Carbon Monoxide

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Discussion

Lemmonie

Original Poster:

6,314 posts

256 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
im probably being over dramatic as usual but...I have the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisening but obviously very much alive still.
Headache, nausea, feel hunover but no alcohol touched, sensitive skin like whn you get flu etc. Had it for 4 days now. Husband woke up this morning feeling ill too. Kids (3&4) are ok, one has a cough at night.
We have a gas boiler which is being checked this afternoon by a friend (qualified gas man)
Question is what to do next, i feel silly going to docs as the advice on line says it'll kill you in mins, open windows etc etc. We are all out of the house now but i have felt like this for days. I dont really feel any better at work to be honest so would that rule out CM?

daz3210

5,000 posts

241 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
Get to the doc or hospital. Yes it can kill, but doesn't always. We had a fire that was badly fitted by a qualified bloke. One winter it was darn cold, and we put the fire on full for a prolonged period. 2 hours later CO alarm sounded. We had been feeling dizzy for months prior, but had only been running the fire for maybe an hour at a time. Gas board attended and disabled the fire so it couldn't be used until repaired/fitted correctly.

I'm no expert, but first aid training I had some years back suggested that the body has great difficulty expelling carbon monoxide. So a medical checkup is in order.

If its not that you will look a little silly, but if it is.........

And take hubby and kids too just in case.



Edited by daz3210 on Tuesday 17th April 11:43

K77 CTR

1,611 posts

183 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
The fact you don't feel any better when you leave the house would suggest it might not be carbon monoxide as it normally improves once away from the source.

There are blood tests that can be done but they become increasingly unreliable the longer you are away from the source. I would suggest you call the gp and discuss it with them. They might have a co monitor that can measure the levels in your breath.

R300will

3,799 posts

152 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
Do your joints ache?

Use Psychology

11,327 posts

193 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
get a CO detector/sensor?

Craphouserat

1,496 posts

202 months

Tuesday 17th April 2012
quotequote all
What boiler do you have? I know some have bad reps - especially some thermal store boilers.

Regardless....new or old. Get a detector. BG will give you one for £30 6 year guarantee. No brainer no matter where you get it from.

Lemmonie

Original Poster:

6,314 posts

256 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
I had the boiler checked yesterday and all is fine, nothing detected at all. My symptoms appear to be getting better so I will put it down to being over dramatic and a "virus"

Craphouserat

1,496 posts

202 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
Lemmonie said:
I had the boiler checked yesterday and all is fine, nothing detected at all. My symptoms appear to be getting better so I will put it down to being over dramatic and a "virus"
glad it's nothing to worry about...I'd still invest in a detector though.



daz3210

5,000 posts

241 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
K77 CTR said:
The fact you don't feel any better when you leave the house would suggest it might not be carbon monoxide as it normally improves once away from the source.

There are blood tests that can be done but they become increasingly unreliable the longer you are away from the source. I would suggest you call the gp and discuss it with them. They might have a co monitor that can measure the levels in your breath.
CO dissapates extremely slowly from the body though as I understand it.


daz3210

5,000 posts

241 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
Craphouserat said:
What boiler do you have? I know some have bad reps - especially some thermal store boilers.

Regardless....new or old. Get a detector. BG will give you one for £30 6 year guarantee. No brainer no matter where you get it from.
Our council were giving them away for free a few years back if you asked.

R300will

3,799 posts

152 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
daz3210 said:
K77 CTR said:
The fact you don't feel any better when you leave the house would suggest it might not be carbon monoxide as it normally improves once away from the source.

There are blood tests that can be done but they become increasingly unreliable the longer you are away from the source. I would suggest you call the gp and discuss it with them. They might have a co monitor that can measure the levels in your breath.
CO dissapates extremely slowly from the body though as I understand it.
It binds irreversibly to haemogblobin so when your blood gets recycled which is about once a month i think for a full change then it will be completely gone.

Use Psychology

11,327 posts

193 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
CO doesn't bind irreversibly.

R300will

3,799 posts

152 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
Use Psychology said:
CO doesn't bind irreversibly.
Well relatively it does. It has 250 times the affinity than oxygen has for haemoglobin meaning that oxygen atoms don't get a look in when it is about.

K77 CTR

1,611 posts

183 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
R300will said:
Well relatively it does. It has 250 times the affinity than oxygen has for haemoglobin meaning that oxygen atoms don't get a look in when it is about.
I agree that CO will always win over Oxygen molecule but once the pt is removed from the source of CO the molecules will start to be replaced by oxygen. This is why the treatment for CO poisoning is high flow oxygen and/or hyperbaric treatment. It does not require the cell to go through a full cycle first.

R300will

3,799 posts

152 months

Wednesday 18th April 2012
quotequote all
K77 CTR said:
R300will said:
Well relatively it does. It has 250 times the affinity than oxygen has for haemoglobin meaning that oxygen atoms don't get a look in when it is about.
I agree that CO will always win over Oxygen molecule but once the pt is removed from the source of CO the molecules will start to be replaced by oxygen. This is why the treatment for CO poisoning is high flow oxygen and/or hyperbaric treatment. It does not require the cell to go through a full cycle first.
Fair point that was a mistake on my part.

Use Psychology

11,327 posts

193 months

Thursday 19th April 2012
quotequote all
yep, of course, the equilibrium constant for CO binding by haemoglobin is much higher than that for O2. There is also a much, much smaller cooperative effect for CO release than for O2 release (each haemoglobin molecule binds four molecules of O2 and, when one is released, it becomes much more favourable for the remaining three to be released too. This doesn't happen to the same degree for CO).

Interesting CO is being studied as a therapeutic drug (like NO basically). in small amounts it can reduce the damage to muscle tissue from anoxia (e.g. hearts when they stop)

R300will

3,799 posts

152 months

Thursday 19th April 2012
quotequote all
Use Psychology said:
yep, of course, the equilibrium constant for CO binding by haemoglobin is much higher than that for O2. There is also a much, much smaller cooperative effect for CO release than for O2 release (each haemoglobin molecule binds four molecules of O2 and, when one is released, it becomes much more favourable for the remaining three to be released too. This doesn't happen to the same degree for CO).

Interesting CO is being studied as a therapeutic drug (like NO basically). in small amounts it can reduce the damage to muscle tissue from anoxia (e.g. hearts when they stop)
Yes is has vasodilating properties i believe.