Holey Moldy

Mold is Evil

I’ve missed feeling “normal” these last several months!  I’ve been wanting to tell y’all about the awesome Visionary retreat that I went to in March, but once I returned, I started feeling…not myself. I was experiencing weird sensations and fatigue like I never had before. I could not concentrate for more than 30-45 minutes. I was so fatigued that my vision would blur when I tried to stare at the computer or at my knitting. I was only able to really concentrate on short-term things, like taking my turn on Words with Friends or Scrabble. Even then, I feel asleep several times while brainstorming my word possibilities, which only takes about 5-10 minutes!  Anyway, I won’t bore you with too many woe-be-me details, but it really sucked physically, mentally and emotionally. The depressions that goes with a mystery illness is also not fun and you end up in a catch-22 cycle, where it also exacerbates any other preexisting conditions or issues, etc.

The good news is that I think I’ve found out why I was feeling like crap.  Long time readers and friends know that I suffer from really bad allergies. It should be no surprise that I’m sensitive to mold. The ceiling below our master bath toilet fell down. Apparently the old cast-iron pipe loosened as it was not properly supported…it leaked into the ceiling of the family room below, which then fell out over a TV and several electronic components. Some water damage, but I don’t think anything major to the electronics.  This is what our ceiling looked like after our handyman cut out all the mold-affected areas:

And of course, it went over the initial estimated repair costs. However, the good news is that the subfloor of the bathroom was not affected, nor the wood supports. If it had, y’all can imagine what a nightmare and how expen$ive the costs would be.

When it Rains, It Pours

A day after we found out about the ceiling collapse, we noticed that our cat Maggie was not doing well. I tried to treat her with my inhaler since she has asthma. When it didn’t improve and she still looked quite distressed, we took her to the vet. She had fluid in her lungs and body cavities. The vet suspected it was a heart or other very serious condition. In the end, we chose what we would’ve probably chosen for our own selves and thought it was most humane to put her down to end her suffering. So, rest in peace Maggie.

Thank you to everyone who have send me lovely messages via phone calls, email, Ravelry, Twitter and Facebook. They did mean a lot to me. I didn’t think that so many people would miss my temporary hiatus from the public when I was not feeling well. I even skipped out on 2 months of meeting up with my most beloved knitting group. So, your messages made me feel very warm and fuzzy.

Right now, I feel much better, though I am very tired from all the traveling I’ve been doing for the last 2 weeks, albeit it’s a totally different kind of tired from when I was feeling sick/fatigued. (I’m still not home! I’m currently in Houston, Texas visiting family). I promise that my next few posts will be more fun and cheery! I have lots to share about TNNA (a The National Needlearts Association) trade show and some exciting projects that I will be working on.

Much love to y’all,

Anne

~ by craftydiversions on June 17, 2011.