From Bad, To Worse
Timeline
Discovery
From Bad, to Worse
Why Should I Be worried?
Can Mold Cause Cancer?
Summary
FAQ
Appendices
As soon as I see the stains in the air duct, I move out. I take a few clothes and leave in the middle of the night. I will never set foot in the apartment again.
July 14, 2000
After finally convincing the specialist that something is wrong, I get an appointment. There is a massive infection in the lymph node under my chin. I am immediately referred to a surgeon upstairs. The surgeon slices open my neck to drain the abscess, and drains approximately one cup (8oz) of pus. The surgeon tells me that in 13 years of practice, it was the worst infection that he had ever seen. When I tell him that it had appeared within hours of breathing the sewage dust in my airbox, he tells me "It would appear that the dust was not quite dead."
July 16, 2000
I talk to Drucker and Falk about the infection that I received from changing the air filter. Drucker and Falk tell me that they have an ozone generator. They will set it up in the morning and by the end of the day, anything growing in my apartment will be dead. It sounds good. Looking on the internet, I find several websites claiming ozone will kill 100% of mold (all from companies selling ozone generators).
I learn later that these claims are simply false. According to the EPA website "Ozone Generators That are Sold as Air Purifiers"
"... ozone produced by ozone generators may inhibit the growth of some biological agents while it is present, but it is unlikely to fully decontaminate the air"According to the health department, even if the ozone were able to kill all of the mold, it would not affect the mold spores [the part that makes you sick] and the mold would grow back within days. The only way to get rid of mold is to remove the source. Professional remediators do not use ozone to remove mold.
July 15, 2000
With help from friends and family, I find a recently built townhouse. Although I can't really afford it, I don't care. I do not want to ever live in an apartment again.
July 19, 2000
I meet with the health department and describe what I found in my air ducts. They ask about the details of the cleanup and are shocked by what I tell them. When I ask about the infected lymph node in my neck, they explain that sewage dust contains many nasty things (see table) that can lay dormant for years. As one of the experts said, "That's why we recommend using respirators"[when cleaning up raw sewage].
I show them my medical records compared with the maintenance logs for the apartment. My lymph nodes would always swell up 10-14 days after the sewer backup. The health department thinks that this was most likely due to mold. They were especially concerned about mold growing on the underside of the sewage-soaked carpet. I discuss how to remove my stuff from the apartment without contaminating my new place. The health department sends me a letter with their evaluation and recommendations. They also send a copy to Drucker and Falk.
Day I moved out |
1 week later |
2 weeks later |
My parents drive down to move me out of the apartment. The health department (see letter) recommends that I discard any bedding or cushions and wipe everything else down with dilute bleach. Everything I own is dusted, wiped down with bleach and packed. I abandon my couch, bed, pillows, vacuum cleaners, etc. Within days of moving out of the apartment, the swelling in my lymph nodes had decreased markedly (see photos: week 0, week 1, week 2). Two weeks after moving out of the apartment, I look almost normal.
Only one problem: The lymph node in my shoulder has not gone down. My dad thinks that I should have it looked at, but it isn't noticeable and it isn't bothering me.
August 3, 2000
I receive a letter from Drucker and Faulk notifying me that I will be billed for the removal of the furniture that the health department told me to abandon.
August - September 2000
After 3 years of being sick, it is wonderful to feel healthy. The worst part of being sick was not knowing. Not knowing what was making me sick, not knowing when I would get better, not knowing if I would get better. Aside from a few scars, I look almost normal. I am looking forward to leaving all of this behind and getting on with my life.
October 2000
The lymph node in my shoulder never did go down and now I am sure that it is getting larger. After everything that has happened, it doesn't seem fair. I try to ignore it and hope it goes away.
November 2000
By now, I am sure that something is wrong. The lymph node in my shoulder is very swollen and the swelling is starting to spread to the lymph nodes in my neck and armpit. It's time to call the doctor. The earliest appointment available is Jan 9th.
By Thanksgiving, I am definitely sick. My lymph nodes are very swollen and painful, I have chronic fatigue and I am noticeably short of breath. My dad makes arrangements to see a specialist in Cincinnati when I return for Christmas.
December 22, 2000
I see the specialist in Cincinnati and he is very concerned. He is worried that it might not be Sarcoidosis, but lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes). Christmas just isn't the same after someone tells you that you might have cancer. I go back to Raleigh immediately after Christmas to make arrangements for another biopsy.
January 10, 2001
Biopsy surgery removes a 2" diameter lymph node from the side of my neck. Initial results are positive for Hodgkin's lymphoma. I am referred to Duke University Oncology Department for further diagnosis. For the next 2 weeks, I undergo numerous tests to gauge the severity of the disease.
January 26, 2001
The oncologist meets with me and by this point he has the results from all of the tests.
The results are grim.
FDG tumor localization (PET) l/24/2001
Clinical Indication: Stage IV Hodgkin's [lymphoma] in 29 year-old man.
Findings: Multiple, too numerous to count, foci of markedly intense hypermetabolism are demonstrated throughout the neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis, consistent with the clinical diagnosis of malignant lymphoma. Specific areas of involvement include bulky adenopathy in the right greater than left anterior, posterior, and deep cervical regions, left greater than right supraclavicular regions, bilateral axillae right worse than left, superior mediastinum, subcarinal area, bilateral hila, retrocrural regions, periaortic nodes, gastrohepatic ligament and periportal nodes, extensive mesenteric nodes, and left worse than right iliac nodes. Abnormal, extensive, heterogeneously intense hypermetabolism is seen throughout the spleen. All of these areas correlate with adenopathy and splenic lesions seen on the comparison CT. No definite lesions are seen in the liver or kidneys.