chemo and home environment, household mold/mildew

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nellysha
nellysha Member Posts: 3
edited July 2015 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Hello......I am interested to get realistic information about the concerns of having a fairly significant mold/mildew problem in an old home as a person is undergoing chemo. My sister is newly diagnosed with breast cancer, preparing for chemo. Oncologist wasn't so concerned when we asked about this, but several online sites discuss this. I would like to find some good resources about this and general household cleanliness with chemo. I am brand new to this board and haven't looked deeply into previous threads that might talk about home environment, but I will! Anybody have input about this issue? Thank you!

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2015

    Dear nellysha, Welcome to the BCO community. We wish your sister well as she begins her treatment for breast cancer. She is lucky to have you looking out for her. We are sending you a link to some articles on our website that discuss Risk Factors associated with the environment. While there is nothing directly related to your question, you may find some of the information to be helpful. We hope that you will receive some input form our members. Please stay connected and let us know how we can continue to support you and your sister. The Mods

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  • nellysha
    nellysha Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2015

    Thank you so much for your response, and for all you do here. It is clear this is a WONDERFUL resource.

    Maybe it would have been better if I used the words 'infection prevention during chemo' or something like that? I look forward to lots more conversations about many things here.

    Blessings forward.....

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2015

    Dear nellysha, If you don't get responses to this question, we encourage you to post a different question. You can also use the blue tool bar and the search button to look for other topics close to yours by using infection prevention as your keywords. Good Luck. The Mods

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited July 2015

    Hi Nellysha. So sorry about your sister's diagnosis. This is all going to be an educated guess (with a bit of experience thrown in). First, I wonder what stage your sister is. The reason I ask, chemo was a lot more do-able for me when I was Stage 3 than it was at Stage 4. If she's Stage 4, let me know....that changes everything. I was exposed to every germ under the sun the first time around, including an endless parade of disease factory little kids. I did ok even when my counts were like, 1(even a little lower sometimes). I however didn't want to shower in the main bath because I was more afraid of what the chemo would do to my family than what they would do to me. I used a shower in the basement with a little bit of a mold issue and it didn't have an adverse effect on me. Having said that, I was never allergic to anything either and I don't think it was bad enough to throw spores. I didn't have any lung problems either. If your sister has an allergy or a lung issue like chronic bronchitis or even sinus issues, I'd certainly do what I could to get rid of what I could just to be on the safe side. Spores can certainly wreak havoc on the lungs if there's a sensitivity. I'm talking run of the mill mold, not black mold. If it's black mold, call the professionals asap. That would absolutely be detrimental to anyone's health, no doubt to someone who is immuno-compromised.

    Best wishes to your sister and hoping the treatments go well. She's so lucky to have her sister looking out for her.

     

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  • nellysha
    nellysha Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2015

    Thank you so much for your kind response. I sent it to my sister and it was reassuring for her. I think you are right, we need someone to come in and determine if there is black mold going on there. This will help settle her. She is anxious about getting her home environment conducive to going through chemo.

    .I am already so thankful for this forum. Many blessings and goodness forward.....

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