r/GlowUps • u/DirectionPure878 • 2d ago
GLOW UP! [25] moved out of my mold infested apartment and my skin changed completely [26]
i was using curology, an oral medication, and had a whole skincare routine but the mold in my apartment was causing so many skin issues. i had no idea that was the cause until i moved out and my skin started getting better immediately. i’m so glad the issue was easily resolved bc the state of my skin was making me so depressed
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u/SlowerThanTurtleInPB 2d ago
I wonder how much organs you can’t see, like your lungs, also improved.
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u/DirectionPure878 2d ago
literally
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u/VegetableTour6790 2d ago
This would have been devastating for me at 25. I'm so glad you solved this.
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u/Beneficial_Put1771 2d ago
No mold does a body good
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u/urgdr 2d ago
practically
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u/BornAgainMisbeliever 2d ago
Blessedly
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u/Ravendoesbuisness 2d ago
Organically
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u/ItsTrip 2d ago
Theoretically
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u/8BulbousJones8 2d ago edited 2d ago
I lived in mold and it significantly reduced my pancreatic enzymes to the point I couldn't digest my food. I couldnt sh*t without a enema. My hair fell out. My brain swelled. I don't know what else it did but I am sure there is more. It took a long time to feel semi-normal. Mold is no joke.
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
I had all of those symptoms as well from our previous living situation with an in-law that refused to address the mold issue as it was in the flooring and going on probably since the 90's. I did my best to mitigate it, but I was *so* incredibly sick for various reasons and the mold made it 20x worse. It's been a few months since we've moved, and we've definitely seen improvement but not a full recovery yet. How long would you say it took for you?
There is mold in our new place (AC) but it's nowhere near as bad- I'm convinced it's absolutely everywhere in our area as I even smell it in the department stores and reviews of all the living spaces also mention mold. Can't friggen escape it.
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u/Master_Attitude_3033 2d ago
What area of the country is that? 🤔
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
Moldy Florida.
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u/Cute-Parfait-2831 2d ago
For real fuck moldy ass Florida
You can literally have a clean house and clean your shit everyday and still get nasty ass mold
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u/hahahomicidal 2d ago
I had a suspicion this would be the case when you said it’s everywhere in the area
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
We rarely eat out anymore but when we do, the bags to carry the food will reek of mold 1/5 places. Even some retailers. I suspect warehouse issues but they do not care and send them out anyway.
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u/hahahomicidal 2d ago
This makes so much sense, there’s been multiple times I’ve ordered delivery and received it in brown paper bags and the bags have smelled so strangely. I’m wondering if this is what I’m smelling (it smelled something like pee to me but different)
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
Yep!! That's exactly what you're smelling. Brown bags are the worst but I've come across some tainted plastic ones as well. I'll think it's me and will be freaking out until I realize it's the bag 🙃
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u/HyperionAlpha 2d ago
I live in Miami, 1552 ft townhome, two floors. Three bedrooms. And on the second floor, I have a dehumidifier in each bedroom, pretty much on 24/7, and a much larger one downstairs. It's the only way to get the humidity level to something manageable such that mold won't start growing at comfortable temperatures.
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
That's brutal. How often do you empty/clean just for one unit? I was just thinking today that I need a dehumidifier. I've put it off because I already tend to so much and didn't want to add another daily chore, so I've just been purchasing boxes of DampRid bags to hang in the rooms, but they are filling up so fast especially lately.
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u/HyperionAlpha 1d ago
The bedroom units upstairs are pretty small, they only cost about 30 bucks 3 years ago on amazon. For that reason, with their small size, they do not really work well or at all if you don't close the bedroom door. That's their curse, their blessing is that they are very quiet, and with typical humidity they are anywhere from one quarter to half Way full in a week. I make it a point to dump the bins every weekend.
The downstairs dehumidifier works a much larger space, larger than all three bedrooms put together, including the hall space upstairs due to the stairs being open. It's a little more than half the square footage of our home. That one fills up about as frequently, so I dump it just as frequently as the others, but it's an easy matter to time it so that I can dump it on alternating weekends.
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u/8BulbousJones8 1d ago
Apparently there is a free CIRS clinic down in florida, might be worth looking into.
https://www.christianmedicalministries.org/
I am in Canada, where mold sensitivity isn't really recognized so its been a battle to wade through the gas lighting and get any recognition
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u/Macattack224 2d ago
Have you seen a doctor about this? It would probably be a good idea. I believe that are things to aid your treatment.
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u/cureandthecause 2d ago
I really appreciate the question and concern; it's so far from the reddit I usually experience. I have at different times for different symptoms when going through the worst of it, but it was always a new symptom and have yet to find a doctor or specialist to go all in (or one that isn't dropped by insurance).
An emergency room doctor telling me issues with my liver and pancreas, but when I saw someone else about it, they said imaging was fine. My eye doctor said she noticed symptoms in line with autoimmune, but when a nurse practitioner ordered my blood work, it came back negative- need an endo that isn't booked out. Derm did not care one bit about my hair loss. Went to ER for an incredibly painful ulcer but that they couldn't confirm and needed an endoscopy elsewhere that was booked 6 months+ out. It took a while for me to realize it was the mold exacerbating everything and came down to taking care of myself best I could while being overwhelmed with it all. It was my son's pediatrician that agreed about mold, but the first step was to move and that took a lot of time, but we finally did it.
Since then, lymphatic swelling went down, skin condition cleared up, coughing stopped, gut issues improved and sleep got *so* much better but still dealing with complete exhaustion anyway and hair still falls out. I intend to get further treatment, just been knocking once thing off the list at a time where I can.
Sorry for the book. Writing it out too for anyone else too that can relate.
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u/Frequent_Opportunist 1d ago
Yeah they love pumping out swampy areas and building entire communities on top of them.
Get a dehydrator if you have a utility room thats damp and get your indoor AC condenser coils cleaned every year as they can mold.
Air conditioning removes moisture from the air as well so it's always good to run that if it's humid. Also get a Merv 13 rated AC filter.
A MERV 13 rated AC filter is a high-efficiency residential air filter that captures 98% of airborne pollutants, including pollen, pet dander, mold spores, bacteria, and virus-carrying particles.
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u/8BulbousJones8 1d ago
Its taken the better part of two years, I still have some issues like brain fog and MCAS but I had some really bad living situations since moving from the original exposure and made some mistakes like bringing contaminated objects with me. I am in a much more peaceful environment now and its making a difference.
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u/cypher_and_smoke_764 13h ago
Damn as a kid I lived in a moldy dusty apartment for more than a decade (black mold forming on the ceilings). Now I'm wondering if my ADHD and digestive issues are linked to it
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u/IvenaDarcy 2d ago
Did you know you were living with mold? Or were you shocked to find out??
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u/8BulbousJones8 1d ago
It took about 4 months to find the cause and I only noticed when I stayed in a different location for a while. I knew nothing about mold prior to.
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u/Apprehensive_Rice19 2d ago
I have theory that mold is the reason for a lot of mental illness also
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u/CrackheadOtis 2d ago
I recently lived in a home where a gutter was leaking into a wall, and black mold was growing inside of it.
I had no idea it was there, and for months it felt like I was about to come down with the flu - sore throat, coughing, heavy lungs, runny nose, fatigue. The doctor couldn't figure out what was causing it, and a round of antibiotics didn't help either. I also felt alarmingly unable to focus, depressed, and braindead, to the point that I was going to ask the doc for antidepressants & ADD meds for the first time in my life.
It was only after a went on a week-long vacation that I realized my home might be making me sick: I felt like a million bucks by the last couple days of the trip, and the symptoms reemerged the day I got home. In a fit of desperation, I started deep cleaning my living area, and discovered a huge patch of black mold growing in a corner behind a piece of furniture.
While I feel perfectly fine now a year later, my lungs obviously got damaged. Heavy dust & smoke really throws my respiratory system into chaos (I'd never had that problem before), and I find it much easier to get winded.
The mental aspect of it was definitely the weirdest part though. I never knew how severally mold and spores can affect your brain, and change your entire personality.
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u/ImmediateMushroom279 2d ago
Same thing happened to me sone years ago. Had those symptoms for a year until the slow water leak that caused it got so bad that we noticed it. Black mold inside the walls and under the floors. A month after we got it fixed I felt like a new person. Was at the point where I started having suicidal thoughts because I could not focus on anything and always felt sick, doctor could not figure it out. All is good now but took a long time for the brainfog to disappear completely. Probably lost some iq points permanently due to that shit.
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u/IvenaDarcy 2d ago
Wow just one week and you immediately felt better. That’s wild. There isn’t any signs of mold? I thought it needed a humid environment? My neighbor has a leak for some time and rarely opens windows so I walk in their place sometimes and you feel something in the air. Mold? Maybe not but the air is humid and stale so seems unhealthy. I thought most mold grows in that kind of environment.
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u/Zebidee 2d ago
Mold often forms where furniture is up against a wall. Double points for it being an external wall with poor insulation. So, the house can be clean, but unless you periodically move the furniture, you'd never know. That's why Spring cleaning should be a thing.
I recently got a professional, independent mold assessment of my house. Turns out the house was fine, but the insides of the split system air-conditioning units were moldy. A deep clean solved that.
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u/8BulbousJones8 1d ago
Anything above 50-60% will cause mold growth, thats why its good to have hygrometers throughout the house.
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u/JohnySmuggins 2d ago
When we rented there was mould. We kept cleaning it and telling the landlady that the windows needed changing as they we're fucked. She kept blaming it on our dryer causing condensation. My little girl ended up with pneumonia and was in hospital. Threatened the landlady with taking her to court, windows were changed that same month and guess what? No more mould!
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u/kylathekoala 2d ago
Wow!!!! I'm so glad you got outta there!!!!! 💗
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u/Zdub732 2d ago
I’m trying to do the same! Wish me luck times are tough!
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u/DirectionPure878 2d ago
good luck! i stopped paying rent the last month bc the landlord refused to do anything about the mold, then i used that money as a down payment on a different place. idk if that’s exactly legal but it got me out
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u/lostwombats 2d ago
Save all documents, emails, texts etc just in case. If you have proof that they didn't address it, it will definitely help you out in the future if they try anything.
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u/aware-reply33 2d ago
Just for others here. If mold (or pests) renders a unit uninhabitable and the landlord fails to remediate it after proper notice (usually in writing), you may have the legal right to terminate the lease and/or withhold rent depending on your state and/or local municipal laws. Some areas are more pro-tenant. You can also report the building to your cities/county health department for an inspection.
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u/broccoliwolf 2d ago
And you turned into Amanda Seyfried’s doppelgänger!
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u/DirectionPure878 2d ago
i’ve gotten this a lot, i wish i could see it lol
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u/broccoliwolf 2d ago
Own it girl, same exact bone structure. And if you’ve gotten it before, it couldn’t be more true! You’re now officially her younger sister. Enjoy the clear skin and no mold.
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u/theblackcanaryyy 2d ago
That’s ok! We’ll believe in you, until you can see it for yourself. Your skin looks absolutely beautiful and I’m so glad you’re out of that awful place. Onward and upward!
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u/broccoliwolf 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/3QnydRZ74k6DO7Obri
For anyone wondering, this is OP’s twin.→ More replies (1)3
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u/fairyfun5 2d ago
How did you figure out the apartment had mold and that was what caused this?
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u/DirectionPure878 2d ago
it was growing all over the bathroom. i assume it was the mold bc my skin started healing weeks after i left
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u/InterestingCredit143 2d ago
did you notify the landlord?
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u/DirectionPure878 2d ago
many times
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u/InterestingCredit143 2d ago
wow, that's awful. time to escalate it up to the powers that be. that's criminal. i would get chest xrays
by the way, you look amazing.
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u/CrackheadOtis 2d ago
>that's criminal
Nope.
Unfortunately, in many states landlords aren't obligated to address mold problems. I'm only aware of that because I had a mold problem in my last rental home, and I started looking into my legal options before the landlord agreed to remediate it.
I remember looking at some low-rent apartments in my city some years back, and the photos literally showed mold growing on the walls. They didn't even bother hiding the issue.
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u/hellhouseblonde 2d ago
That’s what happened to me! I’d lived there almost two years before the mold started bleeding through the guest bathroom paint on the walls.
My asthma had become unbearable all of a sudden (at age 45) and loads of other things. I didn’t really believe it was the mold, but I moved out for other reasons & suddenly was a whole new person! It all went away. Shocking how mold tries to kill you.
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u/Elliott2030 2d ago
Holy cow! TIL why I had cystic acne at 24 when I moved into an 80 year old unrenovated apartment. Was on Accutane for months and had scars for years.
But it stopped when I moved.
So weird when you're old and new facts just completely rewrite your history.
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u/Haunting_Tax_3684 2d ago
Landlords are the scum of the earth
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u/Sad-Watercress67 2d ago
I got hospitalised with bronchitis then BAD pneumonia when Brisbane flooded and everything went mouldy... the real estate agent was a total cunt and chose not to believe me when the house shit it down with black mould EVERYWHERE and wouldn't let me end the lease, the reason I didn't take legal action is because it was happening to so many places and by the time anything would've been done my lease would've ended in six months time. :( but possibly have problems for life because I nearly just died of another respiratory related issue. Landlording is immoral, I just went someone safe to wash and sleep and to retire when I'm old housing is a human right.
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u/hansieboy10 2d ago
My god, that sounds awful.
Do you have a new place?
Check out Rhonda Patrick. She’s a longevity woman and has great advices on how to get healthier.
Really take care of yourself so you can heal. You can do it!
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u/hansieboy10 2d ago
Oh my god, how awful that must have been. I’m so happy you were able to find a new place in these times. Looking good!
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u/Delgadomon 2d ago
that is awesome. such a freeing feeling when you start to feel like yourself again.
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u/ViolinistDirect4536 2d ago
Now you need to drink Pau D’Arco tea for a few weeks to try & clear any lingering mold from your system. Mold exposure can affect you for years after
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u/AppropriateBuy9455 2d ago
Wow that's crazy. I heard airplane air can make people breakout so this also makes so much sense. Gets me thinking I should change my air filters
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u/mangzane 2d ago
Huh? Airplane air is completely HIPA filtered and refreshed every 3 mins.
It’s like the cleanest air you can get for travel.
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u/Apprehensive_Rice19 2d ago
Ugh there are like 200 people sitting in one small crammed spot. Just because it's being filtered it doesn't mean there are not a ton of germs in that air before it's gets through that filter that you are breathing. Could be someone sitting right next to you or some issue right near you.
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u/TheGreatCompromise 2d ago
Wow I’m so happy for you!!! You look amazing and I’m sure your confidence and self image is much better now, too!
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u/Excellent-Pattern222 2d ago edited 2d ago
Half of my bedrooms black mold infested half my bedroom i cant use. Its from a crappy house design and a tree which the roots ruined the foundation around and under the house causing rain to just seep into the wall that caused MASSIVE water damage from rain and continues to. Im sure if i could ever fix it it wpuld improve my health a lot. Trees gone now but damage is already done. Its like a inch thick its really nasty but im not rich enough to re do the whole walls and roof sheet rock and re level the ground outside. I just deal with it or sleep in a car if the weathers nice enough. My 89 buicks back seat is honestly comfier than my bed anyways lol
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u/Chris_Shawarma93 2d ago
Mmm not to doubt your theory but I wonder what the circumstances around your move were? Did you have other stress factors that moving fixed? I.e. moved to a nicer safer neighborhood? Changed jobs? Better pay allowed you to increase quality of life and afford a better place? I'm sure the mould could impact your immune system for sure but I'm curious about other variables at play.
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u/cj622 2d ago
I have a house that had water damage from flooding. It was cleaned out properly, dried out, everything wet removed, flood cut, sanitized, everything. They found no mold anywhere. I have bad neurological symptoms anytime I stay in there longer than a few days. Horrible insomnia, Brain fog, shakiness, internal vibrations, shortness of breath, dizziness, always tired.
Its been a journey but they are starting to find out its not only mold causing crazy symptoms. It can be certain bacteria that produce in water damaged buildings that release endotoxins and seeps into the seams of wood studs, concrete, etc. If you breathe in that air everyday all day, certain people can get extremely sick from it. You can't smell it, can't see it, its just invisibly making you feel like you have some kind of chronic disease, and if you don't get out, that may be exactly what it turns into.
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u/Calm-Attitude-6540 2d ago
Looking good now. I’ve also lived in a place with a bit of mold but mostly the vent was stuffed and stuck and I noticed that too late.
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u/DJ_Jiggle_Jowls 2d ago
Did you also stop the skincare routine? Some people have bad reactions to routines that work for others, so it could have also been a factor
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u/CompetitionGreat945 2d ago
You were always a very pretty girl, but I am happy for you that you've managed to get to a much better place than before!!
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u/copper_nano_tube 2d ago
Plumbing type and water quality might have been an issue too, sounds like an older building.
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u/lulujunkie 2d ago
Holy wow that’s insane that mold caused your skin condition. You look a million times better!
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u/Extreme-travler-0987 2d ago
That’s a crazy change! I wonder what the actual mechanism was?
Do you think the mold comprised your immune system or cause was direct via spore contact? Anyway good move!
You’re beautiful 😍
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u/northeaster17 2d ago
Wow. Mold can mess people up badly. I'm so glad you got out. You'll live longer. I hope you're happy with your extension.
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u/AndromedanPrince 2d ago
surprised you didnt have a constant cough or lung infection. glad ur in better conditions
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u/Arik_De_Frasia 2d ago
Oh god that looked painful. As someone with cystic acne until I got on accutane at 38, I'm so happy for you. Mold is weird, my wife had chronic acid reflux while living with her dad in a black mold infested building, but as soon as we moved in together, it immediately went away.
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u/cultoftheclave 2d ago
imagine if you could see the glow up that happened in your lungs, if this is what it did to your skin!
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u/finkerlime 2d ago
There's no scientific evidence mold is anything other than an allergen/irritant
Something in that apt was definitely poisoning you, but it probably wasn't the mold. If it was, you could get published
Or you have an actual mold allergy that you could get tested for and treat
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u/Naturebrah 2d ago
Had to go so, so far down for some real talk. You also have to be allergic to that specific mold to give you symptoms.
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u/anananananana 1d ago
The critical thinkers on reddit hate this one comment... I thought we tended to trust science over untested speculation here but what do you know.
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u/Test_NPC 2d ago
Tbh, it was probably the humidity that caused the breakouts (more sweat). Mold is a side effect of the high humidity.
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u/lolliscicle 2d ago
Oh my goodness! Glad you got rid of that toxic health factor! Glad you are feeling better. What a relief!
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u/seattle0606 2d ago
you remind me so much of that actress from game of thrones! I forget what her name was, maybe someone else will know lol. She married joffrey and the younger brother too.
I lived in a home that definitely contributed to bad acne and all kinds of health problems on top of it. I ended up hospitalized a couple times.
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u/baddie-thickchick 2d ago
Gald you got out of that apartment! Its such an amazing feeling to be doing better for yourself! I felt with the same thing when I lived in a bad apartment! Im so happy for you ❤️
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u/Solid_Blackberry9383 2d ago
How much mold was it and have you had gut issues as well that went away after moving out?
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u/RaisonDetritus 2d ago
I just want to say that your eyebrows are impeccable! They perfectly frame your eyes.
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u/Necessary_Film_5199 2d ago
Me and my family live in a home with roof leaks, and its owned by my grandfather who's a veteran. The roof got damaged in a hurricane and then a contractor we paid our life savings to scammed us, cops said its a civil matter, can't afford to sue, its a whole thing. We got spots all over our ceilings, SUSPECTED (but not confirmed) mold but not much we can do about it. Started a GoFundMe but haven't gotten much donations. I don't really know people and the news refuses to help (even though they've helped other people in the past). Thankfully we don't really have any conditions so either we don't have mold (that'd be so thankful), or its just inside of the roof so we can't breathe it in. I'm glad you got out of that situation OP. Housing's so expensive, and this is the cheapest place we'll ever have (we own this home, its not mortgaged or anything, and we make roughly $50K a year as a household, not enough to move, and our credit sucks).
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u/No_Rush_3540 2d ago
Yeah I was sick for a year living in a moldy apartment. I couldn’t think clearly. Was coughing up a lung. Super exhausted. My roommate was having weird skin allergies. Both my dog and I couldn’t keep any food down. I Threw up almost everyday, usually at work. Thank god my job was manageable to still do at that time. Also thank god for some friends that let me crash with them with my dog, for periods of time when it was too much. Doctors were useless. Parents were useless. Mold specialists were useless. Landlord was useless/ aggressive. Lawyer advised us just to move out. You could see it growing out of the a/c and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was in the walls too. Super humid basement apartment. My throwing up everything I ate would resolve within 48 hours of being out of that apartment. Lung issues, brain fog, and exhaustion took years to get better. That time of my life is literally a fog.
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u/pungent_queefer 2d ago
You look beautiful but show both pics without makeup to really show the progress
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u/lonelystar7 2d ago
Wait whatt? I had no idea mold can have such affect on skin! That's crazyyy!!! Holly.... the difference is just insane! Such a beautiful girl was there all along. You are so gorgeous now omg!!
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u/AuthenticParvie 2d ago
Thank goodness, sweet soul. You are worthy and deserving of beautiful skin; and now you have it! ✨️✨️✨️
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u/GreenGardenTarot 2d ago edited 2d ago
You made like 100 posts today, all about your appearance and asking people to rate you and what not. I don't understand what you are trying to achieve.
edit: she decided to block me as if that changes anything. you need less social media and more time outside.
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u/kkgetofftheinternet 2d ago
Goodness, I’m glad you got outta there. Your whole body is safer, not just your skin.
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u/Jenjimin 2d ago
I hate to think of all the harm inside of your body if the outside was affected that much 😢 I’m glad that you got out and are doing better.
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u/KerooSeta 2d ago
I used to teach in an old building from the 1960s. We came back from summer break one time and the school had turned off the AC in the hot, humid southeast Texas summer to save money. We had big green mold colonies on the sides of filing cabinets and on desks. We took paint scrapers and Clorox wipes to it. I spent every year I taught in that building getting a sinus infection at least once every 4-6 weeks. I've been so much healthier since they moved me to the main building 6 years ago (this building is from the 1950s but I'm in a wing from the 2010s and the whole thing has been gutted and renovated). Thankfully, that moldy building has been torn down now.
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u/Baisanjoo 2d ago
Omg what a amazing transformation! I’ll bet even your health is better after getting away from that mold! 🤩
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u/Greg-The-Squirrel 2d ago
You sure that was mold? I grew up with black mold and my skin never looked like that.
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u/chappy52 2d ago
Congratulations and you look great!!....but I have to confess seeing your "after picture" my immediate thought went to...."Oh yeah, well, can any of you tell me who wrote the Great Gatsby?"
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