LUNG PROBLEMS AND MOLD?

I BEGAN HAVING LUNG PROBLEMS AROUND 6 OR 7 MONTHS AGO-MY OXYGEN LEVEL HAS BEEN DROPPING TO THE LOW 70'S, I AM NOW AT HOME AGAIN WITH OXYGEN - MY SISTER DIED AROUND 10 MONTHS AGO AND HAD DIAGNOSIS OF SARCOID, SHE HAD BREATHING ISSUES AND LOWER OXYGEN, FELL OVER AND DIED.

WE HAD FLOODING 2 YEARS AGO IN THE BASEMENT, CLEANED UP WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS OK-AND I AM WONDERING IF THIS COULD BE AFFECTING OUR HOME/PEOPLE/PETS STILL?

I SEE NO MOLD ANYWHERE, HOWEVER RECENTLY WE CLEANED OUT SOME BOXES THAT WERE IN THE BASEMENT AND FOUND SOME ITEMS IN THE BOXES THAT WERE WET-FROM 2 REARS AGO?  WOULDNT WE SEE THE MOLD?  AND COULD THIS CAUSE THE PROBLEMS WITH THE BREATHING ISSUES?

I HAVE HAD LUNG BIOPSY, ALL NEGATIVE-AM NOW ON HIGHER DOSE OF PREDNISONE-I HAVE INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE, SCARING IN THE LUNGS DUE THEY THINK TO THE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS I HAVE HAD FOR 20 YEARS, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, HBP, DIASTOLIC HEART FAILURE AND ANEMIA, ALL OF WHICH I AM BEING TREATED FOR.\

SOUND FAMILAR TO ANYONE?

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, your history is suggestive of chronic inflammatory disorder like SLE, sarcoidosis, Rheumatoid arthritis etc. These disorders are known to affect vital organs like lungs, kidney, heart etc. Interstitial lung disease is long term effect of such disorder and significantly reduces the oxygen saturation.
You need to undergo certain serological tests to rule out such disease (RA factor, ANA titer, sDNA etc.).
Prompt treatment is quite necessary before the advent of advanced fibrosis which is a irreversible damage to lung tissue.
Such lung damage is highly likely to respond to glucocorticoids and you are already on it. Azathioprine or cyclophosphamide can be added later if there is no further benefit.
Mold doesn’t seem to affect in your case. You are likely to get fungal infection from mold if it is pathogenic to human (most of them are not).
I suggest you to consult immunologist. Take care and regards.