Strange effect of Carbon Monoxide (CO)

The vast expanse of the internet harbors a multitude of enigmatic and puzzling phenomena. A significant portion of these mysteries remains unsolved, yet occasionally, individuals who dub themselves online investigators unite from around the world, delving deep into the intricate web of information to reveal the concealed truths. In certain instances, their collective efforts prove successful. Thus, let's explore a selection of genuinely peculiar enigmas that were ultimately unraveled thanks to the collaborative power of the Reddit community, ranging from a cursed arcade machine to an eerie photograph of unidentified origin.

Bradbury posted to a legal advice thread in 2015 when he suspected someone of breaking into his home, instead of taking anything valuable, they left cryptic notes. Inexplicably, over the last few days, Bradbury had been waking up to find strange notes stuck around his bedroom, written in handwriting with strangely shaky handwriting. The notes ranged from mundane reminders to save his PC documents to ominous claims that his landlord wasn't letting him speak to him. Some were making no sense at all. Attempting to catch the intruder in the act, Bradbury set up a webcam to record at night, but the next day found that all the files had been deleted.

Eventually, it was figured out by Reddit that he was the one writing the notes and caused his own CO poisoning by the furnace in the process. Yes, it was Bradbury himself who was responsible for the strange post-it notes. It turned out that Bradbury had suffered a carbon monoxide poisoning accident and was writing the notes himself in a confused state, then completely forgetting about them. It was so bad that he couldn't even recognize his handwriting. As for the deleted cam footage, it wasn't deleted. He'd been so out of it that he hadn't set the camera up properly. Eventually, after reporting the incident and recovering for 10 months, Bradbury finally had some sleep debt repaid and could move on.

Regrettably, the signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are subtle and lack specificity. In cases of mild CO poisoning, it can easily go undetected because its symptoms closely resemble those of other illnesses. Generally, as the concentration of CO in the bloodstream, known as carboxyhemoglobin (COHgb), rises, the severity of symptoms tends to increase. However, relying solely on CO levels to predict the outcomes of CO poisoning is not reliable. At lower COHgb levels (below 25%), the most common symptom is typically a headache, often accompanied by feelings of fatigue, nausea, and dizziness. When COHgb levels reach the range of 25% to 50%, individuals may experience alterations in mental clarity, such as confusion, as well as difficulty breathing and fainting episodes. If COHgb levels surpass 50% to 60%, this can result in serious medical complications, including myocardial ischemia, ventricular arrhythmias, pulmonary edema, lactic acidosis, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, seizures, and even death. Survivors of severe acute CO poisoning are at risk of developing long-term neurological consequences, such as memory issues, difficulties with concentration and speech, as well as depression and symptoms resembling Parkinsonism. These long-term effects can manifest either immediately after CO exposure or may become apparent later, occurring between 2 to 21 days after the initial CO exposure.