Reply To: New to site

This is an interesting thread and something I have been thinking about for some time. I, too, was esposed to black mold but don’t know if it was the bad type. As to chemical intolerance, I have had problems my whole life. I am a firm believer that some of us have impaired auto-immune systems and so were much more susceptilbe to GBS (an auto-imune disorder!).

When I look back, I had eczema as a baby and it continued well into my teen years. Then it abated and I began with allergies, first to smoke and then to dust. Those went away and I developed a severe allergy to cats that lasted 3-4 years. That went away and I developed allergies to perfume, soaps, and other good smelly things. It also went away. Then I got GBS! Following GBS, I was hit with chronic hives but they responded differently than normal. I would get hives if I went out in the cold and they would go away if I climbed in a tub of hot water. Opposite of what they should have done. The next thing was a severe and critical reaction to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories…to the point of being life-threatening. I am now struggling with suspected arthritis and think there may be something going on deeper than just arthritis (CFS, PMR, etc). In between all this, the eczema would come and go but never as severe as when I was growing up.

The doctor I saw when I had chronic hives suggested that I have an auto-immune disorder that causes my body to react to things in my environment in a way that the average person would not. Truly is food for thought…..and all of the issues I have experienced are attributable to the auto-immune system malfunctioning….