Genetics

I wish I had paid more attention in High School. Biology has suddenly become so relevant. Here's a layperson's explanation of the genetics involved with mold exposure. A response to toxic mold has nothing to do with allergies. People aren't "allergic" to cyanide or yellow rain. All people will get sick when they are poisoned. Toxic mold is a poison. This is why a first step in dealing with toxic mold is leaving the environment followed by cleaning the environment. Aspergillus and penicillium can be cleaned. Stachybotrys is far more difficult to eradicate.
The question then becomes, "how well can my system clear itself of the poison"?
This is where genetics comes in. The person with the genetic pattern 4353 will have the most difficult time clearing the toxins. (There are other multisusceptible patterns as well). There are those with the 17252A pattern that will have a tough time clearing mold specifically. The good news is most people do not have these patterns. Upon removing themselves from a poisonous environment, they will improve. The bad news, for our family, is that we have the genetic make-up that will make this healing process very difficult. I have a double 4353. This means that each of my children received the 4353. Chris has at least one 17252A. Chris has not been tested. We know this because so many of the kids are showing up 4353 and 17252A. All of this answers the question that haunted me after we vacated our home in October. "Why aren't we getting better"?. There were some initial improvements but many symptoms remained 2 months later. At that point, I still had no doctor who knew and understood the connection between these symptoms and the mold exposure. It was difficult to maintain any semblance of sanity or hope. These test results help me look back with clarity and look ahead with hope.