Sour dough starter made me dizzy

[Anonymous]

I’ve had my started for a couple of months now. Yesterday I noticed a few black spots on it and figured it’s mold. Time to throw it out. I took the cover off and put my nose in it to smell it and nearly passed out. I felt dizzy and shaky immediately. I assume it was co2 but it was so scary. Just wanted to put this warning out to others who are like me and playing around with fermenting.

[Anonymous]

One whiff of elevated levels of CO2 and you nearly fainted? That doesn't sound normal at all.

[Anonymous]

Yeah... I doubt there was really anything in there to make you faint, OP. It's your anxiety talking.

[Anonymous]

That is very odd. Do you think maybe it made you nauseous and the nausea is what made you dizzy? I might get dizzy if I would be grossed out.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I don’t know if it’s the co2 that made me feel that way or something else within the started. Like I said it was starting to get a little mold. I had to take it out of the house because being around it made me feel sick and lightheaded. I don’t have any idea why. It didn’t seem to have the same effect on my DH. It’s also not anxiety because I have been using it to make all kinds of foods and had no issues when it smelled of acetone. The effect from smelling it was immediate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I don’t know if it’s the co2 that made me feel that way or something else within the started. Like I said it was starting to get a little mold. I had to take it out of the house because being around it made me feel sick and lightheaded. I don’t have any idea why. It didn’t seem to have the same effect on my DH. It’s also not anxiety because I have been using it to make all kinds of foods and had no issues when it smelled of acetone. The effect from smelling it was immediate.

It could still be anxiety. It sounds like you had a vagus nerve reaction. I have them from severe pain or shock. It’s annoying. I don’t actually faint but I puke and get really low blood pressure. I had one once from watching blood in the ER too.

[Anonymous]

This happened to me as well. Did this ever happen to you again?

[Anonymous]

Not normal. Maybe you should go to ER?

[Anonymous]

anxiety.

[Anonymous]

You intentional sniffed mold?

[Anonymous]

It’s not the cO2. It likely stimulated your vegus nerve. Same thing as someone feeling faint when they see blood. Different things can trigger this reaction in people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not the cO2. It likely stimulated your vegus nerve. Same thing as someone feeling faint when they see blood. Different things can trigger this reaction in people.

*vagus nerve

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not the cO2. It likely stimulated your vegus nerve. Same thing as someone feeling faint when they see blood. Different things can trigger this reaction in people.

+100 There wouldn't be enough co2 to do anything to you.

[Anonymous]

If that much CO2 had that effect, I have some very bad news for you…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened to me as well. Did this ever happen to you again?

Eyeroll. It's been four years dum dum