Personal Story: Megan R

The aha moment when your doctor says, “Mould is part of the problem."

We suspected, but hearing it from a trusted GP was what we needed to prompt us to act upon it. In our case the action was significant; mould remediation is not for the faint hearted.

At this point our son’s ME/CFS was on the severe end. He was about five years into having symptoms and had been housebound for 3 years. His healthy life stopped before he turned 11.

As part of our plan to support our son through this we needed to create a clean and healthy environment. Purchasing a quality air filter was high on the list. We ended up choosing an Australian made certified medical-grade HEPA filter, that removes 99.97% @ 0.3 microns - tested down to 0.003 microns at 100% efficiency. The website says it is excellent for removing dust, allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pollution from main roads, smoke and both mould spores and mycotoxins.

We moved our son into our lounge room, at the other end of the home to where the mould damage was. The air filter ran 24/7. Such an upheaval is never ideal with ME/CFS, but there were soon clear improvements in his health. For example, his POTS symptoms settled considerably, to the point he no longer needed to be medicated for it and was able to venture out for short walks.

Another area that continues to show improvement over time is his sensitivities to light and noise.

The air in the lounge room, after he’s had it closed for sleeping, is noticeably different. Sounds funny, but it smells clean. I always feel very calm in this room.

Mould was clearly a factor, but ME/CFS isn't so simple. Over time theimprovements have lessened. We're still very glad that we have the filter and that all the family benefit from the cleaner air quality.