(no subject)
Hmmm....though my biopsy results aren't in yet, I started to think environmental, like Mom suggested, and I looked to the most obvious environmental thing that could make someone sick...the sewer gas that leaks into my bathroom. Today it was so strong it took my breath away, and I'm still feeling a little short of breath and weak in the chest. So then I did some research. I'm not sure what to do first, I shut the bathroom door and turned the fan on, which means it won't leak into the rest of my place, but will have a higher concentration in the bathroom itself.
Hydrogen sulfide is considered a broad-spectrum poison, meaning that it can poison several different systems in the body, although the nervous system is most affected. The toxicity of H2S is comparable with that of hydrogen cyanide. It forms a complex bond with iron in the mitochondrial cytochrome enzymes, thereby blocking oxygen from binding and stopping cellular respiration. Since hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally in the environment and the gut, enzymes exist in the body capable of detoxifying it by oxidation to (harmless) sulfate. Hence low levels of sulfide may be tolerated indefinitely. However, at some threshold level, the oxidative enzymes will be overwhelmed. This threshold level is believed to average around 300-350 ppm. Personal safety gas detectors are set to alarm at 10 PPM and to go into high alarm at 15 PPM; (Utility, sewage & petrochemical workers).
An interesting diagnostic clue of extreme poisoning by H2S is the discoloration of copper coins in the pockets of the victim. Treatment involves immediate inhalation of amyl nitrite, injections of sodium nitrite, inhalation of pure oxygen, administration of bronchodilators to overcome eventual bronchospasm, and in some cases hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Exposure to lower concentrations can result in eye irritation, a sore throat and cough, shortness of breath, and fluid in the lungs. These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks. Long-term, low-level exposure may result in fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, poor memory, and dizziness. Higher concentrations of 700-800 ppm tend to be fatal.
0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic rotten egg odor of hydrogen sulfide [2]
10-20 ppm is the borderline concentration for eye irritation.
50-100 ppm leads to eye damage.
At 150-250 ppm the olfactory nerve is paralyzed after a few inhalations, and the sense of smell disappears, often together with awareness of danger,
320-530 ppm leads to pulmonary edema with the possibility of death.
530-1000 ppm causes strong stimulation of the central nervous system and rapid breathing, leading to loss of breathing;
800 ppm is the lethal concentration for 50% of humans for 5 minutes exposition (LC50).
Concentrations over 1000 ppm cause immediate collapse with loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.
A practical test used in the oilfield industry to determine whether someone requires overnight observation for pulmonary edema is the knee test: if a worker that gets "gassed" loses his balance and at least one knee touches the ground, the dose was high enough to cause pulmonary edema. This is important as the worker may feel fine after some fresh air, and not think medical attention is needed, but the onset of pulmonary edema may occur many hours later when the worker is asleep: the worker's lungs could fill with fluid, and the sedative effects of the gas may prevent the worker from waking up.
Considering I've been spending most of my time at home in the bathroom since May, I've probably inhaled a ton of the stuff. I just wish I had thought of it months ago, before I started undergoing all these terrible invasive PAINFUL tests. Maybe it's not that, but it would be easier if it was. I don't know that it would cause the pains and spasms, or the other part, but the eyes, nausea, memory loss, etc...that's all in there. But I imagine if your nervous system gets enough of the stuff, the other things start to get affected as well.
Also, I am so thankful that I nixed the idea of putting the rattie boys in the bathroom when Max came to visit. I figured the cart their cage is on would be too big to put in there even on a temporary basis. I guess that's a very good thing.
Hydrogen sulfide is considered a broad-spectrum poison, meaning that it can poison several different systems in the body, although the nervous system is most affected. The toxicity of H2S is comparable with that of hydrogen cyanide. It forms a complex bond with iron in the mitochondrial cytochrome enzymes, thereby blocking oxygen from binding and stopping cellular respiration. Since hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally in the environment and the gut, enzymes exist in the body capable of detoxifying it by oxidation to (harmless) sulfate. Hence low levels of sulfide may be tolerated indefinitely. However, at some threshold level, the oxidative enzymes will be overwhelmed. This threshold level is believed to average around 300-350 ppm. Personal safety gas detectors are set to alarm at 10 PPM and to go into high alarm at 15 PPM; (Utility, sewage & petrochemical workers).
An interesting diagnostic clue of extreme poisoning by H2S is the discoloration of copper coins in the pockets of the victim. Treatment involves immediate inhalation of amyl nitrite, injections of sodium nitrite, inhalation of pure oxygen, administration of bronchodilators to overcome eventual bronchospasm, and in some cases hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Exposure to lower concentrations can result in eye irritation, a sore throat and cough, shortness of breath, and fluid in the lungs. These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks. Long-term, low-level exposure may result in fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, poor memory, and dizziness. Higher concentrations of 700-800 ppm tend to be fatal.
0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50% of humans can detect the characteristic rotten egg odor of hydrogen sulfide [2]
10-20 ppm is the borderline concentration for eye irritation.
50-100 ppm leads to eye damage.
At 150-250 ppm the olfactory nerve is paralyzed after a few inhalations, and the sense of smell disappears, often together with awareness of danger,
320-530 ppm leads to pulmonary edema with the possibility of death.
530-1000 ppm causes strong stimulation of the central nervous system and rapid breathing, leading to loss of breathing;
800 ppm is the lethal concentration for 50% of humans for 5 minutes exposition (LC50).
Concentrations over 1000 ppm cause immediate collapse with loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.
A practical test used in the oilfield industry to determine whether someone requires overnight observation for pulmonary edema is the knee test: if a worker that gets "gassed" loses his balance and at least one knee touches the ground, the dose was high enough to cause pulmonary edema. This is important as the worker may feel fine after some fresh air, and not think medical attention is needed, but the onset of pulmonary edema may occur many hours later when the worker is asleep: the worker's lungs could fill with fluid, and the sedative effects of the gas may prevent the worker from waking up.
Considering I've been spending most of my time at home in the bathroom since May, I've probably inhaled a ton of the stuff. I just wish I had thought of it months ago, before I started undergoing all these terrible invasive PAINFUL tests. Maybe it's not that, but it would be easier if it was. I don't know that it would cause the pains and spasms, or the other part, but the eyes, nausea, memory loss, etc...that's all in there. But I imagine if your nervous system gets enough of the stuff, the other things start to get affected as well.
Also, I am so thankful that I nixed the idea of putting the rattie boys in the bathroom when Max came to visit. I figured the cart their cage is on would be too big to put in there even on a temporary basis. I guess that's a very good thing.