foghorn
20th Jul 2001, 16:50
Let me tell you a little story about a few things that have recently happened to me. This might worry you a bit and you might want to check your car after this. I've found the whole episode quite frightening.
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First a little background on myself. I usually inhabit the Wannabes section, I'm currently doign my CPL/IR in Leeds. I live in London and stay over near Sheffield during the week. My car, which I have previously considered safe and reliable, is a five year old VW Golf which has not been used much this year prior to me being at Leeds. With the daily commuting and the weekend trips down to London it's getting some serious mileage now.
It all starts in the weekend before I start the CPL course, five weeks ago now. On the run up to Yorkshire I have to stop because I feel washed out and headachey - no worries, it's a relatively long journey, I just have some full-sugar Pepsi and push on. During this week the weather is quite cool, and I feel 'under the weather' all week, but not so severe as to affect my flying. Until Thursday that is. I get airborne on a lesson, when I suddenly get tunnel vision, feel light-headed, and also a bit nauseous. I can fly but I have no spare mental capacity for RT, navigation, checks etc. The instructor returns to base. I head back to Sheffield, feel worse during the drive, go straight to bed and sleep. The next day I feel OK in the morning, set off, but when I hit the first big queue of traffic I feel so ill that I have to turn back.
I got better over the weekend and when I check the car I notice a burning smell when hot cabin air is selected. On the following Monday the car went in for a service and I pointed out the burning smell - it's probably a blocked pollen filter they tell me and replace it. I forget about the burning smell, which seems to have changed slightly but is still there.
Over the next few weeks the weather is warm and I drive everywhere with the car windows open. I occasionally feel a bit under the weather and worn out, but nothing really that I can put my finger on. I make good progress in the CPL course. Then the weather goes cool again (wonderful British summer). The symptoms start up again (last Friday) and I have to go home. I feel anxious and depressed. Am I going mad? Is it a psychological stress reaction? Am I not cut out for commercial flying (despite showing no previous signs during 200 hours of flying)?
The story now brings us to this last weekend. The other half (a doctor) comes up and we've decided to drive up to the moors for an overnight stay and some fresh air. She gives me a quick examination, can't work out what's wrong but says I have tender sinuses and it might be mild long-term sinusitis causing the symptoms. The GP agrees and prescribes antibiotics (after I pester him that I need whatever I have shifting quickly). I can fly as long as I feel OK. All weekend I have minor 'wobblies' - light-headed tunnel vision episodes that pass.
Then this Monday I have to quit whilst on the Apron with the engines running. Can I just not cope with this? I set off back with the symptoms developing into a headache and nausea. I pull onto the Motorway then - BANG!!!! The exhaust shears off right at the outlet manifold, where the hot air inlet draws air, and not a million miles from the cold air inlet. The recovery guy welds the exhaust back on, tut tutting - it's been like this for a while - the original welding job was shoddy (done before I bought the car) - they never bothered to weld the bit around the back - the bit that is out of sight so only the most thorough inspection would find it. It looks like exhaust fumes have been getting into the cabin through the hot air vent, and also through the cold air vent when stationary (which allows the engine compartment to fill up with fumes - I habitually keep the electric fan on the lowest setting and this would pull the fumes in when stationary).
So, it looks like my car has been slowly poisoning me. There is a correlation between days when I've been feeling really ill and cool days when I've driven with the windows closed.
Since then I have had a battery of blood tests which show that I have no other physiological problems or infections, so given the events with the car this seems like the most likely cause of my symptoms. The tender sinuses are probably just another symptom rather than the cause. Apparently cases of mild carbon monoxide poisoning are difficult to detect unless you have a blood test almost immediately. The symptoms remain for much longer than the gas is detectable in your system and come on whenever I exert myself mentally or physically. I walked up the hill to the shops two days ago and nearly keeled over. I'm also more forgetful than usual, but the depression has thankfully gone. I've been gradually getting better over this week, but have been told to take it easy and am I'm not expecting to fly again until the week after next at the earliest.
So the morals of this story are:
Trust your suspicions and don't discount them just because an 'expert' tells you otherwise - my doctor girlfriend, my GP and myself all ruled out Carbon Monoxide poisoning because the car had supposedly been checked.
Keep an up-to-date Carbon Monoxide detector in your car as well as your aeroplane.
[ 20 July 2001: Message edited by: foghorn ]
----
First a little background on myself. I usually inhabit the Wannabes section, I'm currently doign my CPL/IR in Leeds. I live in London and stay over near Sheffield during the week. My car, which I have previously considered safe and reliable, is a five year old VW Golf which has not been used much this year prior to me being at Leeds. With the daily commuting and the weekend trips down to London it's getting some serious mileage now.
It all starts in the weekend before I start the CPL course, five weeks ago now. On the run up to Yorkshire I have to stop because I feel washed out and headachey - no worries, it's a relatively long journey, I just have some full-sugar Pepsi and push on. During this week the weather is quite cool, and I feel 'under the weather' all week, but not so severe as to affect my flying. Until Thursday that is. I get airborne on a lesson, when I suddenly get tunnel vision, feel light-headed, and also a bit nauseous. I can fly but I have no spare mental capacity for RT, navigation, checks etc. The instructor returns to base. I head back to Sheffield, feel worse during the drive, go straight to bed and sleep. The next day I feel OK in the morning, set off, but when I hit the first big queue of traffic I feel so ill that I have to turn back.
I got better over the weekend and when I check the car I notice a burning smell when hot cabin air is selected. On the following Monday the car went in for a service and I pointed out the burning smell - it's probably a blocked pollen filter they tell me and replace it. I forget about the burning smell, which seems to have changed slightly but is still there.
Over the next few weeks the weather is warm and I drive everywhere with the car windows open. I occasionally feel a bit under the weather and worn out, but nothing really that I can put my finger on. I make good progress in the CPL course. Then the weather goes cool again (wonderful British summer). The symptoms start up again (last Friday) and I have to go home. I feel anxious and depressed. Am I going mad? Is it a psychological stress reaction? Am I not cut out for commercial flying (despite showing no previous signs during 200 hours of flying)?
The story now brings us to this last weekend. The other half (a doctor) comes up and we've decided to drive up to the moors for an overnight stay and some fresh air. She gives me a quick examination, can't work out what's wrong but says I have tender sinuses and it might be mild long-term sinusitis causing the symptoms. The GP agrees and prescribes antibiotics (after I pester him that I need whatever I have shifting quickly). I can fly as long as I feel OK. All weekend I have minor 'wobblies' - light-headed tunnel vision episodes that pass.
Then this Monday I have to quit whilst on the Apron with the engines running. Can I just not cope with this? I set off back with the symptoms developing into a headache and nausea. I pull onto the Motorway then - BANG!!!! The exhaust shears off right at the outlet manifold, where the hot air inlet draws air, and not a million miles from the cold air inlet. The recovery guy welds the exhaust back on, tut tutting - it's been like this for a while - the original welding job was shoddy (done before I bought the car) - they never bothered to weld the bit around the back - the bit that is out of sight so only the most thorough inspection would find it. It looks like exhaust fumes have been getting into the cabin through the hot air vent, and also through the cold air vent when stationary (which allows the engine compartment to fill up with fumes - I habitually keep the electric fan on the lowest setting and this would pull the fumes in when stationary).
So, it looks like my car has been slowly poisoning me. There is a correlation between days when I've been feeling really ill and cool days when I've driven with the windows closed.
Since then I have had a battery of blood tests which show that I have no other physiological problems or infections, so given the events with the car this seems like the most likely cause of my symptoms. The tender sinuses are probably just another symptom rather than the cause. Apparently cases of mild carbon monoxide poisoning are difficult to detect unless you have a blood test almost immediately. The symptoms remain for much longer than the gas is detectable in your system and come on whenever I exert myself mentally or physically. I walked up the hill to the shops two days ago and nearly keeled over. I'm also more forgetful than usual, but the depression has thankfully gone. I've been gradually getting better over this week, but have been told to take it easy and am I'm not expecting to fly again until the week after next at the earliest.
So the morals of this story are:
Trust your suspicions and don't discount them just because an 'expert' tells you otherwise - my doctor girlfriend, my GP and myself all ruled out Carbon Monoxide poisoning because the car had supposedly been checked.
Keep an up-to-date Carbon Monoxide detector in your car as well as your aeroplane.
[ 20 July 2001: Message edited by: foghorn ]