What is going on with our health?

[Threecheersforsweetrevenge]

Can anyone help me figure this out. I've noticed my daughters hair has started thinning and she has lost length. Mine and my other 2 children is becoming dry and brittle.

We've had bloods and ferritin is low. This makes absolutely zero sense to me, we eat very iron rich foods, meat, veg, iron fortified cereal. My iron levels were weirdly high when pregnant which my midwife actually commented on. I've also noticed strange orange/yellow patches on my fingers and palms intermittently. Also seen them on my toddlers with no explanation. They last a few days then go, everyone seems incredibly itchy too.

One other thing I've noticed is that everyone seems a bit weird after eating, like forgetful or hyped up or even very angry. Uncharacteristically so.......chronic coughs too. What is this? It's like we're unwell but not. My daughter has been put on ferritin but she said she felt so disorientated the other day she couldn't move out of bed, when she managed to get up she banged her head on her bedside table. Then she said she had the worst stomach pain of her life and had to pace for 2 hours (she's 14 and didn't wake us). My son who is 3 seemed like this the other night too and woke up screaming, he fell into his bed and it's like he didn't register I was even there.

I'm really worried. Has anyone experienced anything like this?

carotenemia

Do you have anything on a regular basis that could be blocking iron absorption? E.g. tea, coffee or other milk drinks?

I'd be careful not to overthink everything, and remember stuff will still happen that's just a coincidence. It's like thinking a house is haunted and reading into normal stuff like a fridge humming and thinking it's paranormal.

On the other hand, could it be mould? Carbon monoxide?

We have carbon monoxide alarms...as for mould, I can't see any visible but we have had patches in the past. I'm airing out all the rooms daily.

I'm trying not to overthink but everyone is acting very strangely. We do like a tea but I limit mine to 2 cups a day. I'm at a loss. The behaviour stuff is what's worrying me. Kids seem to be forgetting basic stuff and acting on impulse/instinct a lot. Hubby even seems very overly angry, I'm stupidly maternal and trying to fix everything. It's bizarre, it's like someone's pressed reset on the family.

Low Ferratin causes all kinds of symptoms, I had hair thinning, brain fog, heart palpitations. My numbers have risen after a few months, the drs tell you take tablets every day but it’s best to do a day on and a day off, and also take it with a small glass of orange juice or if your daughter is struggling with the tablets look at liquid iron. There’s a Facebook group called the iron protocol, quite handy for information as theirs lots of families on there going through similar.

My low Ferratin is due to my period, but others struggle due to numerous underlying things, a lot can be gut related or caused by H Pylori

Some toxic exposures can produce combinations of abdominal pain, behavioural/neurological changes, itching and hair/skin changes.

Presume you’ve had your boiler/ heating system checked. Also check any mould sources. Could your water be contaminated via the tank/pipes etc?

Are you being exposed to pesticides/insecticides via nearby spraying?

I would think about potential sources of toxic exposure if you are all having similar symptoms and speak to GP about it too.

** edited to say sorry think our posts crossed and you mention mould in your latest post. It can cause a lot of random health issues.

Do you always eat in the same place, and is it near a boiler or other gas appliance? Are you absolutely sure that your CO monitor works?

Please double check the carbon monoxide - monitors offer only beep at very high levels and it decreases iron levels in the body

Hmm. If funds permit, maybe book an Airbnb for a week away soon and see how everyone feels. I'm wondering if some sort of environmental poison although I can't think what other than CO or mould.

Has anything happened like a bereavement or poor mental health of someone in the family?

One possibility... worms or other parasites can cause low ferritin and behavioural changes. They would cause other nutrient deficiencies which could explain thinning hair etc. Also can cause intestinal or stomach pain.
List symptoms to doc, ask for full blood tests plus stool parasite test and an h pylori test

We do eat in the room with the boiler, i always feel like the second we come downstairs we all change. Although I have a carbon monoxide alarm next to the boiler and upstairs. The gas engineer said it was corroding in the summer and needed an upgrade so I might get that done ASAP.

I don't know what is going on but my husband has just had another go over nothing. Really disproportionate to what actually happened again. My daughter was randomly laughing earlier (again a situation that wasn't funny and it was very out of the ordinary). Whereas yesterday she sat in the garden and cried for a while because I wanted to introduce some supplements and asked for everyone to be a bit more hygienic and pick up after themselves more. We had a chat and I asked about her stomach, she said it hurts more often than not. I asked where, she said all over, I asked how long had it been going on for. She said a long time...think months to years and she always thought it was maybe because she needed a poo. Despite not actually needing a poo that often. She also has headaches continuously....she said they're a 1 or a 2 and sometimes they'll go up to a 5, but nearly everyday. We took her for her eyes testing a while back and they said she had cataracts...super small and apparently congenital. Seems nuts to me because she's had these checks before and they've never flagged them until now. I'm so worried.

I googled "symptoms hair loss stomach pains disorientation" and it responded with lots of nutritional deficiencies. But that doesn't really square with the whole family having symptoms, so that points more to an airborne or waterborne trigger to me.

Changing the search to "symptoms hair loss stomach pains disorientation water-borne" it came up with arsenic or thallium poisoning. Changing it to airborne still came up with those possibilities.

Where do you live? As in, the ground beneath your house - was it built on a brownfield site? Old industrial works? Could the ground be contaminated?

What is the water supply source? Could the recent lack of rain have affected water quality in some way (e.g. drop in the water table, water being pumped up from deeper layers)?

How are your symptoms when you're not at home? Particularly, when you're on holiday elsewhere?

Sorry to be such a harbinger of doom((hug)).

MTHFR ?

That's genetic isn't it? But @Threecheersforsweetrevenge says she and her husband seem to be affected, so that would be a massive coincidence, when neither family had any previous sign of this issue?

Carbon monoxide would be my first concern, as *ThisWiseBiscuit *says monitors often only pick up very high levels so I would be really concerned about a slow leak, especially as the gas engineer has already said there's corrosion. I'm not sure who you would call to get the levels checked but would be frantically googling and booking someone for tomorrow in your shoes OP.

I’ve also read about monitors only picking up really high levels. Definitely get your boiler tested.

Can you go somewhere else for a week and see if it changes?

This thread is why I love Mumsnet 🥰 there are so many possibilities that I wouldn’t have thought of

Hope you figure it out OP, it sounds really bad !

Gas leak somewhere where the alarms cannot pick it up? I would get someone out today as a matter of emergency to check.
What are you cooking with? Thats the only other thing I can think is a possibly.

Monoxide detectors should be at a lower level as the gas flows down onto the floor and builds up . Like waist height or on the dining table.

This … go on a little break somewhere see how you are afterwards

Could it be lead poisoning as it causes these symptoms. How old is the house?