Silent Killer Carbon Monoxide: Warning Signs that Can Save Your Life

You never think it can happen to you. You may never think twice about something as remote as Carbon Monoxide. We didn't. But about five years ago, my family and I lived through the strange scare of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Having 4 kids, there were plenty of signs, but it wasn't for hours before we realized this silent killer was among us - filling our home with poison through our heating vents.

With so many people in the house and the action of a family, I am thankful there were so many signs. But what if I lived alone? What if my kids were home alone? It took all six of us to put together the fact that something was seriously wrong. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning happens in silence, killing anyone unaware. Do you know the signs?

1. Headaches: The morning of our incident, my husband and I both complained of a head ache. This really wasn't out of the ordinary so we dismissed it. If more than one person in your house is complaining of a head ache, this may be tip number 1. It was our first missed sign.

2. Loss of Balance: Early in the morning, when everyone was stirring, our 8 year old lost her balance in the hall. We dismissed this warning sign because she is not our most dexterous child. Strangely, in all of this, our kids never complained. They didn't complain of a headache, or dizziness - even though my daughter was not alone in her balance loss.

My 10 year old son also lost his balance in the bathroom. When I passed the door, he fell into the tub. He didn't hurt himself. In fact, when he looked up we both laughed, not realizing anything was wrong. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I just slipped." He replied. So, I thought nothing of it. Slips happen in the bathroom. Later, paramedics told us that Carobon Monoxide can effect children a lot faster. I believe this is what was happening in our house that morning.

No warning sign is too small. If you suspect something is wrong, trust your sixth sense. And if more than one child experiences loss of balance in the same hour, you may have a serious problem.

3. Lethargy: My twins slept in that morning. This should have been a huge red flag, because 2 year olds rarely sleep in. But this morning, I thought I was lucky. After my school aged kids were off, I was enjoying my morning and eventually woke them up to take them on errands. I thought both of them were especially slow and neither particularly hungry. They just seemed in a daze.

At a young age, I really believe children don't even know when they feel bad half the time. As adults, we are much more apt to process and compare our health to other days. But at age 2, don't count on verbal clues. Also, Carbon Monoxide may not make you feel particularly bad, so there is nothing to report. However, both of them having the same issue could have been a tip Lethargy is symptomatic, be careful not to dismiss uncharacteristic behavior!

4. Feeling Better Somewhere Else: When I left the house, my headache vanished within 30 minutes. I actually didn't realize it until I was on the way home. When I thought of it, I called my husband to see if he too, was feeling better. When I talked to my husband, he said he felt fine after leaving the house. "Me too!" I replied. But even that didn't make me think twice. I was just glad we were both feeling better. The twins were back to normal, too after time out of the house - but I just thought they were off to a slow start that day.

The truth was, leaving the poisoned area and getting fresh, clean oxygen will instantly make you feel better. So, if you ever feel poorly in one place, yet feel better in others, always consider the source. Our bodies really do give us signs!

5. Sleepy: In that same conversation with my husband, he imparted a story. He said that while he was waiting for his car to warm up before he left the house, he felt tired and laid down on the couch. He said he fell sound asleep for an hour. He was really surprised at his behavior, but blamed it on lack of sleep. Believe it or not, we talked about the car running out of gas having been idle in the driveway for so long (or getting stolen), longer than we discussed his sleep. It is really scary that clear signs can be so overlooked when you don't see, smell or hear danger.

Needless to say, all of that happened, and it still didn't occur to me that anything was wrong. After being home 20 minutes and laying my twins down for a nap, I realized my headache was back. So, I took some aspirin and this was the point I began to wonder if it was something in the house. I remember walking down the hall thinking, if we felt better when we left...and my headache is back now that I am home...hmmm

No sooner had I thought that, when I felt myself tipping. My feet just didn't align right and I grabbed to wall to stabilize myself. It was then that I thought of my daughter in this same spot earlier...then my son in the bathroom...then my husband falling asleep...the lethargic twins...click, click, click went my brain and the danger light finally came on.

I called the gas company immediately to inquire about gas leaks and if they can cause these symptoms. They referred me to the fire department and instructed me to not delay. In fact, they called back in 10 minutes to ensure I had called.

Upon arrival, the Fire Department took one step in the house and the radar detectors (that detect poison) went crazy. Instantly, the firemen suited up and pushed me out of the house I had just let them in. They asked me if there was anyone else in the house. Any pets?

When I told them my twins were sleeping in the other room, they wouldn't even allow me back into the house to get them. The protected firemen woke up my twins and carried them immediately to the ambulance. It was scary because the twins were not very alert. And you would think big, strange men, suited up in masks would have scared them to death! The fireman said that with levels as high as detected in our home, we all could have been dead in half an hour - the twins even faster, being so small!

Needless to say, we were fine...but the furnace wasn't. It was actually cracked and was distributing carbon monoxide in loads through the vents in every room. We were lucky. Do you know we did not have one carbon monoxide detector in the whole house? I never even considered buying one. Even after this, I thought how remote this was...Carbon Monoxide. I had heard of it, but just never made it a priority in the bustle of life. WOW - our lives could have depended on it! After that, we bought three detectors. They weren't even expensive. I remember buying them thinking...$12 could have saved our lives.

If you don't have a detector in your house, you really should grab one. I'm just a regular mom with four kids - and the silent killer could have taken our very lives away one breath at a time...in less than an hour, while we all fell asleep unaware.