Is it possible for a room to make you ill?

K1LLSW1TCH

K1LLSW1TCH

K1LLSW1TCH

Caporegime
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12 Mar 2009
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I ask the question in the title because something weird has been happening to me over the past couple of years. A few years ago, after a string of arguments with my parents I decided to move out, the only place to go was my grandparents. I've lived here for two, maybe three years now and have noticed that I've been suffering coughs, colds, and even tonsilitus and various fevers over the past few years.

The reason this is strange is because when I lived at home with my parents I was the least ill person you'd probably ever come across, and I'm talking maybe one small common cold a year. Now as far as I can gather the room that I'm living in doesn't appear to have any damp. It's got a nice big double glazed window with blinds and curtains to keep the warm in, as well as two radiators so I don't know whether it's that.

The house is pet and smoke free and nothing has changed significantly. My diet has change slightly in that I usually only eat 1 or 2 square meals a day at the very most which is bad but I wouldn't consider myself unhealthy. I'm a decent weight for my height and I eat plenty of chicken, meat, pasta, potatoes and oats.

Anybody see any reasons as to why I'm much more ill and on a very frequent basis? For example I've just gotten over scarlet fever about 4 days ago. I now have a common cold and am sat here with earache, headache and a very sore throat! :(

By the way, I'm no hypochondriac, I'm the type that usually takes some paracetamol, waits a few days and if things get worse or no better then I book a doctors appointment. Is it possible that it's the room/atmosphere down here that is making me ill like this quite frequently? Maybe even the water or something similar?
 
You say there are 2 radiators?
What sort of radiators?

My friend was ill once, so spent all week on his sofa next to a little gas heater, and he continued to get worse and worse, turns out he was getting mild carbon monoxide poisoning from the heater! So if they are portable radiators you may want to get them checked out?
 
Most definately.

Carbon Monoxide, mould / toxic spores (particularly underneath wooden funiture or even inside sofas where dampness/condensation hasn't evaporated properly) and even somthing as simple as dust (with wooden floors it moves about more and is more common in areas which aren't ventilated and particularly common in roooms used for ironing/drying of clothes or even badly vented tumble dryers)

At this time of year numerous people are admitted to hospital due to respiratry problems due to the above. It's usually Carbon monoxide, due to fires getting used for the first time this year in houses that aren't properly ventilated and having no oxygen for the flames. Indoor fires of any type are a slow killer as they eat up all the oxygen. Even gas rings/cookers should be vented with an extractor that's turned on along with the cooking, as they not only take the oxygen, they create excess water which also causes problems in upper levels of you home.

Look up 'Sick building syndrome' for even more stuff as there's loads of stuff it could be and not necessarily related to an office or where you work - it can be your home.
 
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It's funny you should say that because this room has no ventilation save for the window being open sometimes.

If I leave the windows open a bit more often do you think that would help?
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
It's funny you should say that because this room has no ventilation save for the window being open sometimes.

If I leave the windows open a bit more often do you think that would help?
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errr... yeah humans kind of need fresh air to live.

I always leave the windows open a crack a night, even in this weather.

Dust mite particles might be messing you up as well could be alergies rather than cold symptoms.
 
Could be dust and things in the carpet? Is the house generally dusty or cleaned well?
 
The house is cleaned very well, hoovered every other day and to answer an earlier question: no, I haven't been having the window open at nights. It's usually open during most of the day as I do like a bit of fresh air but it's closed during the nights. I'll have to start opening it and seeing if it makes a difference.

Also, the door is closed to this room all the time as well, that obviously won't help in getting fresh air in.
 
It could be dusty environment. I worked in an IT support / system building workshop before I was made redundant 2 months ago. While working there, I would get the fit of the sneezes that lasted all day long. This fit would take place approx once a month. Since I lost my job though, I haven't had this sneeze-fit.
 
maybe the house / room is full of radon gas and as you get slowley irradiated and it kills your imune system you are more prone to get ill..

on the up side its not the getting ill with colds and flu you need to worry about....

on the down side the being irradiated will kill you in time...
 
DAvE18 said:
House MD mode, check under sink etc for mold and toxic spores :p
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Dammit I didn't want to say it, I wanted to do it, love house.
"Differential diagnosis for a weakened immune system."
"The black one, go."

How clean was your previous house compared to how it is now? Your old house may have been so clean in comparison that it made your immune system weak. If the room you're in now wasn't lived in for a while especially I'd say check for mould, give it a good old clean out.
Allergies could also be a factor, anything new in your diet, try removing.

Or brave it out and over time your immune system will catch up.
 
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Perhaps I just have a RUBBISH immune system then? :p

I don't eat as many fruits as I should and vegetables are a no go to be honest, but I've never really had this problem when I lived with my parents. I've had the window open for a couple of hours and I already feel better. Perhaps that was it, just letting some fresh air in. I may even go into uni this afternoon now! :o

Although that's a big maybe. :p
 
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