More Than a Smell: When My Body Shut Down
For eight years, I lived in a home in wet, rainy Washington, unaware that the very foundation of my life was toxic. And I mean that literally, the mold was hidden deep in the foundation of my house. There was nothing to see, no visible signs on the walls in my home, no obvious smell until the last year. I had no reason to suspect my environment because there was nothing pointing to it that I could see until I got an ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index test) done due to the smell.
While I knew I had Lyme disease, a battle I've been fighting for 30 years, as well as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), I couldn't understand why my body was failing so completely again after I had been doing well. I struggled with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and severe constipation, as the mold toxins effectively paralyzed my digestive system. I had been on sinus medication for eight years just to breathe, never realizing my environment was the silent thief. It wasn't until I left the house for a week at a time that I realized the truth: away from home, I could breathe, and my body finally had a chance to fight back.
The Great Purge: Choosing My Life Over "Stuff"
In October 2024, I made the hardest decision of my life. I walked away. I put what I could into storage, but the reality was devastating: I had to throw away 75% of everything I owned.
The Heartbreak of the Dumpster
I stood there in tears as I watched years of family memories, irreplaceable photo albums, and cherished artwork go into the trash. My furniture, the pieces that made my house a "home" was contaminated. There is a specific kind of grief that comes with throwing away a photo because the very paper it's printed on is a threat to your health. I cried more than I can put into words, but I knew I had to choose: keep my memories and stay sick, or leave them behind and get my life back. You gotta get out of the mold to start to heal!
43 Airbnbs: The Search for Safe Air
Before finding my new home and town in Utah, 2025 was a year of new possibilities on the road. I lived in 43 different Airbnbs in a single year, traveling around, working, and trying to heal while searching for a place to live that wouldn't poison me. That is no easy task with rentals!
Living out of four yellow totes moving from Airbnb to another in my car while battling Lyme, SIBO, and mold toxicity is exhausting, but it taught me a vital lesson: Stuff is not as important as I thought, relationships and connections are a priority, experiences fill my cup, and my health is vital. It turned out to be an amazing adventure. Every move was a reminder that I was willing to do whatever it took to turn my health around once and for all.
Frederick (dog) and I are hiking near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on one of our road trip stops.
Finding the Right Experts: Joy Sparks and Toxic Mold Answers
I learned the hard way that not all "mold specialists" are created equal. To truly heal, I followed the specific protocol developed by Joy Sparks at Farmacy.com. Joy is a rare find in the medical world; she takes the fear out of the mold process and leads with deep compassion because she is going through her own mold journey.
For anyone struggling with this, there is an amazing group of free resources through her team's Facebook group called "Toxic Mold Answers - Functional Medicine Methodology."
Moving Into the New Home
Now in Utah, my weekends and evenings are spent in a meticulous, one-item-at-a-time cleaning process. I am bringing my belongings into my new home very slowly because it is physically and mentally wearing. More importantly, I refuse to cross-contaminate my clean-living situation. My new home is a sanctuary, and I am the gatekeeper.
-
The Sun as a Healer: I set items out in the sun to air out, utilizing natural UV rays to break down lingering spores.
-
Puraclenz Filtration: I’ve invested in Puraclenz air filtration to ensure the air inside remains pristine as I transition items in. I researched a lot of filters, and this one is superb. The reason I love this one is that it goes after mold spores in the air and on surfaces, gets that musty smell out of the room, mycotoxins, is safe for my dog, plants, and myself, and still gets bacteria in the air, dust, lint, pollen, and all the pet dander from my dog. I breathe better with it!
-
Totes of Memories: My photos are still in totes. Every time I open one, I still find myself throwing things away because it simply isn't worth bringing that "fear of mold" into my new home.
Healing My Doggie Too
I am also detoxing my dog at the same time. In our old home, he used to sneeze constantly, have ear infections all the time, and struggle with constipation. Today, for the first time in years, he doesn't have ear infections, and his digestion is back to normal. He is 11 years old, but I am constantly told he acts much younger. I attribute his vitality to the fact that he has joined me in the hyperbaric chamber throughout his life. Now, he goes in with me one to three times a week to help his body flush mold toxins and keep his energy up. He is my family, and I gotta keep him thriving!
The Science of Survival: How Hyperbarics Actually Works
When my functional medicine expert, Joy Sparks, saw my labs, she was stunned. With the levels of mold and parasites in my system, I should have been bed bound with a leaky gut. Here is why the hyperbaric chamber kept me standing:
1. Gut Repair and SIBO Combat
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) saturates the body with oxygen, which is a natural enemy to the anaerobic bacteria found in SIBO. It helps restore gut motility (helping with my severe constipation) and stimulates the growth of new cells to seal the gut lining, which prevented the "leaky gut" most mold patients suffer from.
2. Neuro-inflammation and Brain Detox
Mold toxins are famous for crossing the blood-brain barrier and causing "brain fog" and anger. HBOT reduces neuro-inflammation by forcing oxygen into the cerebrospinal fluid, effectively helping the brain "flush" toxins out of the system more efficiently.
3. Mitochondrial Support
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is essentially a "power failure" in your cells. Oxygen is the fuel your mitochondria need to produce energy (ATP). By living in my chamber for nine years, I was constantly "recharging my batteries" even while the mold was trying to drain them.
The Timeline of Transformation: Since October 2024
Since getting out of the mold and being consistent with my recovery, the changes have been nothing short of miraculous. Here are the symptoms that have finally cleared or significantly improved:
-
No More Sinus Meds: After 8 years of chronic sinus infections and daily medication, I am finally off those meds and breathing clear.
-
Goodbye IC: My Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is gone. I don't have to get up to pee five times per night and all day long.
-
Digestive Relief: My stomach doesn't hurt nearly as bad, and my chronic constipation is improving. I hope to add more foods back slowly.
-
Mental Clarity: My eyes don't burn anymore, the "anger" that comes with toxic mold has subsided, and my focus is returning.
-
Energy and Mood: I feel genuinely happier and have more energy to live my life.
"I Can't Believe You're Still Standing"
When I finally got my lab results back, Joy Sparks was stunned. Looking at the levels of mold and parasites in my system, she said, "I can’t believe you’re still standing. It makes zero sense that you have energy still and that you don't have a leaky gut."
I told her: "It’s that, and the fact that I've been living in a hyperbaric chamber for nine years."
The Science of Survival: How Hyperbarics Supported My Journey
After 30 years of living with Lyme, I know health is a journey of ups and downs. The hyperbaric chamber isn't a "cure-all," but it has been my best support tool. It was my lifeline through COVID-19 three separate times. While others with my "madness" of diagnoses would be bed bound, I am still:
-
Hiking, boating, and traveling.
-
Yoga every week and gardening.
-
Walking my dog and running my business.
HBOT provides the cellular support that allows me to do these things by flooding my body with oxygen. (Note: I am not saying stay in a moldy environment!) Here are the types of portable hyperbaric chambers I use for this deep cellular repair.
The Path Forward: My 6-Step Recovery Protocol
-
MY RECOVERY TOOLS:
-
Hyperbaric Chamber (3–6 days a week)
-
Infrared Sauna (1–2 days a week) Moving slowly until my minerals are restored.
-
-
Binders: Using Activated Charcoal and others to escort toxins out.
-
Mineral Replenishment: Rebuilding what mold and stress stripped away.
-
Anti-Inflammatory Diet: No sugar, alcohol, or flour. Strictly high-quality protein, select fruits, and vegetables to starve the SIBO and parasites.
-
Pure Air & Movement: Puraclenz filters for my home, and being outside, with small amounts of regular exercise.
-
Antimicrobials: Targeting the parasites that took advantage of my weakened immune system.
Real Resilience
I refuse to let a 30-year roller coaster stop me. Hyperbarics is the reason I can still do the things I love. If you want to stay functional through the "downs," see how hyperbaric oxygen can change your quality of life.
Reach out to me today at HealingtheHyperbaricway.com or schedule a time to chat with me here.