Hi, I'm Katie

Sharing my functional healthcare expertise as someone who’s worked in both sides  (western & holistic). I know when to lean into which side when the other side lacks.

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When Mold Came Back: A CIRS Survivor’s Story of Finding the Source Faster with a Mold Dog

I never thought we would be here again with toxic indoor mold.

After everything we have been through: our son’s life threatening health problems caused by mold, my CIRS diagnosis, and everything in between for multiple years, I honestly believed the worst was behind us.

But at the end of 2025, our son went into respiratory failure again (we later found the cause: that new mold was back but this time in his room). The level of fear, pain and crisis this causes for our son and our family is indescribable. No person or parents should ever have to experience this, especially from something so preventable. Note he is stable today, and he continues to be the reason why I am an advocate in this space: to first provide families with mold illness awareness, then options, resources/referrals, and one-on-one care as a trained healthcare practitioner.

Around that time, my much (obviously) lesser but still present symptoms were returning too which was another clue that mold was back. Note: mold illness shows up differently for different people even under the same roof which is why it can go unthought of. For me, my hair was falling out again. Brain fog started creeping back in and poor word recall. Unintentional weight gain again. And then confirmed via labs – abnormal CIRS biomarkers raging. For my daughter it was nosebleeds and hypertrophic adenoids and my husband struggled with vertigo.

What we worked so hard to overcome reared its ugly head, but this time mold was in a different place in our home and for a different reason – but it still sent us right back to rock bottom. When it involves your child’s life which is the most important thing, your whole world can shatter from toxic indoor mold.

As a CIRS survivor, there is a unique kind of (valid) fear that triggers when you recognize these patterns and symptoms again. You don’t want to believe mold or other biotoxins could be part of the picture again.

But one thing our first mold experience taught me is this:

Never ignore what your body is trying to tell you.

We Didn’t Wait the Second Time As We Knew What to Do

The first time we all became sick (in different ways from person to person), it took years to connect the dots to our environment and to navigate the whole remediation and bodily care process. We didn’t know what we didn’t know.

This time was/is different.

Instead of spending months wondering, guessing, or hoping things would improve on their own, we decided to gather data immediately. (Out of sight, out of mind does NOT apply to mold).

We performed an ERMI test (self order a swiffer kit 1 here coupon code SAFEAIR10) which essentially measures the WHAT and HOW MUCH in a dust swab.

The mold results came back at a score of 19! (2 or less is considered a “normal” and “safe” level of mold to coexist with indoors). And another biotoxin called actinobacteria was also very high in our home. Certain species (the ones that can cause CIRS) on our Actinobacteria dust test (kit 13) also came back through the roof!

For many people, a high ERMI and/or Actinobacteria score is just a number. For someone with a history of CIRS, it is a giant red flag and warning sign to take action.

The results told us what our bodies were already trying to say: biotoxins are making you sick again.

Looking Beyond Testing

One of the limitations in regards to a straight forward test result is it gives a data point, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you where the problem exists, when it happened or why it happened.

As someone who has already walked through the nightmare of mold illness, I wasn’t interested in dilly dallying and knew we “saw what we needed to see.”

I wanted the source. I believe in root cause care – not just for the body but for homes too.

That’s when we decided to bring in Coltin Cunningham (and JoJo) from Alpha Dog Inspections (I have zero financial relationship with this business).

Why We Chose Alpha Dog Inspections

What stood out to me was that Coltin’s approach goes far beyond traditional mold testing: He combines the expertise of an Indoor Environmental Professional with the incredible detection abilities of a trained mold dog (which have a skillset that human’s don’t: a nose that can smell up to 100,000x better)

The goal with professional inspection isn’t simply to determine if mold is present (the ERMI already told us that).

The goal is to find it.

That distinction matters.

As Coltin often explains, many testing methods have limitations. Air samples capture only a brief moment in time. Moisture meters can identify moisture but not mold itself. ERMI testing can indicate contamination but cannot identify the location of the source. The real challenge is finding the hidden water damage and mold growth that continues to impact the indoor environment. All tools can have a time and place but the wisdom of the IEP combines all this data to paint a picture of what’s going on.

The Mold Dog + IEP Inspection Process

It started with a walkthrough after he had reviewed our file I had sent him during the onboarding process.

Before the mold dog ever entered the home, Coltin spent time gathering information, understanding the history of the house, and identifying potential problem areas.

This wasn’t a rushed inspection.

It felt like a true investigation.

Then came the part everyone is fascinated by—the mold dog.

Watching the dog, JoJo, work was incredible.

Room by room, area by area, the inspection was systematic and thorough.

She wasn’t looking for visible mold. She was detecting what couldn’t be seen.

What impressed me most was that every alert was only the beginning.

When the dog identified an area of concern, Coltin immediately shifted into detective mode.

He evaluated building materials.

He investigated moisture sources.

He looked at airflow patterns.

He assessed ventilation issues.

He examined areas the dog couldn’t physically access.

He used building science principles to understand not just where the mold was, but why it was there in the first place. This combination of canine detection and environmental investigation is what makes the process so powerful.

In about a week, we had a detailed full report of the home, that included pictures of the home, data, and a recommended game plan that triaged the problems and outlined the order in which they needed tackled.

The smooth recall of the home concerns gave us direction on what to do next. We trust his recommendations implicitly – as Coltin also had a child with respiratory distress from mold as well unfortunately. Simply put: he “get’s it.”

Finding the “Why”

One of the biggest lessons I learned from my first mold journey is that mold is not the rootiest of root problems.

Water is.

Moisture is.

Building failures are.

Condensation is.

Leaks are.

Ventilation problems are.

Mold is simply the result.

What I appreciated about this process was that the focus wasn’t only on finding contamination.

The focus was on identifying the underlying conditions that allowed contamination to occur.

Because if you don’t fix the “why,” you’re simply setting yourself up to repeat the same story later.

What This Experience Reinforced

As much as I wish I never needed another mold investigation, this experience reinforced something important to share:

  1. You want to hire a good, skilled team who can find it right away the first time. Nothing is more expensive than bad inspection and remediation, as it wastes your time, your money, and your health…and now you have to pay for it twice. Hire someone good like Coltin the first go around
  2. The body’s symptoms are rarely random (even if Western Medicine wants to call it “idiopathic”- which we have heard so many times incorrectly).

Years ago, I didn’t know what was happening to our bodies.

I didn’t know what CIRS was before I became a Dr. Shoemaker Proficiency Partner (now the only one in the country who accepts insurance).

I didn’t get how harmful mold and biotoxins can be.

I didn’t know what questions to ask.

Today, I do.

When symptoms returned, we gathered data right away.

When the ERMI came back elevated, we took immediate action.

When we needed answers, we sought the proper expertise.

And instead of staying stuck in uncertainty, we moved toward clarity right away and we got it!

For Anyone Walking This Path:

If you are dealing with unexplained symptoms, if your health has started declining, or if you have a history of mold illness and something feels off again, trust yourself enough to investigate. Don’t let Western Medicine gaslit your intuition.

Sure, not every symptom is mold.

Not every elevated test means disaster.

But ignoring the possibility rarely helps. Rule it in or rule it out!

As someone who has survived CIRS multiple times and is now trained in CIRS care, I know how overwhelming this journey can feel. I know as a mother what it like to have children suffering from this.

But I also know that finding the source is the beginning of taking your life back.

This chapter wasn’t one I wanted to write again.

But if sharing our experience helps someone else find answers faster than I did, then it is a story worth telling.

Resources

*This blog on the Dietetics with Driessens LLC website is maintained by Katie Driessens, Owner. All opinions are her own and for general educational purposes and not a replacement for individualized medical advice. Advertising, affiliate links or other forms of compensation are within this website and a small commission is earned for sales made through these links (with no extra cost to you) that help cover costs of running a small business. Products and services listed are prior carefully created and/or evaluated to ensure that they are accurate and supported by scientific evidence. Items or programs that are endorsed are based on Katie’s professional experience and expertise & are worthy of such endorsement. Dietetics with Driessens LLC assumes no responsibility or liability for damage or injury to persons arising from any use of any product, information, or opinion contained in the information of this blog, none of which is to be considered personal medical advice. By viewing, using, and shopping from this website, you agree to release Dietetics with Driessens LLC from full responsibility to the fullest extent allowed by law. Products & Services sold are not intended to diagnose or cure any disease. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise, supplement, meal plan or program. Thank you!

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