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Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 30, 2011 8:57:44 GMT -5
MIXED
Colorado has been a somewhat difficult state for me. There are a few excellent spots, many of them at the top of mountains in secluded areas. In general I don’t do super well there these days though, and generally am glad to leave for other less “civilized” places.
My husband and I used to have a vacation home in Snowmass (near Aspen). We bought it in 1996, the year I got sick. I knew that I felt good there (compared to our house in Chicago) and spent as much time there as possible (always in summer).
By 2004, I had stopped feeling as good in the Aspen area. We replaced the Snowmass place with one in Telluride, which felt great at the time. (The altitude did bother me, but getting one or two hyperbaric oxygen treatments upon arrival resolved the problem.) I spent about a month in Telluride most summers from 2004-2008.
Since then, I’ve visited the state a few times in my RV, as described.
SOUTHWEST COLORADO: EXCELLENT (5)
I drove through this area in August/September 2009, staying for a few days in Pagosa Springs and then heading north toward Telluride. I then spent about a week here in July 2010, staying in Durango, Pagosa Springs, Cortez and some campgrounds near Delores.
Cortez felt terrific. I stayed in a KOA with a great view there. There’s not a lot in the town though. (5-EXCELLENT)
The town of Durango felt good to me. The campgrounds outside of town felt excellent. Durango is a pleasant college town, with a fair number of cool restaurants and shops. I wouldn’t mind spending an extended period of time in this town. (4-GOOD)
Pagosa Springs usually felt terrific, but occasionally it had traces of a problem in the air (the same stuff I encountered in Santa Fe). Not devastating by any means, but disturbing since I’d heard generally excellent reports about this place before I went there. The hot spring there is lovely and felt great to me -- the waters have a lot of lithium in them. (4-GOOD)
The campgrounds about 15 minutes outside Pagosa Springs (I think to the northwest) felt excellent. (5-EXCELLENT)
Mesa Verde National Park felt great on a day trip and was interesting. It would be nice to stay in the campground there. I could imagine myself living in those cliff dwellings -- it wouldn’t be a bad life at all! (5-EXCELLENT)
The whole area near Delores felt terrific, and the remote campground I stayed at (up in the San Juan National Forest at about 8000 feet) was really amazing. (5-EXCELLENT)
TELLURIDE AREA: POOR (2)
When we first purchased our vacation condo outside of Telluride in 2004, it felt absolutely amazing to me. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.
During Summer 2008, I found that I felt very bad when I visited the Mountain Village part of the town, where all the hotels are.
When I went back in 2009 and 2010, I found that the whole Telluride area had become problematic. It reminded me of my experience in Tahoe. When the weather was good, I felt terrific. When the barometer dropped and the clouds came out, I felt very bad with the symptoms of the toxin that is most problematic to me.
Unfortunately, the weather in Telluride changes very quickly. So even though I feel great in my condo there when it’s sunny outside, I’m really not able to stay there now. (2-POOR)
In Summer 2008, I found that I felt extremely bad any time I drove through the town of Ridgway, nearby. This was the case even when it was bright and sunny outside. I was crying in the car one day, it was so bad. So I’ve not gone back to that town, even to drive through it. (1-AWFUL)
SILVERTON: EXCELLENT (5)
In Summer 2008, I went to Silverton for a day trip. It’s a small historic town up in the mountains (at about 9000 feet). It felt fantastic to me and made a nice outing.
Unfortunately, I had to drive through Ridgway to get there. I believe it’s possible to get to Silverton starting from Durango, though. Hopefully that would be better.
BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON: EXCELLENT (5)
This is a national park at a high altitude near Montrose. It felt terrific to me, in July 2011. The skies are very dark at night, and they have astronomy lectures (I got to see Saturn through a telescope) at the campground when the moon isn’t out. I wasn’t able to get a Verizon cell phone signal here though, and there is no Internet access in the park. (5-EXCELLENT)
Montrose is about 15 minutes from the park. It has restaurants, shopping and a couple of Starbucks. It felt fine, for a city. (4-GOOD)
GRAND JUNCTION AREA: GOOD (4)
This is the northwest corner of the state. In general, I feel really good here.
Grand Junction is a medium-sized city with a fair amount to do. There are a couple of somewhat crowded RV parks in town. (4-GOOD)
Fruita is about 15 minutes west of Grand Junction. It’s a small town with two camping choices, at the state park and at the Colorado National Monument. (4-GOOD)
The Colorado National Monument is high above the city. There are gorgeous views and hiking. The campground is pleasant and cool, though with limited water and no electricity. I felt great here in July 2011 (and was able to get a Verizon signal). (5-EXCELLENT)
The state park in Fruita (James M. Robb State Park) is associated with a lake. I felt okay here in July 2011, though I could sense some herbicides. There’s electricity and a strong cell phone signal. The pay showers were absolutely terrific. This is expensive for public camping though -- a total of $27/night. (4-GOOD)
I drove 145/141 in 2008 and 2009, from Telluride through Norwood, Naturita and Gateway to Grand Junction. It all felt fine to me, after I got out of Telluride. (4 - GOOD)
Everything between Montrose and Grand Junction has felt fine to me, in July 2011 and all my previous drives through. (4-GOOD)
Rifle is a rapidly growing town about halfway between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs. Many years ago, I used to play golf here and always felt great. The town still feels good to me. (4-GOOD)
SKI COUNTRY: FAIR (3)
I’m using this term to describe the area just west of Denver along I-70 and environs. It includes everything from Silverthorne to Glenwood Springs along I-70, and the towns going down to Aspen on Hwy. 82.
I last went down toward Aspen on Hwy. 82 in August 2009. (I didn’t actually get to the town of Aspen on that trip.) I drove that stretch of I-70 in August 2009, July 2010 and July 2011.
I didn’t feel terrible in this area, but I didn’t have any desire to stay for any longer than I had to. It’s rather crowded and RV’ing is very expensive here.
The hot spring water at Glenwood Springs has a lot of lithium in it and always has felt great to me. Everyone there (teenagers, babies, old people, couples) always look fantastically happy. It’s a little downscale for Aspen folks though.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK AREA: MIXED
In June 2010, I spent a few nights in the campgrounds on the east side of the park and a few nights in Estes Park (the adjoining town). In July 2011, I drove through the park starting on the west side, spending about a week in the area.
The east side of the park and Estes Park felt really good to me in 2010. I did a lot of hiking at high altitude (9000+ feet). The park was Excellent (5), and the town was Good (4).
In 2011, this area felt really good part of the time and fairly bad the other part of the time (e.g. on some afternoons when the skies darkened and it started to rain). It felt the same as Yellowstone (and the town Cody, next to Yellowstone), though not as bad, with a diffuse cloud of the toxin that is the worst for me. I stayed for a few days, feeling worse in the process (2-POOR).
How frequently the east side of the park is problematic or whether it is problematic for most with this illness, I’m not sure. I’d like to hear recent reports from others. It’s a nice place, though you have to go to Estes Park (about 15 minutes away) to get cell phone or Wi-Fi service.
The west side of the park felt very good to me in July 2011. The high part of the park above the tree line was especially terrific, and the Grand Lake campground felt great. The lake itself felt good too, driving by. (5-EXCELLENT)
I drove to the west side of the park on Hwys. 131, 134 and 34 (starting at Wolcott). That area all felt okay, with the standing water from recent heavy rains being the only issue. The hot springs complex in Sulphur Hot Springs is really nice, similar to the one in Pagosa Springs. I stayed overnight at an RV park in Kremmling, which has a couple of restaurants and a store. The RV park has discount passes for the hot springs and showers that felt reasonably okay to me. (4-GOOD)
BOULDER: FAIR/GOOD (3.5)
I drove through Boulder in the middle of the night in June 2010, then spent a rainy day there in July 2011. I thought it felt okay (and pretty good after the skies cleared), but would have to spend more time there to give a real assessment.
DENVER: POOR (2)
I drove on the outskirts of Denver in June 2010 and have visited the city in summers in the past. I felt very strongly on my last trip that I didn’t want to spend any time there, but I’m not sure how problematic it would be for me compared to other bad places.
FT. COLLINS AREA: POOR (2)
Leaving Colorado in July 2011, I drove east on Hwy. 34 from Estes Park, through canyon country. This part felt pretty good. (4-GOOD)
Then I drove north on I-25, though Loveland and Ft. Collins toward Wyoming. This part felt a lot worse to me. (2-POOR)
COLORADO SPRINGS AREA: GOOD (4)
In June 2010, I spent a few nights in the Colorado Springs area. I stayed at a crowded RV park in Woodland Park, visited Pike’s Peak and Garden of the Gods, and drove around a bit.
Generally this area felt pretty good. Some of the state parks in the Florissant area felt iffy to me, which is why I ended up staying in town.
I felt very weird when hiking a bit on Pike’s Peak (at 14,000 feet), in a way that I associate with being hit with mold (my mind totally went blank and I became unable to talk for about a half hour). Conceivably it could have just been the altitude though.
CENTRAL COLORADO: FAIR (3)
I drove from Pagosa Springs to Estes Park (near RMNP) in one shot in June 2010, passing through towns such as Monte Vista and Fairplay. I didn’t have any desire to stop.
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO: EXCELLENT (5)
In June 2010, from Colorado Springs, I went northeast on Hwy 24 to I-70, then kept driving east to Kansas. This part felt great to me -- just like Kansas.
SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO: EXCELLENT (5)
In July 2014, I drove through southeastern Colorado on 160. Much of this Comanche National Grasslands. It felt terrific to me, to the point where I would be tempted to go back there to camp.
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Sept 12, 2011 7:25:22 GMT -5
Here is a comment from Erik Johnson about Colorado.
Best, Lisa
*
Pagosa Springs felt terrific. In Durango there were a couple of bad places in town, but overall not too bad.
My friend in Pagosa Springs says she's doing well there. She's trying to talk me into moving there. Considering how good it felt to me, I've given it some consideration. It reminds me of how Truckee used to be, before it got so touristy.
And I recall out at Mesa Verde, looking at Native American cave dwellings, feeling so good out there, and thinking, "Oh yes... move me in!"
-Erik (2008, CFSU)
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Oct 30, 2011 10:00:25 GMT -5
Here is a report I got from someone who has mold illness, though not CFS:
*
I'm in Boulder. I moved from London, where I had lived for 17 years, and my children had always lived. No family here, they are in the Midwest. I'd never been to Boulder before I moved here. I was trying desperately to make London work in the spring but could not find a place to live and saw nothing but ill health and warped lives there. My husband's work is in London, he could not leave but agreed that for my health and the kids' future we had to. So wherever I went, I was going to be a single (if married) parent.
People kept suggesting moving to Arizona. Or living in a tent in the desert. I could not do that with three children. A friend knowledgeable on locations and mold-plus effects (I'll call it M+) suggested Arizona or Colorado but said the schools are better in Colorado. After 25 years in New York and London, and with 3 kids, I was not keen on tiny little towns; she said she knew someone who had recently moved to Boulder because of M+, and put us in touch with each other.
I googled Boulder, which I knew nothing about, and it seemed it not only had a good climate -- very dry, lots of sunshine, mile-high altitude -- but was a vibrant place to live. Probably not The Best for pure health, but It sounded good for the kids, instead of dragging them from London to a godforsaken desert, they could live in a place that many people choose because of quality of life, and it has good schools. I didn't take long to decide, I had to go somewhere, and from a hotel room in Windsor there was not much I could do to investigate. Plus, schools here start on August 15 and if were to get settled before school started, I had to do it. So in late June I left the kids with family in the Midwest and came to Boulder. Fortunately, I really like Boulder. It wouldn't be for everyone, for one thing, it's almost outrageously liberal but that's part of why I like it, and it's expensive.
If you're hearing good things about Boulder, that may be just because the two of us are here. I haven't heard of others, and she hasn't been here much longer than me, so it's a limited pool of data.
The outside air is great. Huge contrast to London. But the difficulty of finding a good house to live in was a shock. I looked to rent or to buy. I looked from moderate to high end. As I got more desperate, I was looking at everything from small dark 2 bedrooms just to get the kids here, to enormous houses. I wouldn't agree that this shows that Colorado is a bad place, I think it's a reflection on the extent of the problems in homes, with types of construction and how little water damage or even water presence can cause problems for the really sensitive. It wasn't just mold I was reacting to. I have problems with other things, not even sure what, but includes some polyester or acrylic, petroleum-y things, and the carpets seemed to do in a lot of houses for me. But I did hear, in a discussion on another board, that there are others finding increasing difficulty, even in "good air" places, even this year from last, finding places they can tolerate.
I feel incredibly lucky with the way it turned out, at least for now, but that was a far from certain result. I don't have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so if I'm in a good place I feel pretty much fine and have a lot of energy. Literally, down to the wire, I found a townhouse that was ok, but only available for two months. My kids came days before school started, registered for school the last day before it started. Now, I'm in a gorgeous house, but it's a rare kind of house. Built by a contractor for himself, incredibly solid, thick concrete walls (no wallboard!), wood floors and natural corn-fibre carpet. Built green, always kept green, a few years old, windows always kept open a lot, they didn't like air conditioning and made minimal use of heat. It even has a 'sleeping porch,' a room with a whole wall of screens to the outdoors, a sort of outdoor room indoors so I get benefits like a tent. I don't know what Boulder or this house will be like for me in the winter, when I have to move in from the sleeping porch and keep the heat on. I don't know what I'll do next spring, since this house may not be available.
I was fortunate I had enough resources to wait it out, and to take this house, and had the support of a really good friend, as the other M+ woman and I hit it off in a rare way. I'm not sure how I would have managed otherwise.
I don't know if others would have the same degree of difficulty with housing that I did, because I don't know just what makes me react. I arrived a bit late for the summer housing rush, and most of the places I looked at had been on the market for awhile. It could be they were especially bad, could be those houses just didn't feel 'good' to others even if they didn't make them ill, and so they languished on the market. (The realtor I worked with turned out to have sensitivities she wasn't aware of, she came to feel the differences in 'air' in the houses, but had never put together changes in how she felt with the houses she was in). At the very end of the summer, there was a (short-lived) rush of places coming on, and in general those felt significantly better to me. (Or, maybe, after getting more reactive when I arrived, I started getting less reactive again?)
I wish I could give clearer advice. It's really complex balancing your kids' needs, your own health, and concerns for their futures, health and otherwise. I wish I could say, absolutely, move!! Get yourself and the kids out of there!! I know with me, it became harder to stay than to leave, well, impossible to stay, we were in a hotel with no place to go. My kids were young enough they had to come with me (though old enough, two are teens, that they really didn't want to leave their lives and friends.) But, we had to leave their father behind . . . In balance, IF I can stay in a safe house, I think moving was right, for health and for ability to live generally non-warped lives. At the moment, I feel like it saved my life and the quality of theirs. But it wasn't a guarantee, and it could all change. Doesn't sound like moving works for everyone. And it depends on your temperament, I had to give it a shot for a better life. Sounds like your gut is saying to go, you know the limits of what you face where you are, and you want a chance to make things better. I really hope that if you do, it works out for you.
Betsy
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Nov 11, 2011 9:01:07 GMT -5
Here are some comments from Janis on Colorado. cfsmethylation.blogspot.com/2011/08/oxygen-adventures.htmlOur plan was to camp at about 6000 feet in a Colorado state park not far from Pine. But as we drove from Denver out Rt. 285 into higher elevations, I felt better. My nose cleared and the symptoms of allergy like running nose and tearing eyes stopped. We reached the town of Pine Junction at 8000 feet and turned down the mountain side towards Pine. As we descended, my nose filled with fluid. So we stopped for lunch ina beatiful picnic area beside a burbling brook. After lunch we decided to camp at higher altitude. 8000 feet might have been okay. But as we drove along 285, we didn't see anything. We followed the road to the Guanella Pass where two camping areas were marked. The lower camping area was closed for construction and up we went to Burning Bear, just before Guanella Pass. An alpine meadow stretched out between rows of peaks, the wind whipping across and cooling the sun-heated air. The campground was tucked into the western side of a mountain, leaving us exposed to wind and sun. We set up our tent, hauled cooking gear out to the picnic table. I felt great. I was surprised at how much energy I had. I knew to be careful at c. 10,000 feet, especially since we'd been at sea level two days earlier, but I still walked back and forth from truck to picnic table, from picnic table to bathroom, from bathroom to truck. I sat quietly and chopped onions. Back to the truck. Sat while I grated cheese. Back to the truck. The dust on my feet and my flip flops started really annoying. My jacket went on when the sun passed behind a cloud and came off when the sun came out. For the past four days I couldn't remember where I had stashed anything (hence I couldn't take or upload pictures). My lack of ability to remember the simplest things at Burning Bear didn't seem like an ominous sign. At 5:30 we at our dinner of onion soup. At 6, I was suddenly too tired to walk to the bathroom. I lay down and felt my heart rate accelerating. My mouth felt dry. I drank more water, but started to get a headache, and it seemed that the more I drank, the drier my mouth felt. I sat up for awhile to set up our bed, brush my teeth and prepare for bed. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, I curled up under 3 " of down loft and tried to relax away the worsening headache, queasiness and urge to move my bowels (it was too cold and I was too tired to walk to the bathrooms.) David came into bed just as the sun fell behind the summit of a western peak. It was not quite 8 pm. "You'll feel better if you sleep," he assured me. Yet visions of oxygen danced in my head. I felt a sudden nostalgia for the nasal oxygen Dr. Majid Ali had me try back in 2005. At the time, I hadn't felt any better breathing it --there was plenty of oxygen in rural Ohio. Now I could smell it and taste it. My headache became a vice around my temples. My queasiness turned into an urge to expel the contents of my gastrointestinal tract. "We have to get me to a lower elevation. Let's put the bedding in the car, move our suitcases and things into the tent. We'll drive down the mountain and sleep in the truck." "The road is paved heading north towards Georgetown," the campsite attendant told us, and that seemed infinitely better than the bumpy dirt road under construction we'd ascended. What he didn't tell us what that it was twice as long, and that we had to go up another 1000 or 1500 feet before descending in a series of tight switchbacks. Our truck stopped at few times on the descent to leave mementos of my recent meals along the roadside. The neon signs of a motor Inn in Georgetown never looked more welcoming. With toilet and clean hands, I went back out to the truck and finally had a cell phone signal to call 911. Fifteen minutes later, on the advice of the medics, I was hooked up to an oxygen tank and a saline IV. Oh sweet, sweet oxygen. I felt my breathing relas, my headache dissipated. But the stress, or the deprivation, left me with strange muscular tremors in my leg muscles. The ambulance raced the 47.2 miles to the nearest Denver hospital while David struggled to follow them at 80 mph, praying no state trooper would decide to pull him over. At the hospital, the ER doctor gave me another IV, more oxygen, and turned off the lights so I could sleep. At 3 A.M. I was discharged and joined David in the hospital ER parking lot. We awoke to a strong sun and a gaggle of hispanic construction workers pointing at the odd sight of a gray-haired couple climbing out of the back of a pick-up truck. Now I'm back at 8000 feet, sitting in the garden of a bed and breakfast where we'll be staying from Thursday to Sunday while David makes the ascent towards Gunnison Pass to rescue our tent and clothing. I'd love to be lower -- say 6000 feet -- as the air up here feels a bit thin, and I'm not interested in repeating last night's experience. Fortunately, Pine is down in the valley, with campsites beside the Platt river and some small lakes, all at about 6000 feet. How wonderfully inviting! In the meantime, a few more days of sneezing and wheezing in this splendid Colorado scenery. With rest, your supportive prayers and the grace of the divine, my over-sensitive immune system will calm down and I'll stop reacting to the grass and tree pollens around here. I know that my system was triggered into a state of hypersensitivity through exposures to dust, mold, cats, dogs and cleaning solutions in the Kansas City Q Hotel, my cousin's Denver suburban house, and my husband's truck. I used to have terrible ragweed allergies when I visiting my parents in West Virginia because their country house was full of mold. The same ragweed in Ohio didn't bother me if I was rested and in a cleaner environment. Thanks for your prayers. It's a disapppointment that I don't feel fabulous out here, just as it was a disappointment that Aerosolver didn't transform my house into a safe haven. But I go on with the certainty that I will find what I am seeking. * cfsmethylation.blogspot.com/2011/08/something-is-making-difference.htmlI can’t report that I’m miraculously ‘cured’ in the pristine air of a high desert wilderness area as some individuals on the Phoenix Rising forum have claimed. But something is making a difference. At the wedding on Saturday night, I danced for nearly two hours. I rested often between songs, but sometimes did 2 or 3 songs in a row. It was so much fun! And I didn’t have the ‘pay the price’ the next morning. My inner voice guided me to leave as soon as I started to feel a bit chilled. I wore wool long underwear and socks to sleep to make it easier on my body, as maintaining body temperature takes energy, and I wanted the maximum energy for recovery and repair. In the past, when I’ve done too much exercise, I would start to feel cold regardless of the ambient temperature, as my body shut down its ability to make ATP, the energy molecule. This time, I was warm all night, despite the drop into the 40’s during the night, and I slept fairly well, waking more often than normal to eliminate the many refills of water and lemonade which kept me hydrated during the party. What a delight to enjoy a party again! May all of you reach this point in your recovery! The next morning, I did yoga out in the sunshine, meditated, and then received an energy transmission from Guruji Mahendra Trivedi which supported the self-healing powers of my body sufficiently to remove any vestige of soreness or of that hit-by-a-mack-truck feeling which usually greets me after a day of activity indulgence. This same Sunday also marked my adjustment to the high elevation (about 8000-9000 feet). At our new campsite, along the edge of Chalk Creek near Mt. Princeton, I’ve been able to walk back and forth to the toilet, up and down a little hill, without shortness of breath, weak legs and the urge to sit down. In the week leading up to the wedding, we camped for two nights in Keyser, a campsite in the Pike National Forest about midway between the fishing village of Deckers and the ranching village of Buffalo Creek. We waded and dunked in the Platt River and then drove through some amazing rock formations, understanding why this range is called the Rocky Mountains. The campsite was more primitive than I’d expected, but after about 3 hours driving round and round on dirt roads, I was willing to take anything offering scenery and privacy. We had running water and composting toilets. I used my respirator once and then used a jug from Doctor’s Data designed for 24 hour urine collections, which allowed me to quickly become an expert in voiding in a standing position. I hiked behind fallen logs and trees to defecate and do my coffee enemas, collecting in doggy poop bags and used coffee cups for later dumping in the toilets. I sat at the picnic table and took care of washing my contact lenses over one of our plastic cereal bowls. It was surprisingly un-stressful. I moved into the tent when the temperature and light dropped around 8:30, and slept from sunset to sunrise. I was looking forward to three nights in a bed at the lovely Anchorage Inn, but after taking a nap on the day of our arrival and waking up sick, I knew I would not tolerate the place for the evening. I enjoyed a hot bath in their Jacuzzi, went to dinner with my family, and set up my bed in the back of our pick-up truck. Despite these precautions, my short exposure to the inside air, where barn cats sneak in and dust from the stables and dirt roads leaves a thin veil over everything, left me quite ill by morning. I woke with the old mold symptom of sinus headache, congestion and bloody mucous, and a piercing cramp in my calf. I wouldn’t have associated all these with mold reactions if I hadn’t read Shoemaker’s Surviving Mold, where he explains how these symptoms arise from elevated C4a and other inflammatory markers. I enjoyed the best breakfast I’ve had on this trip – poached eggs over sautéed mushrooms with a tarragon cream sauce – and then departed in search of a cleaner environment. With a master blessing from Guruji Mahendra Trivedi scheduled for that morning, I set my intention to accelerate the self-healing process so that I would quickly recover from the set back. And I did! All afternoon I visited with family, and when the evening rehearsal dinner arrived, I felt good enough to enjoy three more hours of conversation, great food, and a few delicious sips of wine. The wedding was held at a ranch about 15 minutes away. We stopped there to hang out with family and learned we could camp along the creek on the back of their property. It was the perfect solution. We got our meals with the wedding party, used my cousin’s cabin to shower and dress, and had total privacy and quiet and night with the most splendid views of rock outcroppings named cathedral pinnacles and lion’s head. After the wedding, we headed southwest to the Arkansas River Headwaters area, found a beautiful site by Chalk creek with an awesome view of the white cliffs and the peak of Mt. Princeton, and the next day enjoyed a visit to the Cottonwood Hot Springs and a brief dip in frigid Cottonwood Lake. I got tired at the hot springs, which was not surprising since I dehydrate easily and drinking water passes through me like a stream, but I felt reinvigorated after the dip in the lake. Now I’m getting ready for another fantastic blessing.
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Nov 14, 2011 10:28:39 GMT -5
Alice wrote: I believe in the location effect as I feel better in the Rocky Mtns. I am better at high altitude (8,000 feet). We recently went to Denver and I got real sick. I do have to be on oxygen at night. I feel better up here overall as the air is cleaner but that is just me. I went from TX to NM and felt way better. In TX it was mostly pesticides, molds, petroleum and of course pollens. I lived south of the San Antonio area and in San Antonio (deadly there). There was a reference here to electromagnetic pollution around Atlanta. I feel better at higher altitude as I feel the air is cleaner. Thanks so much for explaining this to me. I was only in ABQ for a month as we searched for a house in the East Mountain area. My husband cannot bear cities at all. I got severe asthma the first few nights due to the wind sweeping in under the motel room door as it had funneled thru Tijeras Canyon. I get asthma from winds and migraine from large pressure cells. My migraine has really cleared up this year. I use germanium for it when they come on. I lived in the East Mountain area on the edge of the National Forest for about 4 years where I experienced lots of healing. I also found an EI doctor which amazed me as at that time I didn't even know there was a treatment or name for this illness! My asthma improved radically in that area. I only went into ABQ to buy at Wild Oats. I have been mega dosing on vitamin C and some other stuff for years now. The big problem with ABQ is in winter they burn too much firewood. Otherwise I would love to live there! I am no longer in East Mountain but moved to CO (hubby's job). I am in the middle of about a hundred Ponderosa pines now in Ute Pass. In the East Mountains there were a few but more pinons, scrub oak and rabbit bush unless you got on Raven Road but we weren't that far south. The ABQ area you describe is the area we plan to move to if we ever move back there again. I need to be at lower elevation. Edgewood had too much pesticides. Did you know 14 south? I am trying to remember the name of the road that we turned on. It was a winding goat track that went for miles. The house there was fantastic, best one I ever lived in and reasonable as so hard to get to it. It was windy but I don't recall it being too bad. My pain was worse when the snow would drip off the roof for 2 or 3 days. I also worried about fire danger there. Since I got online I know quite a few people who live in that area. (EI people) They chat on Green Canary chat quite often. ps- my fibro pain is mostly gone and it used to be bad. I still have some arthritis. In San Antonio, TX they thought I had lupus. I was also told I had ms! health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/7433?l=1health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/5479health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/5510
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Nov 14, 2011 10:53:10 GMT -5
A report on Colorado: A friend of mine also has fibromyalgia/CFS. She lives in the sub-tropics in Louisiana and has been struggling for years. She just took an extended vacation (several weeks) to the mountains of Colorado and came back just raving about it. It seems that all of her symptoms disappeared while she was there! health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/7393?l=1
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Nov 14, 2011 12:34:35 GMT -5
A report: I have CFIDS and Depression. I am very interested to hear about what others have to say about "feel good locations." I experienced this phenomenon when I went to visit my sis-in-law in Maui. Of course, everyone thought it was convenient that I would suddenly be out of bed and feeling good when I was on a tropical island, but I'm telling you it was a very dramatic difference. I went from sleeping 20 hours a day (in Fort Collins, CO - a beautiful place that I love but can't seem to live there) to 8-10 hours of sleep per day in Maui. This was also a very active time for me because I was a nanny for my nieces who were 2 & 4 at the time. I was absolutely amazed that I was able to be any help at all to them. I only felt bad when it was about to rain or raining. Then I got tired and achy. As a result of this experience in Maui, my husband and I moved to Tempe, AZ. I still need a nap every day, but my overall health is so much better. I only seem to get achy now when there is a rain storm which is rare considering this is a desertous region. The warm/hot weather is serving me well. health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/message/7047?l=1
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Post by forebearance on Dec 21, 2011 21:17:38 GMT -5
I've been hanging around northeastern Colorado for a total of about three weeks in November and December 2011. I came down from Rapid City, SD, and I could tell that the outside air wasn't as good in northeastern Colorado. But it still seemed pretty good. I'm not the world's best judge of outside air. So maybe I would give it a FAIR (3).
It seems to me like the outside air gets better as I go farther east and get away from the base of the mountains. The air in Greeley feels better than the air in Fort Collins. But the air in Greeley does smell like 10,000 head of cattle, so it's a trade-off.
I know I'm extra sensitive right now because of taking GcMAF. That is throwing off my ability to judge moldiness of places. But something is really bothering me in this northeastern Colorado area. It's either the altitude, or the air, or the water, or the fact that every single hotel seems to have the same kind of awful mold toxins in it.
I haven't been able to find a single decent hotel between the Denver airport and Fort Collins. There are many Hampton Inns, but many of them are older ones.
I noticed that Fort Collins is in a low spot, altitude-wise. Maybe that's why the air there felt worse to you, Lisa. I haven't stayed in the inner parts of Denver, but the area near the Denver airport feels okay to me, air-wise.
I much prefer the air around the Denver airport to the air in Albuquerque. You couldn't pay me to live in Albuquerque.
One of the first things I noticed when I got to Colorado was that it felt like I was definitely south of the dividing line between most buildings being good and most buildings being bad. So I follow the same rules in Colorado that I follow in Nebraska and Kansas: stick to the newest stores, restaurants, and movie theaters, and go to reliable places like Panera's and Starbucks.
Maybe it would be fine to live around here if you had your own safe place to sleep, like a camper. Finding a safe building to sleep in feels like it would be really difficult.
It seems clear to me now that I should have read this thread carefully before trying my Colorado experiment! I just assumed the northeastern part of the state would be okay because it's near Nebraska and Kansas.
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Post by forebearance on Jan 3, 2012 20:00:58 GMT -5
Whoa. I escaped to Sidney, NE for a couple nights. Then I went back to Ft. Collins to get something. This time I could feel the outside air change.
Maybe my perceptions were messed up the first time I drove into Colorado because I had stayed in the wretched Hampton Inn in Cheyenne, WY.
This time I felt the air change as I was driving south on I-25, about ten miles south of the Wyoming border. It was right as I was descending into the great big basin that Fort Collins sits in. Interestingly, at that spot is something that looked like a coal-fired power plant. I think it's interesting because the same thing happened south of Council Bluffs, IA. I was driving north on I-29, and right as I passed a coal-fired power plant, the air quality went down noticeably.
Are mold toxins and coal burning pollutants related?
Anyway, I regret that I never got to the town of Boulder to check it out. The reason was that Boulder had no hotels that looked possible for me.
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Apr 28, 2013 0:31:09 GMT -5
I was in southwestern Colorado in August/September 2012, spending time in Cortez and Telluride. I don't think it had changed much over the preceding couple of years, but my reactivity went down enough that I was able to tolerate Telluride better than I had on my last trip there.
The one place that had changed was Mesa Verde National Park. It had been treated with a lot of fire retardants, and I think that these were really noticeable. It was not the worst toxin for me, more like the toxins that I have found in Santa Fe, Glacier National Park, Custer National Park and Big Sur. My husband (a moderate Moldie) and I were able to spend several hours there and hike up into some of the cliff dwellings, but we agreed that we would not want to spend the night there and were happy to leave.
So Mesa Verde is, in my opinion, officially not a feel-great location any more. 3 (Fair) or possibly 2 (Poor).
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Post by Lisa Petrison on May 10, 2013 11:03:17 GMT -5
"Plant," a member of this board, asked me to add this report.
Diagnosis: Chronic Lyme disease and Large Biotoxin Exposure to Water-damaged building, and since then unable to tolerate around 50% of buildings.
Boulder, CO -5 April 2013
I literally cried getting off the plane in Denver because the air quality felt so good there compared to Massachusetts.
Had great energy here. Started detoxing mold immediately, and the next day started to feel like a completely different person and have great energy. A day later I was back to running for the first time in years and wanted to go hiking.
I think the altitude was also beneficial. Being able to see beautiful mountains helps too.
I could tell there was "something" slightly wrong with the air, like pollution, but it didn't seem to be biotoxins. Also I had problems with forced hot air in some buildings there. A house that was apparently inspected for mold/EI nonetheless had forced hot air and being there for a few hours contaminated my stuff and then my hotel room.
The Target on that main street (near the big Whole Foods on Pearl Street) was very bad. It gave me a terrible hit and I could barely walk, after just going through the first of two sliding doors and turning around and leaving, not even fully entering the store.
Stayed at the Boulder Outlook.
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Post by forebearance on Aug 12, 2013 17:57:52 GMT -5
Here's another report:
Boulder 3 (FAIR) in August 2013. To me, Boulder feels just slightly less good than Omaha, NE. In Boulder, the weather seems to affect the air quality more. There were rain storms passing through every day while I was there.
I stayed at the new HI on the north side of town. It will probably be off-gassed in six months, but by then it may start to go downhill because they are using those stupid toxic Ecolab laundry products. Sigh. Already I had trouble with the side of the ground floor that the laundry room is on.
Estes Park 4 or 5 (GOOD or EXCELLENT) in August 2013 I stayed at the YMCA camp outside of town and the air there felt beautiful. The town of Estes Park felt good, like a 4. But I didn't spend a lot of time there.
Littleton (suburb of Denver on the SW side) 2 (POOR) in July 2013 Unfortunately, the outside air bothered me quite a lot here. There may be toxins from the wildfires to the south that are still hanging around.
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Post by JP on Dec 3, 2013 22:04:08 GMT -5
We spent 2 months in Boulder just before the floods, in the summer of 2013. I was coming from AZ where I felt awful all the time, 1,000 lbs, couldn't get energy to do anything.
I did improve somewhat in Boulder. The pain and heavy feeling in my legs got much better. I also noticed a decrease in vascular inflammation (I have a lot of vascular symptoms, and pain from that). We stayed in the new Hampton Inn in Gunbarrel.
My kids seemed to have less vascular inflammation as well, but my daughter's facial tic got worse and my son's tics were bad as well. My son also got a "sad feeling" at night, and would cry for no reason before bed - this is unusual and this level of depression in an 8 year old is alarming to me.
I noticed that I had a lot of sinus burning and headaches while there, which seemed to be exasperated in certain areas, especially near the foothills, which makes me wonder if it was the flame retardants. I also was surprised that Boulder uses pesticides (I saw notices), herbicides and fertilizers in the parks where the kids play. This caused us some issues. I thought Boulder would be more "green" than that!
The last week we were there, before we left to go back east, I started having a lot of strong and scary palpitations. I don't know what to blame that on, since we were looking at a lot of rentals, one of which almost took me down. I also did a really hard-core 45 minute cardio workout in the hotel gym, which had a lot of smelly rubber equipment (brand new). And I wonder if that would set something like that off. Worst case scenario, is that all the rain that summer created some bad outdoors toxins? Or possibly fracking pollution from northern Longmont? Who knows.
But I did feel better in general and was able to workout and hike while there. So I'm not sure how to rate Boulder effectively. I may even consider going back there, so I would give it a 3.5? It's probably better than any other place I've been except the Grand Canyon, which is about a 4-5 depending on the day.
We drove up the I25 to get to Boulder in late July, and stopped in Colorado Springs for a day. I had a raging headache while there, but that could have been adjusting to the altitude. We had come from Albuquerque, where I felt dizzy and off the entire time, but never had a headache. Not sure what the altitude difference is there.
Driving through Pueblo felt really bad. I think it's probably really polluted.
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Post by JP on Dec 3, 2013 22:16:04 GMT -5
I forgot to add: I had my shoemaker panel ran before I left Boulder to see if I made any significant changes. This is what my labs did while there: VEGF: I've had extremely high VEGF for two years - no matter where I went, it wouldn't go down. But in Boulder it went into normal range, almost LOW which makes me wonder if I was possibly exposed to something different? Anyway, I am glad it went down, because high VEGF is a risk for cancer. C4a: VERY high! Not sure what to make of that? In AZ I felt awful, but my C4a was normal! Liver enzymes were slightly elevated. (this happens occasionally) Platelets a little high (never happened to me before) CRP was stable, same as it has been, which is too high! But it didn't change Unfortunately, the one test which would have been helpful, TGF-Beta 1, was not run. UGH! I feel like this would have given me useful, long term indication of my inflammation levels. We also spent a day in Estes Park in August. It was a lovely, sunny day and I felt really good. The stores were moldy - I'd avoid them. But I'd rate it 4-5. Longmont smells like shit and gives me a lot of inflammation. I feel like there might be ick there, which extends all the way up the I25, through Ft Collins, all the way to Cheyenne WY. It gets a little better there. There is a lot of corn, fracking, and even a lovely power plant along this route Denver felt disgusting to me. Definitely a 1. The area between Denver and Boulder varies depending on wind and sun and humidity, but overall I'd rate it a 2-3. Closer to Denver is worse. Superior and Louisville closer to a 3. Lafayette is bad. 1-2
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kimg
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by kimg on Apr 13, 2015 19:12:34 GMT -5
My Illness type: for full description, see my Oregon post. Biotoxin illness with multisuceptibility. Autoimmune, lung, digestive diseases. MCS and CFS. Getting much better after almost 1 year of Shoemaker Protocol. My husband also has biotoxin illness.
4-5 - Dolores, Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park:
We both felt good here, even though this was before discovering our illness cause and treatment. We were here in August of 2010. I was very surprised by how good I felt, considering that I've had poor response to other elevated areas. I recovered from the elevation very quickly.
2-3 Aspen, Colorado:
Stayed here a week and a half in July 2011 (still pre-diagnosis). Both my husband and I were quite blecky there, and had a very hard time with the altitude. This surprised us a the time, since we were doing so well the previous year in the Mesa Verde area.
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Post by aerose91 on May 22, 2015 2:01:39 GMT -5
I made a post about the effects of high altitude in the utah board but it's probably more pertinent here than any other state.
I was driving west and after spending 2 nights at only 4300 feet I was nearly paralyzed and couldn't pronounce words. I felt a big change when I dropped below 3200 feet but still ended up hospitalized with HACE (high altitude cerebral edema)
I have M.E. as well as bartonella encephalopathy and have very high levels of brain inflammation. Any elevation rise over 3000 feet and my brain starts to swell a lot. I didn't expect to have so much trouble at low elevations and my brain is much worse than any others with M.E. but I just want to give a warning to others who may undertake the trip.
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Post by Lisa Petrison on Jun 24, 2015 15:57:37 GMT -5
Here is a report mentioning Colorado that someone asked me to post for them on this board.
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My most recent diagnosis is hypersensitivity to environmental toxins, specifically mold. I have also been diagnosed with migraines, tension headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic sinus infections, ear infections, depression, seasonal affective disorder, and felt like an arthritic 80 year old when I was 40. Most of those symptoms are gone due to changes in diet, moving out of moldy homes, and moving to a drier climate.
Cote d'Ivoire, in West Africa. Rating: 1 I had to leave the country within months of my arrival. I lived 4 hours inland (north) from the coast, at about 11 or 12 degrees north of the equator. The area was mainly savannah, but there was a very rainy season. Primary mold source: soil (I planted a garden.) 2nd source: airborne.
West Palm Beach, FL rating 1. There is mold everywhere! I got sick from 3 different sources. One problem was outdoors: irrigation systems caused lawns, golf courses, soccer fields, and most parks with grass to be full of mold! Inside of public buildings: schools, churches, and department stores...nearly all had roof leaks during past hurricanes. Roof repairs were made without removal of wet building materials underneath. You cannot see the mold, but sometimes you will notice water stains on ceilings. The third source was outdoor A/C units of private homes and high levels of mold in duct work.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Rating: 3. Freezing temps for 4+ months and longer in the north keep outdoor mold dormant. However, most homes have basements that have had water damage and smell musty...a sure sign of mold. Outdoor A/C units often carry mold into and throughout homes.
Southern Wisconsin Rating: 3. Same description as MN, but shorter winter. I lived in a mold infested house. All four family members (kids 9 & 12) diagnosed with depression. 3 of us had sinus problems, and both kids developed asthma between ages 5 & 7. I experienced my worst physical health ever and had terrible mood swings on top of it. We lived in that house, ignorant, for 9 years.
Denver, CO. Rating: 3.5. Homes w/o basements make it easier to find a mold free home. Legalized pot adds risk of mold exposures through second hand smoke or residue on people's clothing. Springtime rain was abundant in 2015, making outdoor mold worse than usual.
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Post by Peregrine on Sept 9, 2018 17:20:18 GMT -5
I was in Boulder CO for a training in Aug 2017, so about 10 days. It was in the middle of their monsoon season I guess. I moved hotels Four or five times, starting in an AirBNB and finally ended up at a “good enough” best western plus in Louisville, I think. The Best Western Plus in CO wasn’t bad, just pricey. I was surprised I didn’t feel better here.
Diagnosis, CIRS, MCAS. Had been living in a backyard tent for 1.5 yrs prior to that trip. Moderately reactiveto mold and chemicals at that time, I guess.
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