Today I called the neighbor of an old friend, who lives in the South, because of my concern that her telephone seemed to be out of order for the last two days. My friend had said that she would be away for only a few days and since she was a fairly recent widow I was concerned that the woman might be injured and home alone. Her neighbor said that my friend wasn't due back until next week, but apparently the phone was out of order. I asked if the security system wasn't connected to the telephone line? The neighbor said my friend had a security system, but never used it. I remarked that my security system is tied in with smoke detectors which makes me feel comfortable when I am asleep or out of town. The neighbor, who is elderly, said she didn't have a security system and no smoke detectors. I asked if she had carbon monoxide detectors and she said "No". I was horrified since I knew it wasn't a question of money and that the woman was intelligent, having been a teacher.
I told her of a teenage patient I had had who at one visit complained of severe headaches. These started occurring a few days prior to his office visit. I couldn't find anything unusual when I examined the youth and for some reason asked if other family members had been having headaches. "Yes", he said' "Everyone is having headaches." I immediatly thought of carbon monoxide poisoning and insisted the parents call the gas company right. In calling the next day, I found out that the house had been filled with carbon monoxide and the family was lucky to be alive. A gas heater was defective and caused the carbon monoxide poisoning. So smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors could save your life, as well as the life of anyone who lives in your house or apartment.
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