Thursday, July 14, 2011

BECAUSE I AM COO-COO

When we first bought our house, the realtor recommended we test for radon. Well, being from the beach, I had never heard of radon.  She explained that it is an odorless, colorless gas that comes from the earth. It can get trapped in your house and exposure can cause lung cancer. In fact, statistics show that it is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking.

So we followed her recommendation and tested. Our levels were low enough to not have to worry about it. Great! Four years go by and I never give it another thought. Well, one night, Brad and I were watching TV and in the back ground of the program was a bunch of pamphlets. One of them had big letters on it RADON - HAVE YOUR HOME TESTED. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Oh yeah, radon.", then immediately forgot about it again.

Well, being the freak o' nature that I am, always looking for something to fret about, I should have known my mind wasn't going to let that go. So there I was in bed that night,  wide awake, eyes huge with fear, thinking I was poisoning my children with toxic gas. I violently shook Brad awake, while screaming that we were killing our children made a mental note to mention it to Brad when he woke up.

The next morning, I asked him about it. No real shock here, but he told me I was coo-coo and to let it go.  Let it go? Let it go? Clearly he did not realize who he was talking to. I can't let anything go. I am a fretter. That is what I do.

Well, low and behold, I stumble across a Dr. Oz segment about the dangers of radon. Now you all know if Dr. Oz says it is a silent killer, by gosh, that makes it fact! So I continue my research ever convinced that we needed to pack up our belongings and head to the coast!

Then, then, I see my neighbor outside, so I run over to ask her what she thought of radon. Have they ever tested? She tells me (lord, my heart stopped) that they did indeed test when they bought their house. Their level came back high and they had some high tech mitigation system installed to filter their air.  Seriously at this point, I am about to soil my britches.

So I finally convince Brad to get a test kit from Lowe's. All the while, he is complaining that I am a nut job and that I need to see a shrink. He even suggests that maybe the "radon" has gotten to my brain. Oh so funny, that guy. Anyway, so we get the test. You have to leave it out for a minimum of 48 hours. Ok, done.

So during that 48 hours, I decided to stalk the internet and my other neighbors to see what I can uncover. Well, not a single person, other than my one neighbor had ever even heard of radon. Not my friends at church, not my family, none of my friends that live somewhat close.  Then I finally discover a study done on the internet. It said that if you have 1000 people that have never smoked, and you exposed them to a lifetime of radon, 3 of them would get lung cancer. Three. Out of 1000. That is less than 1%.

So I decided to step off of my crazy train, take a deep breath (of radon poisoned air) and let it go. I am not going to live in this house a lifetime. My family will not live in this house a lifetime. Not to mention we have tested - and it was low. The reports say as long as there hasn't been construction or an earthquake, the level is probably no different. I actually threw away our test kit.

So I am letting it go. Of course, the minute I say I am letting it go, I read a report saying you shouldn't give your kids fluoride. WHAT? The report says it crosses the blood brain barrier and can cause Alzheimer's. Well, great. The only thing my kids drink is city water. Fluorinated water.  So, yeah I have let the radon issue go. But....

I am not going to fret. I am not going to fret. I am not going to fret.

4 comments:

Naomi said...

Hey there!

This is Naomi from Lydia Hope blog and I have been stalking your blog this evening after you left the comment on my blog today!! I have been reading about all that you have been through last year, understanding fully what most do not and my heart breaking all over again for you and our situation. It never leaves you and you never forget but God does bring healing. I would really love to connect with you so here is my email, thecuozzos@aol.com. I may have caught where you live in NC while reading your blog and if it is where I think it is, then we will have to meet up!

I am so sorry that you went through the same pain and heartache that we did. It is devastating. I realise that you are coming up to the time when you travelled to China and if you are anything like me, you will replay it all over in your mind again. I am also so sorry that you have not been matched yet. I know that when we saw Lydia's face, although we were apprehensive, we knew that God had been gracious to us. She has brought so much healing to our family, probably as much as we have in hers!

Anyway, please send me you email and let me know where you live (if you feel comfortable with that). I hope you have followed me long enough to feel like you know our family. We would really love to meet up.

Blessings to you,

Naomi

Cheri said...

You are so funny! But, I am just as guilty as you are. We are re-doing our kitchen and when I researching granite countertops, I found out that radon is in granite! Imagine my panic (and yours if you have granite counters in your kitchen). I am slowly learning to let it all go. Nothing can touch me or my family that God does not allow. As for the flouride....I do not allow my kids to have flouride treatments at the dentist, and we have well water. I want nothing but well water my entire life! No worries about the city putting chemicals in our water then. You know, I heard that flouride is a form bromine. I've not done much research on bromine, but heard it is terrible for you. Now look! You and I could have a chat session all night long on this stuff. Who knows where it would lead.

Martin & Marci said...

Much (Most?) of being a consumer is based on fear. We buy "x" because we are afraid of "y". If we think about all of the negativity and fear that's put into America's brains through media, no wonder we are such horrible consumers and feel like we have to buy in order to protect. Isaiah 41:10 says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Not being afraid goes against the grain.

I'm not saying to skimp on lifejackets, visit the beach during a hurricane, or give children broken glass to play with because it's shiny. I just take everything I hear on the news or TV with a grain of salt...like one of those grains of salt on a soft pretzel where it's actually 3-4 grains that are actually stuck together. It's probably just me getting older, but I have difficulty trusting much of anything on TV these days. Yup, I am getting old.

The McIntires said...

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