Hi Slacker,
Thanks for your response. Yes, it helps! I've gathered some thoughts together here.
I don't think I have a problem with mold because my C4a is normal, and my MARCoNS test was negative. I did do the HLA DR/DQ testing. I have 7-2-53 and 17-2-52B, both of which are for mold susceptibility.
From my understanding, these haplotypes must be turned on to make one susceptible to mold illness. I suspect mine haven't been. However, when I was a child, my family lived for five years in a home that had a basement that flooded at least three times. I used to play down there with my toys. I never got sick from that, though. Instead, my childhood was fraught with horrible strep throat infections once or twice a year (and I took 10 days of penicillin with each and every infection).
I also had my TGF-beta 1 tested. It was a bit above range, but that could be explained by autoimmunity, which I have. Also, a VCS test (which I did at home by myself) appeared to show that I need a new prescription for my glasses because one eye was a bit out of focus when I covered the other eye. Otherwise, I didn't see any irregularities.
Recently, I had my ADH and osmolality tested. My ADH was low <.8 (normal range per survivingmold.com: 1.0-13.3 pg/ml), but my osmolality was normal at 281 (but near the bottom of the range). Per a
web site from a Shoemaker-trained practitioner, Natasha Thomas, MD: "In Biotoxin illness patients, a lack of regulation of salt and water balance is apparent when ADH is low (or too high) but osmolality is relatively high (or too low)." I don't have this pattern. My ADH is low, but my osmolality is normal (but lowish).
This year, I've twice done a nasal microbiome test through uBiome.com. Both times, my sample didn't have enough bacteria to measure; thus, I didn't get any results. I've been given a third kit to try again, but I'm holding off for at least a month before submitting another sample. I realized that some of the therapeutic-grade essential oils I've been using for years (which I take orally and smell frequently) are anti-microbial and can decimate the microbiome of the mouth, so I figure they can probably also decimate the microbiome of the nose. So I've stopped taking them orally or smelling them.
I think it's possible I had MARCoNS but I killed it, along with all the other bacteria in my nose. I think that's more likely than a sampling error for the MARCoNS test.
I was tested for Lyme disease using the Western blot test. My results was negative. (But I have heard that testing for Lyme is fraught with issues.)
[Addition: I was also tested for Lyme disease C6 Peptide by ELISA and Lyme disease IgG/IgM by Elisa. All were negative.]
I wonder if LPS can create a type of CIRS. According to microbiologist Kiran Krishnan, LPS from gut bacteria is probably the biggest daily toxic exposure for people with an unhealthy gut. (I still need to share my notes from a webinar during which he provided a ton of information about LPS. I'm waiting for the transcript to come out, so I can confirm many of the details in my notes.)
Maybe I'm in denial. Every time I look at the costs (including travel) for thorough CIRS testing, I cringe.
ApoE 4/4 - When I was in 7th grade, my fellow students in history class called me "The Brain" because I had such a memory for detail. I excelled at memorization and aced tests. This childhood memory helps me cope!
. I understand the test can be pricey. Because it was ordered by my physician, insurance covered it for me. You can also ask for the price beforehand and try to negotiate a self-pay reduction. While mold is less likely to a problem in New Mexico, it can still occur anywhere water or dampness is trapped and stagnant. Additionally, there are many tic species there, including, Lyme, BUT I wouldn't recommend blindly testing until you know whether or not you‘re genetically susceptible. To help you understand, here is an HLA-DR/DQ calculator. When you plug your numbers in, it reveals the likely cause of chronic inflammation.
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