I'm concerned for my family's health, please help

[concernedchild]

I'm in my early 20's. I live with my parents who are older (60's and 70's). We are constantly poorly due to my younger family members (not siblings) constantly bringing bugs into the house.

We've been sick for four weeks now. We're constantly unwell. We're all overweight and need to change but I have no clue where to start. It all seems so overwhelming. Everything seems to be something that makes you unwell. Please, where do I start??? How do I make sure we're all healthy?

Posting in here as it's more active and I think I'll get some advice

What are you cleaning it with? Are you drying laundry in your room? Do other rooms in the house have mould?

The diet stuff sounds fairly ok!

Where abouts in the room is the mould?

The corner, it's semi close to my bed but only because it's a small room so there's not much space, I am changing room in a couple of weeks because of the mould so that might help

Bleach and anti mould spray. No clothes drying apart from the occasional jumper etc., but they're only hung up when the window is open and I have a dehumidifier in there. The bathrooms have previously had this problem but that's been solved by extractor fans.

I really recommend a dehumidifier. Lidl does them occasionally but they are a game changer in my damp old house. I have stopped coughing!

I have some of the little dehumidifiers from Amazon in the corners of my room, they're pulling out a lot of water but no change in the mould!

Get a proper dehumidifier. We have one, and it full daily. I guess it takes a litre or so of water. Those wee single use dehumidifiers won't be cutting the mustard.

I can't afford one and I doubt my parents would be happy with it as it would be using energy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Okay, well, you will need to find a way to get hold of one second hand and then work out how much it will cost to run and pay them the extra. You can ask for help on here with working it out, you just need to know the make/model of the dehumidifier and how much your folks pay per kilowatt of electricity.

I know it's not free, but since they only cost £40 new, I imagine you can pick one up for a tenner. They don't cost loads to run. Your health is very important.

I'll mention the mould to the doctor this evening and if she says that that would be a factor I'll tell my parents because obviously, I don't want to feel like this anymore

What do you mean your parents wouldn't consent to work being done on the mould?

You say smaller children are bringing germs in, are you and your parents active and leaving the house?

If not younger siblings, who are the young children?

If you haven’t made it from ingredients that grow (plant or animal), don’t eat it.

Go for a walk. Start small, walk 10 mins away from home and 10 mins back. Do 15 mins tomorrow, 20 mins the next day. Then start walking faster, walk fast between two lampposts/trees/postboxes, try and make yourself out of breathe.

I am diagnosed with binge eating disorder and this is what I do. Suggested by a specialist dietician.
I'd say 9/10 it stops the binge.
If I feel the urge, I tell myself that's ok, but you need to do XYZ first. Sometimes it's exercise, sometimes it's drinking a big bottle of water, sometimes it's reading a chapter of my book. It really does help. There are times it doesn't stop the urge and I do still binge but that's ok and we are only human.

OP - changing lifestyle is really daunting especially if you have other family members to bring along on the journey. Are you able to gove a break down of a typical day so we can advise better?

I'd say small steps - try and rule out processed foods, eat balanced meals and then try and ensure portions are correct etc. plenty of water, enough steps and vitamins.

I found working with a dietician (I accessed this on the NHS) really helped me understand what I need to put in my body to nourish it and from this, I built myself a very simple and easy to follow meal plan

They don't believe it's a problem beyond the surface.

We do, but they care for family member's children three days a week

Probably should've said in the main post, the children are at the house no matter what - even if they have upset stomachs etc., my parents will still be asked to look after them

If you are in your early 20s, what job do you do? If you don't like the setup at your parents', have you thought about moving out?

You can only really be responsible for yourself and those who allow you agency.

I'm an office worker, I can't afford rent at the moment as much as I wish I could

Hi OP!

First port of call is definitely the doctors to check for any underlying issues.

Second - sort that mould problem, keep on top of it with the bleach and wiping it away as soon as it appears. Keep the room heated and well ventilated. What room is behind yours? If it's a bathroom, you may have a bigger issue.

Thirdly, slowly make some good, long lasting, changes to your lifestyle.

Your meals sound good, maybe try smaller portions (using smaller bowls!), substituting things for healthier alternatives e.g. 5% fat beef mince rather than 12% fat.

I was watching Easy Ways to Live Well on BBC Iplayer today - very interesting and simple ways to be more healthy. Even just 20 minutes of exercise 3 times a week is good.
Walk everywhere if you can. If you're on the phone chatting to someone, walk around your house/garden instead of being sat down.

you really need to sort the mould problem! Social housing: 'Black mould in our home made my children ill' - BBC News

What does "office worker" mean? DH and I are both office workers. Do you mean, part-time, entry level admin? What are you doing to get a better job.

Eating: cut out saturated fats, refined carbs, cut down on red and processed meat, increase chicken, salmon, pulses, veg and fruit. That means no rich/creamy sauces, no chocolate, sweets, crisps, biscuits, doughnuts, etc.

How much do you weigh?

Clean off the mould, you can get mould cleaner and air your bedroom.

I'm training. I work full time. I can't increase my wage at the moment.

Doctors and mould are top of my list, I didn't realise how awful it can be!

It’s very likely caused my a fault with the guttering.

@concernedchild training as what? Are you doing an apprenticeship?

I'm training to become a solicitor. I am on a low wage. Not that it's relevant to this post.