Electrocuted Myself

[Footy66]

I've been a plumb...

A week ago I bought a floor lamp and whilst setting it up I get fed up with trying to get the bulb in place and placed my right finger on the right node and left finger on the left node and boom...electrocuted.

I became the light bulb for a split second and felt it hit me in the just mainly.

The lamps is: 240v, Fuse: 3 amps.

Is this bad?

I have been feeling pains in both sides of my chest for a week now. They aren't constant pains, but random sharp and sometimes burning pains.

Am I dying?

[Backlash]

I doubt it!
You're probably suffering from hypochondria though.

[Footy66]

Maybe I don't need to worry about it. I def have some sort of pains.....maybe it's just muscle pain from muscle contraction, but it doesn't feel like muscle pain.

If I was over-worrying I would have gone to the doctors by now....Haven't bothered.


At least I know I'm not about to die...I think.

[Giggs11]

We're all dying. Some just more stupidly ...

[Surprised]

I've been a plumb...

A week ago I bought a floor lamp and whilst setting it up I get fed up with trying to get the bulb in place and placed my right finger on the right node and left finger on the left node and boom...electrocuted.

Can I ask why you did that?
We learnt in school that that would complete the circuit.

[murf]

It is current that kills you. If the fuse didn't blow then you got less than 3 amps.

No idea how many amps it takes but it would be a hit to my man pride to succumb to just 3.

[unc.si.]

So near but so far from achieving immortality in the Darwin Awards...

[bloggie]

I got a jolt when someone switch the light on while I was changing a lightbulb a while ago and no after effects any more than usual after that.

[unc.si.]

It is current that kills you. If the fuse didn't blow then you got less than 3 amps.

No idea how many amps it takes but it would be a hit to my man pride to succumb to just 3.

Takes just a few milliamps across your heart to kill you, but fully clothed and shod bodies are fairly heavy duty resistors. There's some sparks on here that can probably explain properly.

[jeffmcgow]

It can't be your time to go yet Footy. I expect St Peter wants you to achieve 5000 posts on FISO before you are allowed through the Pearly Gates.

[DrBunker]

I got a jolt when someone switch the light on while I was changing a lightbulb a while ago and no after effects any more than usual after that.

Bet you were chuffed with that!

[Footy66]

Guys - I wasn't serious when I asked 'am I dying'.

I am just not clued up on what kind of electric shock is bad. I have googled it and some forums/websites say it is bad some say it's not good, so it is a little confusing.


Seriously - I have been feeling pains in my chest for over a week, these are clearly from the electric shock I received, unless it's some other coincidental pain.

Would the fact I completed the circuit make the shock worse? current going up both my arms and into my chest.

What I do know is - a shock to the chest/heart area is not good.


I am still not clear on whether 240v with 3 amp fuse is enough to do damage when going through the chest area. Based on the pain I have been feeling - I guess yes it is.


Can anyone clear this up? could my shock do any damage?

[Ashers]

Think the best thing you can do is to go to A&E tomorrow and tell me what happened. You have probably done something if you can still feel it a week later.

[Backlash]

Guys - I wasn't serious when I asked 'am I dying'.

I am just not clued up on what kind of electric shock is bad. I have googled it and some forums/websites say it is bad some say it's not good, so it is a little confusing.


Seriously - I have been feeling pains in my chest for over a week, these are clearly from the electric shock I received, unless it's some other coincidental pain.

Would the fact I completed the circuit make the shock worse? current going up both my arms and into my chest.

What I do know is - a shock to the chest/heart area is not good.


I am still not clear on whether 240v with 3 amp fuse is enough to do damage when going through the chest area. Based on the pain I have been feeling - I guess yes it is.


Can anyone clear this up? could my shock do any damage?

As an electrician no matter how much you take care you will always get the odd electric shock.
Forget what fuse that was protecting the appliance that's irrelevant, holding on to 230 volts it's the time that you were under this fault current.
I doubt very much you have sustained any serious long lasting damage but as Ashers says maybe get a check up.

Also make sure you have RCD protection in place incase you decide to put your fingers where they shouldn't be.

[Ashers]

I've been a plumb...

A week ago I bought a floor lamp and whilst setting it up I get fed up with trying to get the bulb in place and placed my right finger on the right node and left finger on the left node and boom...electrocuted.

Can I ask why you did that?
We learnt in school that that would complete the circuit.

Think this is a great question.

[Surprised]

When I first came to the Netherlands I was living in rented accommodation. I was on top floor of a block of 4. I had my fuse box but main junction with off switch was 4 flights of very steep stairs down to owners flat. I had trouble with one of the circuits in my flat so landlord called an electrician. He came up to my floor and starred messing with fuse box. I suggested it might be wise to turn power off but he said no and said he didn't need to and it was a long way to go anyway. A minute later there was a big bang, a flash and he lay on floor after he'd stuck a screwdriver in the fuse box. He looked a bit shaky and said he was going to turn power off,

[Footy66]

Why I did it isn't important. I already said I am a plumb. I already said I was getting frustrated with trying to work out how to get the bulb in place....so basically I was fiddling around with the crappy lamp in a frustrated mood and happend to touch both connection points whilst pushing it about. The lamp was on at the mains but was switched OFF on the switch on the lamp itself. I would have thought that because of this there wouldn't be current running though it....maybe I'm also dumb in thinking that....yes I have been a pillock....please feel free to rub it in....


Important point is - could this cause internal injuries or not?

[Footy66]

As an electrician no matter how much you take care you will always get the odd electric shock.
Forget what fuse that was protecting the appliance that's irrelevant, holding on to 230 volts it's the time that you were under this fault current.
I doubt very much you have sustained any serious long lasting damage but as Ashers says maybe get a check up.

Also make sure you have RCD protection in place incase you decide to put your fingers where they shouldn't be.

From googling about it.....I have been informed amps is the dangerous part of being electrocuted. You are saying it is irrelevant? or am I looking at the amperage all wrong - I assumed that the amperage of the fuse was the amperage of the lamp...is this not correct?

From what I have worked out with ohms law is that the amperage is 3amps as far as I am aware.


I am just getting more and more confused.

[Sport Billy]

How many plums does it take to change a lightbulb?............

[Sport Billy]

As an electrician no matter how much you take care you will always get the odd electric shock.
Forget what fuse that was protecting the appliance that's irrelevant, holding on to 230 volts it's the time that you were under this fault current.
I doubt very much you have sustained any serious long lasting damage but as Ashers says maybe get a check up.

Also make sure you have RCD protection in place incase you decide to put your fingers where they shouldn't be.

From googling about it.....I have been informed amps is the dangerous part of being electrocuted. You are saying it is irrelevant? or am I looking at the amperage all wrong - I assumed that the amperage of the fuse was the amperage of the lamp...is this not correct?

From what I have worked out with ohms law is that the amperage is 3amps as far as I am aware.


I am just getting more and more confused.

That'll be the circuitry in your brain thats fried from the shock.....

[bloggie]

Sounds like your symptoms are directly related to the incident because as you say you completed the circuit by using both hands so seeing outpatients dept or gp if symptoms persist seems apposite. Plus a quick search shows the symptoms you've described which can vary depending on such things as completing the circuit through your body as.what happened to you here.

[jeffmcgow]

When you received the shock you may have jerked back involuntarily and pulled a muscle in your chest.

Really, this is only guesswork and it is best to get yourself checked out as Ashers suggests.

[Surprised]

If you are feeling pains in your chest after the the electric shock then go to A&E or see your doctor.

The electrical current will pass through low-resistance tissues in preference, causing necrosis along the way.
Since the skin resistance can be affected by moisture, electric current can be transmitted to deeper structures before it causes significant skin damage (there may be serious deep injury with spared skin)

if you are worried then see a doctor

Electrocution only has 2 consequences
1 You live
2 You don't

[Latic]

Pop yourself down to A&E tomorrow. Sounds muscular. Will give you peace of mind. Don't know your medical history etc so no comment really.

Given a case of acute chest pain (this is not) don't bother with a doctor, most of them soil their underwear. Go to A&E or dial 999.

[bloggie]

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/electric ... cle_em.htm

[Surprised]

20% of all deaths by electric shock are children and boys outnumber girls by 9-1

[Footy66]

Cheers guys.

Still not clear on things after plenty of browsing....

- Some websites state that 500volts or less is unlikely to do damage

- Then many sites or people on forums say it isn't about the volts it's about the amps, but think that's to do with dying. Volts burn.

- Some sites say as little as 50mA can kill which is 0.05amps. I was hit by 3amps.

- Obviously getting hit through the chest is not a good place to get hit with it either.


I guess it didn't get through to my heart, otherwise according to this I should possibly have died, although that seems crazy. Seemingly the current has travelled across my chest and it feels like it's burnt my veins/arteries. Whether this is the case or not or I am over-worrying - I don't know. But the pains I am experiencing are not a good sign.


Will go to A&E at some point.

[murf]

Amps (current) kill but a bigger voltage will generate more amps (for equal resistance).

As someone said, most likely the shock caused you to pull a weird muscle and that could cause strange pains. The heart after all is largely muscle so lots in and around there to choose from.....

[unc.si.]

Current, ie Amps, do the damage. Current is the flow of electrons through a circuit. Volts are the 'pushing' force (potential difference between two points in a circuit) causing the electrons to flow.

If there's low resistance, you don't need a lot of volts to cause a 1A current to flow. High resistance will need a bigger voltage to push the current through.

ie at 240V, the amount of current passing through depends entirely on the resistance.

2 types of damage - burns. Not that likely at 240V?

interference with central nervous system. You'd know by now (unless it's brain damage, in which case you might not not notice if you're daft enough to stick your fingers into a mains supply )

source - A Level Physics. It was a while ago though so E&OE.

The fact that you're asking on here and not in A&E almost certainly means that you're fine. If you're worried though go to A&E. It'll give the nurses something to laugh about and Groomyd another little box to tick if nothing else...

Seriously though, if you've got chest pains then get it checked out