Allergies, cold season - or mold?

[imperialismispasse]

As I saw someone else say in another post my allergies are bad this year. And theyre early too. And theyre more respiratory based than they normally are.

Stay with me on this. Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath spawned some killer molds. People are having to rip the sheetrock right out of their houses or bull doze their houses because they are unsavable. Also people in Texas started suffering from mold related respiratory problems after Rita swept the air across their area. Mold spores can travel on the wind for hundreds of miles.

Now Im all the way up in Philly but Im still wondering - is it possible for mold to travel this far and am I possibly feeling the affects of mold from New Orleans? This is probably a really stupid question but I just hear the complains about allergies so much more and earlier this year. What do you think?

[DS1]

1. It's really bad where I am, too

I show up at work and am instantly blowing snot everywhere

[Rising Phoenix]

2. mold can def. travel that far

and I'm sure its part of the reason we are all suffering so...

[pitohui]

3. no, for cryin out loud, CHILL on the mold

look i have terrible terrible allergies (dust mites) but i just cleaned up some of that mold yesterday & i am fine, no problems, whatsoever, and i'm right effing here on the spot!

if you think you are allergic to mold, get tested, but don't let this play on yr mind, only a minority of ppl have mold allergy, despite my v. severe reaction to other allergens i am an example of one who has no issue w. mold whatsoever

if you ARE allergic to mold, it's mold in your own house or office

not mold from the gulf coast

it's ragweed season, i've seen it in bloom around here, now i'm not a ragweed reactor, but many ppl are, again, test to see what YOUR allergies are, don't speculate, find out, i don't know how far north ragweed grows but i strongly suspect it does reach the usa northeast

untreated allergy can progress to asthma and heart disease, don't sit there winding yrself up, find out if you have an issue & if you don't, relax

i'm betting you do not have a mold allergy

[Jamastiene]

4. I'm in NC and sick as a dog. I had to leave comm. college 3 hours early

yesterday because of being sick. What is odd about that is that I haven't ever missed a class before in 2 years. I'm still not up to par today. I got tons of school work to do, but I have to make a choice. Get foggy headed with antihistamines and hang out on DU (of course, I'd prefer this one) or get off my but ache and hurt and do that grudge work (ahem, I mean comparison contrast essay paper) for English class. I can't think clear enough to do that.

THis is the worst I have ever felt. It's like a stomach flu and a severe cold all at the same time. First a cold sore popped up on my lip. Next, my stomach started turning flips. Next, my nose started stopping up bad enough I had to breathe through my mouth (embarrassing to admit too). Next thing you know I was so nauseated I couldn't stop gagging. It's like a severe sinus infection. Now, I have muscle pains and a headache that beats all the other headaches I have ever had. This is NOT normal.

In answer to your question, yes, I think mold spores can and do travel far far away. Even if they aren't free floating in the wind, they can get on people's shoes and then get knocked around if the person goes from one area of the country to the other and happens to run to catch a cab or train or whatever. That's all it takes. Mold is something we need to seriously fight. It's dangerous.