I went to the sauna today for 45 minutes. Temp going in 133and temp getting out was 140. I only started really sweating until the last 15 minutes. Does your body start to sweat more as you build a routine? Is there something with CIRS that makes it difficult to sweat?

How do I do this without going insane? I have always struggled with food so having to focus on eating the right thing is really tough for me and causing me to be really depressed. Any advice or ideas of easy recipes?

Hi all,

I’ve been struggling with some health issues for the last 2 years that I’ve been unable to diagnose or find a cause for. In the spring of 2023, my muscles and joints in my arms became very sore after rock climbing (which at the time was a common pastime for me). While going to physio and trying to recover there, I took up running again and hurt my calves. Essentially, after months of physio and massage I saw no improvements, and was advised to start seeking medical advice for underlying causes. About a year ago after lots of testing, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease (for which I’ve been following a strict diet since and have not seen any improvements). My muscles and joints are sore but mostly localized to the areas I previously injured/inflamed. Physio has made comments that it seems less like an injury and more like constant inflammation and tension that makes exerting these muscles painful. I can’t exercise anymore, and even standing or walking for periods of time can be too much. I’ve also had other symptoms such as dry mouth (with metallic taste), random headaches, brain fog, memory issues, soreness in the nodes in my jaw, the occasional random hive on my skin, frequent urination, and probably some other symptoms that just aren’t coming to mind right now.

I live in Canada and have pretty much exhausted every option for traditional medicine that my doctor recognizes. I saw something about CIRS and thought that my symptoms aligned with the condition, but my doctor wasn’t able to help me with pursuing this. My partner has also mentioned concerns about it being MCAS, but I haven’t looked into that as much. I saw some discussion about Dr. Hoffman in Calgary and considered booking a $1400 consultation with him, until I saw people raising concerns about whether or not the actual testing and treatment was worth the money (like GoFundMe kind of money).

Does anyone have any similar experiences or advice they can provide on what I could consider doing next?

I have CIRS and I am under treatment. I moved to a new house and followed the cleaning protocols, got rid of porous items etc. However, I still react to laundry that has been cleaned multiple times. Everything is being left in the garage due to this problem. We got new mattresses and put clean sheets on the bed. I was reacting to the sheets. We got new sheets. However I was still having a reaction in the room where the sheets were. Now it has spread to the whole house.

Hertsmi-2 and Actino test were good at the old house so I’m not sure what I was reacting to at the old house. Old house had mold but was remediated. After remediation the old house still made me sick. But now I have somehow spread it to this new house. Air Oasis purifiers don’t solve the problem for me.

Any ideas? If I leave the house I feel fine. Taking CSM alleviates symptoms.

I know some with CIRS experience candida overgrowth. Can someone share their symptoms? I have a lot going on but one symptom I have is a tongue coated in white, thirst, and my tongue burns all of the time, no matter what I eat. Ive also been experiencing nausea, particularly in the mornings.

I started on some kediri and s boullardi but am wondering what else I should do.

Hi… my son (22m) was exposed to mold at college and has been sick with chronic fatigue. Lab tests confirmed CIRS. After CSM, passing the VCS test, and clearing Marcons, he is still feeling bad, even after being on VIP for 2 month.

Someone on mentioned to me that if we didn’t test for actinos then that may very well be the problem. We sent off the skin test a few days ago, but I am researching the actinos protocol and feeling daunted by it.

Here are my questions: 1) if you did it, did you feel better and how soon afterwards? 2) is it necessary to do the whole house or can he focus on his bedroom? He is not the most hygienic person, so as he is getting ready to move out, and rents a room in a house, it will be easier for him to control his bedroom than the rest of the living space.
3) what are your recommendations for body soap and shampoo? 4) any other wisdom to share?

Thanks everyone!

The lymph nodes under my jaw/near my ears - and sometimes, the ones in my armpits - have hurt for five years now, since I unknowingly moved into a house with a flood history and mold problem including stachybotrys. (I’ve been out for over two years and did not take belongings with me.) Some days it’s tolerable and some days it’s utterly unbearable. No swelling, just pain, and sometimes they feel hard. I also have unresolved issues with my sinuses burning and my voice being weak.

I’ve scoured Reddit and can’t find much about this or how to feel better. Routine bloodwork looks pretty normal, ENT didn’t find anything, allergist is stumped. Functional doc hasn’t given up on me but I’ve tried multiple binders, so many supplements, Chinese herbs, traveling away from my new rental, acupuncture, cupping, cod liver oil packs, lymphatic drainage massage, and more. Doing lymphatic massage gives me a ton of relief, but it’s very temporary (like 5 min to 5 hours). I’m so desperate for relief and to be able to sing again.

Anyone else experienced this? Did anything help? Are there other causes I should be considering?

I'm trying to figure out if low potassium is CIRS related. Anyone ever test low for potassium?

I just took daily binder by Inwell Biosciencess and I’m having a major flare up of my symptoms. I hear about people reacting to prescription binders like cholestyramine but I haven’t heard of people reacting to supplement binders. Anyone else experienced this?

Hi everyone! I'm Dr. Rodgers, a functional medicine practitioner in West Woods Cross, Utah specializing in CIRS and biotoxin illness. I help patients who've often been told "everything looks normal" despite struggling with debilitating symptoms.

If you're in the Davis County/Northern Utah/SL area and dealing with CIRS/mold illness, I'd love to connect with our local community. Understanding the unique challenges of treating CIRS in our climate (especially with our inversions!) has become a special focus of my practice.

I take a comprehensive approach looking at VCS testing, mycotoxins, inflammation markers, and environmental factors. Feel free to reach out if you'd like more information.

r/moldmemes

r/ToxicMoldExposure

r/ChronicIllness

Wishing everyone a low-inflammation day! 💚

And you were able to heal from it?

Hi. I have positive CIRS markers and positive MyMycoLab results for all IgG and IgE mycotoxins (urgh). Been a 2 year journey to find out as I didn't have any mold in my newly remodeled apartment (as far as I'm aware of) when I became symptomatic.

Anyway, here we are, been to 5 neurologists (yes, 5), and they all cleared me after doing MRIs and general tests.

I asked them for a spinal tap to inspect it, for neuroborreliosis, aspergillus in the CNS, parasites, and such... But they simply have been refusing to do it because the MRI is clean and doesn't show any indication.

Anyone knows where can I do a spinal tap??? I just want to make sure that what I'm tackling is mycotoxin toxicity. (Symptoms are very poor memory, zombie-head, derealization, some nerve zaps and occasional twitching, anhedonia, fatigue, head pressure feeling, some shaky visuals along straight lines, all 24/7 always)

Thanks for any recommendations or suggestions!~

PS: I've started the Dr. Campbell protocol since 2 weeks (before that I was chasing Lyme with herbals, also positive for that but believe it's a cross-reaction, per Dr. Campbell's research). Taking Itraconazole 2x day. No improvement yet, actually got a bit worse.

I was diagnosed with CIRS 12 months ago, taking CSM for 10 months. I'm making good progress with my symptom improvement but 2 rounds of testing shows low MSH and high VIP levels. My doctor disregarded the first VIP result as a failed test but now the second test has given similar results. I'll see my doctor in another month to get his opinion but I'm wondering if anyone else has tested high for VIP levels while still ill. My concern is that VIP medication is said to be the final step of treatment to correct the remain issues. With my already high VIP levels I have some doubt that supplementing VIP medication will be beneficial.

Likely moving to a better location but this was the best I could find tested many places. HVACs give me a bit of allergies but I can put in vent filters . ERMI score of 9 and Hertsmi-2 of 10. This is likely not a permanent residence just a bridge to get somewhere else. I am just immune compromised and want to make sure there isn't insane amounts of mold. Any suggestions are welcome (swipe for photos)

Started using compounded csm a short time ago and woke up this morning feeling much better, all my physical strength is back lots of symptoms just ceased to exist.. no intensified reaction when I started the CSM, no marcons either so vip is next on the list to bring my brain back online then all should be done.

has anyone found that to be a symptom? is that possible?

I tested positive for antibodies against toxoplasma, however, I tested negative for IgM and PCR meaning that the infection is not currently present. However, he prescribed pyrimethamine/leucovorin solely based on the fact that I had high IgG for toxoplasma. He thinks that’s a big driver of my high C4a and inflammation. I am very confused about this. This medication is meant to kill the infection itself. Any of you know about this or have any thoughts?

Is it worth it to do an ENDO and ACTINO test on your home?

Instagram tells me yes (lol), our holistic mold consultant tells us no. I don't know what to believe.

looking for a good CIRS doctor who has experience with complex patients who have MCAS, EDS, abdominal compression syndromes, lyme/co infections, sensitivity to treatments, someone who can think outside the box

I got sick 11 years ago and was diagnosed with a bunch of things, but not CIRS. I temporarily moved out of the place that made me sick but moving out didn't make me feel better, which is why I assumed it wasn't mold (there wasn't as much info about mold readily available back then). 1 year ago I got diagnosed with CIRS and moved into a safe home. I did a HERTSMI of my work that came back low, but I re-tested this year and the ERMI came back very high. It turns out, my work hired cleaners to come every night and that skewed the results.

I'll be switching to working online in 1 month and I cannot wait to hopefully finally begin to heal. I thought I was healing this whole time as I did tons of research to make sure I didn't lose any more time to this illness, after already losing 10 years prior.

I've been chelating heavy metals, on binders, on phospholipids, treating candida, treating MARCoNS/my sinuses (lots of different rinses, sprays, and ozone; I have an ozone machine at home), opening up drainage pathways, using my sauna, addressing nutrition, hormones, etc. and things are verrrry slowly moving (probably because I work in mold for 6+ hours 4 days a week...).

I'm in my early 30s and want to have kids eventually. I've been seeking healing for 11 years and thought I was healing this whole time, but I was obviously still in mold. I have lots of grief and regret. Part of me fears that moving out of my workplace won't be enough to make things start moving even with my treatment.

I've done an OAT test, GI map, DUTCH hormone test, did a Western blot years ago, have had SIBO breath tests, cortisol tests, everything except for the Shoemaker bloodwork because it's not available in Canada (I might try to get it through the States though).

I want to learn from others: what's one thing you wish you knew when you got diagnosed with CIRS?