DEAR DR. GOTT: My son, now 51, had serious CO poisoning in 1985. His problems with major headaches and difficulty in running his business have grown worse over the years. He has several headaches, about 10 times a month, that often last two or three days. He cannot read over one page without getting dizzy and then a headache. A MRI showed brain damage. Is there anything that can help him? He is highly intelligent and this really frustrates his desire to be successful and comfortable.
Thank you.
DEAR READER: CO (carbon monoxide) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced whenever a fossil fuel is burned. Those of us that heat our homes by propane, kerosene, oil or coal-burning appliances (which is just about everyone), start the car in an enclosed garage, warm up a house with a gas oven, or use a generator indoors, are at risk for exposure. CO is even found in the combustion fumes of cars and trucks, lanterns and small gas engines that we may pass while driving down the highway.
CO poisoning can cause extremely rapid illness and even death. Symptoms include nausea, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, headaches, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and more. The red blood cells in our bodies pick up carbon monoxide faster than they do oxygen. If there is an appreciable amount of CO in the room or air, the body can replace healthy oxygen in the blood with deadly carbon monoxide. This process blocks oxygen from entering the body, leading to tissue damage and death. We are all at risk but actual and unnecessary fatality is highest among the elderly.
The initial steps to avoidance of injury is to become educated. The “nevers” include using a charcoal or gas stove for heat for cooking indoors; starting the car in a closed garage; patching vent pipes with inappropriate materials such as tape; using a fireplace that isn’t properly vented; or using portable flameless catalytic heaters indoors. Most of us own fire/smoke detectors and have them placed strategically in our homes. I urge you to purchase one that has a carbon monoxide detector unit also. It is estimated that only 15% of the houses in our country have such alarms installed. Then, when purchasing any gas equipment, be sure it carries the seal of a National testing agency such as Underwriters’ Laboratories or that of the American Gas Association.
Even with proper treatment which includes immediate intervention at a hospital where oxygen can be administered either through a face mask or a hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit, some exposed individuals will develop long-term brain damage that will present as loss of memory, problems thinking and psychiatric or neurological issues. This does not happen to everyone who has been exposed; however, no one wants to become a statistic. Everyone (and every animal down to your fish in a bowl) so exposed should be moved away from the offending source immediately and should not enter the home, garage, area or building until approval is given from the fire department.
If you son has headaches 10 times a month and they last from two to three days each time, he likely doesn’t have many days when he is pain free and, in my opinion, that is unacceptable. I recommend he see a super specialist in the field of neurology with an intense knowledge of CO poisoning so they can work on a strategy together. One possibility and I’m not sure of the effectiveness, might be portable oxygen (such as is used in the treatment of cluster headaches) that can be carried and administered whenever initial symptoms present to ward off the headaches.
Readers who would like related information can order my Health Report “Headaches” by sending a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and a $2 US check or money order to my attention at PO Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039. Be sure to mention the title when writing or print out an order form from my website www.AskDrGottMD.com.
For additional information beyond that, I suggest you log onto the CDC’s website www.cdc.gov/co.
