Things to Ask Before You Rent, Part II: The Meth Edition

This is a continuation in a series of posts devoted to questions that I had never thought to ask, but have learned my (costly) lesson so you don’t have to experience the same issues that I have over the years.

This is the second part of a multi-part series, so stay tuned!

Poison Leaching? Sweet!

            One of our most recent lessons was learned when we moved from New Mexico to Colorado. As some may know, the housing market in several areas of the country are astronomical, with Southwestern Colorado not immune to this phenomenon. We are paying nearly DOUBLE, yes, DOUBLE what we were paying in Southern New Mexico for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, decent sized yard, with a garage. Here, we have a three-bedroom, two bathrooms, no garage, and a yard that is not suitable for much. Our pay hasn’t increased much, and we are bleeding money. But, we are not alone in this struggle, as there are countless other families that are in the same situation. However, there is one thing that may make our experience stand apart…

            See, we learned after moving in (and, of course, signing a 12-month lease) that our home used to be a meth lab. Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, a meth lab. It is estimated that out of the 84,000 meth labs that have been discovered since 2004, only about 5% have been discovered by the authorities (Christie,2013). With people looking to make a quick buck, these labs are being set up in just about any type of neighborhood. Yes, even those in gated communities are not immune. We live in a semi-rural area, which may have been one of the lucrative aspects of this house.

            For the home to be adequately abated against meth residue, it can range between $5,000 and $10,000, but that is for a straightforward decontamination. When there are additional materials required, it can easily exceed the cost of a new car. With the costs associated with decontamination, it is unlikely that the property management company that we are renting through had this step completed. According to Christie (2013), meth can seep into many household furnishings, such as the walls and floors, carpeting, sub-flooring, drywall, kitchen cabinets, and even the ground. Once the initial decontamination is completed, the job is not done, as the chemicals can leach for several years after the cleaning has taken place, putting people at risk for several years to come.

            Even if the home was not converted over to a meth lab, if meth has been smoked in a home, there is still a high risk of symptoms due to exposure. Some chemicals that are released when meth is smoked include red phosphorus, ephedrine, hydrochloric or muriatic acid, and sodium hydroxide (Dudley, 2014). Some states have implemented stiff fines and processes to reduce such instances, but the film and residue from meth smoked in a home can stick around longer than the term of one’s lease. When smoked, the fumes can also leak into the cooling fins of a refrigerator, within heating and cooling ducts, and within appliances.

 

Effects of Meth Contamination

            I was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition known as fibromyalgia a few years ago, but I have been experiencing the symptoms for much longer. Some of the effects that have been noted to occur due to living in a previous meth lab include headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue, with long-term complications, such as damage to the kidneys and liver, an increased risk of cancers, and neurological symptoms have been noted (Christie, 2013). Symptoms such as memory loss, respiratory issues, and headaches have also been noted to occur even after a short exposure to a home that was once a meth lab. With a body that is already busy fighting itself and having a malfunctioning nervous system, I guess we’ll wait it out until the end of our lease, sadly.

TLDR: Take home message? Ask if the rental you are considering was once a meth lab.

Things to Ask Before You Rent, Part I

            Prior to moving into our current house, it had not dawned on me to ask certain questions aside from the regular ones that people routinely ask. Knowing if the utilities are included, what the policy is for having dogs at the property, and the length of the rental term all seem like common questions to ask when doing a walk-through of a prospective property. However, over the course of our rental history, we have encountered incidents that would have benefited from additional inquiry prior to signing a lease. So, I guess, our experience can help you to prevent similar situations from happening to you! This is the first part of a multi-part series, so stay tuned!

Do Bugs Bug You?

            One of our rental experiences still haunt me to this day. A few years ago, we decided to move to a bigger place and one that hopefully didn’t wake me up with water dripping on my face from a leaking roof. While we did get a larger place and the roof didn’t leak, we only stayed there for about a month. Fortunately, we were transferring from one property to another within the same property management company, so we didn’t have to complete an additional background check or pay an additional deposit, as it was just transferred from one account to the other.

            The yard was large, but it was not without fault. There were numerous stickers and other non-dog friendly aspects to the yard that made it less than enjoyable for both man and beast. Not only were there stickers and thorns in the sandy yard, but there were scores of bugs. We noticed some bugs walking through our kitchen and up on the walls while we were eating our first meal in the new place. There were SCORES of them, all marching in a line as if they were lining up to induce nightmares if or when I fell asleep. That night we tried to put it out of our heads, as we were exhausted from moving that day. However, sleep was not possible, at least not for me, as the bugs were also IN OUR BED! The would crawl on the walls, on us, on the dogs, on basically any surface. I couldn’t stay in the house due to the bugs. I ended up driving to our old place in the middle of the night, where I proceeded to make a bed of sorts on the floor. However, there were bugs on the blanket I brought over there, but fortunately, not as many. I sent the landlord an email in the middle of the night to share my experience. She sent out an exterminator the following day.

             According to recent research, ticks that carry Lyme disease have been found to be present in over half of all U.S. counties (Asher, 2016). Lyme disease can lead to serious health complications, with the population of this type of pest experiencing an astounding 320% increase over past two decades (Asher, 2016). However, much of the increase in tick population has been found to occur along the West Coast, as well as the East Coast and much of the right half of the country, which is nowhere near where we lived in New Mexico...

            The exterminator told us that it was the worst TICK infestation he had ever seen. Yes, we had ticks. Not just a few, but thousands. The handyman had noticed some of the bugs when he replaced the sliding glass door that was in the kitchen, but didn’t do anything about it. We were pulling ticks off of the dogs and ourselves. The exterminator had to come out once a week and it didn’t put a dent in the infestation. I spoke to my neighbor, as it was part of a duplex, and he said they have the bugs too. How did they not affect him or his family? Was he just used to living in filth? I suppose so. He was a strange cat.

Stay tuned, as Part II of What to Ask Before You Rent will be uploaded tomorrow.

Asher, C. (2016). Lyme-disease carrying ticks are now in half of all U.S. counties. Science Magazine.

            

Ways the VA Healthcare Program is Hurting Local Veterans

            Prior to moving to the Durango, Colorado area, I had been enrolled in what is called the Choice Program, which provides military veterans, as well as their dependents, to obtain care from community resources that are not provided through the VA system. This is the system I used to receive services such as rheumatology, gastroenterology, and dermatology. For the most part, this system helped to provide me with the resources I require to tend to my health needs. Sure, the physicians and specialists could have just as well been military doctors, as I received the same quality of care from them...and that is not saying much, considering my previous experience with military doctors, but I digress.

            When I had my initial appointment with my new primary care provider, I was told something that just came across as blatantly wrong. See, my doctor told me that my only options to see these types of specialists would be to drive nearly 4 hours each way to the large VA facility in Albuquerque, which is insane to suggest, or not see any specialists. Sure, they have a courtesy shuttle van that takes patients to the larger facility, but you must plan your day around the appointments of others, so you would either leave early, or must stay late, depending on the schedule for that day. The other option just was not feasible either, as I have a family history of colon and bone cancer, as well as having been diagnosed with a myriad of chronic pain conditions.

I live at a Level E on a daily basis, just for reference

            You know the saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?” Well, that is applicable to my situation, but rather replace “good” with “wrong” and you see where I am going with this, right? Well, when I met with the social worker at my local VA clinic, she repeated the same incorrect information regarding the Choice Program. She told me that, while there are services in town, such as support groups, there is little in the way of community resources that address symptoms. I can’t really go to a support group for my colonoscopy or endoscopy now, can I?

            My social worker also told me that I am my own advocate for my health, which is a phrase that she might be wishing she didn’t say. See, I thought that the information I was provided by not just one, but two medical professionals at my local VA clinic, sounded incorrect. Just in case though, I called the Choice Program directly, and boy, am I glad. The representative that I spoke with was just as befuddled by what I was told as I was when I heard it. It helped to put my mind at ease, knowing that I was correct about this program, as well as the fact that I would (hopefully) be able to see a provider here in the community, as my symptoms have increased since my last visit to the shoddy rheumatologist who reprimanded me for crying out in pain when he took a biopsy from my thigh at 5:30 in the morning, before I was fully numb. But again, I digress and that, along with the other numerous experiences I have had with military health officials and those covered by the Choice Program.

            So, here is my conundrum. Yes, I am my strongest advocate for both my mental and physical health. The soonest they could schedule me with a mental health professional (to address my depression, anxiety, PTSD, and MST) is the end of February, and even then, it would be only via tele-health. That falls outside of the 30 days or 30-mile rule that applies to the Choice Program (maybe not the distance, but certainly the time-frame). In the past, I have conveniently fallen through the VA health cracks, as it had taken me 18 months to even get an appointment with a rheumatologist, as the original request somehow got lost. I know that I am in the right and have a whole organization and website that provides me with the answers to help to support my position. I know that I am most likely not the only veteran in the area who has been fed this lie. However, I may be the only one to raise a little hell over the incorrect information that could have potentially affected the lives of a significant number of veterans living in the area.

            I have been known to let my emotions get the best of me, particularly when I know that I am in the right. This isn’t just relegated to my health, but also where we used to live, I have been physically threatened when I spoke up for the poor treatment of the dogs I would witness running in the street. As if it were my fault that I recognized this behavior as wrong and dangerous. I am not kidding. I wish I were. So, I need to come up with a game plan of sorts, as I know that I need to go into the clinic and let them know that they are wrong, that I qualify to see community providers that honor the Choice Program in the area. I know that other veterans have experienced this same type of treatment. The sooner the better, but, dude, I am not looking forward to it. I just need to keep my cool, and remember why I am doing this...for the health of not only myself, but the countless veterans who have received the same misinformation. Sadly, I know that this not only applies to my local clinic, but the Portland, Oregon one too, as that is who contacted me to set up my appointment for the tele-health mental health sessions...I was told that since they can provide me with the tele-health services, then I don’t qualify for community care. Well, that is not true either.

Rhubarb Applesauce: The VA Choice Program

Imagine the following scenario and assess what you would do in the situation…

“I’d love to make some homemade applesauce. I think I will go down to the fruit stand to pick up some apples” you say to your dog as you head out the door to the fruit stand. After making your way into town, the green grocer greeted you with a warm and friendly “Good morning! What can I get for you today?”

“I need some apples, so I can make some applesauce. Homemade always tastes better and there’s often fewer ingredients too.”

“Gee, I am so sorry. We have some lovely bananas, but we’re all out of apples. Can I interest you in some rhubarb?”

“No, I don’t think those will do, as I am making applesauce.”

“What about some pomegranates? They are chock packed with nutrition.”

“No, I am sorry, but those won’t work either. I really need apples.”

“Well, you can drive four hours south and I think they might have some apples for you. You could try that.”

“Thanks for the idea, but I am not sure that it will be worth the travel.”

____________________________________________________________________

Okay, after you have read that scenario, what are your thoughts towards the fruit stand employee? What would you do in that situation? Maybe change your mind and not make applesauce after all? What if all of the stores within a 30-mile radius were also sold out of apples? Would you make the trek?

            In the example scenario, it outlines something I learned today from my visit with a social worker at my local VA outpatient clinic. See, there is this program called Choice, which is supposed to be a safety net for veterans if they need care, specialized or routine. In my previous clinic location, I was placed on community care via the Choice program for dermatology, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Since the clinic where I received care in the past did not have these specialists on hand, this system worked for me, for the most part.

However, at my new clinic location, I was told that if you are within a 30-mile radius of a VA health clinic, the veteran would not be eligible for the Choice program. I even inquired if this would still be the same answer if the clinic did not have certain specialists on hand, such as a rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, or dermatologist. Sadly, I was informed that it would still apply. Seriously. If I want to receive care from these specialists, I will have to drive nearly 4 hours (each way, so 8 hours round-trip). With my hips seizing up after sitting in a car for less than an hour, it does not look like I will be receiving any care from these types of specialists. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome, along with a familial history of colon and bone cancers. This system is broken.

What would you do in this situation?