Heavy metals – copper apparently is one (I didn’t know before doing this research). We’ve got a couple symptoms that could point to mercury as well. We do eat a lot of fish, but according to the government’s handy calculator, not enough to make us THIS sick. We’ve never lived close to a mercury-producing plant, that we know of (there is one north of Greensboro, causing all sorts of probs – too far away to directly hurt us though).

Jules – yes, it’s a well. And I reckon you might be right – the doc’s testing female hormones to see.

Does Ken asking me if he can buy a motorcycle count as midlife crisis?

But I reckon you’re pre-menopausal – won’t work for Ken though. I don’t care what anyone says – men are not allowed to have a midlife crisis!

Back when I was 16 I had a filling – it might be amalgam but I think they used the white stuff. It’s all the way in the back so I can’t see it. I’ll ask the dentist. The rest are the white stuff. I won’t get mercury fillings, period.

Jules, you KNOW my general lifestyle consists of donuts and the couch BUT – We had about a year where we joined the Y, exericsed regularly, ate much better – and there was no difference at all in how we felt. None.

I know we don’t have copper PIPE, but we do have copper fittings in between some of the pvc pipes. It’s probably a good thing we don’t have copper pipe – copper is so valuable right now that people are coming home to discover that while they were at work, thieves broke in under the house and removed all the pipe!! People are finding the catalytic converters gone on their cars!! It’s crazy.

As far as the area – heavy pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers, plus the burial of I don’t know how many entire vehicles (oil, tranny fluid, battery and all) virtually under our feet. I’m suspecting the latter might be the problem, actually.

There’s no odd taste, though. What comes from the tap tastes the same as bottled water, and there’s no diff in taste with what I run through the new filter. The faucets and drains are corroded. Not sure if that’s from the copper, or from harsh cleaning chemicals from previous owners. And no staining to the laundry. Sometimes an odd smell – but I think that’s the iron… the health dept said it could smell.

I dunno… hope I get an answer soon!