Monday, February 4, 2008

When It Rains.....

It pours. Or to quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"......

We live in what is commonly called a "twin" here on the east coast, also known as a "shotgun house"; one of those long, narrow dwellings built over a century ago (1892 to be exact), with a wall adjoining the other half of the dwelling, and set very close to the street. Our next door neighbors are renters, and apparently their landlord hasn't cleaned their furnace in about five years. Predictably, it quit working. Yesterday. When repairmen were finally called in to fix it, it backfired badly, kicking smoke all over their house and - via the basement and return ducts - ours. LOTS of smoke. At which point the repair guys left, refusing to complete the repair because it would necessitate paying someone overtime.

Now, said neighbor is a kind soul, but assertiveness is not a word that leaps to mind when describing him. So....rather than see them remain without heat for several days, I called their property management company (also hired by their landlord) and threatened to call the fire department and the EPA if they didn't fix my neighbor's furnace. They assured me they'd take care of it. In the meantime, I developed a very bad sore throat, and John became dizzy. So we called the fire department anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Which turned out to be a good call. They told us to get outside immediately, showed up with fire trucks, police, etc., shut down the street, took carbon monoxide readings (which were positive), set up huge fans and blew out both houses. After which (and after explaining John's upcoming heart surgery) they sent us to the emergency room to be tested, and we BOTH tested with carbon monoxide levels equivilent to that of heavy smokers - NOT GOOD, and we spent several hours in the ER wearing oxygen masks. No clue where our neighbor went, but we didn't see him at the hospital.

Big fun.

Fast forward to today, when at the request of the ER doc, we informed John's surgeon of yesterday's doings. And guess what?

The surgery which was scheduled tomorrow morning is now postponed until next week. They want to give it time for everything to "clear".

We are NOT happy campers. John was soooooooo ready to get this over and done.....

So thank you all for the thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming. I'll post updates and send emails as we find out anything new. We may have a new surgery date as soon as tomorrow, not sure. Stay tuned....

~ Carolee

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Carolee, this must be so frustrating for you both!!! Please know that we are thinking of you and hoping that John will soon be on his way to a full recovery.

Our love and thoughts are with you both!

Big Hugs, Lori

LYNDY WARD said...

* Please post this as it can help others that might have experienced a similar situation.

OMG Carolee, remember my mother's famous last words were: "Everything Happens For A Reason"...

YOU SAVED YOUR LIVES CAROLEE & GOD KNOWS HOW MANY OTHERS! OK, hopefully your neighbor's are alive & well too.

Listen, you need to talk to an attorney. The company that was repairing your neighbors furnace is TOTALLY liable for your hospital bills, clean up to your home, etc... AND ANY & ALL RESIDUAL effects from the carbon monoxide poisoning.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE contact an attorney that deals in monoxide poisoning cases.

I'M SO GLAD YOU BOTH ARE ALIVE, also please Google Monoxide Poisoning for complete helpful hints on how to get rid of any residuals poisons still left in your bodies & your fur babies too.

The hospital doctors are great, but you need to know everything you can right now, especially since John's immune system is so fragile & weak.

OH, your attorney will have a field day. CONTINGENCY ONLY TOO, this is under the general heading of accidents...

MAY GOD PROTECT YOU BOTH & YOUR FAMILY (INCLUDING FUR BABIES) FOREVER & EVER!

ALL OUR LOVE & PRAYERS, LYNDY

Kristen Beason said...

Carolee~
I'm so glad to hear that you made that call to the fire department! Sorry to hear that you and John had to experience that trip to the ER and the delay with his surgery. That must have been scary. Wishing you all better days ahead. You're in my thoughts~Kristen

Anonymous said...

Carolee, Thank God you followed your instincts. If you need anything and I mean anything at all please let us know. If you need a place closer to the hospital to stay please do not hesitate to contact us. We have 2 extra rooms. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and John.
Barb & Chas

Melissa Valeriote said...

OMG Carolee! You poor dears. As if you don't have enough on your plates right now. Thank goodness you had the sense to call the Fire Department and they responded. Keeping you both in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

Geez how scary! I am sooo glad you called the fire department. Hope you are both feeling better now. Please keep us informed.

(Hugs)

Leah

Christopher A. Klingler said...

Carolee ~ That is awful and SO sorry to hear that this happened to both of you. It seems like it is always something in life!

Hang in there BOTH of you!

Best,
Chris