As seen in the Dayton Daily News on September 10, 2016.
A woman called the other day asking if I could help her clean out her mother’s home. Her mother had passed a few years earlier and she was trying to clean it out on her own, but was worn out by it all.
The house sat vacant for a while because she felt overwhelmed by the amount of items within the home.
When she was ready, she entered the house and soon realized mice had taken over. There were mouse droppings in every room.
Since she described herself as ole farm girl, dealing with the mice didn’t bother her. She set out bait and discarded mice by the shovels full.
Are you suddenly feeling squeamish? I certainly was.
For the past year, she has been going through her mother’s things. Tossing what the mice had ruined and cleaning what could be saved.
She called me because dealing with all the possessions was wearing her out. She said, “I think my mother’s house is making me sick.”
I asked, “Did you wear any type of protective gear as you sorted through the rooms?” Her answer very much concerned me, “No, I did not use any safety measures while I worked.”
I then asked her to describe the health symptoms she was experiencing.
She reported feeling rundown and out of energy. Her muscles ached and she was barely able to walk up the stairs in her own home. She had abdominal pain, diarrhea, and headaches that were crippling.
As she spoke, I went to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website (cdc.gov) and searched Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). It’s a virus spread by infected mice. It can be transmitted to humans if they come in contact with feces that are less than a few days old.
She continued sharing her symptoms; coughing day and night, her breathing was labored and her chest felt very tight at times, as if someone was sitting on it.
By now she was sobbing on the phone. I consoled her as I continued scrolling through the CDC website looking for answers.
Everything she was describing was listed as the symptoms for HPS. I was worried for her, and shared the information I was seeing.
I wasn’t trying to diagnose or scare her. I needed her to understand the importance of seeking medical attention.
She went to her doctor the next day who did a blood test to see if she had contracted the virus. Thankfully, the results came back negative. She was given breathing treatments and medication to help ease her symptoms. When I called to check on her several days later, she was feeling much better for the first time in a year.
I then put her in touch with a company who handles extremes cases of mouse infestation so she could reduce her risk of exposure moving forward.
I share this story for two reasons. First, so you take precautions against creating an environment where mice like to hide and multiply. Donate or sell items you no longer use instead of storing them.
Second, to plead with you to take responsibility and part with your unused items now while your healthy, so your loved ones won’t be burdened with dealing with all your stuff after you pass.