Static shocks

[Lizziefin]

Maybe foolish but....my incidence of suffering static shocks has greatly increased since my palpiatations arrived 4 weeks ago, is this normal or me being daft?

[Hidden]

An interesting point I wonder depending on what the weather is doing if peoples symptoms differ say in stormy weather. I have always suffered from getting static shocks, can't even push a Tesco trolley round the supermarket without getting one wearing gloves did not help either. Got a massive one on the IOW ferry from the railings my friend even heard it. Metal bannisters, even touching someone else (my cousin got a real jolt once I remember), eat your heart out Old Grey Whistle Test (no it wasn't my hand on the title page). I sympathise they really make you jump when you get one with me they get accompanied by a few choice words, not ladylike I know.

[Hidden]

A woman I knew used to work with static electric spray equipment in a factory. When she got home one night, she went to give her husband a kiss and two sparks flew from both her busters to her husband, who must have been well earthed . True story but sorry, off topic.

I'd have thought the other way round if it's having an effect at all, i.e. static triggering AF, or something else causing both?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Koll, totally off topic, my skin eats stainless steel, cannot wear a watch as strap gets pitted plus static causes it to not work. Ha guess what else I am allergic to, heart monitor stickers, 48hr one took my skin right off, I now have my crop circle on my chest.

[BobD Volunteer]

I think this is just coincidence - probably the weather and or your underwear. I seldom get static shocks unless I have been (and here I have to be careful how I word it.) I have been stroking my -----CAT). Mrs Slocombe eat your heart out . I do sometimes wonder, however. if my AF may have been started as a result of the number of times I had 20,000 +volts across my chest whilst working on race engines.

Bob

[farmerwalt in reply to BobD]

Hi Bob, often wondered about the 20kv shocks + others. I remember once being stuck across the 240 supply and was at the point of going down when the weight of me falling was what pulled me off the supply. My mother said, when. I went in to the house, you're very white looking, are you ok. Didn't tell her what happened. I asked my cardio, (not an EP). If he thought that could have caused my heart block and af. He didn't comment, probably because he didn't know. Only since joining AFA that I discovered I really should have seen an EP, I might have got an answer. Did you see the link I sent Ms-I-w about the static? Walter

[dedeottie in reply to farmerwalt]

About the same time as my A.F. starting I had a considerable electric shock. Bad enough to spin me round and to leave me confused. I have since wondered about the connection. It seems logical doesn't it?!

[farmerwalt in reply to dedeottie]

Hi dedeottie, Yes it certainly makes you wonder. With me it was one wrist on the neutral connection and the other on the live, so the current was passing right across my body with the heart, of course, in the middle of the path. In the electrical/electronics industry we have a saying - Volts jolts, mils kills. In other words, shocks from static will give you a jolt but won't kill you, just make you jump, because the spark actually burns your finger tip slightly. However if you get across the mains the current flowing through your body is what does the damage.(mils, above , being short for milliamps or current). I often wonder what other damage my "big shock" of so many years ago did, (about 57 years ago). My AliveCor monitor won't give me a trace using my hands. I've always to do the trace with the monitor on my chest and the strange thing is my ecg peaks are about 3 times higher than my son's and some of my friends that have tried the monitor.

Oh dear, there I go again. Get me started on the electrics of the heart and away I go and forget to stop. Sorry if I've gone on a bit.

Walter.

[dedeottie in reply to farmerwalt]

It's fascinating isn't it?! You can't walk away from a shock like that unscathed surely.x

[farmerwalt in reply to dedeottie]

Back down in London again, hence the delay. Drove down this afternoon, arrived about 21:00.

Yes, there have been a lot not as fortunate that didn't walk away. Certainly makes you wonder, cause and effect and all that.

I wonder if the Open University do a cardiology/EP course. Could go on that, if they do, and see if I can learn more about it.

Walter.

[Hidden]

Trust you BobD to go one better. I don't stroke my cats (I have two) only their heads as otherwise the static makes all their loose hairs stick to me plus they get a shock, I have a heck of a job when I comb them I end up more furry than them. What a conversation but my underwear is non synthetic. I am just an electric kind of a gal. I suppose a bit of light relief and a laugh is good therapy.

[farmerwalt]

Hi Ms-J-W

A number of years ago, when I was working servicing laboratory equipment, there was a lassie in a hospital lab in Belfast was complaining about static shocks every-time she touched any of the equipment. I noticed she was waring nylon and suggested she wore non-nylon clothing to minimise the risk. I got the same if I went into a hotel with nylon carpets. I would touch the door handle with the key first to discharge the static in my body. The problem is, that as we move through the air, the movement causes an electrical charge to build up on our bodies. If we are wearing shoes that are good insulators then the charge can not leak away to earth and the first time we touch anything metallic or someone else then it's "zapp" Will need to see if there are any conductive sprays to spray onto shoes to stop this. Also, the same happens with aircraft flying through the air and the first thing they do when they land is connect an earth cable to them, otherwise the ground crew would get "zapped" when they went near it

Walter.

[Hidden]

Thanks Walter, I tend to wear cottons, including underwear, and as far as I know I wear rubber soles and leather shoes/boots. I don't have carpets in my home so it must be me impersonating an electric eel or something. In the days of valve TV's I could literally touch the screen to point at something and the whole telly screen went blank. So had it when I was a kid as well. I have got used to not being 'normal' in any way shape or form. Murphy sits on my shoulder as well and only visits other folk occasionally. I am resigned to what life throws at me. I really must learn to duck more often.

[farmerwalt in reply to Hidden]

Hi again Ms-J-W

Liked your bit about learning to duck more often.

Found this web-site via a Google search for anti-static spray for shoes. amasci.com/emotor/zapped.html. It is quite interesting and quite funny at bits. There is also a section in it on "electric people" When I am working with sensitive electronic equipment I've always got to wear a wrist band that is connected to earth to prevent any static build-up that could damage the electronic components. Mind you, that's not very convenient for walking around. Interested to hear your comments on the above article.

Walter.

[Hidden]

I think what you need Lizziefin is to be earthed. I remember now that for some reason I used to get shocks years ago, especially getting out of cars (does that make sense?), but not any more. Got them all the time, as Bob says, must be something to do with my underwear back then !!! M&S Y-fronts maybe . Can't be a cat because I've never had one.

Anyhow, and seriously, I got into the habit of grabbing things like central heating radiators when I went into a room. Seemed to work but I'm no electrician to say the least !!!

Koll

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes some people do tend to have high residual current in them My mother could never wear a mechanical watch as they all stopped as soon as she picked them up. I seldom feel shocks although I do hear them sometimes..

Bob

[Lizziefin]

Thanks for the ideas and entertaining posts! This static thing is new though, so I wondered if others had noticed it as a concurrent event with the onset of A F....

[Hidden]

Hi Lizziefin, To be honest I would have thought static is not going to be strong enough to affect your heart and that it would literally be only skin deep. Makes you pull your hand away pretty sharpish at it most severe. Of course a proper electric shock would have a profound affect, not an expert of course.

[Lizziefin in reply to Hidden]

It was more the other way around I was wondering about, does the dodgy electrics of my heart somehow cause the increase in static shocks?

[Hidden]

Hi Lizziefin, I think it would be hard to prove, I would have thought heart electrics are isolated to the heart muscles. Static shocks are so random and dependant on so many environmental conditions, a question for QI I think.