Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with shock

How to calm oneself after a severe emotional shock

flutable — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:27:28 -0800

What are some good centring/calming exercises for a massage therapist? I've had a huge shock and need to get myself together before Tuesday. I'm a student massage therapist, and every week my class has a clinic session, where we treat "real" clients. (who'd knock back a $20 massage?).

But this last week I've had an immense emotional shock, to do with an ex. It had nothing to do with clinic. The incident has riven my soul, and unsettled me very profoundly, to the point that I have vivid, almost panic attacks (mild histeria, perhaps?) that usually leave me in a blubbering mess.

I'm working through the underlying issues, which will take several months and much reflection. However my immediate concern is my performance at clinic on Tuesday night (27 October).

Does anyone know any "centring" exercises I can use to calm my mind before clinic? I could skip the clinic completely, but would have to catch up another time.

The reason for mentioning the massage aspect is that it's easy for a client to pick up if the therapist is unsettled. The treatments we give are primarily relaxation, and I'd hate for a client to end up as wound up as I feel!

I haven't done much meditation before, but have found that simply observing the breath as I breathe in and out a few times can help.

Any other suggestions would be great!

A bang for a buck

a non e mouse — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:06:16 -0800

What can I use to create a startling, loud, sharp noise? I need to be able to conceal the source of the noise whilst in the presence of the person I wish to startle.
The noise needs to be louder than a cap gun (tried that).

In essence, the noise would need to penetrate an unguarded moment and engender an immediate state of 'startlement', a flinch.

Car alarm for my flat?

thewalrus — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:48:04 -0800

Security alarm: I'm looking for a portable, battery operated house/office alarm system which can watch the only entrance of a flat. It's a concrete building and the front door is the only way in, unless somebody scales a balcony which would definitely be noticed. This should function much like a car alarm, with a remote key fob to arm and disarm, motion sensor and a opening sensor on the door, and make a very loud noise if it's disturbed. I'll try to describe the ideal form of what I'm looking for, and see if metafilter can recommend anything similar.

It should be about the size of a large paperback book, or hardcover book, and designed to sit near the front door of a premises that has a single entrance (example, concrete condo tower). It should have a sensor to detect if the door has been opened, and/ a shock sensor, with a motion sensor that uses similar technology to the motion sensors that go in the corners of rooms. It should not be reliant on 110V/240V wall electricity, but run on its own battery, or have a backup battery for when wall power is not available. Should be armed and disarmed by a remote key fob similarly to a good car alarm. If it is disturbed when armed, it should make a ridiculously loud noise and attract attention to itself.

(BONUS): If it has the ability to put a GSM SIM in it and program it to send a SMS or dial a number and play a message when it is triggered that would be excellent. This is for use in a third world country where police response is nearly nonexistant, the wired phone network is unreliable, and third party alarm monitoring services (such as ADT) don't really exist. If something makes a really loud noise that's good enough to attract the neighbors' attention since car alarms are still very rare here. If an apartment makes a horrible screeching noise it will bring people running.

I'm thinking of something kind of like this but with connections to attach a door-opening or glass breakage sensor, and possibly an external speaker horn for a louder screech.

http://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-MA795-Strobe-Motion-Remote/dp/B000WDPPD2

Pins and Needles instead of the rush

AzzaMcKazza — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:12:08 -0800

Why am i getting a weird Pins and Needles feeling instead of an adrenaline rush? Lately I've noticed that when I get a sudden shock (say, nearly getting hit by a car on my bike) I get a weird Pins and needles feeling in my chest and both arms where usually there is an adrenaline rush. Naturally, I'm a bit concerned. Should I be?

How soon is my house going to burn down?

jacquilynne — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:40:08 -0800

When my living room lights are off, touching the screws on the faceplate for the electrical switch gives me a tiny little frisson of electricity. When my living room lights are on, I get a fairly painful shock from touching the screws on the faceplate. How dangerous is this? The wiring in my apartment was done by the people who own the house and it leaves a lot to be desired in general, but I've lived here for 7 years and I've never noticed this problem before now. Either it's new, or it hasn't burned down the house in 7 years.

It could be new because:

I just changed some lightbulbs (the house has recessed pot lamps) in the living room. I think they're the right ones, but I bought inexpensive ones from Superstore rather than brand name from Costco. Is there any way that the lightbulbs could be causing this? I'm going to go take them out again and see if that makes a difference, but it's an epic pain in the ass (it took me half an hour to change them in the first place) so I thought I'd get a head start on posting the question.

A contractor's been doing some renovations on the house including some electrical work. None of that was in my apartment but if they did something somewhere else on the circuit could that be causing this?

I can't fix it and right now there isn't anyone else here who can, either. I guess my main question is not so much what might have caused this (though I'd like to know that) but how likely is it to be a major, dangerous problem. And would it be safer to have the lights on or off under the circumstances?

As a wrinkling factor, I have guests coming in an hour and a half to play board games in the room with those lights so I'd really like them to be on if that's safe (it certainly decreases the level of shock).

How to prevent plastic roll static shocks?

attercoppe — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:33:40 -0800

How can I ground a large roll of plastic wrap to prevent static electric shocks when unrolling it? At my place of work (a spa) we have a large roll of plastic, perforated into sheets that are used in some treatments. Every time a sheet is unrolled and torn off, the person doing so gets a good shock from the static electricity. Is there any way to prevent these shocks?

The plastic is wrapped around a cardboard tube, which is strung on a wooden dowel. The dowel sits into a painted metal frame which is mounted on a wood trim piece in the staff room. It's high up, so the girls stand on a metal-framed stepladder with plastic steps and with plastic feet on one side, a metal bar on the other. The ladder sits on the carpeted floor while it's used. We're up in the mountains at about 9000 feet above sea level, a very dry climate, which seems to contribute, especially during cold weather.

The whole apparatus is pretty close to plumbing and electrical boxes, conduits etc, if that helps for grounding points.

Our dog just had an anaphylactic shock reaction to vaccination. Should we cancel our travel plans?

Jacqueline — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:19:44 -0800

Our dog just had an anaphylactic shock reaction to vaccination. Should we cancel our travel plans? My husband took our miniature dachshunds to the vet today to get caught up on their vaccinations because we're going to be boarding them while we travel later this week. One of them immediately vomited after the vaccination, had diarrhea on the way home, then once home he collapsed on the floor and was breathing very rapidly. My husband immediately took him back to the vet where they gave him an anti-histamine and steroids shot. The vet is currently keeping him for observation.

The vet's decision to allow our dog go home when he was showing early symptoms of potentially deadly anaphylactic shock makes me not trust this vet's competence, so I'm seeking other sources of information about our dog's condition and care needed.

My internet searching has found information on symptoms (apparently the next stages after vomiting and diarrhea would have been convulsions, coma, and death!) and emergency treatment, but not much on after-care. How sick can we expect our dog to be after this, and for how long? Will he be sick enough that someone should stay home and take care of him?

Our original plans were to board the dogs from Wednesday evening or Thursday morning until Monday morning. If we should change our travel and/or dog boarding plans we'd prefer to do so ASAP because the longer we wait the more expensive it will be to make changes.

Any information, advice, or pointers to good resources would be appreciated.

Past Protection in Politics?

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:55:00 -0800

I've often considered running for public office in the United States when I get older - I am currently a male in my 20s. However, I belong to a few dating sites and have, on occasion, engaged in sexually explicit chat with more than a few random people online, and met some in real life for "casual encounters". Nothing too weird or kinky, always consensual, nobody underage (except when I was underage as well). What are the odds that this history of mine will be uncovered, and is there anything I can do to protect myself?

How can I get over a promiscuous event in my girlfriend's past involving someone I dislike?

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:19:23 -0800

How can I get over a promiscuous event in my girlfriend's past involving someone I dislike? I've known that my girlfriend was pretty sexually adventurous and active before we started dating, but recently, I've found out that, before we started dating, she's had a threesome involving a guy I find despicable. She still runs into this guy from time to time. It was funny in Office Space when Peter thought his girlfriend had had sex with Lumbergh, but when it happens to me? Not so much.

I feel less crushed about this than when I first found out about this, but my mind occasionally wanders back to it, and it eats at me. I know that logically, I shouldn't be bothered by this. I've reasoned with myself many times that it doesn't matter because it was in the past, and now she's with me. That helps but not completely.

I feel as though she has lower standards than I thought, and this makes me feel less special. I also feel foolish for valuing the sex we have now as much as I did. I also feel like that guy got something out of her that I never will, even though I don't even want a threesome that much. It's crazy.

I love this girl, and I don't want to have to think these sorts of thoughts about her. Since I feel slightly less resentful about it now than I did when I first learned about it, I think it's reasonable to assume that as time goes on, it will bother me less and less. However, I'd rather it went by at a faster rate.

Any ideas on how to get over this faster?

Are my teeth going to fall out?

benign — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 23:12:36 -0800

Why have my upper front teeth become sensitive to shock and rapid movement, and should I be worried? If so, what can I do about it? I noticed a few days ago while I was walking that I could feel the shocks from my footsteps in my upper front teeth. I wasn't clenching them, and when I tried clenching them the sensation seemed to go away. I don't think that's a very good solution though. I also got the same sensation when I was towel drying my hair the other day, and can reproduce it at any time by shaking my head. When I shake my head it feels like the teeth are wagging back and forth and it's fairly uncomfortable. I don't do this often, just once a day since I noticed the weird sensitivity, to determine if it's still there.

As far as I can tell my teeth haven't become any more sensitive to hot or cold, and I don't experience any pain when chewing or biting.

I have noticed that the backs of my upper front teeth have been getting a little fuzzier than usual lately, and that they have required some extra brushing. I figured the extra plaque was probably due to changes in my diet since I moved to Beijing (13 days ago), but perhaps it is something more sinister? My diet since I arrived has generally been better than it was back in Canada, so I've tentatively ruled out scurvy, but I don't really have any other ideas.

What could be causing this? Will it go away on its own? Is there something I can do to get things back to normal faster? Should I see a dentist ASAP? I really want to avoid troubling my co-workers to arrange to see a dentist and then be told that there's nothing wrong. If necessary I'll go that route, but I would rather try other options first.

I will be checking back frequently and can post additional details and/or photos if it would be helpful.

Thanks hive mind!

Best after-crash care in the world?

Idcoytco — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 03:54:54 -0800

After Lewis Hamilton crashed in yesterday's qualifying session for the European Grand Prix, he was carried into an ambulance with a neck brace and oxygen mask on, and attached to a clear drip bag. But it has since been announced that he is uninjured. So why would you give a drip to someone who has managed to keep his full complement of blood in the right places? Presumably he was receiving the best after-crash care in the world. Is this standard best treatment for shock? Was it done because there seemed to be internal injuries? Was there anything special in what appeared to be saline?

Bad wiring or defective PC power supply: Why am I getting shocked?

frieze — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:04:22 -0800

Bad wiring or defective PC power supply: Why am I getting shocked? Okay, so they are rewiring the apartments in my building and after they replaced my breaker box and I powered up the server I keep in my closet it failed to boot. When I took the cover off it and then leaned on the metal shelving unit it sits on I got a shock. One quick multimeter check later I noticed that the AC voltage between the ground on the machine and the metal cabinet was 60 volts, which seems like a lot.

My question is whether the power supply in the PC is shorted or if they miswired the ground on the outlet. Normally I would just call the electrician back, but the fact is I drilled a couple of unauthorized holes in the wall to get power into the closet in the first place, so I don't want to attract attention unless I have to. How can I check if they socket is grounded correctly using only a multimeter?

NYC area counciling for traumatic events

stagewhisper — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:08:51 -0800

A friend of mine is having a very hard time dealing with the aftermath of a recent traumatic event that remains prominently in the forefront of the local news. Someone she dated a while ago, and who she worked with for a number of years up until a year or two ago, recently committed a horrific and violent act. She's having a terrible time dealing with the guilt of wondering what she could have done differently and grappling with her ability to read people and her faith in her own perceptions.

Are there grief councilors who work for low rates (she doesn't have insurance) or on a sliding scale who any of you NYC area mefites could recommend? Specifically someone who specialize in this sort of post-traumatic stress. Thanks for any help with names, etc. My email address is in my profile.

Any advice for a first-year Harvard man

goalyeehah — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:45:58 -0800

I have a nephew who will be attending Harvard this fall. Any advice for one who was raised on a farm in a small farm town to ease transition. I would like him to have a good landing with an idea of what he may be in for. He was class valedictorian and also got accepted to Stanford, Berkeley.....SAT's were apparently off the chart and he has already completed college courses.

He was also raised in a small farm town in Central California on a dairy farm. I sense a huge culture and social shock will happen for him, similar to what I went through when I left to attend a major university. I plan on writing him a letter before he heads east with advice, topics including sex and drugs, peer pressure and competition, cambridge sensibility, not "fitting in." etc.

Can a 46 year old female survive a move to the left coast?

artemis — Mon, 29 May 2006 18:15:31 -0800

Culture shock, loneliness or a whole new adventure? I am considering a move from Central New Jersey to Thousand Oaks , California for a great job opportunity. I am a divorced 46 year old female. My mother and one brother live within 2 hours of the new location. My boyfriend and I broke up 2 months ago, I have lived in NJ for decades, I have long time friends here, prefer intellectual versus athletic pursuits, like witty sarcasm, and worry that it is difficult to make friends at this age/stage. Wondering if that is a deal breaker (I am quite shy). Any advice, thoughts on the culture out there?

Electric Shock Made My Computer Restart

JuliaKM — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:06:35 -0800

I was typing on my laptop and my husband touched my face. His hand gave me a shock, and then my computer restarted itself. My hand was connected to the computer and his hand was connected to me. My hands have been tingling ever since (about 10 minutes). Is my computer restarting itself after the shock a sign of bad things to come? Is there something I should do to prevent this from happening in the future? Anything else I should know? Thanks in advance for your help.

What is causing this tingling in my body?

daninnj — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 17:27:32 -0800

What is causing this tingling in my body? When I find out or realize something shocking or very surprising, I get this tingling sensation in the back part of my body. The tingling starts from my lower back and travels to the upper part. It usually lasts for about a second or two and feels like a weak electrical shock.

I also get the same sensation in my legs, but only when someone describes a great pain or shows me a really bad wound. It starts from the bottom of my legs and stops at my hips.

My mom says that its common in her side of the family and my dad says it doesn't happen to him. Could it be my nerves? Does this happen to anyone else?

Renting at a place where 3-prong outlets not grounded properly

freshgroundpepper — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 21:33:54 -0800

My wife and I recently rented a house in the Phinney Ridge area of Seattle. When renting I saw that all of the outlets were 3 prong outlets and that there was a breaker box and not a fuse box, so I assumed it was all wired correctly. Now that we've moved in, I've found that 6 of the 10 outlets are coming up as "open ground" when using a grounding tester. It looks like the 4 most important outlets (i.e. the ones near water in the kitchen and bathroom) are grounded properly.

The ones that are affected are in the living room and bedrooms and will have mostly computers and stereo equipment plugged into them. Pretty much all of it consists of 2 prong equipment, but the surge protectors all have 3 prongs and the manufacturer’s website state that not having a working ground "may affect the surge suppression capability".

From what I can tell, the outlets don't have conduit going to them, so I'm guessing that just attaching the ground wire to the outlet’s box won't help at all.

I've e-mailed the landlord and they sent a reply saying that they'd "look into it", but I'm not sure if that means that anything will get done, or how quickly it will happen. I’ve been hesitating to get all of our stuff set up here as I don’t want it all to get fried if something happens.

Is this something I should be worried about, or is it not really a big deal for the outlets that are affected? If my landlord decides that it's not a big deal, should I try to get this fixed myself or is it pretty low risk?

If left alone, is there a big risk of electrocution, or of my stuff getting fried with the first thunderstorm to come our way?

Related question that doesn't quite answer my question here.

How can I ground my computer and audio setup?

fuzz — Fri, 10 Sep 2004 06:53:20 -0800

My gear is giving me electric shocks, and I don't know what to do. [more inside] I've got a complicated setup with two computers and lots of external peripherals and audio equipment. Cables run in all directions, with everything connected to everything else. The only high-wattage devices I've got are a very old stereo amp and a monitor.

Every once in a while I'll get a small shock from touching something. I've had it happen with a DVD burner, one of the PCs, and an electric guitar (which is plugged through some electronic gear into a PC, not into a guitar amp). It's been going on for about a month.

I haven't gotten fried yet, and neither has my equipment. Should I be really worried? I'm completely ignorant about electricity, so can anyone give me an idea about what might be wrong, and recommend things I can do to troubleshoot this?

How do I reduce static electricity in my house?

rushmc — Sat, 31 Jan 2004 16:17:26 -0800

Carpets in new home are producing tremendous amounts of static and lots of sparks. What are good solutions to reduce the static to protect computers and other electronic equipment? Ideally, the solution would reduce the static across the entire house, as trying to protect each piece of equipment with an anti-static mat or some such would quickly become cost prohibitive.