🌿 When Home Becomes the Hidden Enemy: My Journey from Mold Illness to Thriving Again
Your body is wise—we listen, simplify, and guide.
Part 1: When My Safe Haven Became My Silent Enemy - How I discovered hidden mold in my home
Part 2: When My Body Became a Stranger to Me - Understanding mold illness symptoms ← You are here
Part 3: Tearing Down to Build Back Up - What real remediation looks like (Coming soon)
Part 4: From Surviving to Thriving - My recovery journey (Coming soon)
📖 Catching Up: What Happened in Part 1
In When My Safe Haven Became My Silent Enemy, I shared how I discovered hidden mold throughout my seemingly perfect home—behind shower tiles, beneath a balcony with no visible water damage, and in my garage refuge. For nearly two decades, mold had been slowly poisoning me while I cycled through doctors who treated my symptoms but never asked about my environment.
Now in Part 2, let's talk about the science: why mold doesn't just cause sneezing—it hijacks your entire body.
New to this series? Start with Part 1 to understand how I discovered what was making me sick.
When My Body Became a Stranger to Me
"My symptoms weren't separate problems—they were my body's coordinated response."
Once I knew mold was the problem, I had a new question: What exactly was it doing to my body?
I'd spent years thinking I had multiple unrelated conditions. The gut issues seemed like IBS. The skin problems looked like allergies or hormonal issues. The crushing fatigue felt like I was just getting older.
But now I understood something crucial: these weren't separate problems requiring separate specialists. They were all symptoms of the same toxic exposure.
My body hadn't betrayed me. It had been screaming the same message for years—I just didn't speak its language yet.
Here's what I learned about how mold illness actually works, why it looks nothing like typical allergies, and why so many people (including doctors) miss it completely.
"Understanding what was happening inside my body changed everything."
Beyond Sneezing: What Mold Illness Actually Is
When most people hear "mold," they think of obvious allergic reactions: sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, congestion.
That's mold allergy. What I was experiencing is often called mold illness or mold toxicity.
Some practitioners use the framework of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) to understand it.¹ I was never officially diagnosed with CIRS, but through testing, I confirmed I had mycotoxins affecting my body at a cellular level.
Here's the difference:
Mold Allergies:
- Immediate immune response to mold spores
- Respiratory symptoms (sneezing, coughing, wheezing)
- Shows up on standard allergy tests
- Improves with antihistamines
- Happens while you're exposed
Mold Illness (Mold Toxicity):
- Systemic inflammatory response to mold toxins (mycotoxins)¹,²
- Multi-system symptoms (gut, brain, skin, hormones)
- Doesn't show up on standard allergy tests
- Doesn't respond to typical allergy treatments
- Continues even after exposure ends (toxins remain in the body)²
This is why my allergist kept adding to my "allergy list" while my symptoms kept getting worse. He was treating the wrong condition.
How I Confirmed Mold Was Affecting My Body
After the professional mold inspection in October 2023 showed hidden contamination throughout my home, I needed to know if mold was actually affecting my body or just living in my house.
Here's the testing sequence that gave me answers:
Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Test - November 4, 2023
After reviewing the inspection results on November 3rd—seeing the samples, infrared pictures, and moisture meter readings—I decided to do a VCS test.
What is VCS testing? It measures how well you can distinguish between varying shades of gray in striped patterns. Mycotoxins affect your visual system and neurological function in specific ways,⁴ making this surprisingly accurate for detecting mold illness—and you can do it from home online.
My VCS test came back positive.
Serum Antibody Testing for Mycotoxins - Ordered November 4, 2023
The positive VCS result led me to order the MyMycoLab Serum Antibody Testing for Mycotoxins—a blood test that measures your immune system's antibody response to specific mycotoxins.
Mid-December 2023: My results came back showing elevated levels in multiple areas.
This wasn't just mold living in my house. These were measurable toxins that my body was responding to, creating the systemic inflammation that was driving all my symptoms.
Other Testing Options
If you suspect mold illness, testing options include:
- Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) - Quick, affordable, can do online
- Mycotoxin testing - Blood or urine tests (measures toxins or antibodies)
- Organic Acids Test - Shows metabolic markers of mold exposure
- Environmental testing - Professional inspection and air/surface sampling of your home
Unlike standard allergy tests, these look for evidence of toxic exposure and systemic inflammation, not just allergic reactions.
A Note About My Role
I'm sharing what I learned through my personal journey with environmental illness. I provide nutritional coaching and lifestyle support—I don't diagnose medical conditions or treat diseases.
If you suspect mold illness or environmental factors are affecting your health, work with:
- Healthcare providers trained in environmental medicine
- Certified mold inspectors (IICRC-certified professionals)
- Licensed remediators following industry protocols
What I do is investigate the whole picture with you—food, symptoms, environment—and help you connect with the right professionals when needed.
The Mycotoxin Connection
Certain types of mold produce mycotoxins—toxic compounds that can seriously disrupt human health.²
Here's what mycotoxins actually do:
Unlike allergens that trigger immediate reactions, mycotoxins accumulate in your body over time. They're lipophilic (fat-loving), so they get stored in fatty tissues including your brain, nervous system, and organs.²
Your body tries to eliminate them, but some people—due to genetics, immune function, or toxic load—can't clear them efficiently.¹ The toxins build up. Your immune system stays activated. Inflammation becomes chronic and systemic.
This is why I kept getting sicker even when I left my house temporarily. The mold was in my home, but the mycotoxins were in my body.
"Mycotoxins don't stay localized—they trigger a cascade of inflammation throughout interconnected body systems."
The Gut-Brain-Skin Axis: Why Everything's Connected
One of the biggest breakthroughs in understanding my symptoms was learning about the gut-brain-skin axis.⁶,⁷
These three systems are intimately connected through:
- Shared blood supply
- The vagus nerve
- Immune system communication
- Inflammatory signaling pathways
When mycotoxins damage your gut lining:⁵
Your intestinal barrier becomes permeable (leaky gut). Undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria that should stay in your digestive tract start leaking into your bloodstream.⁵
Your immune system freaks out. It sees these particles as invaders and launches an inflammatory response.
This inflammation doesn't stay in your gut—it spreads:
→ To Your Brain: Creating brain fog, fatigue, mood changes, difficulty concentrating. Mycotoxins can cross the blood-brain barrier, directly affecting neurotransmitter function.⁴,⁶
→ To Your Skin: Showing up as rashes, eczema, flushing, hives. Your skin becomes an additional elimination organ, trying to push toxins out that your liver and kidneys can't handle.⁷
→ To Your Hormones: Disrupting thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive function. Chronic inflammation interferes with hormone production and receptor sensitivity.²
This is why I had digestive chaos, angry skin, crushing fatigue, and hormone issues all at once. They weren't separate conditions. They were one inflammatory cascade affecting multiple systems.
Why Doctors Miss It
Here's the frustrating truth: most healthcare providers aren't trained to recognize environmental illness.
Medical education focuses on:
- Diagnosing diseases with clear lab markers
- Treating symptoms with medications
- Specialization (each organ system separately)
Mold illness doesn't fit this model:
- Lab tests often come back "normal"
- Symptoms cross multiple specialties
- It requires looking at the patient's environment (which most doctors don't do)
- There's no single diagnostic test
So you end up like I did: bouncing between specialists who each treat their piece of the puzzle without ever asking, "What could be causing ALL of these symptoms?"
The gastroenterologist saw IBS. The dermatologist saw sensitive skin. The allergist saw expanding allergies.
None of them asked about my home.
"Each specialist saw their piece. No one asked about what was surrounding me."
When Doing Everything "Right" Makes You Worse
Here's what made this so maddening: I wasn't ignoring medical advice. I was following it religiously.
I took every prescription. Steroids, antibiotics, biologics—if a doctor prescribed it, I took it exactly as directed.
I showed up for every treatment. Allergy shots week after week. Steroid injections every 4-6 weeks. Dermatology appointments. Gastroenterology procedures. I never missed an appointment.
I eliminated every food they suggested. One restrictive diet after another. Low FODMAP. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Elimination protocols that left me with a "safe food" list I could count on one hand.
I tried every cream, supplement, and protocol they recommended. I was meticulous. Compliant. Motivated.
I did everything they told me to do.
And despite being the "good patient," I kept getting worse.
My allergy list kept expanding. My food sensitivities multiplied. The medications worked less and less. The symptoms became more severe.
That's when the doubt really set in. If I was doing everything "right" and still declining, maybe the problem really was me. Maybe I was just fundamentally broken.
But here's what I understand now: the problem wasn't my compliance. The problem was that we were aggressively treating symptoms while the root cause—hidden mold exposure creating chronic mycotoxin poisoning—kept doing its damage.
It's like bailing water out of a boat while ignoring the hole in the hull.
No matter how fast you bail, you're still sinking.
The Diagnostic Clue Everyone Missed
Looking back, there was one pattern that should have tipped everyone off—but I didn't understand what I was seeing.
I thought my symptoms improved when I traveled to Texas. But what actually happened was more revealing: my symptoms were unpredictable and location-dependent, but they never fully resolved anywhere.
In 2024, I discovered why: the place I stayed in Texas also had mold and water leaks. I wasn't escaping exposure when I traveled—I was trading one contaminated environment for another.
The difference? The specific spaces where I spent my time—both at home and in Texas—had hidden contamination. My bedroom and garage at home. The bathrooms in Texas. I was being exposed in multiple locations while others around me were fine.
This pattern is actually more diagnostic than simple "improvement away from home":
- Symptoms that vary by location
- Flares that seem tied to specific places
- Improvement in some environments but not others
- Never achieving full symptom relief anywhere
- Other people in the same spaces remaining healthy
If your symptoms show this unpredictable, location-dependent pattern while others around you are fine, that's not random. That's your body telling you it's reacting to environmental factors in the specific spaces where YOU spend time.
But no one asked me this question. Not one doctor in all those years said, "Do your symptoms change when you're in different environments? Are other people in those spaces getting sick too?"
If your symptoms show location-dependent patterns while others stay healthy, that's not genetics. That's exposure.
"The pattern was clear—once I knew to look for it."
The Five Ways Mold Affected My Body (And What I Learned)
Based on what I learned through research and working with practitioners who understand environmental illness, here's how mycotoxins actually affected my body:
1. Immune System Dysregulation
Mycotoxins confuse your immune system.¹,³ It can't differentiate between the toxin and your own tissues, leading to:
- Chronic inflammation throughout your body
- Autoimmune-like reactions
- Increased susceptibility to infections
- Histamine intolerance
- Multiple chemical sensitivities
My experience: I became reactive to everything—foods I'd always eaten, products I'd always used, environments that never bothered me before.
2. Gut Barrier Breakdown
Mycotoxins damage the tight junctions in your intestinal lining, creating increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut):⁵
- Food particles leak into your bloodstream
- Your immune system attacks these "foreign invaders"
- You develop food sensitivities seemingly overnight
- Digestive function becomes unpredictable
- Nutrient absorption decreases
My experience: I went from eating anything to reacting to almost everything. My "safe food" list kept shrinking.
3. Neurological Disruption
Mycotoxins cross the blood-brain barrier and affect neurotransmitter function:⁴,⁶
- Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Crushing fatigue that sleep doesn't fix
- Mood changes (anxiety, depression, irritability)
- Difficulty finding words or completing thoughts
My experience: That feeling of "thinking through cotton"—where you know what you want to say but can't quite access it. The fatigue that made me feel like I'd run a marathon when all I did was get dressed.
4. Hormone Cascade Disruption
Chronic inflammation and toxic burden disrupt your endocrine system:²
- Thyroid dysfunction (even with "normal" labs)
- Adrenal fatigue and cortisol dysregulation
- Reproductive hormone imbalances
- Blood sugar instability
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Mood changes, irritability, and rage
My experience: My thyroid had been "off" since 2003—right when I was first exposed to mold in my previous home. But the hormone chaos went deeper than that. I became irritable in ways I'd never been before. I'd snap at people who didn't deserve it and be brutally honest with people who probably did—but in ways I'd never have said things before. People started joking that I was either sassy or "the devil," depending on the day. Looking back, I realize the longer I stayed in the house, the worse it got. I didn't recognize myself.
5. Detoxification Overload
Your liver and kidneys work overtime trying to eliminate mycotoxins:²
- Detox pathways become overwhelmed and sluggish
- Toxins get stored in fatty tissues instead of eliminated
- Your skin tries to help eliminate toxins (rashes, flushing, itching)
- You become more sensitive to other toxins and chemicals
- Recovery takes longer because elimination pathways are impaired
My experience: The constant itching with no clear cause. The skin that wouldn't heal. My body was desperately trying to eliminate what my liver and kidneys couldn't handle.
"Five systems. One toxic trigger. A coordinated inflammatory response."
Why It Mimics Everything Else
Mold illness is the great imitator. It can look like:
- IBS or inflammatory bowel disease
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
- Chronic Lyme Disease
- Autoimmune conditions
- Anxiety and depression
- Hormonal disorders
- Food allergies and sensitivities
This is why diagnosis takes so long. Your symptoms fit multiple other conditions.
But here's what makes mold illness unique:
✓ Multi-system symptoms (not just one organ system affected)
✓ Location-dependent symptoms that vary by environment
✓ Progressive worsening despite treatment
✓ "Normal" lab results that don't match how you feel
✓ Sudden development of multiple sensitivities
✓ History of water damage or moisture problems
If you check multiple boxes, it's worth investigating your environment.
"What doctors see versus what's actually happening beneath the surface."
Who Got Sick and Why
Not everyone exposed to mold gets sick. My husband was fine while I was falling apart.
The difference? The specific spaces where I spent my time. My bedroom and garage had the worst contamination—and I was spending 8+ hours sleeping there plus hours relaxing in the garage.
Here's the ironic part: because I thought I had outdoor allergies, I stayed inside MORE. Closed windows. Avoided outdoor activities. I was trying to protect myself while actually concentrating my exposure to the real problem.
It wasn't genetics. It was environment—and misunderstanding which environment was harming me.
Your Environment: The Factor Most Practitioners Never Examine
Your body is constantly interacting with everything in your environment:
- The air you breathe
- The water you drink and bathe in
- What's growing behind your walls
- The products you clean with
- What's in your HVAC system
- The hidden moisture you can't see
- Electromagnetic frequencies from routers, devices, and wireless systems
Mold was my primary issue, but I later realized other environmental factors were likely contributing too. My router sat directly under my desk for years. Environmental toxins don't work in isolation.
Most practitioners only look at what goes into your body. I investigate what surrounds your body too—because sometimes that's where the real answer is hiding.
The Invisible Weight No One Talks About
Here's what the science doesn't capture: the emotional devastation of living in a body you can't control.
I literally felt like I had no control over anything—my digestion, my skin, my moods, my energy. It was terrifying.
I cried in the shower because, well, you can't see tears in the shower.
I went through multiple phones because I took my anger out on them instead of the people closest to me. Or at least I tried to. I tried so hard to hide what was really going on.
Because I couldn't stand myself.
The mood swings weren't just irritability. They were rage I didn't recognize. Emotions that felt completely disproportionate to whatever was happening. I'd blow up over something small, then hate myself for it afterward.
People started joking that I was either sassy or "the devil," depending on the day. They thought they were being funny. I thought I was losing my mind.
The longer I stayed in that house, the worse it got. But I didn't make the connection yet.
I just thought this was who I was becoming. Angry. Out of control. Someone I didn't want to be.
The isolation was crushing. How do you explain to people that your body—and your personality—feel like they belong to someone else? That you don't recognize yourself anymore?
You don't. You just hide it. And hope tomorrow will be better.
It never was.
"The hardest part wasn't the symptoms—it was not recognizing myself anymore."
RELEASE: Letting Go of Self-Blame
For years, I thought something was wrong with me.
I blamed my sensitivity. My age. My inability to "handle" life. My failure to control my emotions like a functional adult.
And when the treatments didn't work? I blamed myself for that too.
Maybe I wasn't taking the medications consistently enough. Maybe I wasn't strict enough with the elimination diets. Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough.
But here's the truth: I did everything they told me to do. Every prescription filled. Every injection received. Every food eliminated. Every protocol followed.
I was a textbook "good patient."
And I kept getting sicker.
That's when the self-blame became unbearable. If I was doing everything right and still failing, what did that say about me?
Learning the science changed everything.
My body wasn't weak or defective. It was responding appropriately to a genuine threat.¹
And those mood swings? Those weren't character flaws. Mycotoxins directly affect neurotransmitter function.⁴ They cross the blood-brain barrier and disrupt the chemical messengers that regulate mood, impulse control, and emotional regulation.
I wasn't becoming a terrible person. My brain was being poisoned.
Those symptoms weren't me failing—they were my immune system and nervous system fighting for survival.
The gut issues? My body trying to protect itself from invaders.⁵ The skin problems? My body trying to eliminate what it couldn't process internally.⁷ The brain fog and fatigue? My nervous system overwhelmed by neurotoxins.⁴ The rage and mood swings? My brain chemistry hijacked by toxic exposure.⁴
Understanding this released me from years of self-blame and shame.
Including the shame of being called "sensitive."
People didn't mean to hurt me when they said it. But every time someone told me I was "just sensitive," it reinforced the idea that my symptoms were my fault. That I was overreacting. That I needed to toughen up instead of investigating what was actually wrong.
My body wasn't being "too sensitive." It was being poisoned.
I stopped asking "What's wrong with me?" and started asking "What's wrong with my environment?"
That shift—from internal blame to external investigation—was the beginning of healing.
And the beginning of finding myself again.
"My body wasn't broken. It was responding to a real threat."
Your Symptoms Are Clues
If you've been struggling with unexplained health issues—if you've been told your labs are "normal" but you feel anything but—your symptoms are trying to tell you something.
Maybe you've followed everything your doctor told you to do. Maybe you've been the "good patient" who takes every medication, shows up for every appointment, tries every elimination diet.
And maybe, like me, you're still getting worse.
Pay attention to patterns:
- Do your symptoms vary by location or environment?
- Do they worsen in specific rooms or buildings?
- Do you feel worse in humid weather?
- Did symptoms start or worsen after moving, renovations, or water damage?
- Have you noticed personality changes—irritability, rage, mood swings that don't feel like you?
- Are you doing "everything right" but still declining?
Your body is wise. It's been speaking to you all along.
Sometimes we just need help translating its language.
"The piece most practitioners never look at—the space surrounding you."
Ready to Investigate What's Been Overlooked?
Understanding how mold illness works is the first step. The next step is addressing it—both in your environment and in your body.
In Part 3, I'll share what real mold remediation actually involves (spoiler: it's not just cleaning), and what it takes to create a truly safe home.
In Part 4, I'll walk you through how I supported my body's recovery after years of toxic burden—the food, lifestyle, and detox strategies that actually worked.
But if you're dealing with symptoms right now and suspect environmental factors might be involved, you don't have to wait.
📞 Let's Talk
Let's investigate what your body's been trying to tell you. When we talk, we'll:
- Discuss your symptom patterns and health history
- Explore whether environmental factors might be involved
- Identify what professionals you might need (testing, remediation, medical)
- Create a clear next step for investigation and support
I provide nutritional coaching and lifestyle support, not medical diagnosis or treatment. I work alongside your healthcare team to investigate environmental factors that others often overlook.
It's your body; I'm just helping to shine a light. 🔦
[Schedule Your Call →]
P.S. Take my free quiz: "Is Your Home Making You Sick?" Get personalized insights about potential environmental triggers and what to investigate next.
[Take the Quiz →]
What's Next in This Series
🌿 Coming Up Next: Part 3
Tearing Down to Build Back Up—What Real Remediation Looks Like
Once I understood mold was making me sick, I thought the solution was simple: clean harder, maybe spray something antimicrobial.
I was wrong.
Professional mold remediation isn't a cleaning project—it's demolition, reconstruction, and prevention. In Part 3, I'll share what I learned about:
- Why DIY mold removal always fails (and can make things worse)
- What professional remediation actually involves
- The emotional toll of watching your home torn apart
- How to know if remediation was truly successful
- Creating a home that heals instead of harms
🌿 When Home Becomes the Hidden Enemy: My Journey from Mold Illness to Thriving Again
Your body is wise—we listen, simplify, and guide.
Part 1: When My Safe Haven Became My Silent Enemy - How I discovered hidden mold in my home
Part 2: When My Body Became a Stranger to Me - Understanding mold illness symptoms ← You just read this
Part 3: Tearing Down to Build Back Up - What real remediation looks like (Coming soon)
Part 4: From Surviving to Thriving - My recovery journey (Coming soon)
References
- Kraft S, Polte T. Mold, Mycotoxins and a Dysregulated Immune System: A Guide to Restoration. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021;22(19):10419. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8508806/
- Malvandi AM, Shahba S, Mehrzad J, et al. Metabolic Disruption by Naturally Occurring Mycotoxins in Circulation, Immunity and Reproductive System. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022;9:915681. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.915681/full
- Sun Y, Wen Z, Wang Y, et al. Immunotoxicity of Three Environmental Mycotoxins and Their Mechanisms of Action. Toxins. 2023;15(3):187. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/3/187
- Ratnaseelan AM, Tsilioni I, Theoharides TC. Effects of Mycotoxins on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Immune Processes. Clinical Therapeutics. 2018;40(6):903-917. Available at: https://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/article/S0149-2918(18)30198-3/fulltext
- Gasperini AM, Magan N, Medina A. Unravelling the Impact of Mycotoxins on Gut Health: A Comprehensive Review. Toxicology Reports. 2025;13:101815. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214750024001756
- Balaguer-Trias J, Deepika D, Schuhmacher M, Kumar V. Impact of Contaminants on Microbiota: Linking the Gut-Brain Axis with Neurotoxicity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(3):1368. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35162481/
- Park DH, Kim JW, Park HJ, Hahm DH. Comparative Analysis of the Microbiome Across the Gut–Skin Axis in Atopic Dermatitis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021;22(8):4228. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/4228
Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with qualified healthcare providers regarding medical concerns and before making changes to your health routine.
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