Anyone hear of "sick camper" diagnoses?

[ZachO]

I appreciate the concern!

Yes, I'm dying. I figure I only have at most 50 years left. I plan to make the most of that time.

My sinuses are still a bit messed up, but I think compared to your average person, I'm not experiencing anything terrible. They're better, but not great. It may have been a mix of a lot of irritants, some new allergies, and a very cold, dry winter. They're a bit better now, and I'm out of that house and in a different town.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by Kai in Seattle

"Always wash your hands after you take them off."


Yes, of course you meant the disposable gloves, but as a stand-alone sentence, this was a hoot.


Thanks for a good chuckle!


BESt
Kai

You've got to' hand it' to Kai to find a chuckle in a rather bland subject ! Thanks ! David in Fresno and Sonora, CA

[julmar]

Great topic & conversation. Only things to add are neti pot for zach, wash with soap & water but scrub for 20 seconds (I think). Interesting comment about water storage. I fill plastic jug w spout & drink out of it for days. Additionally will add about 1/4 cup bleach to water tank when filling. I use Clorox wipes on surfaces & sink often since I omitted br sink in my escape.

[ZachO]

I have used a neti pot but it did very little. Looking around online also mentions that if you get regular nosebleeds, it will possibly make them worse.

[Lisa in Michigan]

I find the neti pot effective when I use it after after doing something that causes problem with my allergies to "wash" the allergens out of my nose. Like spreading compost or wood chips, or being outside alot when the cottonwood "fluff" is blowing around.

Also when you mentioned house sitting and sinus problems in the winter. Is it possible that there might be a whole house humidifier that has to be turned on for the winter that didn't get turned on (assuming forced air furance)? For us the humidifier doesn't get turned on until every one beside DH threatens mutiny. For some reason he does't seem to have as much of a problem with the drier air.

[ZachO]

There is not, though it may help.

But I've lived my entire life without a whole house humidifier, and 90% of my life without even a room humidifier, so I figure whatever's going on with my sinuses isn't a matter of anything like that. This is a pretty new thing.

[Jennifer in Denver]

My mom contracted it on an airplane. I'd be more worried about that than a camper.

Jennifer in Denver

[floyd]

This is the only thread and the only source to which I have been exposed on this subject.
The problem must not exist.

Decent house keeping and personal hygiene along with moderate food handling common sense should do it.
The sickest folks I have met have been a little paranoid or OCD about exposure to the Earth on which they live.
If dust mites scare you... Dust Bunnies must give you nightmares ??!!

On your next trip to the forest, you better stay inside your camper with the door closed (or at least the screen).
Outside there are mosquitoes, wasps, ticks, fire ants,
lions and tigers and bears Oh My!
Don't forget thistles, poison ivy,poison oak and oh yeah... hook worms in the soil.

I wanted to put the Mr. Hankey song from SouthPark here but I didn't have my virtual rubber gloves handy!

[ZachO]

I agree that it must not be an issue.

With the complaints of mold and mildew in walls, ceilings and floors, along with the fact that our eating, sleeping and bathroom facilities are all in such close proximity, I wondered if there were any issues.

Not to say that fiberglassrv.com is necessarily representative of the world, but it seems like we'd know if it were even a somewhat rare but actual threat. I mean it must be an actual threat on some level, but obviously it just doesn't seem to happen.

[Kai in Seattle]

I think some of us have experienced some level of it...but have simply dealt with it.


Back before we gutted Peanut, we realized it was moldy, rotty, stinky and dusty-- After I sat in it for an hour my face began to heat up, I began to cough, and I had to go in the house and shower off--even then, I coughed and snorked that whole night and another day and night. I could hardly even step inside Peanut's door until Paul got it completely gutted and had super-washed the whole interior twice. (some of the things pulled out shown below).


Then he painted the inside with Kilz and sealed the raw fiberglass. (He didn't paint the ceiling except in the Putin, where we took out the old vent and patched ceiling and roof.


By that time the sick-camper syndrome stuff was cleaned out and sealed off, so I could go in there again and my face quit burning and I quit coughing.


But we never considered it "sick camper syndrome" ("sick building syndrome" or something we couldn't deal with...we just dealt with it.


I think most of us do it that way--find the problem, clean it up, repair, replace, seal, and voila.


Sick camper cured.


BEST
Kai