Nasty, nasty stuff. Will make you very sick & can be hard to get rid of. You may need to replace the drywall since you can't see behind the wall. It is likely growing on the other side of It too. Cleaning the surfaces where it appears is usually not enough. Hope you can get the upper hand on it quickly. I know you will feel much better - thank goodness you found it.

Good find!!!

Scary stuff but so glad you found it!!

There are many types of black mold. Take a small sample and bring it or send I to the health department. They can tell you what it is and how to get rid of it.

So glad you found that !! Yes, it can make you very sick, and with lung problems, mold can be very dangerous!! Remember tht mold is spores, and if you just take a cloth and rub the wall clean, those spores are going to get all in the air!! I agree that you should have an expert check inside the dry wall, some mold and mildew can be cleaned off inside the house with bleach (which you do not need to inhale) and water. But it does not kill it, just gets rid of it for a time.
On a research once, I read that some mold and mildew mostly happens in the corner room of a house, and I forgot the reason !!!
Anyway, goggle it, and wear a mask and gloves when you clean it.
BJ

Even brain fog is attributable to it....so I also have an excuse fOr being dumb too now. Lol

It's noon, I'm just going out to get supplies, borax, vinegar, and bleach for the worst areas. Man oh man would it be great great if this is the root of all the troubles? Because 6-8 weeks ago I had not a care in the world. First sign minor non cardiac chest pain which was attributable to the edema (swelling) in my lung tissue, second (severe allergic response as my lungs give up cigarrettes by burning like hell every time I take a drag. pretty much textbook black mold.

My house is so damp I might as well burn it down. Lol

http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/mold/clean.htm

Here are a couple of sites about mold, and how to clean it up. Just be careful, and what damage it has already done to your lungs, we can hope and pray this will end any future problems and you will be ok !!!
However, you do understand that if copd is there, that this mold thing may go away, but the copd won,t.....
I do hope it solves all your problems
BJ

I spent 4 or 5 hours sucking air through an welding respirator with high efficiency filters on it. Not a fun prospect in itself. Kind of like sucking air through the eye of a needle but as I was getting rid of the mold I was also disturbing it too and didn't want a fresh lung full.
I used bleach 1 cup to a gallon of water on the walls, and borax in water on the floor and other surfaces. There are still a few other areas to do but that's the sleeping area.
Yes, there is a possibility that copd is there in my lungs, the further I go along the more I doubt it. I suspect all the swelling in my lungs caused trapped air in the first xray to read like copd. I could actually feel it like air was trapped in my chest. Since I took out the smoking much of the original swelling has died down and the mold explains why my lungs and airways felt like they were burning when I inhaled yet there was no sign of pneumonia, or infection. Then I read that black mold causes lung tissue to swell (edema), causes non cardiac chest pain, and burning in the airways and asthmatic like reactions which I'd never previously had except in early childhood.. So once I took out the smoking I got some relief, about 80% I'd say. This would account for the change in the xray. Regardless, it is what it is and I'll live with that whether I like it or not, but I believe it's a pretty good chance this is the start of my troubles as I never had a day of trouble with my lungs until the begining of this most recent wet season about 3 - 4 months ago.

Well, here's hoping.

as well as the above. I can also report that since much of the swelling has gone down in my lungs my daily 2 x 8 block run, walk, hillclimb has gotten ridiculouslly better. I"ve always had excellent muscular strength and endurance but never been a cardiovascular champion but now my 16 block daily jaunt is equivalent to what I'd say is the same as any 48 year old guy starting out on an excercise regimen. There is a 2 block long very steep hill which at first I was very proud to simply speed walk up. Yesterday I jogged it and though I was pretty fagged I made it and as I continued to walk around in circles my wind came back very fast. I'm just pleased as punch about that. Also after every workout I have a hot cupa and my lungs excrete some awful looking stuff which says to me the cillia are waking up. You'd never think someone could be so happy to see a marbled lump of brown green phlem come outa them but it brings joy to my old heart just to see it again. Lol

LOL I understand !! and I hope that once you get rid of the mold, that your troubles will be over. Sounds like you are an active, healthy fellow! That is great, keep it up !!
BJ

Zig..

I had found out, we had black mold, at the bottom of our stairs, leading down to the cellar about 4 !omtjs ago. my girlfriend noticed it, but I don't go down there, nor did my mom, when she lived here.

I had a friend, that is certified in mold removal, work on it. We do have a wooden door, in the kitchen, so he said we wouldn't be exposed to it.

He did it, but also can!e back to check it, and said this month he will treat it again.

He got sick from the ammo is from the bleach, but used the appropriate equipment, and safety measures.

You may want to get a quote from a certified mold removal expert. You may not get the job done, and also, its not good for your lungs or airway, to be working in tha t environment.

Please let us know it all works out, and be careful.

Hugs,

Boo

Yes, I really hope so too. I got down to the work in my bedroom and spent several hours sucking air through a welding respirator, not fun, like breathing through the eye of a needle. But I bleached the walls and borax washed the floor and got rid of much crap. 2 more rooms to go.

well done Ziggy....I`m exhausted after all that work and exercise you`ve done but it seems to be working. So energetic I have a few jobs around the house you can do just to keep you in trim!!!!!!!
x x x

Zig, That is nasty business you are and have been dealing with I hope thru the eradication process your health rebounds significantly. Take care, and please keep us posted no only on the progress of the cleaning, but the changes in your health as the process works its' way thru. Take care, Bill

Well fortunately the dry season is coming and I won't be spending another winter in this house so really all I need to do is get through the next 6-8 weeks with it and then the windows and doors will be open most days which will keep it away. I did all the windows in the living room and kitchen today. Spray bottle 5 to 1 water to bleach mix, sprayed it, sprayed it again an hour later and I mean really soaked it good all the windows and doors open in the house but still my eyes sting a bit. My bro took his respirator back since he got called back to work, maybe the bleach cleaned up my lungs a bit too. Lol since they feel pretty awesome right now. I can't believe how much crap I hack up now I quit smoking. My cough, what I thought of as "smokers cough" is virtually gone. I don't cough without something to cough up anymore anyways which is a good sign, I expect maybe soon the goop I cough up might actually look like something that could come out of a living human being. Lol
I don't know what the time frame for recovery from mold toxicity is, or if there is something the doc can do to speed it along. I think there is a test for it though and i'll get it tomorrow when I see him.

My daily 2x8 block excercise route saw me run 3 whole blocks before I gassed but it's a different kind of gassed then it was back when I smoked. It's not like "I better stop before my lungs turn inside out or I have a seziure" It's more like my leg muscles are burning or.......well, I don't really know how to explain it except to say it's not like hitting a wall anymore. Oddly enough I'm actually better at speed walking up high grade hills than jogging on flat ground even though I suspect the hill cllimbing is harder. I've always kind of been built more for power than endurance. Either way it's all coming around and now if I can just get rid of this asthmatic response I'll be laughing. I've never had an asthmatic type attack in my born days and now I actually need the inhaler the doc gave me, but strangely as long as my lungs aren't tight I've got alot of wind. I did my 2x8 block walk with a friend who doesn't smoke and I was equal to him on the hills. He was just a gassed as me which is a good indicator I think. I even made it to the top before him and didn't have to stand around with my hands on my knees gasping like he did. Lol.....mind you he's 50ish too and though he doesn't smoke hasn't likely jogged since high school either, but that at least makes the comparison fair wouldn't you say.?