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I don't know where to go from here?
Hi everyone!
This may get long so I am sorry now.
A few months ago my family and I all got carbon monoxide poisioning in our home. We have lived in our home for three years and never had trouble until this one day. We thought we were just getting sick so we didn't think much of it until my dad came to help my mom with our daughter and realized that something just wasn't right and got us all out of our home. My husbands CO level was close to being fatal but luckily we all got out of the home and were able to recover safely.
We stayed with my parents for a few weeks to get things fixed in our home. We have everything fixed so it shouldn't happen again, but we are still having a lot of anxiety about being in our home. Anytime we get a headache we are asking the other how they feel and any little thing makes us worry. My husband just told me that he hasn't slept through the night since we moved home. He says he is up checking our boiler and air exchange and using a carbon monoxide detector to check the levels in our home.
I don't know what to do? Everything is supposed to be safe but we are still very worried. My husband even says he wants to move. Any advice?
Re: I don't know where to go from here?
Research, purchase and install enough CM detectors to assuage your anxiety. You've been through a very scary ordeal, and I can't even imagine how uncomfortable you all must be. However, moving may not be in your families financial best interest. Given time, you may learn to retrust your house. Best of luck to you!
Nestie Bestie with the lovely RockABye
Also, you may wish to have your furnace checked on a regular basis. Replace batteries in your CM detectors frequently.
Other than that, maybe DH and you could benefit from some counseling to talk through the anxiety.
What you're dealing with makes sense (I had a deadly experience in 2009 - almost drowned and still have some nightmares from it). Don't feel embarassed about it, but get the help you need to work through it in a healthy manner.
I agree with PP. You need to learn to retrust your home. Can you do something else to it to make you feel cozier - new furniture, bedding, paint? Perhaps a fresh start in some rooms will make you feel better too.
Thank you all for your advice. We do have CO detectors and I am finally feeling confident in those. My husband is just still very nervous. Thank you again.
Thank God nobody died.
first off, CO detectors -- and smoke detectors --- for all of you and second off, it would be a great idea to see a social worker or therapist. Nip the more or less paranoia of CO in the bud. I'd hate to see it escalate. GL.
I'm so sorry.
If you have had professional mitigation of the cause done and installed state of the art detectors and your DH is still too anxious to sleep he may have PTSD or some other anxiety disorder. For this, he should seek professional help- talk therapy at the very least (CBT is useful for PTSD and similar issues) and perhaps medication.
You could move, sure. But the underlying anxiety will remain and will resurface again. As a PTSD survivor, IME, I can tell you that you take this mindset with you until you stare it down with professional help. Moving doesn't fix anxiety, you'll find something else to focus on at some point.
I was in a flood and nearly died with DS when he was 6 months old. I never quite got over it and lost it when we had a second flood that destroyed out house when he was in kindie. We were forced to move- to the top if a hill no less- but only therapy and treament allowed me to put the anxiety to rest.