Potential Sensitivity to Indoor CO2 Levels?
To provide some context: We have recently settled into a home that uses natural gas, marking our first experience with it. My son, who is 19 years old and stands at 6'1" with a BMI around 36, generally enjoys good health aside from a somewhat inactive lifestyle. After a few months in our new place, he began expressing discomfort, particularly in his arms—mainly at the shoulders and around the elbows and wrists. He also occasionally reports feeling lightheaded or short of breath, coupled with mild chest pressure. A medical examination resulted in normal tests, leaving us without clear answers. Observing a trend, I noticed that his discomfort tends to arise shortly after we've cooked meals. As a dedicated reef aquarium hobbyist, I've also struggled to keep the pH levels stable in my main tank. This prompted me to purchase a CO2 monitor, which revealed that cooking incidents raise indoor CO2 levels to approximately 2500 ppm, with a minimal baseline of 1500 ppm when we're not cooking. Remarkably, he reports improvement within about an hour of ventilating the space to bring CO2 levels below 1500 ppm. I haven’t shared my observations with him to avoid any psychosomatic implications. Interestingly, he appears to be the only individual in our household exhibiting such sensitivity. I am keen to hear from medical professionals if they have encountered similar cases and whether this might indicate a deeper medical issue. It’s also worth noting that during these episodes—with elevated CO2—his oxygen saturation remains normal at 98-99%, and his blood pressure is generally around 117/75. He has no history of substance usage or alcohol consumption. I also have a recent ECG from him which could provide further insights, though I'm not including any links or images for clarity.
Answers (1)
6/26/2025, 1:10:38 AM
OpenHealth AI
It sounds like you are observing a concerning pattern with your son's symptoms potentially linked to elevated indoor CO2 levels, especially given the context of his discomfort after cooking. To summarize the key points:
- Symptoms: Your son experiences discomfort in his arms and sensations of lightheadedness or mild chest pressure, particularly after cooking.
- CO2 Levels: High indoor CO2 levels, especially post-cooking, could be causing these symptoms.
- Immediate Improvements: His symptoms improve quickly with ventilation when CO2 levels decrease.
Explanation
Carbon dioxide (CO2) at elevated levels can cause symptoms like lightheadedness, headaches, and an overall feeling of discomfort. While your son's oxygen levels remain normal, the sudden increase in CO2 from gas cooking might be impacting him in a way that not everyone experiences. His height and BMI indicate he may lead a relatively inactive lifestyle, which can also contribute to his symptoms, especially if he has any underlying fitness concerns.
Next Steps
- Increase Ventilation: Immediately focus on improving ventilation in your home when cooking. This can involve using exhaust fans, opening windows, or using air purifiers to help manage CO2 levels better.
- Monitor CO2 Levels: Continue using your CO2 monitor to track levels regularly, particularly after cooking. Aim to keep CO2 levels below 1000 ppm when possible and below 1500 ppm as a long-term goal.
- Document Symptoms: Keep a symptom diary for your son to log when the discomfort occurs and its severity. Note any correlation with CO2 spikes.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Encourage your son to engage in light physical activity. This could help improve his overall well-being and progressive fitness.
- Explore Cooking Practices: Consider alternative cooking methods that produce less CO2, such as electric stoves, or ensure simultaneous use of ventilation systems while cooking.
If symptoms persist despite these changes, or if you notice any worsening conditions, consider seeking further medical evaluation focusing on environmental factors. It's beneficial that you've tracked these changes; they can provide insights during medical discussions. Your observations are important, and addressing environmental triggers is a practical first step in managing his condition.
Related Questions
Guidance on Dealing with a Herniated Disc
Hello everyone, I'm a 29-year-old seeking some insight as I prepare to visit a specialist on Monday. Fortunately, I’ve been able to access my medical scans online, and I'm eager to hear your thoughts. For a while now, I've been dealing with pain previously diagnosed as sciatica, allegedly stemming from piriformis syndrome. This discomfort has been accompanied by cramping and numbness in my legs. Interestingly, I've noticed that my knee reflex seems diminished; at least, that was the case during my last couple of evaluations. The sciatic discomfort has persisted for nearly three years, and despite consulting three physiotherapists and one chiropractor, the possibility of a herniated disc was never mentioned. My occupation involves a lot of physical activity such as lifting, pushing, and walking, which undoubtedly exacerbates my pain. Thankfully, I am currently using prescribed NSAIDs that help me manage the symptoms throughout my typical eight-hour workday. I’m just seeking advice on what potential steps I might take moving forward since I can’t help but think of worst-case scenarios. I'd appreciate any recommendations or experiences you might share.
Could My H. pylori Infection Be Returning?
Greetings! I'm a 17-year-old female, standing at 5'4" and weighing 113 pounds. I come from a Mexican family that has an aversion to seeking medical help for reasons that escape me. Back in November 2024, after losing 10 pounds and experiencing daily vomiting and persistent nausea for five months, my parents reluctantly agreed to take me to the doctor for evaluation. I was diagnosed with H. pylori infection and gastritis. Following this, I underwent treatment with antibiotics and adhered to a specific diet, which effectively resolved the infection, as confirmed by a negative test in March. However, I continued to deal with gastritis symptoms. Fast forward to May 2025; after a trip to Mexico where the food hygiene was questionable, I returned home on May 20th only to find myself suffering from diarrhea that lasted for ten days. Now, a month later, I’m plagued by severe abdominal pain, bloating, intermittent vomiting, constant nausea, and a significant loss of appetite. Could it be that my H. pylori has returned?
Understanding an Unusual Mosquito Bite Reaction
I am a 28-year-old male, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. I don’t smoke and occasionally consume alcohol. My current medications include Symbicort rapihaler, febuxostat, and atorvastatin. Recently, I've experienced a strange reaction to a mosquito bite for the first time. It began with four mosquito bites (highlighted), two of which dried up, while the other two developed fluid-filled blisters. While taking a bath, one of the blisters accidentally burst, and I drained the fluid. The first image was taken on June 22, a week post-bite, and the second was captured today, June 26. Throughout the initial week, I cleaned the affected area daily using betadine, and for the past three days, I have switched to mupirocin. Although the original wounds appear to be healing, it feels as if the irritation is spreading and “crawling” to other regions of my arm. I would appreciate any information or advice on this matter. Currently, I am unemployed and do not have access to medical insurance, so home treatment suggestions would be exceptionally valuable.
Old Scar Experience: Unwanted Discomfort After Years of Healing
At 23 years old, I have a burn scar on my left shin that dates back twelve years. It's fairly small, roughly the size of a two-dollar coin, originally caused by a heating pack used for gloves that slipped through my pocket, causing a burn overnight. The injury was quite severe, resembling medium-rare steak due to the extent of the burns, and resulted in a scar that is now a patch of perfectly smooth, numb skin devoid of hair growth. For over a decade, I’ve had no issues or pain from it. Recently, however, I've started to experience some discomfort that has escalated from mild itching to more pronounced sensations including aching, burning, tingling, and a prickling feeling similar to electric shocks. The discomfort seems to radiate from the scar itself. While I still don't feel any sensation directly on the scar when touched, the surrounding area quickly develops the pins and needles sensation. I’m curious if this kind of discomfort is common, especially after such a long time post-injury. Is it typical for scars to start causing pain many years later? I’m also interested in any potential remedies to ease the discomfort and whether this issue might resolve itself eventually.
Persistent Abdominal Discomfort: A Journey
This marks my initial post on Reddit, so I'd appreciate some gentle feedback. At 31 years old, I have been grappling with abdominal discomfort since my late teens. Initially, the pain resembles a mild cramp or ache in my stomach, but within about an hour, it escalates to an unbearable level. Over the years, I've noticed an increase in the severity of these episodes, which last somewhere between 6 to 8 hours. During these painful episodes, I often feel sweaty and overheated, and I find myself either curled up in a fetal position or pacing around the house. My bowel movements remain relatively unchanged; although I tend to feel the urge to use the bathroom, it rarely yields any significant relief. The sensation is distinct from constipation, even if that comparison might make sense. Typically, the discomfort begins in my lower abdomen (around the belly button area) but intensifies to involve my entire midsection—from my ribs to my hips and encompassing my back. Although I've never been pregnant, the pain feels similar to what one might imagine labor contractions would feel like, yet it's continuous. Over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Advil, or Aleve have proven ineffective against the pain. I have been prescribed tramadol, which doesn’t completely alleviate my discomfort; rather, I often find that it sedates me enough to eventually sleep through the episode. Afterward, I feel exhausted and somewhat lethargic, a sensation that predates my tramadol prescriptions. The frequency of these painful episodes appears completely erratic. There are times when I might experience several occurrences in a short period, only to go six months without any incidents. During my early encounters with this pain (around ages 19 or 20), I sought help at the Emergency Room. Initially, I was diagnosed with a bladder infection and prescribed antibiotics, but the pain would return a few months later. On one occasion, doctors administered Buscopan for what they believed was spasms associated with the bladder infection. Remarkably, this was before the era when we could check our lab results online, and during my ER visits, only a urine test was conducted—no blood tests. I spent a considerable amount of time believing the issues were due to bladder infections, which never fully added up in my mind. I was instructed by a doctor to practice proper hygiene after sexual activity, even though I hadn't been sexually active for over a year at that point. Eventually, I stopped visiting the ER because it became clear they weren't offering any real solutions, and I learned to endure the pain, knowing it would eventually subside on its own. Fast forward to 2019: the impact of these episodes had begun to interfere significantly with my work as a lifeguard—hard to oversee a pool while in extreme discomfort. Therefore, I sought meaningful answers from my family doctor, who ordered blood tests, stool samples, and an abdominal ultrasound. The results didn’t reveal anything alarming, aside from a diagnosis of fatty liver disease, which concerned me but didn’t explain my symptoms. At the time, I weighed 170 pounds at 5’3”, and while I wasn’t in optimal health, I wasn’t significantly overweight either. Later, I inquired about potential food allergies, specifically gluten and dairy. Testing indicated an abnormal reaction to gluten, leading me to eliminate it from my diet entirely. When I queried about undergoing a scope and biopsy for celiac disease, my doctor advised against it. Soon after, my doctor relocated, and I was assigned a new one. Despite adhering to a gluten-free regimen for nearly a year, I continued to experience these episodes. Interestingly, whenever I indulged in gluten, I didn’t seem to have any adverse reactions. My new doctor eventually referred me for a colonoscopy and endoscopy. At this point, I had abandoned the gluten-free lifestyle because it had become cumbersome without any discernible pain relief. Ironically, the day of my procedure coincided with the day after my 30th birthday. They discovered one small polyp, which was removed, but the biopsy for celiac disease returned negative. I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis, and although tested for H. pylori, the results were negative. Both my doctor and I hoped that this gastritis could explain my discomfort, and I was prescribed a PPI, which I took for about a year. Sadly, my painful episodes continued. If I ever forgot to take the medication, the gastritis would make itself known through upper abdominal pain. During this time, I also dealt with painful menstrual cramps and irregular cycles. A pelvic ultrasound revealed "Small peripheral follicles in the right ovary, indicative of a PCOS variant,” with the conclusion suggesting possible PCOS. In March 2024, I developed achy pain in my right flank and abdomen. I made an appointment with my family doctor, who suggested it was likely a kidney stone or urinary tract infection (UTI). I was placed on antibiotics, but shortly after completing the medication, I experienced one of my usual painful episodes, this time with increased discomfort on the right side. I suspected it was different from my typical stomach pain, leading me to seek ER assistance, where I was told I had a bladder infection based on leukocytes found in my urine. I requested a culture, which returned negative for bacteria. Blood test results showed some flagged values, but overall, nothing alarming. The ER doctor theorized gallstones and indicated that an ultrasound was necessary, advising me to avoid fatty foods until then. Eventually, the follow-up ultrasound revealed again a fatty liver and a "Friesian cap gallbladder," yet there were no other indications of stones or sources of my abdominal discomfort. My family doctor consulted a surgeon about the gallbladder's unusual shape, but they dismissed it as a potential cause for my pain. In due course, I was prescribed tramadol for pain management along with Accel-hyoscine, neither of which seemed to significantly relieve the extreme pain. I began to restrict my use of medications for when the discomfort became unbearable. During this time, I also made the decision to resume birth control (Depo), as I couldn’t recall whether the pain episodes reduced while I was taking it, possibly due to endometriosis. However, after a year of being on Depo, I continued experiencing episodes with no clear correlation to my menstrual cycle. In March this year, I again experienced severe abdominal pain, compounded by right-sided discomfort. This pain persisted for a few days, leaving me feeling fatigued and bedridden. My husband insisted I visit the ER on the third day, where a doctor expressed concern about possible appendicitis, but noted that being a woman meant it could also be related to reproductive health issues. I was referred for a CT scan, which I underwent that week. My blood tests revealed some high cell counts, which concerned doctors. The CT scan results indicated mild fatty infiltration of the liver but no acute issues in the abdomen. However, an unusual focus was noted in the iliopsoas muscle on the right, measuring 38 x 16.8 x 19.4 mm, warranting an MRI for further investigation. My family doctor was uncertain if this finding contributed to my pain, confessing he hadn’t encountered it before, only hearing about similar cases while practicing in Africa. Consequently, I was referred to a surgeon, who ordered an MRI and consultation with a gastroenterologist. The MRI findings revealed a benign thin-walled multiloculated cyst in the iliopsoas tendon, suggesting a long-standing condition, with differential diagnoses including iliopsoas bursitis or possible issues buttressing the labrum. Since February, however, I have been free from those painful attacks. My growing frustration mounts as I finally connected with the gastro doctor, who requested more stool and blood tests, along with yet another abdominal ultrasound despite a CT scan conducted recently. This time, the stool sample returned positive for Yersinia enterocolitica infection, an unknown factor as I had no symptoms. Still, following my insistence, I received antibiotics to treat it due to its potential to masquerade as appendicitis. My hope to resolve this experience was palpable, although the gastro doctor expressed skepticism about its relevance. While awaiting further ultrasound results, I met with the surgeon, who opined that I should not have been referred for the cyst since it likely wouldn’t cause abdominal discomfort. We reviewed the chronological issues I've encountered along with possible explanations, ultimately contemplating a HIDA scan as my next step. The week following this, my gastro doctor called with the ultrasound results revealing nothing new about my fatty liver and fixated on weight loss as a solution—something I was already aware of but took as somewhat condescending. The communication was challenging as the doctor was located six hours away and I had difficulty understanding through the heavy accent. While I tried to explain that these pains surfaced when I weighed as little as 150 pounds, the doctor demonstrated little regard for my historical context and opinions, dismissing the suggestion from the referring surgeon for a HIDA scan. Instead, he proposed another imaging test—a CT scan, despite my recent history with the same procedure. Currently, I have reached out to the surgeon's office for their input, and I'm scheduling an appointment with my family doctor to explore the possibility of seeking a different gastro doctor. As for diagnosis, my current doctor suspects irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but I’m hesitant to accept this label. It feels too simplistic considering the complexity of my situation, and I want to ensure that all potential underlying causes are thoroughly investigated. He prescribed Librax to try as a remedy for the next time I experience an episode. At this stage, I feel uncertain about the next steps to take.