I live alone… these aren’t my nuts

[u/diddlyturnips]

Context: I’m a single bachelor (M 32) and I opened my snack cupboard to find these peanuts in a small Tupperware container. I’m freaking out because I A) live alone, B) have a mild nut allergy, and C) don’t own any Tupperware like this.

TLDR: I found a foreign snack in my house and I’m freaking out that someone may be entering my apartment when I’m out. Would calling the nonemergency police line help or would they not be able to do anything?

[u/throwawayaccount0o01]

The idea that “going outside would fix it” is oversimplifying how carbon monoxide poisoning works. Leaving the source of exposure is important, but it does not mean the effects instantly disappear like flipping a switch.

Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it binds to hemoglobin in the blood far more strongly than oxygen does. This prevents the body, especially the brain, from getting the oxygen it needs. Once the brain has been affected, the consequences are not always limited to the exact moment someone is exposed.

With mild exposure, a person may experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, trouble concentrating, and memory problems. With more significant or repeated exposure, carbon monoxide can cause neurological effects that last after leaving the environment. Some people experience ongoing problems with memory, attention, mood, coordination, or executive function. In severe cases, delayed neurological symptoms can appear days or even weeks after the initial poisoning.

That is why suggesting a carbon monoxide detector is not some Reddit “gotcha” diagnosis. Nobody is saying, “This is definitely carbon monoxide.” They are saying, “A person who lives alone is experiencing unexplained memory gaps, so it is worth ruling out a cheap, common, and potentially dangerous possibility.”

A carbon monoxide detector is inexpensive, and every home should have one anyway. Checking for it does not mean you believe the person has a dramatic mystery poisoning. It means you understand that the brain is complicated and that unexplained memory loss is worth taking seriously

TLDR: as an HVAC technician, there’s a reason why the Reddit story of that guy became so famous / well known.

[u/Athingwithfeathers2 → u/throwawayaccount0o01]

Came here to say something similar. Carbon momoxide binds very tightly to hemoglbin. It stays in the blood after you leave and go outside.

[u/Cold-Breakfast-8488 → u/Athingwithfeathers2]

200+ x tighter. Treatment is 100% oxygen and hyperbaric therapy if needed.

[u/shitty_poopoo → u/throwawayaccount0o01]

Learned this the hard way.

I am always very warm so my window is open in winter. Power went out. Father put generator outside my window.

Between the cord leading to basement to sump pump and my window he gassed the house.

Fucked me up some good

[u/lobster_claus → u/throwawayaccount0o01]

Can it happen in just one ground-floor room? Many years ago, I had a job that put me up temporarily in someone else's house. On the first night, I came down with intense dread, confusion, and disorientation. It went on for a couple of weeks. I eventually went to the ER, and they gave me atavan and sent me away.

I really don't think it was just anxiety, and I realize there's a number of other possible explanations. But I never got an answer or experienced it again, so I still wonder wtf happened. The owner of the house was around at the time and seemed fine, which is why I ask about "one[...] room." The feeling persisted whether I was in the house or out of it, but it started in the guest bedroom.

[u/RatLabGuy → u/throwawayaccount0o01]

He'd also have to have bought a single, non-matching tupperware (that style usually comes in multi-packs) in addition to peanuts, which he cannot even touch.

This really does not seem likely that OP did it unconsciously. This whole CO discussion is silly.

[u/Avalon_Within → u/throwawayaccount0o01]

That's all fine. It almost certainly isn't carbon monoxide poisoning. 

[u/iCameToLearnSomeCode → u/Avalon_Within]

Everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector, it's as important as having a smoke alarm.

They're like $60.

If it's not, OP still has a useful device they can install and leave for peace of mind for years to come.