I can't believe I didn't die

[rm]

Short version:

Son of woman buying the car from the estate of the house I was helping clear runs car in _closed_ garage for 30 minutes to see if it works. (I should note the son is a mechanic!). No one notices. For the next hour I complain of feeling queasy and keep laying down to see if I'll feel better. Fellow who is the executor finally says, "god this is so wiping me out," and all of a sudden I say, "we have to get out of the house, NOW!"

I wind up standing outside in 18 degree weather for an hour making calls to find out what was going on and eventually it's solved; we open all teh windows and the garage and a couple hours later the house is safe.

When I had proper air back in my body again it became shockingly clear to me that the whole thing was much much worse than it seemed as it was happening. We're talking internal organs hurting the whole deal. That the executor could have laid down on a couch too and we both could have passed out and fucking DIED seems all too plausible.

I'm actually pretty rattled.

I was, for the record, encouraged to blog about this particular horror by the client in question.

Comments

[billijean.livejournal.com]

Wow.. that's scary.

Apparently that's what so dangerous about carbon monoxide poisoning - it doesn't set off any mental alarms.

I'm glad you're ok. And what's with the mechanic? duh!

[sev1970.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness! That is so scary. It's a good thing you realized y'all needed to get out. So glad you are okay.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Dude, that's terrible. I'm so glad you're okay, but yeah, that must have been scary and nerve-wracking, even afterward. Especially afterward. Good thing you realized that something was going on. Do you feel better, or still sick?

[heron61.livejournal.com]

That's quite terrifying and I am very glad that you are OK. Well done with getting you both out of the house - congrats on having excellently functional instincts.

[lakme.livejournal.com]

WHOA! Don't be taking any cars to THIS guy to fix! EEK! I'm glad you're okay!

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

I for one am incredibly grateful that you got out when you did.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

Jezismaria! My god I am glad you are both alright.

[miep.livejournal.com]

merciful havens! Thank god your quick thinking was not entirely compromised. we've had several deaths in MN from carbon monoxide this past year, and it's so scary how it just goes in and breaks you down.

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

Holy cow. This is freaking me out - the dangerous stupidity of some people. Are you sure you're okay? Were you checked by a doctor?

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

Mother of gods! I'm glad your internal warning systems work as well as they do.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I had always heard about carbon monoxide in the context of sleeping people. I had never heard about it in the contet of, you're perfectly awake and your body just assume that whatever is going on is something else entirely.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It took about four hours for me to feel entirely normal. My stomach is still a bit off, but that could be honest to god celiac stuff or the fact that that system is just the most sensitive for me because of the celiac.

The thing that made me figure it out (other than us both feeling like shit) was at some point after he said what he said, I realized the air felt like it had the wrong density to it. And I was even more aware of that after the house cleared out. It was so weird, and so weird too to go from "wow, I feel really weird to my body suddenly going "hey, I think you're dying".

[rm.livejournal.com]

It is so scary. I had never heard of it in the context of conscious people who aren't trying suicide. It really fols you into thinking whatver is going on is normal. Scary scary shit.

[rm.livejournal.com]

No, no doctor, but I felt pretty much normal by a few hours later. My stomach still feels a bit off, but that could be honest to go celiac stuff, so I do think I'm fine, but wow, brain cells I will NEVER get back. And it wasn't even fun.

[alabastard.livejournal.com]

VERY close there, good call on your part!

[theotoky.livejournal.com]

i'm glad you're not dead. how scary.

[rothko.livejournal.com]

jesus. that's so scary!

[miep.livejournal.com]

it does. the hardest part, is that it feels so much like you're just coming down with something else and should stay in the house, when that's exactly what you must not do!

[baldanders.livejournal.com]

Oh my god! It is incredibly fortunate for everyone that you trust your perceptions. If there hadn't been someone willing to say No! Something here is genuinely wrong! you're right, you'd be dead. I don't blame you for being shaken. I'm shaken just reading about it.

holy shit

[hofnarr.livejournal.com]

That is fucking scary. Very glad you didn't die. Way to get the hell out of the house. Go you.

Really glad you're not dead.

*hugs*

Re: holy shit

[rm.livejournal.com]

thank you. I will, in fact, get to your email this weekend. My week go away from me (clearly), and dude! I spent like two hours standing outside in a parka going "OH MY GOD"

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, thank you. I feel kinda like an ass last night for being as freaked out as I was (when we finally went back in the house< i would let him close any of teh doors or windows and packed everything while wearig a parka) because I was so spooked, and wondered if I was just being insane, but no, I don't think so.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Damn, I kept wondering I have waving a celiac moment, or a stomach flu or a bladded infection (and my organs hurt which I pressed on my stomach, which is what's happened to me before when I've had bladder in fections), but... I dunno -- good panic reflexes I guess.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Whoa. Whenever I have a really bad headache and feel very tired, I become convinced that it's Carbon Monoxide OMG! but I've never known anyone who actually was exposed to it.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

Go your brain for figuring it out. Wow. Very glad you made it out and are okay now.

Yeah, out West here we have several deaths every year from people burning wood stoves in enclosed areas; same deal. I'm sure they just fall asleep that way. (If you're reading this and have a wood stove, RM's friends, please consider a CO2 alarm.)

I will now shudder at the horrible irony of several people possibly dying at an estate clearing.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

Aieee!

And outside of that I'm at a complete loss for what to say, other than huzzah for escaping.