Hello Doctors,

I am 47 and am on disability for "General Dysfunctional Disorder" whatever that is. I have seen phyciotrist's all my life and some say I am bi-polar; some say depressed, put really all I have is Panic Disorder and addictive tendancies, which has become much better after my complete hysterectomy 2 years ago; I am guessing that my peramenapausal symptems made it very bad. In reality though, I had my first panic attack when I was like 10 years old, while in Church and passed out and was taken out by the church guys. I have been hospitalized through the emergency room many times in the last 30 years thinking that I was dying from a heart atttack. It got so bad that I could not keep a job as I am an artist, a Graphic Designer, and I was pursueing my carreer in Downtown Cincinnati where the high end Design jobs were. I worked down town for nearly 5 years before I just could not drive to and from work. Driving was one of the hardest and attack provoking chores. Getting from one exit to the next was my goal without flipping out. And if I was in a traffic jam in between? Watch out! So I had to quit my job, I then tried to get unemployment or workmans comp and my employers liked me and were all for it (they did not fight anything). Subsiquently I was denied saying that I had a "pre exhisting condition" so with no means to support me and my daughter I applied for disability and without a lawyer I recieved it within 2 months. This is unheard of these days (this was in 97), but even back then people had to get lawyers and such. I believe the fact that I had a track record with variouse Physciatrist and Phsychologist that they went off of that. What I think is out of this world is the fact that ever since my hysterecetomy I can drive without panic attacks, although I still have anxiety attacks from time to time, due to overdue bills or circumstances, they are rare too. I can go to stores and malls. I am still on the meds and am going to start weening myself of them as I really don't feel I need them anymore. I left my abusive husband, I am a victem of crime in the State of Ohio. Just leaving my ex was very hard, as that was before my hysterectomy and I could not think of life on my own. I have since started my own business, that seems to be picking up, I can't afford an accountant, but I work out of my home and I wrote and received a grant in November for my work to upgrade my equipment. On the accountant thing, I think things are looking up, I am ready to get off of food stamp assistance very soon (Disability is not a way to make a living), and ultimately my goal is to become a total active member in society, although I am apprehensive due to my age and the state of the economy. As the rules state right now I am able to make $700 a month over my $1,100 that the  government gives me, including the fact that my medications for my damaged neck (from my ex-husbands attacks and his children) and such are included and they pay 80% of my doctor bills.

The main reason I got on to this site was a question I have on my daughers behalf, but if you would like to contact me to do some kindof interview on my condition with Dr. Lisa's experience or something, feel free I would participate for others that have suffered this disorder. I just really think it strange and would have had a hysterectomy years ago when I had a tubal ligation if I knew that the effect would be thus. I am of course using HRT, Estrotest.

So my main question to you is; my daughter lived with me and guys and animals and I kept the place as clean as possible, but sterile was not a possiblility. Then after I left the abusive household she moved with me to an apartment a couple counties away from my abuser and his abusive family, untill my Mom and Dad had there house built (they had lived in a Homerama house for over 25 years, that was struck by a tornado like 7 years ago, and they just couldn't keep up with the keepen up with...) so when there new house was built, my daughter moved from my small apartement which I refer to as my 2 story trailer, to their very sterile environment. My mother will obsessively take a toothbrush an sterilizers to any and every surface in there home. (Dad gets up very early and with the lights low accidently stepped in a pile of my daughters dog poo  on the back end of his shoe while getting the paper and tracked it around the house not knowinlgly as it was behind him and the lights were low; my god did my mother have a nervouse breakdown on that! She said they were going to have to have the carpets replaced and then sell the place. Well Mom has an some seriouse mental issues herself that are not diagnosed or ever have been tried as she doesn't even know she has all this stuff that she passed on to her offspring - at least her side of the family as mental disorders run rampid on that side; of all sorts, alcholohism, drug abuse; isolation, depression, mania, panic, agoraphobia, germophobia; I am just full of some great DNA! I knew that when I was young and never meant to procreate, my lovely daughter was a happy accident...

Sorry, everyone tells me I write to lengthy, my daughter... She and her boyfriend just moved into an apartment about 3 weeks ago with visable mold. I haven't seen it, this is what I have been told. We do not know if it is black mold or not and do not go about finding out. She has been having flue like symtoms and her and her boyfriend both have been blowing black mucouse out every morning starting a couple of days ago. I was surfing the net for info and I though of just asking you guys as I love your TV show... My daughter suffers from many allergies, but to my knowlege her boyfriend does not. They do use candles in their apartment, and they both smoke, (she told me though that they were not smoking in the apartment nor their friends) and to be honest some of the illegal stuff also. I am not their warden even if I wanted -  kids do what they want, I know, I used to be one. They basically have good heads on their shoulders; both are in school and both work and they have a dog, which by the way has been sneezing alot too since they moved in the apartment that was built in the 70's. But they have been doing that for a few years and she has spent many hours at his Moms house in his bedroom doing the same activities and now all of the sudden they are both blowing out black snot, could this be dried blood from something else? Can you give me some adivse to make sure they are not in an environment of black mold, and if they are, what legal options to they have as far as having it tested and getting out if in fact it is a black mold situation.

I look forward to your advise. Again, if you feel I would be good material for your show I would be more than willing to participate; especially if I could get the spider veigns that are on my face off!!! (My insurance would consider that cosmetic, as I looked it up after your show today, before I started working).

Sincerely,

Lisa K. Hoffman