Every two years I seal my concrete driveway, patio and front porch. It generally takes two years to forget how bad the sealer smells. I power washed everything on Tuesday and today I rolled out the sealer. I worked my way from the street up to the garage and once the front was finished I sat the paint pan, roller and open can of sealer just inside the garage because the driveway was wet. I needed to move some items away from a side door in the garage that we never use. The front and back access of the house open to fresh sealer and the side door will become the main door for two days while the sealer cures. Since the smell of the sealer was pretty bad I closed the main garage door because I didn't want to pull the smell into the house via the blower on the heat pump, which is in the garage.
After 5 minutes of moving items I was concerned how bad the smell was in the garage. Two more minutes and the side door was open but I wasn't working too well. Then I spotted the paint pan, roller and open can of sealer that I had sat in the garage moments before. In just a simple stupid move I managed to close myself in the garage with some pretty bad fumes and in 7 minutes, give or take, I was nearly on the ground. Ten minutes later I was physically ill, had trouble walking, and was sweating profusely. I called 911 because I knew what I had done to myself.
The ambulance arrived and after 15 or 20 minutes of O2 I was much improved. The nausea was gone, blood pressure was back to normal, headache was nearly gone and I was answering their questions a little better. I'm not 100% yet but doing way better than I was three hours ago.
My point to this? It's simple.
1) It doesn't matter how much you invest in preps. A simple mistake can negate all your planning.
2) Luck trumps smart every time. Sometimes it trumps stupid, too.
3) Don't under estimate how easily simple household chores can get you into trouble. There was a point when I thought, "I should probably be wearing a respirator." In hind sight, yes, I should have.
4) Dont' be so damned macho that you don't ask for help. I waited to call 911. My reasoning for not calling was all good to me (even though I was reasoning about like a three year old at the moment).
5) Yes, it CAN happen to you so take the proper precautions and wear your safety gear.
My guess is the fumes had already affected me by the time I sat the stuff in the garage. That's probably why I closed myself in there in the first place.
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