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It's Mold Illness, Stupid!
James Carville gets credit for coining the slogan "it's the economy, stupid" for Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign.
Well, for me, it turns out it isn't Long COVID, it is Mold Illness, Stupid!
My journey began in November 2021 when I had my first and last Moderna Booster. Within 2 weeks I couldn't exercise, think, and my fatigue was severe. Thus began my chasing of the Long COVID rabbit.
Figuratively speaking, saw every Doctor in the Charleston, SC area, visited Mayo Rochester, and had every test in the book, and of course all results showed I was a healthy 65 year old.
Never one to give up, I turned heavily to Dr. Google and Dr. YouTube late in 2024. I found Dr. Patterson and went through his regimen starting early 2025. Made some initial progress, but when Dr. Patterson saw that my test results (his proprietary blood test was the first in nearly 4 years showing that I had something wrong with me, yay! Seriously I was happy someone finally found something wrong) and my progress had stalled, he said "hmm, we should test you for Lyme and Mold Illness". Tested negative for Lyme and positive for Mold. Dr. Patterson hypothesizes that the vaccine reduced my immunity and allowed a lifetime of exposure to mold to do its dirty work and cause Mycotoxins to affect me. My body is full of Mycotoxins. Seems many of the symptoms of Lyme, Mold, and Long COVID cross over adding confusion for medical professionals. For me, Mycotoxins are causing my PEM, Brain Fog, Fatigue, and even an itchy scaly scalp that had my Dermatologist running in circles.
I am both grateful and angry. Grateful because Dr. Patterson found the murder weapon, but angry wondering why none of the dozens of medical professionals across nearly 4 years thought to test me for Mold.
I was waiting to write this post, because candidly I wasn't completely convinced I wasn't chasing yet another false hope. But, I am 1 month into what is allegedly a 6 month treatment regimen and I now feel better. Not as good as pre November 2021, but with hope that in a few more months that I will.
I found a local Doctor who treats Mold Illness and have listened to every single YouTube video produced by Dr. Andrew Campbell and am following a hybrid regimen of Doctor Weir and Dr. Campbell.
I hope this post helps some and wish you all the best.
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@mkmadrigal: my doctor is kenneth bock in new york state, although i do believe he's getting close to retirement.
@arichards3 very interesting. I was on Cholestyramine for a few months and then Colesevelam for another few months, along with a bunch of supplements. There were periods of improvement but its been a roller coaster, as I always seem to bounce back in a bad way.
Symptoms include 24/7 cervicogenic headache, diffuse paresthesia (burning, tingling, numbness) primarily in the lower extremities and arms, fatigue, dizziness, and sleep disruption. Testing has confirmed EBV reactivation, depleted CD4 effector T-cell activity, and significant mycotoxin burden, with CRP and ESR paradoxically normal throughout.
So while I've knocked down the mycotoxins significantly, it hasn't yet resulted in consistent lessening symptoms for me, so I'm wondering if you were experiencing the same sort of symptoms as I am.
Cheers!
@mikesixtysix my symptoms were the ‘classic’ more frequently mentioned LC symptoms. PEM, Brain Fog, fatigue, etc. Dr Patterson was the first Doctor to test me for Mold Illness. Suggest you watch a Dr Andrew Campbell YouTube and see if it resonates with you. He does mention a myriad of crossover symptoms which is part of the reason mold goes undiagnosed. Best wishes to your recovery.