I've been off the site for a while now fully engrossed in recovery, treatments, finding work, and trying to get my life back together. Tonight, however, I incurred an electrical shock while trying to plug in a lamp to an extension cord. I touched the metal prong while it was half plugged in with sweaty fingers on just one hand. I am not sure if the lamp was left in the "on" position or not. Is that why I was shocked? I felt the shock, dropped the chord, then had immediate jitters and racing heart, although this could just be my good old friend, panic. Naturally my first thought and greatest fear is that this will have repercussions for my brain. I don't like the idea of much outside electricity entering my nervous system. My arms and muscles do also feel strange, but the finger where I was shocked is not burnt.

Does anyone have info on this? A website such as WebMD is unclear as to whether (low voltage?) shocks require medical attention. It also didn't clarify what kind of shocks something like an extension chords produces. Low, or high? On their site the symptoms appear to vary greatly, and I'm not sure if these would supersede my 'normal' PCS symptoms. I can't get a doctor on the phone until tomorrow, but is it something I should take seriously? As in hospital?

Thanks.

After 1.5 hours the thing I'm aware of is that the arm and hand opposite the one I got shocked in feels noticeably stiff and numb.
I feel like I have to get some sleep now though. Will return with an update tomorrow.

I am a retired electrician, you have nothing to worry about....The voltage went through your fingers....
You have to worry if it goes from your fingers through your heart....
If you were working protocol is 24 hour observation in a ER.
I wouldn't call that low voltage either..
It has been documented that a person was once killed by 24 volts(door bell).....That was the perfect scenario..

Thanks Dav. Have you been shocked before with no problems?
I think I'm OK. The internet made it very unclear as to what a more serious shock would be like. It made it seem like a passing shock from a cord could cause neurological, heart, and other problems. I was a nervous wreck. I realized that I know nothing about electricity.

Death by doorbell sounds disconcerting. Did they die because they couldn't remove their finger from the button?

I have been shocked many time. 110 volts mostly. The key issue as Dav0 said is, You were shocked in one hand. If you were shocked by one hand to the other hand or hand to foot, the electricity would flow across your chest and be a greater risk. That fact that is was momentary and caused you to pull away indicated the low level of shock. More intense shocks can cause muscle spasms that prevent pulling away.

It only takes 0.1 amps to stop the heart. But, that usually means an across the chest shock.

The mechanics of your shock are simple. You touched two prongs on the plug. It does not matter whether the light was on or not. The extension cord was still live with electricity. It is important to think of the prongs as deadly so one is careful to not touch them as one plugs them in.

And, sweaty hands create a problem as they increase the conductivity of your skin and reduce the grip strength as you plug things together causing one to use an unsafe grip on the electrical cord.

The safest way to connect an extension cord is to unplug at the wall, connect the cord to the appliance/light/tool, then plug into the wall receptacle. Otherwise, just be careful to only touch the plastic, not the prongs. If the extension cord is not plugged in, you can safely touch the prongs to straighten them so they fit in the plug.

And remember, with PCS, you have a heightened startle response. An electric shock will trigger your startle response in a big way. It can take a while for the body to settle down, especially if anxiety builds.

It sounds like you will be just fine as soon as you get your anxiety settled.

Thanks Mark,

as usually your experience seems boundless.

To get shocked from one hand to the other, would that mean having both hands on the electricity source, or having one hand on the source and another on something conductive?

I think I've fully settled down by now, but definitely going to try to be more aware in the future.

I cant tell you how many times.....Part of the job...

The 2 worst were 277v.....That darn right hurts! But those days are gone, I retired, because of my brain injury almost 10 years ago...

Thanks for explaining better Mark.....I am no word smith! LOL