Effects of an electrical shock
- by ElectricFrank
- 2009-06-03 12:06:16
- Conditions, Meds & Tests
- 29632 views
- 21 comments
Well, I finally tested my pacemakers reaction to a shock this afternoon. I wasn’t planning on it, but my Jeep battery went dead so I fished an old battery charger out of the garage.
To make a long story short (short circuit?) I didn’t notice that the power cord insulation was damaged leaving a bare conductor. When I plugged it in I had one hand on the box and the other touched the bare wire. I got a really good? arm to arm jolt, which is the worse kind cardiac-wise. After tossing the thing on the floor I took stock of the situation and my HR was up to about 90bpm. Since I have pretty much complete AV block it would have dropped to 35 or so if I had damaged the pacer. I also hooked myself up to my ECG and all looks normal.
So both my heart and the pacer handled a 120V jolt just fine.
frank
21 Comments
lightning
by Rattle Box - 2009-06-03 01:06:59
I had lightning hit outside of my home. Blue lights in the bathroom and kitchen... only got the modum on the computer though. There was already a doctor's appointment the next Thursday and I felt o.k.. I went to a highschool prom as a "adult" person for my school that evening. It registered bad things on the recorder, but the self check on the sattilite up-link caught it. The doctors called school on Monday and sent me to the hospital because of reading being crazy. (It was lightining what did they think the readings would be like!) I spent three days in the hospital and they re-worked everything. I never felt anything. God is good.
DIS Ignition box
by nrracing - 2009-06-03 02:06:05
Well I think you would be ok, I was at a Speed shop testing out the DIS ignition box and I ran the RPMs up to 6k on the machine and was going to test the spark plug wires and WAM-O with a shock I was like crap that hurt. For about an hours my arm and body was wierd, went in for a checkup and all was good on the IDC. I have to be carful with car's and I love them so much. hehe
There are shocks and shocks
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-03 03:06:23
It's not the voltage that does the damage it is the current (amps). That's why the 120V or 240V is so dangerous. There is plenty of current behind it.
As for electric fences, car ignition, etc. I've had plenty of jolts from them in my lifetime. I used to test the spark plug wires on my old 1938 Ford by running my hand up and down them (engine running). If they were getting worn I would get a shock and knew exactly where the problem was. Same with the early TV sets. I would reach in the back and slowly move my index finger toward the metal shell of the picture tube and notice distance where it would snap me.
Now you all know why I am so weird.
Oh by the way, Angelie, you must have meant converting Jolts to Jewels.
frank
lol
by Angelie - 2009-06-03 05:06:49
when I was a kid (I'm the youngest) my siblings would tell me to stick my tongue on a 9 volt battery head. It took me the longest time to retain the experience and not to ever give into their evil schemes.
Kind of like the game....."smell my finger" LOL
Hadn't thought of that in a long time.....made me giggle.
I think my cardiologist got a kick out of seeing me kick when he shocked me last month.
They knew I was regaining consciousness, because I came back to life giggling......
I think Patch's name for you is very appropriate...Refried Frank......LOL. That still makes me laugh......
Livin' on the edge
by uvagershwin - 2009-06-03 07:06:12
Wow,that must've smart!!! I am so happy you are ok, though - couldv'e done some real damage there! I wonder how extreme I can go with George... :) Well, we have a convection oven, jumper cables, an air compressor... Which one, which one?
Have a good one!!!!!
:)
jReminder
by donb - 2009-06-03 07:06:29
Hi Frank,
A big Thank you this morning! I was just going to out in my garage this morning and do a little electrical job and this jolts my memory. Ya, I've ahd my share of jolts over the years, even the last 17 PM years. After doing electronics & appliances for over 50 years I should know to be cautious. I can't even handle EMG tests anymore because my anticipation even lifts me off the table. You be carefull !!!! Don
That's not nice
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-03 07:06:49
Being refried means that I wasn't fried right the first time.
frank
Glad you're ok
by Blueaustralia - 2009-06-03 08:06:29
I often wonder about electric fences, living in a farming area and have some that are close to our boundary. I do have compelte AV Block. Just hope I keep remembering which fences are electrified. Sincere regards.
ya'll.....
by Angelie - 2009-06-03 09:06:08
my goodness, ya'll are a mess.
I have been laughing and laughing at this saga over and over.
Ya'll are hilarious.
Gee, I wonder...
by muirghe - 2009-06-03 09:06:49
if those times I helped my Dad test the electric fence as a child actually caused my AV block? LOL!
I concur with Cardio...a personal home EKG machine? My hubby thought I was taking my pulse and blood pressure too often with my little home devices. Good tool to have though...in cases like this!?
Glad you are OK.
Jane
My own ECG
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-03 10:06:30
As an electronic engineer is was simple to put together a simple ECG. The typical hospital or docs office ECG's are limited by years of tradition and FDA regulations. Mine spreads the waveform of each beat out to where I can see the shape of the pacing pulses, and resulting heart contractions. I record 1-5 minutes of my ECG and then scroll though it looking for PVC's and other cut little things. I have had at least 3 different types of PVC's since I started watching. Some have an inverted wave, some fall barely short of a normal beat and aren't even felt.
The Medtronics rep is impressed. I always record my ECG w;hen I am running a telephone checkup. Interesting what they do to my heart!
Maybe I can post a picture of my ECG in the gallery.
best,
frank
And I'm an engineer.
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-03 10:06:45
Thanks for the concern. I've worked around high voltage most of my life. The scariest was a radar that had 10,000 volts at 1 amp (for those of one that know what that means).
The current (no pun intended) situation was totally unexpected. How many of carefully inspect the wiring on every appliance we plug in? I just used this charger a few months ago. It probably was in this shape then and I just didn't touch the right (worng) place.
For those of you on the other side of the big pond, I've often thought about having 240V in every socket of the house. That would bit.
frank
ECG art
by Angelie - 2009-06-03 11:06:02
who would've thunk it......
where would I find a conversion table to volts to joules, or vice versa......?
what I really wanna know is how many volts is 20 joules?
Glad you're still with us Refried Frank......
I guess me'all is
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-03 11:06:58
I didn't know what I was starting when I posted my shocking experience.
Now we are having a lightning storm. Here I go again.
frank
Volts and joules
by NRugg51 - 2009-06-25 01:06:40
joules are energy, volts are potential.
1 volt times 1 amp for 1 second is a joules
norman
converting joules
by NRugg51 - 2009-06-26 08:06:42
Since they are energy, joules are like kilowatt hours, and one KW-hour is 3,600.000 joules.
norman
Thanks!
by ElectricFrank - 2009-06-27 12:06:34
I just found my copy of Basic Electronics by Grob that I used in my electronic class in the 70's and was going to look it up.
I wonder when the power company will start billing us by the joule instead of KWH. Would make our usage look a lot more impressive and their unit cost look a lot less.
One of my checkups shows the ventricular pacing at 14.87 joules. I wonder what an ICD jolt is.
frank
220v
by DSSpeck - 2014-05-18 09:05:41
I just took a arm to arm shock from my electric dryer! He'll of a jolt. The damn thing obviously isn't grounded!
I have a 3 lead pacemaker/defibrillator. I have cardiomyopathy and a bundle branch block. I checked my heart rate and it 70 resting, like it always is.
I sent a report of my device via Latitude and haven't hear anything back.
Should I be worried?
You know you're wired when...
You get your device tuned-up for hot dates.
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by pete - 2009-06-03 01:06:42
Frank you are living dangerously in your old age. This does not mean you will be so lucky the next time. It all depends on the individual , the moisture content of your skin, the duration of contact, state of health,and your natural resistance/conductivity. Even if you do not damage your pacemaker you can easily damage your heart ,or as you know kill yourself. I have been careless in the past but now that I have a pacemaker I take extra care especially as the mains voltage over here is 240 volts. Before I had a pacemaker I was getting chronic AF and a cardioversion had restored sinus rhythym. I got a mains shock from a photocopier and I this put my heart back into AF . Fortunately it returned to sinus rhythym after 20 minutes.