid inhaler daily. An X-Ray revealed lungs full of junk. My landlord was pissed that I went to Rural Development, as the director was now involved and wanting answers. Landlord was denying my claims and dancing around the issue.
  When I previously posted here, I had mentioned a move to Delaware in my future, to an apartment in an old house my sister and her boyfriend were renovating. This was supposed to take place in Spring of 2011, but due to my health and my PITA landlord, my mother forwarded an advance loan to finish the renovating of the apartment to get me in ASAP. Meanwhile, I had professional mold testing done, and they found the presence of mold in the very same wall. However, the amount of airborne spores was under 10% difference from outdoor ones, which would make it difficult to litigate in a lawsuit case, so I decided to not go that route.
  I moved out at the end of October 2010, and my asthma began clearing almost immediately. I am diabetic, and the inhalers I am on are known to cause elevated blood sugar levels, so my doctor had added a new medication last summer. I was needing the inhalers less, so I probably should have but back or even cut out the added med, but didn't know that. Anyway, a week after moving, my sugar crashed and I ended up hospitalized. I nearly died, it was so low. My 17 yo niece had found me passed out and got my sister and my sisters boyfriend called 911. They revived me with a glucose IV.
  I'm still settling in in the new location, just saw my new doctor and am working on getting transportation. I decided to give up my car and license, disability is making it harder to drive, plus Delaware has really great services for disabled residents. I can get inexpensive paratransit services to get to wherever I need to go to. Health-wise, the asthma is pretty much gone; the hospital doctors did a chest X-Ray and found my lungs are now clear, plus they didn't hear audible wheezing, which my primary care doctor heard every time I visited her. They took me off the steroid inhaler and said to use my rescue inhaler only if needed. They also recommended I not take the newer diabetes medication. But I ended up going back on a small dose (half a pill a day, instead on the 2 pills I was on), as my sugars were slightly elevated. They said it would take time for the inhalers to fully clear my system, and to get in to a new doctor ASAP. Given that information, my new doctor wants to wait and see if my sugars might finally stabilize over the next 3 months, if not she'll refer me to a specialist. They are not extremely elevated, only slightly.
  As for my hair, I am almost at waist length, it's pretty darn close, but it's a bit thin as I lost some from being sick and on the steroids (famous for thinning of hair and skin :( ), but lots of new growth has been coming in. I see many familiar names, and also see many missing. I'll try to post some pics, as soon as I find my danged camera and rechargeable batteries and the battery charger, and set it up. Moving is such a royal PITA, I tell you. Newark is a large college town (University of Delaware), Emmitsburg was a small college town (Mount St Marys University); so I see lots of students, bound to be some longhairs among them, as there were in Emmitsburg. The one thing I will miss is the Franciscan Seminarians from Father Benedict Groechel's order with the ponytails hanging down over the hoods of their habits. They were the only seminarians with long hair at the Mount's seminary.
  The house my apartment is in is surrounded by frat houses and student residences, the university is nearby. The University is the home of the Delaware Skate Club, which produced Johnny Weir and Kimmy Meissner. Delaware's social programs for low-income disabled and seniors is some of the best in the country, I have already applied for, and been approved for, a number of programs. The only one left is the paratransit service. I also have my mobility scooter and will be able go to many places within walking distance of the house; while a ramp was purchased for me, it hasn't been installed yet, and may not be until the Spring thaw. There are a lot of ethnic markets nearby where I can get staples and other food items.
  Hope everyone is doing okay, and "Hello" to the old-timers and "Welcome" to the newbies. I see a couple of threads that have piqued my interest. BTW, is there any way to get my member profile changed from Maryland to Delaware?
  -------------------------------
  Welcome back. Considering the ordeal you have been through, I am happy to see that it has a happy ending.
  Scott
  
  reply close reply form
- Re: Hello Hyperboard!
  
  elektros
  
  It's been a while since I dropped by, but I have been lurking here and there. I wasn't up to posting though. Last time I dropped in was sometime in the summer of 2009, a few months after having some surgery. It's what happened post-surgery that kept me away. My apartment building was equipped with PB pipe plumbing, which was recalled due to failures. A week post-surgery, my apartment was flooded by the third leak in my unit, due to the failure. Due to poor actions on the part of my landlord, a month later I was sick with asthma; and highly suspecting mold in the affected wall, I did a simple mold protein test, which was positive. I went to the rental office and took the test plus my concerns to the manager.
  Maintenance pulled a panel of drywall and found mold, they pulled more, and found more. In the end, the entire outer wall where the flood occurred was moldy inside. All that was done was the mold was sprayed with bleach and the original drywall(yes, the original contaminated drywall panels)were replaced. My asthma did not go away; the day the work was done, NO drapes were used, and I ended up seeking emergency treatment due to a severe asthma attack. My asthma continued to bother me the months following this. Unhappy with the landlord, I consulted a lawyer and contacted both the local housing authority (I lived in USDA Rural Developments FmHa subsidized housing, similar to HUD) and the county health department. The health inspector was shocked at what I told him, and said that they followed improper protocol and put the health of the residents at risk, but without actually seeing the PB plumbing for himself, there was little he could do.
  The director at Rural Development came the following day to meet with me and then demanded an explanation from the landlord. It turns out that the landlord had been hiding the gravity of the situation from them. The lawyer advised me to build a paper trail by keeping copies of all correspondence between landlord, Rural Development and myself, as well as medical records. I had a few more emergency treatments due to severe asthma attacks, as I am highly allergic to mold and dust mites. My apt maintained a constant elevated humidity, and the high humidity encourages dust mites. My peak flow barely hovered above 325-350, normal would be 455; it's an emergency if it drops below 300, I had a lot of close calls, going as low as 250. I would wake up in wee hours of the morning wheezing and feeling my airway close.
  I was taking an albuterol inhaler up to 4 times a day, plus a steroid inhaler daily. An X-Ray revealed lungs full of junk. My landlord was pissed that I went to Rural Development, as the director was now involved and wanting answers. Landlord was denying my claims and dancing around the issue.
  When I previously posted here, I had mentioned a move to Delaware in my future, to an apartment in an old house my sister and her boyfriend were renovating. This was supposed to take place in Spring of 2011, but due to my health and my PITA landlord, my mother forwarded an advance loan to finish the renovating of the apartment to get me in ASAP. Meanwhile, I had professional mold testing done, and they found the presence of mold in the very same wall. However, the amount of airborne spores was under 10% difference from outdoor ones, which would make it difficult to litigate in a lawsuit case, so I decided to not go that route.
  I moved out at the end of October 2010, and my asthma began clearing almost immediately. I am diabetic, and the inhalers I am on are known to cause elevated blood sugar levels, so my doctor had added a new medication last summer. I was needing the inhalers less, so I probably should have but back or even cut out the added med, but didn't know that. Anyway, a week after moving, my sugar crashed and I ended up hospitalized. I nearly died, it was so low. My 17 yo niece had found me passed out and got my sister and my sisters boyfriend called 911. They revived me with a glucose IV.
  I'm still settling in in the new location, just saw my new doctor and am working on getting transportation. I decided to give up my car and license, disability is making it harder to drive, plus Delaware has really great services for disabled residents. I can get inexpensive paratransit services to get to wherever I need to go to. Health-wise, the asthma is pretty much gone; the hospital doctors did a chest X-Ray and found my lungs are now clear, plus they didn't hear audible wheezing, which my primary care doctor heard every time I visited her. They took me off the steroid inhaler and said to use my rescue inhaler only if needed. They also recommended I not take the newer diabetes medication. But I ended up going back on a small dose (half a pill a day, instead on the 2 pills I was on), as my sugars were slightly elevated. They said it would take time for the inhalers to fully clear my system, and to get in to a new doctor ASAP. Given that information, my new doctor wants to wait and see if my sugars might finally stabilize over the next 3 months, if not she'll refer me to a specialist. They are not extremely elevated, only slightly.
  As for my hair, I am almost at waist length, it's pretty darn close, but it's a bit thin as I lost some from being sick and on the steroids (famous for thinning of hair and skin :( ), but lots of new growth has been coming in. I see many familiar names, and also see many missing. I'll try to post some pics, as soon as I find my danged camera and rechargeable batteries and the battery charger, and set it up. Moving is such a royal PITA, I tell you. Newark is a large college town (University of Delaware), Emmitsburg was a small college town (Mount St Marys University); so I see lots of students, bound to be some longhairs among them, as there were in Emmitsburg. The one thing I will miss is the Franciscan Seminarians from Father Benedict Groechel's order with the ponytails hanging down over the hoods of their habits. They were the only seminarians with long hair at the Mount's seminary.
  The house my apartment is in is surrounded by frat houses and student residences, the university is nearby. The University is the home of the Delaware Skate Club, which produced Johnny Weir and Kimmy Meissner. Delaware's social programs for low-income disabled and seniors is some of the best in the country, I have already applied for, and been approved for, a number of programs. The only one left is the paratransit service. I also have my mobility scooter and will be able go to many places within walking distance of the house; while a ramp was purchased for me, it hasn't been installed yet, and may not be until the Spring thaw. There are a lot of ethnic markets nearby where I can get staples and other food items.
  Hope everyone is doing okay, and "Hello" to the old-timers and "Welcome" to the newbies. I see a couple of threads that have piqued my interest. BTW, is there any way to get my member profile changed from Maryland to Delaware?
  Hi Carol!
  It's nice to hear from you. Sorry you have had so many problems.
  I don't think my breathing is 100% normal, but don't have any heath insurance currently.
  Alun
  
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