That method always produces CO2 in addition to CO as a result of complete combustion
C + O2 = CO2
and the Boudouard reaction
2 CO = C + CO2
It would be interesting to look at CO2 concentration, since CO2 can cause some symptoms too. Theoretically, carbon dioxide together with heat could even partially help you cope with the CO-induced lack of oxygen, because CO2 causes overbreathing and vasodilation, so the lungs can saturate hemoglobin with oxygen more efficiently and the cells can accept oxygen from hemoglobin more efficiently.
I'd be also very much interested in the exact circumstances that lead to a failure here.
@bridgeluvr626 I'm very sorry you failed. How r u now? Do you plan a new attempt (maybe with a different method) any time soon? Have you changed your mind in regards to CTB?
Thanks all who replied with your support and kind words :) Me and the doctors both don't really know what "saved" me, the only things I can think of are a possible genetic resistance and maybe the concentration dropping extremely low when I opened the door for a second to get in the car and the display being slow to catch up or something?. Or maybe the meter (TPI 707) wasn't accurate for some reason, although I did follow their guide and calibrated and purged it in clean air beforehand and everything. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the display reading on the meter when I woke up about 6 hours after getting in since I'd knocked it away when I probably thrashed in my sleep.
No preexisting health conditions, and only other thing I can think of is it had rained a few days beforehand so the damp/cold weather may have been affecting the charcoal's burning time? I did take about 3 hits from a THC vape pen, a handful of 30mg weed gummies (perhaps a bit much :o ), and a bottle of pinot grigio about an hour beforehand to calm my nerves and help me ease into sleep, so maybe I went a little too crazy on that? One other poster asked about how long I was in the car before it reached 7000 ppm; sorry for not clarifying before but 7000 ppm was what I read immediately before I got in the car and opened the door; the numbers continued to hover around that afterwards though, sometimes dipping to the high 6000s but maintaining around that level at least while I was conscious to read them. I can recall being in the car for probably about ~2 minutes during this time and reading those numbers while dousing myself with water before I lost consciousness. The only physiological reactions I got during thos emoments were the hyperventilating and the feeling of the intense heat. But yeah like I said I guess the level could've dramatically fallen right after that somehow though? Really have no idea.
And yeah, based on the reaction I'm sure there was some lingering CO2 present but it wouldn't seem like there was a great amount by that time just based on observation. I waited a good 45mins-ish to an hour after lighting the coals and made sure they were only smouldering/no smoke was being visibly produced, and I would've expected to have a lot more effects like coughing or eye irritation when I got in the car if there was somehow a sizeable amount of CO2 still being released by the coals, right? I would be interested to see that concentration too though.
Ayways, I'm now in a 5 day a week Adult PHP program which is definitely...something lol, at least it's not the psych ward. I was kind of in a rut in terms of my schooling/career before this and am kind of taking this as a sign to drastically change my life path towards something else and just shoot and see what happens, I may as well I guess. Not religious or faithful at all, but all my CNAs during my hospital stay kept saying that I must have failed for a reason and I still have something left to do, so I guess we'll see about that haha. So not currently planning to imminently CTB, but the fleeting thoughts are definitely always there. Thanks for asking :)
I don't mean to alarm or scare anyone necessarily with my story, but I just wanted to put it out there as a data point for consideration, this very well may have just been a fluke or anomaly, it seemes to have worked as expected for very many others who went through similar steps with the method and may have reached similar concentrations, etc. As a part of my treatment plan, I think I'm going to deactivate my account for the time being at least; I hope the details I provided can somehow be of use. Thanks for taking the time to read my experience regardless :)