Well, it was food left out of refrigeration as well. I’ve never really thought of ramen as cooked food—it was heated in the microwave for the required time, though, so I suppose you’re right.
Humidity has been around 80-90% recently, and the temperature that day was probably no higher than 30. The amount of growth was small—just a few clusters less than a centimetre in diametre, but black and definitely fungus. I put it on the opposite side of the room where it wouldn’t be near me and let it grow a little longer and it was covered within a few days.
The building is made entirely of concrete. If you think of a stereotypical cold war era eastern european apartment building, you’ll get the idea, though ours has been prettied up (insulated, new windows put in, painted cheerfully) by the city. The walls in this room are hard to the touch, but in my bedroom, the wall is slightly spongy, but not visibly damaged in any way. The sponginess is uniform throughout and feels like I’m pressing against styrofoam instead of concrete. I assumed it was some sort of insulation.
I live on the fifth floor with cats and have no fly screens. There are shutters in the bedroom, so I leave the windows open and the shutters closed, so that air can get in, but cats can’t get out. The window in this room leads to a balcony, though, which the cats are scared of because they don’t like the noises from the street, so I can open the window in here as well if I keep an eye on them. They really like sitting on windowsills, though, so I’m careful about that. The cats aren’t allowed in the kitchen (enforced by a closed door), so I can leave windows open there. I can also air out different rooms alternately with closed doors.
This is what the fungus looks like that was on my clothes: http://pics.livejournal.com/pthalogreen/pic/0012sbbx I managed to wash it twice yesterday, which decreased the smell and made the spots go away. I want to wash it a few more times before deciding what to do, and I think washing will kill at least enough of the spores to make it safe for me to throw them out, if I deem them unsalvageable.
There is a doctor I know of who would see me for free that I could go to. I’ve lived here for almost three years, and I really like my landlady. Also, I’m planning to move in with my girlfriend in about a year. It can’t be sooner, because it will take a long time for my visa application to be processed. I am still at the satge where I have to run around and gather things for the application, but health problems makes it difficult. I want to improve my life as much as I can before I can move, but I’m reluctant to do drastic things ilke move out when I know I’ll be moving again so soon.
If your health deteriorates further then you will not be able to complete your planned move, much less do something drastic like move now.
If your environment has toxic fungus, you cannot live for a year there and expect to be in any condition to move, to apply for a visa, or perhaps to be out of the hospital. I am trying not to be alarmist, and would very much like the opinion of better informed readers on the relative danger/safety of your situation, but you need to examine how much you weigh the inconvenience of moving or doing something about the problem versus your health or existential risks.
I’ve moved four times in the last three years across three continents. I’ve been lucky enough to not be coping with migraines and to have enough cashflow to make it work. I only mention it to point out that it is eminently feasible.
Is there anyone you can stay with for say a week to see if your condition improves vis-a-vie the migraines?
Humidity has been around 80-90% recently, and the temperature that day was probably no higher than 30.
I don’t know whether you can afford it, but it may help to buy a dehumidifier to lower the humidity in & near your kitchen. That should make it harder for mould to grow successfully.
A new one costs £100-200 here (which Google’s currency converter says is about 30k-60k HUF), but they should last for 3-10 years, so the cost is amortized over quite a long time. The only maintenance they should need is being emptied daily (maybe twice a day in a very humid environment), which only takes a couple of minutes.
Edit: of course, before you buy one, it’s probably a good idea to borrow one from a friend or hire one so you can test it for a few weeks and see if there’s an improvement first.
Well, it was food left out of refrigeration as well. I’ve never really thought of ramen as cooked food—it was heated in the microwave for the required time, though, so I suppose you’re right.
Humidity has been around 80-90% recently, and the temperature that day was probably no higher than 30. The amount of growth was small—just a few clusters less than a centimetre in diametre, but black and definitely fungus. I put it on the opposite side of the room where it wouldn’t be near me and let it grow a little longer and it was covered within a few days.
The building is made entirely of concrete. If you think of a stereotypical cold war era eastern european apartment building, you’ll get the idea, though ours has been prettied up (insulated, new windows put in, painted cheerfully) by the city. The walls in this room are hard to the touch, but in my bedroom, the wall is slightly spongy, but not visibly damaged in any way. The sponginess is uniform throughout and feels like I’m pressing against styrofoam instead of concrete. I assumed it was some sort of insulation.
I live on the fifth floor with cats and have no fly screens. There are shutters in the bedroom, so I leave the windows open and the shutters closed, so that air can get in, but cats can’t get out. The window in this room leads to a balcony, though, which the cats are scared of because they don’t like the noises from the street, so I can open the window in here as well if I keep an eye on them. They really like sitting on windowsills, though, so I’m careful about that. The cats aren’t allowed in the kitchen (enforced by a closed door), so I can leave windows open there. I can also air out different rooms alternately with closed doors.
This is what the fungus looks like that was on my clothes: http://pics.livejournal.com/pthalogreen/pic/0012sbbx I managed to wash it twice yesterday, which decreased the smell and made the spots go away. I want to wash it a few more times before deciding what to do, and I think washing will kill at least enough of the spores to make it safe for me to throw them out, if I deem them unsalvageable.
There is a doctor I know of who would see me for free that I could go to. I’ve lived here for almost three years, and I really like my landlady. Also, I’m planning to move in with my girlfriend in about a year. It can’t be sooner, because it will take a long time for my visa application to be processed. I am still at the satge where I have to run around and gather things for the application, but health problems makes it difficult. I want to improve my life as much as I can before I can move, but I’m reluctant to do drastic things ilke move out when I know I’ll be moving again so soon.
If your health deteriorates further then you will not be able to complete your planned move, much less do something drastic like move now.
If your environment has toxic fungus, you cannot live for a year there and expect to be in any condition to move, to apply for a visa, or perhaps to be out of the hospital. I am trying not to be alarmist, and would very much like the opinion of better informed readers on the relative danger/safety of your situation, but you need to examine how much you weigh the inconvenience of moving or doing something about the problem versus your health or existential risks.
I’ve moved four times in the last three years across three continents. I’ve been lucky enough to not be coping with migraines and to have enough cashflow to make it work. I only mention it to point out that it is eminently feasible.
Is there anyone you can stay with for say a week to see if your condition improves vis-a-vie the migraines?
I don’t know whether you can afford it, but it may help to buy a dehumidifier to lower the humidity in & near your kitchen. That should make it harder for mould to grow successfully.
A new one costs £100-200 here (which Google’s currency converter says is about 30k-60k HUF), but they should last for 3-10 years, so the cost is amortized over quite a long time. The only maintenance they should need is being emptied daily (maybe twice a day in a very humid environment), which only takes a couple of minutes.
Edit: of course, before you buy one, it’s probably a good idea to borrow one from a friend or hire one so you can test it for a few weeks and see if there’s an improvement first.