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Post by toni on Oct 30, 2009 13:37:48 GMT -5
 I'm posting this for Sid. Here's what Sidney says: The culture kit was purchased at Lowe's. Manufactured by Pro- Lab and is a Mold Test Kit. I took the petri dish to my bathroom, closed the door, made sure the ceiling gadget where hot or cold air comes out was closed. Actually, I didn't even have the heat on at the time as we've had mild weather other than a cold snap earlier. I started the culture on October 23, 2009 in the evening. The specimens had been on double slides and I scraped the slides into the petri dish. The fresh ones were hairs I plucked from above my upper lip and pickings, and razor blade skin scrapings I did on the spot. The lid went on the Petri Dish and the Petri dish was placed in a Zip Lock bag and placed in a kitchen cabinet which has glass fronts. By Sunday I could see a tiny hint of color in what has become the darkest part, but by Monday even the facial hairs I had plucked and added on Friday were growing gray mold. I taped the lid on the Petri Dish making sure it couldn't be opened without removing the tape, and took it for show and tell when I saw my physician yesterday. My doctor was unable to identify any of the mold growing, but said he saw five different species of mold. What you see growing isn't environmental contaminants. This mold grew from my face. Now you can tear this apart as much as you want, and this definitely is NOT the end of the story. I'll be seeing a specialist as soon as my physician can speak with the specialist so that this can be repeated in a medical setting by a medical doctor. |
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Post by Administration on Oct 30, 2009 14:19:24 GMT -5
sticky
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Post by camv35s on Oct 30, 2009 14:30:38 GMT -5
Hi Toni and sydney after reading this post I rember a testamonial from the olive leaf extract book I had purchased and would like to share this with you and members. " I am pleased to say I have been using the natural herb extract known as olive leaf extract for approximately 60 days now.I have had a recurring chronic scalp infection that modern medical doctors and dermatologists have been unable to eradicate.It had flared up causing very painful eruptions and lesions in my scalp which,overtime,have killed quite a few hair follicles.I have suffered with this condition for the last ten plus years,and resolved myself to the fact that there was no help .I am satisfied that I am getting some meaningful results from olive leaf extract. My scalp remains a little tender, but the eruptions have all but ceased.I am continuing to use the product about twice a day, and the skin color is much healthier than it has been in recent history . The results I have gotten from olive leaf extract have been significant because,no matter what drug therapy my doctors have prescribed in the past, none has provided me with this level of relief I am currently experiancing. I plan to continue my use of olive leaf extract, and will gladly recommend it to others suffering chronic skin ailments" Steven R., California
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Post by Sidney on Oct 30, 2009 15:14:52 GMT -5
Several thank you's in order here.
First thank you to Toni-Sue for her incredible graphic art work of our dog, Abby. Maybe one day I will take the time to learn to do some of the wonderful and fun work we can do with computers. I love it toni-Sue and many thanks.
Second thank you to Ant for for re-sizing Abby's image.
Third thank you once again to Toni-Sue for posting my mold images and text.
Fourth thank you and certainly no less important, to Administration for stickying my mold images and text. I was totally stunned, and am very appreciative.
Fifth thank you to each person who visits this wonderful message board. If you only visit and read at least we know you've been here and hopefully you leave having learned something.
Sixth thank you to all who come here and share your life, your time, the information you have to offer, and to comfort the uncomfortable.
Blessings and love to each of you.
Happy Halloween!
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Post by jeany on Oct 30, 2009 20:12:02 GMT -5
Happy Halloween, Everyone!  |
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Post by kammy on Oct 30, 2009 22:48:18 GMT -5
I'm posting this for Sid. Here's what Sidney says: The culture kit was purchased at Lowe's. Manufactured by Pro- Lab and is a Mold Test Kit. I took the petri dish to my bathroom, closed the door, made sure the ceiling gadget where hot or cold air comes out was closed. Actually, I didn't even have the heat on at the time as we've had mild weather other than a cold snap earlier. I started the culture on October 23, 2009 in the evening. The specimens had been on double slides and I scraped the slides into the petri dish. The fresh ones were hairs I plucked from above my upper lip and pickings, and razor blade skin scrapings I did on the spot. The lid went on the Petri Dish and the Petri dish was placed in a Zip Lock bag and placed in a kitchen cabinet which has glass fronts. By Sunday I could see a tiny hint of color in what has become the darkest part, but by Monday even the facial hairs I had plucked and added on Friday were growing gray mold. I taped the lid on the Petri Dish making sure it couldn't be opened without removing the tape, and took it for show and tell when I saw my physician yesterday. My doctor was unable to identify any of the mold growing, but said he saw five different species of mold. What you see growing isn't environmental contaminants. This mold grew from my face. Now you can tear this apart as much as you want, and this definitely is NOT the end of the story. I'll be seeing a specialist as soon as my physician can speak with the specialist so that this can be repeated in a medical setting by a medical doctor. Hi Sidney, These look typical of the typical Morgellons Petri Dishes... !!  Most of these look familiar to me. Let us know what you find out? |
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Post by Sidney on Oct 30, 2009 23:42:47 GMT -5
Thanks, Kammy. If you have grown mold in petri dishes could you consider posting them in this thread? I would so like to get lots of mold images in one spot along with mold information, specimen images, etc.
Seems to me we have tons of information here at LB, but it's very scattered.
No appointment yet, but hope to hear something from my M.D. very soon, then on to the nex appointment with a physician who should be able to be very helpful. Just hope it doesn't take months to get in to see her. Supposedly a very "cerebral" female M.D., able to think outside the box who has lots of scientific curiosity and loves a challenge. (We qualify!)
My daughter in law came this evening and took more photos of the petri dish and mold and they are much better and show true color, so hope I can twist Toni-Sue's arm and get her to post them tomorrow.
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Post by kammy on Oct 31, 2009 0:48:49 GMT -5
I wish you had access to a microscope with camera and could take some photos for us, Sidney? I don't have too many of my dishes photographed in this real-time form, just microscopic photos... I threw most of them away recently, too... they were getting to be quite nasty and smelly... I have a couple I'm working on right now, though... I'll get those digitally photographed soon and post them.
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Post by toni on Oct 31, 2009 8:35:06 GMT -5
Sid,
You're so welcome (anytime). I'm so glad you've done this experiment and grown these molds. My goodness this is great, and that you're going to the other doc to examine them.
Thank YOU Sid!
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Post by ruth on Oct 31, 2009 11:00:17 GMT -5
sid,
i need to get the petri dish. i get it at lowes, too?
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Post by Sidney on Oct 31, 2009 11:32:02 GMT -5
Ruth, I have been able to buy two Pro-Lab mold test kits at Lowe's. I'm going to have to drive to a nearby town to find more, as the Lowe's near us has no more Pro-Lab kits.
The kit contains a Petri Dish, a bottle of liquid to pour into the dish and allow it to set up which takes about an hour. There's also an oversized Q-Tip, but you don't need that.
Just pour the bottle of medium into the Petri dish, put the lid back on the Petri Dish and allow it to set up for an hour or so.
Please do it. I am so blown away by this stuff you can't even imagine it.
If you want to call me or have me call you (I have unlimited long distance) just p.m. me.
I want to cry and scream every single time I look at the mold growing in that dish.
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Post by Sidney on Oct 31, 2009 11:33:40 GMT -5
Here's something worth reading that will sound familiar to many. www.moldacrossamerica.org/oblivion.htm OBLIVION Hard to believe I was so oblivious to all these things I have just found out we have been mold victims for the past 10 years! We never imagined the Pandora’s Box that we had opened in our home until a friend mentioned this past February that you have to be careful with mold. We didn’t think much of it at first, just knew it was a mess that had to be dealt with. I looked up black mold on Google.com and was shocked at what I found!! I spent the next several days reading all the information I could find on the toxicity of mold and it scared the hell out of me!! Hard to believe I was so oblivious to all these things. I am relieved to have some answers after such a long, long time, but now we face the hardest part, acceptance of all this, finding solutions and moving forward. My story is a long one as it spans a decade of our lives through 2 homes. There's much more, a long read, but an incredible story of ten years of suffering. |
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Post by ruth on Oct 31, 2009 16:55:51 GMT -5
sid, i'll go to lowes and see if they have it.
i'll call around if they don't to see where i can
buy the culture kit.
the hair i burned (it actually just melted together)
is growing mass amounts of the clear slime......
with the clear mycelia.
i put red koolaid to stain it so i could take pics
as it is invisible otherwise. sometimes it takes
a couple days for the water to clear and the
mycelia should show enough to take pics.
it shows the spores with the dye.......otherwise
it is invisible.
OMG, i am freaked out to see it. it is what we all have
that we cannot see with our eyes.
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Post by bannanny on Oct 31, 2009 17:04:00 GMT -5
Great experiment Sid... I'll have to get one too. I'm emitting so much right now... and it's just adding to one already bad off environment. Totally surrounded by this sh*t and ready to take a long hike.
I figure mold/fungus has to be a major part of this mess. Nice to see some proof!
Keep up the good work kid...
love ya ~~ bannanny
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Post by Sidney on Oct 31, 2009 18:00:51 GMT -5
sid, i'll go to lowes and see if they have it. i'll call around if they don't to see where i can buy the culture kit. the hair i burned (it actually just melted together) is growing mass amounts of the clear slime...... with the clear mycelia. i put red koolaid to stain it so i could take pics as it is invisible otherwise. sometimes it takes a couple days for the water to clear and the mycelia should show enough to take pics. it shows the spores with the dye.......otherwise it is invisible. OMG, i am freaked out to see it. it is what we all have that we cannot see with our eyes. I have been so freaked for eighteen years because of this horror, that one would think NOTHING could or would surprise me, scare me, or disgust me, but this MOLD business has almost made me ill. I look at the Petri Dish and am sickened. Then I think oh my God, how invasive is it and is this the reason I have so many allergy problems, have been hospitalized with pneumonia a couple of times, and fight bronchial infections so often? Sure, I smoke, and I can blame it on the Evil Nicotine, but my last bout of bronchitis required four prescriptions of abx and totally ruined my entire summer. I still have little energy and that creates depression because if I wonder if my time on earth is about to end. Nuts. Trying not to borrow trouble, but to see this chit actually growing daily and know the specimens that caused the growth were taken from my face......well, just do it for Pete's sake and if there's any chance you can't find the Mold Kit, we'll find a way to order one from the manufacturer. I have not tried the burning of hair experiment, but I do frequently run a cigarette lighter up and down my neck hoping anything lurking there is cremated. Let me know if you were able to pick up the kit. We spent three hours today driving around trying to find them and paid $10.99, so the first two I got at Lowe's were a real bargain at $4.97 or whatever it was. Lowe's may have been closing them out. |
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Post by Sidney on Oct 31, 2009 18:05:45 GMT -5
Great experiment Sid... I'll have to get one too. I'm emitting so much right now... and it's just adding to one already bad off environment. Totally surrounded by this sh*t and ready to take a long hike. I figure mold/fungus has to be a major part of this mess. Nice to see some proof! Keep up the good work kid... love ya ~~ bannanny I just want bunches of people to do this mold kit experiment too, and please understand that I had the kit several days before putting scrapings, pickings and my facial hair into it. All the while I thought oh my gosh, what if it grows Mold? A minute later I would think how sad I was going to feel if it didn't grow anything! My sister was visiting us for a few days and on Monday when I looked at it and saw what was happening I was literally jumping up and down and screaming with excitement. Again, the down side of this is realizing it came from my face.....and you will probably feel the same way regardless of what part of your body you took the specimens from because it is just plain yucky to see! Just do it! |
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Post by lydski on Oct 31, 2009 19:07:48 GMT -5
Hey Sid!
thx for sharing this. I'm glad to know the first kit was only $4.97 and I can probably get one for less than $10.00. I really need to. And guess what?? I can get my hairs and scrapings from the same place you did. I just can't get over what comes out of my face. It's just plain gross. I mean what the hell is this chit??? Enough is enough, RIGHT!!!
Last Saturday night we went to our niece's wedding reception. There must have been three to four hundred people there and I just sat and looked around thinking I wonder if anyone here has morgellons. Of course no one knew I have it cause you can't really tell by looking at me. (although I sure can) I got really depressed. I was feeling sorry for myself ( I guess ) I felt so old and not fitting in. I couldn't relax and have a good time. I really miss the days where I looked forward to attending something like this and having a few....laughing.....dancing....just having FUN! But when you can get MOLD to grow from your facial pickings it's just hard to get over it and pretend you're just like everyone else.
I'll shod-up now.
Lydia
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Post by Sidney on Oct 31, 2009 21:15:56 GMT -5
Lydski, trust me, I know how you felt at the wedding. Until this chit hit me I could attend most anything and have a good time. The first three years I hid as much as possible, refusing to join in much of anything, even family functions, and if the doorbell rang I ignored it because I was so horrified about my appearance. The worst thing was the more I hid the more I wanted to hide and it became easier and easier to invent excuses. I suppose most family and friends knew the truth, but no amount of urging could convince me "it's barely noticeable." Vanity....not good, but so painful, so hideous, and then the critters....I don't know how I continued to live, but I did. (and some didn't) Stubborn, I suppose. In a pinch I believe it will be possible to order the culture kits from Pro-Labs, so please keep that in mind. I think I'll start another culture Sunday and hope to be able to take photos often to chart the progress. One more thing about the culture kits. A friend in Alabama says in her town they have a store that sells scientific supplies to schools and she's getting her Petri Dishes there. I believe they will already contain a growing medium. Since Tulsa is a fairly large city with two large universities as well as a community college, it's possible we have a source locally. Need to check it out next week. I noticed there are several toxic mold forums on the web. www.keratin.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6978Mold and Fungus forum Mold and fungal exposure I posted over in the diagnosis section but thought I might extend my experience to this section. My entire family began suffering from hair loss about 4 years ago. Through many trials, we discovered that our problem was related to mold/fungal exposure. We had a blood panels which tested for mold antibodies and our results revealed high positve antibodies for several toxic molds. We do not know where we were exposed because our home was tested by an environmental firm and no toxic levels of mold were detected. Through a mold free diet and anti fungal medication we have stopped losing hair. The regrowth has been slow but we are hopeful. We use an anti fungal spray in delivered through the nasal passages and the results have been very positive. Antifungals applied to the scalp were also significant in stopping the hair loss. By the way, we did have other symptoms but our hair loss was the most disconcerting. We have seen marked improvement in these areas as well. Rashes Mild acne Fatigue Toenail fungal infection Tingling in hands and/or feet Dry skin Nasal congestion |
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Post by ruth on Nov 1, 2009 12:00:47 GMT -5
sidney, i so identify with what you write about our looks. i just found this: www.prolabinc.com/products.asp?kit=mold Mold Test Kit Medical studies have found that black mold is the #1 cause of allergic symptoms. The mold Stachybotrys found in home, office and school environments has been linked to fatal pulmonary disorders. Our simple do-it-yourself test which indicates the presence of molds within 48 hours. Optional lab analysis is available, which identifies the type of mold present. PRO-LAB® Test Kits are available to the general public at over 40,000 leading home centers, hardware stores, pharmacy chains, supermarkets, and a wide category of specialty outlets. Stores include The Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Ace Hardware, True Value, Do It Best, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Giant Eagle, and CVS. If you cannot find the PRO-LAB® Mold Test Kit in any of the stores above, please call 1-800-427-0550 to purchase or click here to order online. |
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Post by ruth on Nov 1, 2009 12:07:51 GMT -5
WE SHOULD ALL SEND OURS IN FOR $30. CHEAP  PRO-LAB® PROFESSIONAL MOLD TEST KIT PRO-LAB® PROFESSIONAL MOLD TEST KIT offers two (2) air sampling methods which indicate the presence of mold in as little as 48 hours. If mold growth is present in the air sample taken, an Optional Lab Analysis ($30) is available which identifies the exact count and type of mold present. If no mold growth occurs after the incubation period, analysis is not necessary. Note: If you have visual mold presently growing in your home or office, you may also take a visual mold sample and send it to our laboratory for analysis ($30) in order to determine the type of mold present. One mold test kit is needed for each indoor area of concern. Note: All sampling methodologies are subject to the occurrence of false negative and false positive results. PETRI DISH SETUP DIRECTIONS Remove petri dish from the plastic bag and lay it on a level surface with the lid side up. DO NOT TOUCH the inside of the petri dish or expose it to the outside until you are ready to use it. Remove the lid of the petri dish and pour the mold medium into the dish bottom. Replace the lid and swirl gently until the bottom is completely covered. Allow to harden for 1 hour on a level surface. Carry the dish to the area you wish to test. Determine which sampling method you would like to use and proceed to that method listed below. Note: You may use only one testing method per petri dish. METHOD 1: VISUAL SAMPLING After you have completed the petri dish set up, locate the visual mold growth. Take the enclosed sterile swab and wipe the tip across the visual mold and growth. (Mold must adhere to the swab tip.) Remove the lid of the petri dish. Transport the mold from the visual growth to the petri dish. Very gently wipe the mold sample from the tip of the swab across the top surface of the medium on the petri dish, allowing the mold to adhere. Once sampling is complete, replace the lid and proceed to the lab results directions. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE RESULTS OF THE VISUAL SAMPLE YOU MUST SEND BOTH THE SWAB AND THE PETRI DISH TO THE LAB FOR ANALYSIS. METHOD 2: HVAC AIR SAMPLING (DUCT TAPE IS REQUIRED) After you have completed the petri dish setup, locate the air vent which is the furthest away from the main HVAC system. Remove the lid of the petri dish and tape the open dish against the open air vent. Close all of the remaining air vents that are on the system. Turn the system fan on high for a ten (10) minute period, allowing the forced air to hit the inside surface of the petri dish. Once the ten (10) minute period is complete, remove the petri dish from the air vent, replace the lid and allow to incubate for 48 hours. Re-check the dish at 72 hours and 96 hours to be sure that no slow growing molds were overlooked. If mold growth is present after the incubation period, proceed to the lab results directions. If no mold growth is present after incubation period, analysis is not necessary. METHOD 3: SETTLING PLATE METHOD (ALTERNATIVE AIR SAMPLING) After you have completed the petri dish setup, carry the petri dish to the location where you want to test and locate a steady surface. (Ex: table) Remove the lid of the petri dish and leave it open to the environment for a one (1) hour period. Once the one (1) hour period is complete, replace the lid and allow to incubate for 48 hours. Re-check the dish at 72 hours and 96 hours to be sure that no slow growing molds were overlooked. If mold growth is present after the incubation period, proceed to the lab results directions. If no mold growth is present after incubation period, analysis is not necessary. LAB RESULTS DIRECTIONS Special Note: To insure that the sample stays intact during shipping, please place tape (electrical) around the edge of the petri dish and place back in the original zip-lock bag. The PRO-LAB® Professional Mold Test Kit requires a $30 lab fee. Place the petri dish in the enclosed pre-paid postage envelopealong with the information form, and a check, money order (made payable to PRO-LAB®)or credit card voucher for $30 (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or AMEX only). Mail immediately to PRO-LAB® P.O. Box 267730, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33326-9914. Within two weeks after PRO-LAB ® has received your sample, we will send an easy to read evaluation indicating the exact type and count of mold present.
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Most of these look familiar to me. Let us know what you find out? 
