crankyI went to my apartment management and submitted copies of my insurance explanation of benefits forms (in the massive cleanup of the mold I lost track of a few of the actual medical bills, although I explained I could get copies if necessary), copies of my pay stubs from the weeks I missed work plus one from later when I was almost back at full strength, a spreadsheet breaking down everything and giving totals, and a signed letter from me fully explaining what happened and asking for some form of reimbursement.
Management accepted the forms, but wanted a note from my doctor as well. Totally understandable, so I called him up and left a message asking for a signed statement that I had been sick from the mold. I got a call later that day from one of his nurses saying that he wouldn't do it because he couldn't prove that it was the mold that made me sick. Uh, hi, one freaking night away from it and I was better. *grumble* Still, he never saw the mold. I can respect his ideals even if I don't agree. I asked if he could at least write me something stating the dates I was treated. The response, again through a nurse, "He said that you should probably just get a lawyer." ....What? No, seriously, what? First, I don't need a lawyer yet, and if I could get a note from him I likely wouldn't need one at all. Second, even if I did get a lawyer, guess what? They'd need something signed from my doctor to be effective!
So, plan B. I still had pictures of the mold, so I got some of the best ones printed out. (
Except in the interim, my doctor went out of town. He won't be back until August 4th.
But! There is very good news. I discovered one bag of trash that miraculously hadn't made it out to the dumpster. It had several items with very good samples of the mold. I have a friend getting her masters in botany from the local university. She's going to get one of her professers to grow a culture and identify the sample. From there I can get the symptoms associated with that type of mold (from the professor himself, I hope), and then I'll see if I can convince the staff in my doctor's office to give me a copy of my records showing my symptoms that I can then give to the apartment management.
No, I won't be going back to that doctor. It's the last straw in a line of less-than-stellar treatment. He's fine when I physically see him, but when it comes to things outside of examination and prescription writing it's so freaking hard to get him to do anything.
As a final note, between medical bills and lost wages, the total amount of money I lost due to the mold was $1,919.60. Even if I were to take out the amount I got from my supplemental short-term disability insurance it's about $1,400. There's no way in hell I'm letting this rest until there's some form of compensation.
EDIT: Despite work filters, I managed to get the links for the mold pictures I posted on my personal LJ.
Before the baseboards were removed.
After the baseboards were removed.
That space was right beneath my bed, as a note.