LongRoadBob
Cleared for Takeoff
So, here's the deal.
My wife and I are in Milan, and not to go into too much detail, we had to switch rooms, etc, and ended up with a small room.
So last night my wife didn't smell it but I definitely smelled ammonia and assumed housekeeping used it to clean. There is another smell that we had both in the first room and the new smaller room, but it was not ammonia.
Woke up in the morning, and my wife did notice it, but she hasn't been around ammonia as much as I have. We spent the day in the city. Came back to the hotel room (which had been made up since we left) and it reeked of ammonia. My wife was in agreement. Very bad. I am studying for me pilots license exam, and went down to the "bar" which wasn't open, to study. My wife stayed in the room with the window open and the door out to the hallway open. I was sick of complaining to them about the noise in the first room, etc. and just felt, "ok, they used too much ammonia...well air it out".
She came down to the bar, and since it was closed after a while I wanted a beer. I had one in the minibar in the room, and luckily I didn't ask my wife to go get it, went myself.
She had said the smell was a little better but when I opened the door it was really bad. I went in, and leaned down and opened the minibar (refrigerator door, like a normal door) and WHAM... I got hit with a gas that caused me to stop being able to breathe. I'm kinda proud of my survival instincts, I immediately shut the door, not able to breathe and gagging I made my way into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face, but still could not breathe. When I say "could not breathe" I mean I was acutely aware of a lack of oxygen, and could neither breathe in...or out even. Could. Not. Breathe.
After really thinking I ight die here, slowly I could almost breathe in, or out...slowly it started getting better, and I made my way out to the hallway.
I still thought it was the housekeeping folk, but made my way down (coughing, burping, feeling weird and u well) to the front desk and told the desk clerk "come with me" he looked very alarmed at how I looked. I still couldn't actually talk well, I still wasn't breathing normally. In fits and bursts I told him of what happened, housekeeping came up and said "we don't use ammonia". It was then clear there was a bad leak in the fridge, the minibar. The gasses had accumulated in the chamber and when I leaned down to open the door, being lighter than air, they hit me like a sledgehammer.
They removed the fridge from the room, and the poor woman from housekeeping apparently opened the door in a more open area and gagged, eyes watering, etc.
They STILL tried to get us to keep the room, claiming the smell was "gone" but I wasn't having any of it. I literally thought I was going to die. It stil, reeked of ammonia. Later they also said (and I think this is true after having read up on ammonia) that it was the freon gas that gagged and choked me.
They were very apologetic, but still weren't getting it. But yah, I think it was freon that was strangling me.
Sorry if this is long, and/or badly written. We got a new room, and it is now seven hours after the incident, and I still smell ammonia and feel weird. There must have been ammonia in there too, it is a very distinctive odor, but I am sire it was both I was subjected to.
I stated very clearly that I expect them to fill out an accident report on this. I want a receipt. Also I asked them to call a doctor and find out if there can be damages that show up later. My wife and I went out to eat, and it really seems for now I have lost my sense of taste. I smell ammonia all the time still.
I tried "inhaling" water, from the tap, and also it makes the smell of ammonia be worse, at least at first. Funny taste in my mouth too.
I'm not out to sue, but I'm also not about to just go home and hope it all goes ok. Other than an accident report, not sure what I should or shouldn't do here.
I'm still a little in shock and still tarting ammonia. Idea? I sure hope I didn't lose IQ points, I didn't think I was dumb, but don't feel like giving away brain power.
I feel pretty much ok, no problems breathing, but just that smell won't go away. I actually don't think I am damaged beyond repair, but not sure of scars on the lungs, etc, that can affect me later.
My wife and I are in Milan, and not to go into too much detail, we had to switch rooms, etc, and ended up with a small room.
So last night my wife didn't smell it but I definitely smelled ammonia and assumed housekeeping used it to clean. There is another smell that we had both in the first room and the new smaller room, but it was not ammonia.
Woke up in the morning, and my wife did notice it, but she hasn't been around ammonia as much as I have. We spent the day in the city. Came back to the hotel room (which had been made up since we left) and it reeked of ammonia. My wife was in agreement. Very bad. I am studying for me pilots license exam, and went down to the "bar" which wasn't open, to study. My wife stayed in the room with the window open and the door out to the hallway open. I was sick of complaining to them about the noise in the first room, etc. and just felt, "ok, they used too much ammonia...well air it out".
She came down to the bar, and since it was closed after a while I wanted a beer. I had one in the minibar in the room, and luckily I didn't ask my wife to go get it, went myself.
She had said the smell was a little better but when I opened the door it was really bad. I went in, and leaned down and opened the minibar (refrigerator door, like a normal door) and WHAM... I got hit with a gas that caused me to stop being able to breathe. I'm kinda proud of my survival instincts, I immediately shut the door, not able to breathe and gagging I made my way into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on my face, but still could not breathe. When I say "could not breathe" I mean I was acutely aware of a lack of oxygen, and could neither breathe in...or out even. Could. Not. Breathe.
After really thinking I ight die here, slowly I could almost breathe in, or out...slowly it started getting better, and I made my way out to the hallway.
I still thought it was the housekeeping folk, but made my way down (coughing, burping, feeling weird and u well) to the front desk and told the desk clerk "come with me" he looked very alarmed at how I looked. I still couldn't actually talk well, I still wasn't breathing normally. In fits and bursts I told him of what happened, housekeeping came up and said "we don't use ammonia". It was then clear there was a bad leak in the fridge, the minibar. The gasses had accumulated in the chamber and when I leaned down to open the door, being lighter than air, they hit me like a sledgehammer.
They removed the fridge from the room, and the poor woman from housekeeping apparently opened the door in a more open area and gagged, eyes watering, etc.
They STILL tried to get us to keep the room, claiming the smell was "gone" but I wasn't having any of it. I literally thought I was going to die. It stil, reeked of ammonia. Later they also said (and I think this is true after having read up on ammonia) that it was the freon gas that gagged and choked me.
They were very apologetic, but still weren't getting it. But yah, I think it was freon that was strangling me.
Sorry if this is long, and/or badly written. We got a new room, and it is now seven hours after the incident, and I still smell ammonia and feel weird. There must have been ammonia in there too, it is a very distinctive odor, but I am sire it was both I was subjected to.
I stated very clearly that I expect them to fill out an accident report on this. I want a receipt. Also I asked them to call a doctor and find out if there can be damages that show up later. My wife and I went out to eat, and it really seems for now I have lost my sense of taste. I smell ammonia all the time still.
I tried "inhaling" water, from the tap, and also it makes the smell of ammonia be worse, at least at first. Funny taste in my mouth too.
I'm not out to sue, but I'm also not about to just go home and hope it all goes ok. Other than an accident report, not sure what I should or shouldn't do here.
I'm still a little in shock and still tarting ammonia. Idea? I sure hope I didn't lose IQ points, I didn't think I was dumb, but don't feel like giving away brain power.
I feel pretty much ok, no problems breathing, but just that smell won't go away. I actually don't think I am damaged beyond repair, but not sure of scars on the lungs, etc, that can affect me later.
