Home and Garden

To continue from yesterday, here are the reasons why we do not feel gardening or my house caused the disease.

Gardening:

1. I never planted or worked in the dirt on a weekly or even monthly basis. Yard work consisted of cutting the grass with an electric mower, raking if needed then watering the driveway and walkways down. If trimming was needed, usually twice a year, my husband helped me. No soil involved. I planted a small patch of annuals usually in May and sometime fall plants in November. We have automatic sprinklers and lights.

2. I stopped gardening after the January 2005 biopsy until May 2005 when I returned to cutting the grass and planting my annuals while my husband continued and still continues to do the heavy work.

3. Seasonally, I cut the grass every week in the spring and summer and early fall but only every two to three weeks in the winter.

4. As close as I can remember, I have used a mask and oxygen in the yards most of the time since I got the oxygen at home November 19, 2005.

5. The huge improvement in CT and PFT from Oct 15 tests happened after I continued to garden. It also happened before I used a mask with the oxygen in the garden.

6. Our property was deemed to be sub-standard by the city last year. The front grass area is approximately 10x20. The back yard lawn is 10x12 with a strip of 3x20. The back stone patio is approximately 10x32. The side yards are stone and concrete. The front includes a two-car driveway, connected parking bay and a wide stone walkway to the front door. The yard work is minimal in the normal sense of gardening. Low maintenance.

My Home:

1. I continued to get better at home after the biopsy.

2. I had a huge improvement of Oct 15, 2005 PFT and CT after I left the school in August 2005.

3. I continue to remain stable. I had one downturn in April 2006 due to a virus.

4. We have hardwood floors in the majority of the house with tile in both bathrooms. The only carpets are in the three bedrooms. The carpets are approximately five years old. We do not have any window coverings except for blinds in the two front bedrooms. We have cathedral ceilings in all rooms except the guest rooms, guest bath and kitchen. We have not had window coverings since the 1980s.

So, with the combination of the list of problems with the portable, the environment in my home, the infrequently of my exposure to dirt during planting in the garden and the October 2005 pulmonary function tests, it was a strong agreement among the doctors that the problem was with the portable.