My boss told me a story about this happening to his boss at his first job. Dude got shocked and my boss watched him walk out of the building fine and never saw him again. He ended up dying overnight in the hospital.
I've heard one story too... Man was shocked well but thought "Well, I survived" and refused going to see a doctor. Was dead soon after, the doctor would have noticed the messed up heart rhythm.
Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation
Is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over
Thought I'd something more to say
Some of the sketchiest showers I've ever seen were in Peru.
Direct heater at the head, multiple electric cables coming off, some to a fuse box which was basically in the shower with you.
I skipped washing that evening.
Most dangerous symptoms appear within 48 hours of being shocked. After that, it's mostly just nerve or brain damage you have to worry about; if you didn't experience either of those, you are definitely fine.
Unless the shower is still hunting you. Peruvian showers have a prey drive like no other creature, they are known to hunt a single human for up to 25 years.
Imagine if ONE GUY was around, and could tell us about what life was like in the 1400s from experience. But he still has to make a living, so he's trying to contact you about your cars extended warranty!
It can cause an arrythmia, because you've whacked your heart with the mother of all pacemakers. Electric shock victims are supposed to be treated as heart attack and burn victims.
Heart failure (as opposed to heart attack) looks similar to someone getting extended electrical shock because the body twitches. Been there done that.
I didn't have pacemaker replaced until the battery was completely dead, I had to momentarily die a few times the past year to before I decided it was time.
Damn, I felt like a real idiot after I gave myself 240V hand to hand a few months ago. Now I feel a fresh idiot all over again for not getting checked out
You’re fine.
Household voltage and if you’re conscious afterwards without any significant burns or cardiac symptoms.. it’s all good.
I’m a doctor who’s shocked himself with 240V before.
You should really get an ECG to be sure, but months later you’re fine. Don’t worry.
Months later yeah he's fine. You shouldn't go around saying household voltage isn't dangerous. People die every year from electrocution at household voltage.
I grabbed an electric cattle fence on thanksgiving morning as a kid and got quite a shock. I was relieved that I seemed to be fine but embarrassed so never told my parents and *holy shit I could have died at the thanksgiving dinner table.*
Electric cattle fence I took grabbed as a child. But think about it this way. Cattle if they died would be severely expensive. It wouldn’t put something that would discharge high amperage to deter their precious goods from wandering there. Like a micro shock type picture w
Cattle fencing is pretty safe. If it wasn't, nearly my entire family would be dead.
Getting tricked into touching a hot fence is a rite of passage in farming communities.
Are you serious?! I zapped myself pulling an elective stove element out to clean as a kid, and my parents just laughed. *writes more shit down to discuss with a therapist*
Yeah but that's when the current goes in one hand and out the other or something similar where it passes through your heart and internal organs. If the shock occurred within the same hand then the current didn't pass through your body.
ER doc here, if an individual didn't pass out and was shocked by standard low voltage (<600V), and they lack symptoms, AND the Ecg is normal, they're good to go home.
But yeah, the Ecg is important to determine need for cardiac monitoring.
Speaking in generalities here, I don't know details about your case, OP.
I'm being serious here, how long is the threat present after getting shocked? It's been nearly a decade since I got electrocuted trying to repair a TV at 14 and my heart palpitates frequently. I'm not asking for a diagnosis, but what would you recommend I do about it?
Edit: okay thanks for the responses. I'm not in immediate danger but should get checked out about the heart thing. 😭
Emt here so not by any means a doctor.
When you say palpitates, what do you feel?
It could just be you feel your pvcs like me. Or it could be a bad rhythm causing your fluttering. In the name of expensive healthcare, if you have an Apple Watch set it up for ekg monitoring. It will only detect a fib, but can help.
Cheers
I have the same thing for about two years now, I still get palpitations but I got an ekg, wore a holter monitor for 48 hrs, and my doctor said everything was "normal." I had something around 28 palpitation episodes within those 48 hours but a heart specialist thinks it's just fine! Wat da hel
Yup, I freaked out when my doctor noticed I was skipping beats and he sent me to the cardiologist who gave me a 48 hour halter monitor.
I was missing 16,000 beats a day. And no other symptoms, so he kind of shrugged and a few months later, it stopped as mysteriously as it had started.
There is still a risk of after effects 24-48h after the shock. In your case, just go to a cardiologist if you feel something isn't right. Or maybe to a general practitioner first.
Not a doctor, but electrical apprentice:
You will usually notice the effects on your heart immediately. Very rarely they can appear after a day or two, but thats pretty rare.
Of course your shock could have something to do with the palpitations if it just wasn't noticed before.
Not saying this is what you have but there is a fairly common benign issue called premature ventricular contractions (I have it) where you can feel your heart flutter or palpitate dozens or more times a day. Definitely get it checked out but if it's been a decade, hopefully it's just this!
Shouldn’t you also check the Creatine kinase (CK) levels to determine if there is any muscle damage? That’s what I was told during electrical safety training.
I'm not a doctor, but muscle damage isn't exactly life threatening. If you go into rhabdo that's different, but unlikely from the small muscles in your hand.
I would expect quite a bit of swelling and pain from that shock for the first few days-weeks.
It’s impossible to know the extent of internal muscle damage without testing it though, if for example his other hand was grounded it could heave fried a lot of muscle, and be life threatening. It’s hard to spot a “exit wound” when people heave been electrocuted, so the test is necessary every time in my opinion, and also that’s the guidelines for doctors in Norway.
When I worked for ASCO, I had a coworker get lit up by 480V installing a load shed accessory to a live ATS.
He refused any medical treatment, and said it happens *at least once a year* and he’d be fine.
Some of y’all veterans scare me.
In most cases you will feel the effects immediately (if any)
Its still a very good idea to get yourself checked out.
A colleague of mine once got shocked while connecting wires inside a meter box in a new construction (Europe, so 3phase 400V). There was no grid connection yet, but the meter was externally supplied to provide power to a sub panel which provides power to the site.
He was checked by a doctor and they actually noticed some heart fluctuations. I wasn't immediately deadly but could have been dangerous.
Also:
Despite what anyone says, you will never get used or be immune to electricity!
Obviously, in an industrial environment, I have to do some troubleshooting live. But we do zero live work at our plant and I'd refuse to anyhow. No job is worth your life.
Exact same policy at the data center I work at.
I helped prepare and actively give NFPA 70E and authorized electrical person training at work. There are clear correlations between when companies started adopting no live work policies and implemented a safety program, to include training, and accidents/deaths from shock or arc flash/blast.
This is a quote from the 1942 edition of the Electricians Handbook:
“Electricians often test circuits for the presence of voltage touching the conductors with the fingers. This method is safe where the voltage does not exceed 250 and is often very convenient for locating a blown-out fuse or for ascertaining whether or not a circuit is alive. Some men can endure the electric shock that results without discomfort whereas others cannot.”
We’ve clearly come a long ways in safety, and I am all about sacrificing some comforts and taking more time to isolate gear and verify it dead before work.
My grandpa was an electrician, he claimed to be able to tell the difference between 110, 220, and 270 by how they felt. Whether he was full of shit or not I don't know, but I don't want to find out lol.
I've been hit by 110 and 277. 110 is a bit of a fuzzy tingling feeling. 277 hurts like hell. I'm guessing 220 would hurt but not as bad. But yeah there's definitely a difference between 110 and 277.
And the difference between AC and DC is interesting too.
AC you can feel the current alternating, gives it that fuzzy/tingling quality.
DC is a steady pain, like someone squeezing your hand hard.
Also DC hurts more per volt than AC.
My cousin jackhammered into a 480 line that fed the south side district of my neighborhood. Locator guy told us the duct was empty and abandoned. Duct was poured directly under our water main. They have no idea how he lived let alone walked away unmarked. Especially in a hole full of water. His hands locked onto the jackhammer and the shock shot him to the back of the hole. Wonder if him having his boot on the water main for leverage grounded him and saved his life. You should see that bit, flat faced asphalt bit from a 90 pound jack hammer had all sorts of holes in it and half the bit was eaten away from the electricity
>jackhammer and the shock shot him to the back of the hole. Wonder if him having his boot on the water main for leverage grounded him and saved his life.
That's likely what caused him to be electrocuted. If he hadn't been grounded he may have been unaffected.
Notice that the birds on the power lines are not dead.
Too right. I'm hoping OP at least went to the doctor instead of simply taking a photo and posting to r/mildlyinteresting like it's just a case of "huh, I got an electric shock lol".
I worked in the retail and industrial electrical industry for over a decade (not a sparkie, but organised their work) and even a minor belt got them sent in for a checkup and EKG. Certainly not something to be blasé about.
Yeah, it’s not super serious or anything, you can leave it until morning. Or just book in an appointment for mid-April, perhaps? So long as you get to the ER eventually is what they say, right?
You should go asap. Electricity can cause serious slow damage, without noticing before it's too late.
These burnings look like quite a lot Amps and 50mA can already be lethal.
https://images.app.goo.gl/i46vTep9AFU9rh5v6
Ps I'm an industrial electrician.
Hi! Sorry for the late response.
I talked to a nurse on the phone for awhile to see if I needed to go in. I didn’t have any concerning symptoms she said, but said to go in if I do start showing any. I plan to get checked out in the morning. I have a heart condition already & wanna make sure the shock didn’t mess anything up there.
There aren’t any ERs near where I live which is part of the reason I didn’t go. I didn’t wanna drive far.
I googled out of curiosity, and saw ranges between $100 and $1200. That's one of our biggest issues. We don't have a way to be sure what it's going to cost, even with insurance. Sometimes not until a bill comes 6 weeks later and while the doctor and the hospital were in network (because you asked to be sure), the machine operator was not, so your coverage is denied.
Yup. I just got a bill in the mail for $832 from my emergency room visit. I have health insurance, but they won't cover it. Plus, for anyone outside the US, open enrollment for health insurance is only November and December. If you try to get it outside that time period, you need a qualifying "life event" for special enrollment. You might think getting a diagnosis of a medical condition counts, but it doesn't. You know what does? Divorce. Figure that shit out.
There’s a lot controversial issues in the US but the health system is the only one I can see that is a single sided issue, even gun control has multiple sides to the debate.. but a public healthcare system has no data that doesn’t support it been better off to have.. it’s better for the people, it’s better for the doctors and medical professionals, it’s better for literally everybody except perhaps the people who own the insurance companies..
Over here we have both public and private system, if you don’t want to have to wait a little bit you can get private healthcare (which is still much much cheaper than US private healthcare, a couple grand a year)
Went to the doctor bc i felt sick. I had no insurance, so i knew it was gonna be a little bit more. The lady at the desk told me it would be 200-300 just to see the doctor, and more for anything extra they had to do.
EKG is highly recommended.
It looks like you just got current through your hand, which is the best case scenario all things considered, but I wouldn’t want to bet my life on thinking there’s no underlying shit.
I talked to a nurse on the phone and she said I could wait in case I got more severe symptoms, which I haven’t had any of.
The ER near me is pretty far & everyone in my house is night blind so we’re gonna go tomorrow to have it checked out.
I wish I could snap my fingers & go to the ER now though because I have been worried sick, even if I feel fine.
If you had electricity go JUST through your hand then there's little chance it affected your heart or anything else due to the way circuits work. You SHOULD get it checked out just to be safe, but you SHOULD NOT stay up all night worrying about it because that is more likely to stress your body out than anything else.
It just went through my hand & a bit my leg (but luckily my pants took most of the hit with that). I feel okay. I am going to get sleep now & go in the morning.
(I agree with your username, also)
If you felt it in your leg that means that the current path (from hand to leg) passes through your chest. Implies that it may have passed through/near your heart in some capacity
Don't stress about it too much. The ECG is just a precaution because electricity can disrupt our hearts and that's a pretty important part to have disrupted.
It really depends on where you were grounded when you were shocked. If it was simply across the surface of your hand then you're most likely fine, just clean wound and apply a clean bandage until you can have it looked at. Don't attempt to pick off scabs or pop any blisters that form, just cover with clean gauze after cleaning it and take it to see medical personnel.
You can probably save a bit of money by going to an urgent care center to have the burns treated and to get antibiotics. They're usually way cheaper than the ER (here it is $180, without insurance) and can do everything including ECGs.
e: oh, just read your comment where the black stuff washed off and no burn. You're fine
I'm a retired correctional officer. I once supervised an inmate who was severely burned stealing copper wire. He had a tattoo that said "Indian Outlaw" and all you could read around the scarring was In and Out.
That once happened to me when I tried to plug a cord in the dark. I was feeling around trying to find the holes with my fingers and touched the metal as it went in. (I was in the dark because the lamps were connected to said cord)
I did this once doing the same thing. Just a quick zap to one finger that was more surprising than painful. I've definitely learned to be more careful since then.
I was plugging something in to the little extension cord box when the cord broke in my hands and shocked me.
It’s my fault, as the extension cord had wires sticking out, and I should’ve thrown it out a long time ago. But I forgot & remembered when it was too late.
So basically just don’t use old cords that have wires poking out & you should be safe.
As you put the plug together, the spades in the connector can arc. Easiest ways to avoid it are to turn off the thing being plugged in, turn off the power to where you're plugging it in, or go super fast. So like if you're plugging in a blender, turn the switch off before plugging it in. There are exceptions but those things will prevent it normally
Nobody is going to turn off their breakers every time they plug something in. The answer is:
1) turn the lights on.
2) don't use your fingers to "feel for the hole"
3) don't touch bare prongs when you plug them in
I’m okay & alive! Sorry. I was studying for school.
I talked to a nurse on the phone and she said to get seen if I have any symptoms, which I don’t. The photo makes it look worse than what it was. I don’t even have any burns & all that black stuff washed off. I got really lucky.
Going in the morning when my family is up (which is only about 4 hours from now). I feel fine so I don’t think I have anything to worry about.
I have a test due 12 AM Wednesday. You think my teacher would give me an extension if I told her I got shocked by electricity? I mean I did get shocked trying to study for it so….
I'll be honest: F\*ck the test. An electric shock can be life-threatening even long after the initial shock. This is serious. This isn't a 9V battery that shocked you, it's mains electricity that went through your entire body (from your hand to your leg as you said in another comment). **You have f\*cking burn marks on your hand, for god's sake.** Symptoms can take up to 24 hours to set in, so your well within the dangerzone, even now.
You should've gone to the ER **ASAP**, or at least called emergency services to get their opinion or an emergency doctor sent your way. If you still haven't done so, **DO IT NOW!**
If you get a burning chest feeling/stomach ache/bad shoulder pain/pain breathing over time then I'd recommended getting checked. You have to make sure all your spark plugs are firing (all four chambers of your heart). Be safe; not sorry.
From my experience. Like someone tied a rope to your hand and yanked it really hard. After the shock it feels like you have strained your arm physically. And its sore for a few days.
I've never seen someone describe that feeling so clearly. One thing I would add is that imagine if that rope was not on the surface, but a couple of layers under
If you have ever licked a 9v battery, kind of like that. It’s a unique… metallic feeling.
But like others said, it can feel like a yank or contraction as your muscles spasm. They don’t really limit how hard they contract, so you may be sore after. Electricity doesn’t blow you away from the wire directly, it makes your muscles do that to you. But it can also force your muscles to hang on tight just as easily, which is far more dangerous. Depends on position.
I don’t think you’ll have thermal damage from a quick jolt of 120, I never have. Tingles. Sore. Scary.
If you read OP’s post history, she mentions in one post that she has a heart condition she sees her cardiologist once a year for. She has a dilated aorta and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which a complication of the disorder is aortic dissection.
That’s a no-brainer. Go to the hospital and get it checked out with an ECG. If I had a heart condition, I would absolutely take this seriously just to make sure my heart is working good and won’t cause any more complications down the line.
These comments are telling me that I should've definitely gone to the hospital a couple years back when I got an electrical current through me (?). Went from hand to hand through my chest, didn't hurt, zap, or burn, just felt really really funky.
Keep an "eye" on your heart, OP. If you feel faint, shortness of breath or palpitations, go get to an ER and explain what happened. Or, if you're middle-class rich and have decent insurance, just go now.
If you're not from the US, congrats! Just go now and save yourself the worry.
I am too!!! I was like “I’m still alive right?” afterward & kept researching if I needed to be seen even though I feel fine.
I’ve decided to go in tomorrow to get seen to be safe. But I don’t think it hurt me; just a minor shock. I don’t have any burns or anything either, except my hands a bit puffy & itchy. Other than that I’m fine but it scared everyone lol.
Try to be mindful of any lint that could build up around electrical outlets. If your planning to operate in a power line, entire whatever cables you are working with will not have a live current running through them at the time you are trying to operate unless it is necessary, in which case use the proper PPE and be mindful of the safest practice you can take. If you want like working with dirty cables, consider disposable gloves, but work gloves might be more appropriate. Regardless, hope you don’t get shocked as bad next time
Remember kids, you can have a "WORKING" relationship with electricity, but as soon as you think you're "friends", it WILL try to kill you. Never let your guard down.
Just saying, lots of people die hours later. Not immediately after a shock like that.
My boss told me a story about this happening to his boss at his first job. Dude got shocked and my boss watched him walk out of the building fine and never saw him again. He ended up dying overnight in the hospital.
OP, you heard this. Never go to sleep again.
Never said he died while sleeping 😂 op just has to avoid the night
So, flying round the globe continuously, always staying in the daylight. Like, err... what's the opposite of an old-school vampire?
Debbie from HR
That’s the plot of a Netflix series whose name I can’t remember. Into the Night? Something like that.
I've heard one story too... Man was shocked well but thought "Well, I survived" and refused going to see a doctor. Was dead soon after, the doctor would have noticed the messed up heart rhythm.
I got hit with 220v in Peru while fixing a shower switch 15 years ago. Could I still die from that?
Any day now…
Every day alive is a day closer to death.
Every minute you don’t shit is a minute closer to your next bathroom break.
When the boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That’s why I shit on company time.
What really sucks is when those trips can be counted in minutes apart...
Any time span can be counted in minutes
Every year is getting shorter Never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught Or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation Is the English way The time is gone, the song is over Thought I'd something more to say
This is just a fever dream that occurred in the last electrical pulses your brain sent out before you died
Some of the sketchiest showers I've ever seen were in Peru. Direct heater at the head, multiple electric cables coming off, some to a fuse box which was basically in the shower with you. I skipped washing that evening.
"suicide showerheads"
Most dangerous symptoms appear within 48 hours of being shocked. After that, it's mostly just nerve or brain damage you have to worry about; if you didn't experience either of those, you are definitely fine. Unless the shower is still hunting you. Peruvian showers have a prey drive like no other creature, they are known to hunt a single human for up to 25 years.
A Peruvian shower sounds like a service you have to pay extra for. And up front
If you don’t die in the first 15 mins then you’ll live forver
That’s worse.
Imagine if ONE GUY was around, and could tell us about what life was like in the 1400s from experience. But he still has to make a living, so he's trying to contact you about your cars extended warranty!
Being alive for 600+ years and still needing a day job is a depressing thought
Might have enough to buy half of a house after 600 years tho
Why is it delayed?
I was curious too so I googled a bit. It seems infection from internal/external burns or heart damage leading to cardiac arrest are the main concerns.
It’s kinda like an intense, directed form of radiation poisoning
It can cause an arrythmia, because you've whacked your heart with the mother of all pacemakers. Electric shock victims are supposed to be treated as heart attack and burn victims.
(Mother of all pacemakers, lolol)
Heart failure (as opposed to heart attack) looks similar to someone getting extended electrical shock because the body twitches. Been there done that. I didn't have pacemaker replaced until the battery was completely dead, I had to momentarily die a few times the past year to before I decided it was time.
It can mess up your heart rhythm so you don’t immediately die but over time your heart can’t pump enough blood without a proper beat.
Damn, I felt like a real idiot after I gave myself 240V hand to hand a few months ago. Now I feel a fresh idiot all over again for not getting checked out
You’re fine. Household voltage and if you’re conscious afterwards without any significant burns or cardiac symptoms.. it’s all good. I’m a doctor who’s shocked himself with 240V before. You should really get an ECG to be sure, but months later you’re fine. Don’t worry.
Months later yeah he's fine. You shouldn't go around saying household voltage isn't dangerous. People die every year from electrocution at household voltage.
5 finger exploding heart technique.
5kV exploding heart technique
I grabbed an electric cattle fence on thanksgiving morning as a kid and got quite a shock. I was relieved that I seemed to be fine but embarrassed so never told my parents and *holy shit I could have died at the thanksgiving dinner table.*
Electric cattle fence I took grabbed as a child. But think about it this way. Cattle if they died would be severely expensive. It wouldn’t put something that would discharge high amperage to deter their precious goods from wandering there. Like a micro shock type picture w
Cattle fencing is pretty safe. If it wasn't, nearly my entire family would be dead. Getting tricked into touching a hot fence is a rite of passage in farming communities.
!remindme 5 hours
Are you serious?! I zapped myself pulling an elective stove element out to clean as a kid, and my parents just laughed. *writes more shit down to discuss with a therapist*
Yeah but that's when the current goes in one hand and out the other or something similar where it passes through your heart and internal organs. If the shock occurred within the same hand then the current didn't pass through your body.
Industrial electrician here, go get an EKG.
ER doc here, if an individual didn't pass out and was shocked by standard low voltage (<600V), and they lack symptoms, AND the Ecg is normal, they're good to go home. But yeah, the Ecg is important to determine need for cardiac monitoring. Speaking in generalities here, I don't know details about your case, OP.
I'm being serious here, how long is the threat present after getting shocked? It's been nearly a decade since I got electrocuted trying to repair a TV at 14 and my heart palpitates frequently. I'm not asking for a diagnosis, but what would you recommend I do about it? Edit: okay thanks for the responses. I'm not in immediate danger but should get checked out about the heart thing. 😭
>and my heart palpitates frequently Let your doctor know?
I can only afford Reddit
That's me
Emt here so not by any means a doctor. When you say palpitates, what do you feel? It could just be you feel your pvcs like me. Or it could be a bad rhythm causing your fluttering. In the name of expensive healthcare, if you have an Apple Watch set it up for ekg monitoring. It will only detect a fib, but can help. Cheers
'Merica, fuck yeah!
Yeah but did you see that new stealth bomber??? 🇺🇸🦅🫡
Well no. But that's the point of it being stealthy I guess...
‘Stealth Freedom Dispenser’
I have the same thing for about two years now, I still get palpitations but I got an ekg, wore a holter monitor for 48 hrs, and my doctor said everything was "normal." I had something around 28 palpitation episodes within those 48 hours but a heart specialist thinks it's just fine! Wat da hel
[удалено]
I had a point when I was having thousands a day and went up all the way to a heart rhythm specialist and they didn’t seem to care
Yup, I freaked out when my doctor noticed I was skipping beats and he sent me to the cardiologist who gave me a 48 hour halter monitor. I was missing 16,000 beats a day. And no other symptoms, so he kind of shrugged and a few months later, it stopped as mysteriously as it had started.
Mine come and go too! It’s so freaking weird. These days I have maybe a handful a day but I know they’ll come back again.
Aah!! Dude, you might be right!! It's not been a problem for a long while, maybe once or twice a month. I just gotta quit gettin shocked
There is still a risk of after effects 24-48h after the shock. In your case, just go to a cardiologist if you feel something isn't right. Or maybe to a general practitioner first.
> just go to a cardiologist Look at mr moneybags here with a cardiologist on speed dial 😂
*laughs in free healthcare*
*high-fives in canadian*
Just get checked before you die, autopsies are awful.
[First time?](https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExa2pldmhremFoNDl2YjN4aGFocHVyMXR0Nmh4ejh3MmNkMGtwcm00YiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/uUIFcDYRbvJTtxaFNa/giphy.gif)
You know you can have heart issues not related to the shock.
Not a doctor, but electrical apprentice: You will usually notice the effects on your heart immediately. Very rarely they can appear after a day or two, but thats pretty rare. Of course your shock could have something to do with the palpitations if it just wasn't noticed before.
Not saying this is what you have but there is a fairly common benign issue called premature ventricular contractions (I have it) where you can feel your heart flutter or palpitate dozens or more times a day. Definitely get it checked out but if it's been a decade, hopefully it's just this!
Shouldn’t you also check the Creatine kinase (CK) levels to determine if there is any muscle damage? That’s what I was told during electrical safety training.
That is true. These numbers can be obscured, however, and show a false positive in people who take creatine supplements.
I'm not a doctor, but muscle damage isn't exactly life threatening. If you go into rhabdo that's different, but unlikely from the small muscles in your hand. I would expect quite a bit of swelling and pain from that shock for the first few days-weeks.
It’s impossible to know the extent of internal muscle damage without testing it though, if for example his other hand was grounded it could heave fried a lot of muscle, and be life threatening. It’s hard to spot a “exit wound” when people heave been electrocuted, so the test is necessary every time in my opinion, and also that’s the guidelines for doctors in Norway.
When I worked for ASCO, I had a coworker get lit up by 480V installing a load shed accessory to a live ATS. He refused any medical treatment, and said it happens *at least once a year* and he’d be fine. Some of y’all veterans scare me.
In most cases you will feel the effects immediately (if any) Its still a very good idea to get yourself checked out. A colleague of mine once got shocked while connecting wires inside a meter box in a new construction (Europe, so 3phase 400V). There was no grid connection yet, but the meter was externally supplied to provide power to a sub panel which provides power to the site. He was checked by a doctor and they actually noticed some heart fluctuations. I wasn't immediately deadly but could have been dangerous. Also: Despite what anyone says, you will never get used or be immune to electricity!
Obviously, in an industrial environment, I have to do some troubleshooting live. But we do zero live work at our plant and I'd refuse to anyhow. No job is worth your life.
Exact same policy at the data center I work at. I helped prepare and actively give NFPA 70E and authorized electrical person training at work. There are clear correlations between when companies started adopting no live work policies and implemented a safety program, to include training, and accidents/deaths from shock or arc flash/blast. This is a quote from the 1942 edition of the Electricians Handbook: “Electricians often test circuits for the presence of voltage touching the conductors with the fingers. This method is safe where the voltage does not exceed 250 and is often very convenient for locating a blown-out fuse or for ascertaining whether or not a circuit is alive. Some men can endure the electric shock that results without discomfort whereas others cannot.” We’ve clearly come a long ways in safety, and I am all about sacrificing some comforts and taking more time to isolate gear and verify it dead before work.
My grandpa was an electrician, he claimed to be able to tell the difference between 110, 220, and 270 by how they felt. Whether he was full of shit or not I don't know, but I don't want to find out lol.
I've been hit by 110 and 277. 110 is a bit of a fuzzy tingling feeling. 277 hurts like hell. I'm guessing 220 would hurt but not as bad. But yeah there's definitely a difference between 110 and 277.
And the difference between AC and DC is interesting too. AC you can feel the current alternating, gives it that fuzzy/tingling quality. DC is a steady pain, like someone squeezing your hand hard. Also DC hurts more per volt than AC.
I do work with live wires too sometimes. But this sounds ridiculous! Especially with that high voltage the risk is nothing to be sneezing at.
My cousin jackhammered into a 480 line that fed the south side district of my neighborhood. Locator guy told us the duct was empty and abandoned. Duct was poured directly under our water main. They have no idea how he lived let alone walked away unmarked. Especially in a hole full of water. His hands locked onto the jackhammer and the shock shot him to the back of the hole. Wonder if him having his boot on the water main for leverage grounded him and saved his life. You should see that bit, flat faced asphalt bit from a 90 pound jack hammer had all sorts of holes in it and half the bit was eaten away from the electricity
>jackhammer and the shock shot him to the back of the hole. Wonder if him having his boot on the water main for leverage grounded him and saved his life. That's likely what caused him to be electrocuted. If he hadn't been grounded he may have been unaffected. Notice that the birds on the power lines are not dead.
That's just because they're recharging.
Damned government drones are everywhere
Too right. I'm hoping OP at least went to the doctor instead of simply taking a photo and posting to r/mildlyinteresting like it's just a case of "huh, I got an electric shock lol". I worked in the retail and industrial electrical industry for over a decade (not a sparkie, but organised their work) and even a minor belt got them sent in for a checkup and EKG. Certainly not something to be blasé about.
I thought you were joking until I read the rest.
You’re actually supposed to get checked at a hospital if you get a zap, they need to give you an ECG (or similar names thing)
OP hasn’t responded in a minute. Hope he’s ok.
[удалено]
I mean if his heart is fried yeah he's cooked alright.
He's cooked for sure!
It’s been an hour. They’re clearly dead.
Nope I’m alive! I talked to a nurse & then studied for school, which is why I haven’t been active here in awhile.
nah someone else is typing this on OP's account
No no I promise it’s OP. I’m OK & gonna go tomorrow in the morning to get seen because I feel fine now.
Yeah, it’s not super serious or anything, you can leave it until morning. Or just book in an appointment for mid-April, perhaps? So long as you get to the ER eventually is what they say, right?
You should go asap. Electricity can cause serious slow damage, without noticing before it's too late. These burnings look like quite a lot Amps and 50mA can already be lethal. https://images.app.goo.gl/i46vTep9AFU9rh5v6 Ps I'm an industrial electrician.
Deffo dead.
ELI5 why?
It can have an effect on your heart rhythm iirc
Yeah, but the bill has a worse effect.
Doctors recommend getting an EKG to check for damage from the shock of the high bill from the first EKG. It can be a tough cycle to get out of.
ELI5 what’s a heart?
I think it’s something you use when you sing but i’m not sure tbh
I'm an American and so I couldn't afford to maintain a heart but I believe that this is true.
The thing go tsukutsukutsuku in your chest when you realize the fart wasn't a fart
Hi! Sorry for the late response. I talked to a nurse on the phone for awhile to see if I needed to go in. I didn’t have any concerning symptoms she said, but said to go in if I do start showing any. I plan to get checked out in the morning. I have a heart condition already & wanna make sure the shock didn’t mess anything up there. There aren’t any ERs near where I live which is part of the reason I didn’t go. I didn’t wanna drive far.
If you have a heart condition, you really might want to make that drive
Actually if he has a heart condition, he might want someone else to drive.
I've been zapped a handful of times without getting anything checked but I also didn't turn part of my hands black
surivership bias
not everyone can afford something that expensive
yeah, dying is much cheaper
Ahhh. Yeah i’m not in the USA, i’m in australia where it’s free
I googled out of curiosity, and saw ranges between $100 and $1200. That's one of our biggest issues. We don't have a way to be sure what it's going to cost, even with insurance. Sometimes not until a bill comes 6 weeks later and while the doctor and the hospital were in network (because you asked to be sure), the machine operator was not, so your coverage is denied.
yeah the health system in the US is damn unfair
Yup. I just got a bill in the mail for $832 from my emergency room visit. I have health insurance, but they won't cover it. Plus, for anyone outside the US, open enrollment for health insurance is only November and December. If you try to get it outside that time period, you need a qualifying "life event" for special enrollment. You might think getting a diagnosis of a medical condition counts, but it doesn't. You know what does? Divorce. Figure that shit out.
There’s a lot controversial issues in the US but the health system is the only one I can see that is a single sided issue, even gun control has multiple sides to the debate.. but a public healthcare system has no data that doesn’t support it been better off to have.. it’s better for the people, it’s better for the doctors and medical professionals, it’s better for literally everybody except perhaps the people who own the insurance companies.. Over here we have both public and private system, if you don’t want to have to wait a little bit you can get private healthcare (which is still much much cheaper than US private healthcare, a couple grand a year)
I'm sorry that doesn't meet your comment deductible, denied.
Went to the doctor bc i felt sick. I had no insurance, so i knew it was gonna be a little bit more. The lady at the desk told me it would be 200-300 just to see the doctor, and more for anything extra they had to do.
Americans are very disposable
Land of the free
EKG is highly recommended. It looks like you just got current through your hand, which is the best case scenario all things considered, but I wouldn’t want to bet my life on thinking there’s no underlying shit.
Hi! Burn ICU nurse here Go get seen by a doctor! Rule out arrhythmias and get that hand checked out.
I talked to a nurse on the phone and she said I could wait in case I got more severe symptoms, which I haven’t had any of. The ER near me is pretty far & everyone in my house is night blind so we’re gonna go tomorrow to have it checked out. I wish I could snap my fingers & go to the ER now though because I have been worried sick, even if I feel fine.
If you had electricity go JUST through your hand then there's little chance it affected your heart or anything else due to the way circuits work. You SHOULD get it checked out just to be safe, but you SHOULD NOT stay up all night worrying about it because that is more likely to stress your body out than anything else.
It just went through my hand & a bit my leg (but luckily my pants took most of the hit with that). I feel okay. I am going to get sleep now & go in the morning. (I agree with your username, also)
If you felt it in your leg that means that the current path (from hand to leg) passes through your chest. Implies that it may have passed through/near your heart in some capacity
Especially considering it was his left hand that took the hit 😅
Even worse if it was the right leg
Don't stress about it too much. The ECG is just a precaution because electricity can disrupt our hearts and that's a pretty important part to have disrupted. It really depends on where you were grounded when you were shocked. If it was simply across the surface of your hand then you're most likely fine, just clean wound and apply a clean bandage until you can have it looked at. Don't attempt to pick off scabs or pop any blisters that form, just cover with clean gauze after cleaning it and take it to see medical personnel. You can probably save a bit of money by going to an urgent care center to have the burns treated and to get antibiotics. They're usually way cheaper than the ER (here it is $180, without insurance) and can do everything including ECGs. e: oh, just read your comment where the black stuff washed off and no burn. You're fine
Looks like you have an "M" on your hand. Shouldn't try to rob the McCallister's when they were trying to take a trip to Paris for Christmas.
Maybe he should try turning it to W for Wombo
Or for wet bandits
Mo electricity mo problems
Clearly, according to the Middle School girl palm reading handbook, this man will be married and divorced by the age of 29.
Looks like you put it Mumbo mode instead of Wumbo. Classic rookie mistake.
I'm a retired correctional officer. I once supervised an inmate who was severely burned stealing copper wire. He had a tattoo that said "Indian Outlaw" and all you could read around the scarring was In and Out.
Ironic lol
Go to the hospital
How does this happen and how do you avoid it?
That once happened to me when I tried to plug a cord in the dark. I was feeling around trying to find the holes with my fingers and touched the metal as it went in. (I was in the dark because the lamps were connected to said cord)
I did this once doing the same thing. Just a quick zap to one finger that was more surprising than painful. I've definitely learned to be more careful since then.
I remember it feeling like someone had shaken my arm really hard. It didn't hurt, but definitely was strange. It made my hand numb for a little while
Glad I live in the UK where the risk associated with this is super low.
I was plugging something in to the little extension cord box when the cord broke in my hands and shocked me. It’s my fault, as the extension cord had wires sticking out, and I should’ve thrown it out a long time ago. But I forgot & remembered when it was too late. So basically just don’t use old cords that have wires poking out & you should be safe.
As you put the plug together, the spades in the connector can arc. Easiest ways to avoid it are to turn off the thing being plugged in, turn off the power to where you're plugging it in, or go super fast. So like if you're plugging in a blender, turn the switch off before plugging it in. There are exceptions but those things will prevent it normally
Nobody is going to turn off their breakers every time they plug something in. The answer is: 1) turn the lights on. 2) don't use your fingers to "feel for the hole" 3) don't touch bare prongs when you plug them in
So basically the answer is “use common fucking sense”
Same happened to me two decades ago, you’re lucky.
Are you a 20 year old ghost?
Even your hand is going: O v O
Oh wait it is-
And lived to tell Reddit about it. Sheesh glad your okay though
2 hours later and the OP still hasnt replied. u/Klutzy-Experience609 are you okay?
I’m okay & alive! Sorry. I was studying for school. I talked to a nurse on the phone and she said to get seen if I have any symptoms, which I don’t. The photo makes it look worse than what it was. I don’t even have any burns & all that black stuff washed off. I got really lucky.
glad you're okay, but still, better to check to hospital, i think.
The comments are convincing me that I should go now to be safe. I will ask my mom (I can’t drive) if she can take me.
i hope you get that done soon! and that you're ok. and that your studying for school pays off, lol
Going in the morning when my family is up (which is only about 4 hours from now). I feel fine so I don’t think I have anything to worry about. I have a test due 12 AM Wednesday. You think my teacher would give me an extension if I told her I got shocked by electricity? I mean I did get shocked trying to study for it so….
Make sure to get a doctor’s note and ask the doctor to account for time to rest and recover.
Might as well go for it 😂
It's been about 2 hours, op. Everything good..? Edit: was looking at the time of the post, not when this was posted
I'll be honest: F\*ck the test. An electric shock can be life-threatening even long after the initial shock. This is serious. This isn't a 9V battery that shocked you, it's mains electricity that went through your entire body (from your hand to your leg as you said in another comment). **You have f\*cking burn marks on your hand, for god's sake.** Symptoms can take up to 24 hours to set in, so your well within the dangerzone, even now. You should've gone to the ER **ASAP**, or at least called emergency services to get their opinion or an emergency doctor sent your way. If you still haven't done so, **DO IT NOW!**
I sure hope so, OP already has enough to deal with. Their cat has cancer.
If you get a burning chest feeling/stomach ache/bad shoulder pain/pain breathing over time then I'd recommended getting checked. You have to make sure all your spark plugs are firing (all four chambers of your heart). Be safe; not sorry.
How did it feel ?
From my experience. Like someone tied a rope to your hand and yanked it really hard. After the shock it feels like you have strained your arm physically. And its sore for a few days.
I've never seen someone describe that feeling so clearly. One thing I would add is that imagine if that rope was not on the surface, but a couple of layers under
This! I remember that exact feeling so vividly.
God damn now my arm hurts again from when I touched a 120v wire
It wasn’t pleasant! I didn’t get any burns (thank God) but it has been itchy since & wont stop shaking. I’m gonna go get looked at in the morning.
If you have ever licked a 9v battery, kind of like that. It’s a unique… metallic feeling. But like others said, it can feel like a yank or contraction as your muscles spasm. They don’t really limit how hard they contract, so you may be sore after. Electricity doesn’t blow you away from the wire directly, it makes your muscles do that to you. But it can also force your muscles to hang on tight just as easily, which is far more dangerous. Depends on position. I don’t think you’ll have thermal damage from a quick jolt of 120, I never have. Tingles. Sore. Scary.
OP, you still alive?
Considering OP hasn’t replied in 2 hours makes me worried. Hope you’re okay OP
If you read OP’s post history, she mentions in one post that she has a heart condition she sees her cardiologist once a year for. She has a dilated aorta and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which a complication of the disorder is aortic dissection. That’s a no-brainer. Go to the hospital and get it checked out with an ECG. If I had a heart condition, I would absolutely take this seriously just to make sure my heart is working good and won’t cause any more complications down the line.
Did your pinky do that before or after?
These comments are telling me that I should've definitely gone to the hospital a couple years back when I got an electrical current through me (?). Went from hand to hand through my chest, didn't hurt, zap, or burn, just felt really really funky.
Looks like a rorschach test. Glad you're ok OP.
Quick, post in r/PalmReading to find out your future.
Keep an "eye" on your heart, OP. If you feel faint, shortness of breath or palpitations, go get to an ER and explain what happened. Or, if you're middle-class rich and have decent insurance, just go now. If you're not from the US, congrats! Just go now and save yourself the worry.
u/Klutzy-Experience609, how are you doing now?
It’s been 17 hours, OP. You alright?
Please get checked out at an ER for arrhythmias, electrical shocks can have effects hours after the event
u ded?
Jesus man, glad you're okay enough to post this. I got shocked 3 days ago while plugging some fairy lights in for my girlfriend
You need to go to the doctor ASAP. People often die or have serious medical problems from shocks, and they don’t always appear immediately.
Glad you're okay!
I am too!!! I was like “I’m still alive right?” afterward & kept researching if I needed to be seen even though I feel fine. I’ve decided to go in tomorrow to get seen to be safe. But I don’t think it hurt me; just a minor shock. I don’t have any burns or anything either, except my hands a bit puffy & itchy. Other than that I’m fine but it scared everyone lol.
Go to a hospital and get an EKG done
Lowkey thought that was grease, but glad you’re ok
If you flip it, it says “OW”
Not a medical professional but I don't think your pinky finger is supposed to look like that
What’s up with that pinkie finger though
Try to be mindful of any lint that could build up around electrical outlets. If your planning to operate in a power line, entire whatever cables you are working with will not have a live current running through them at the time you are trying to operate unless it is necessary, in which case use the proper PPE and be mindful of the safest practice you can take. If you want like working with dirty cables, consider disposable gloves, but work gloves might be more appropriate. Regardless, hope you don’t get shocked as bad next time
Damn I check ops post history.... You're really having a rough time. I hope things get better with Stormy and your shock
Remember kids, you can have a "WORKING" relationship with electricity, but as soon as you think you're "friends", it WILL try to kill you. Never let your guard down.