Behind the Headlines

By Stephanie Ariganello
stephaniea@monroenews.com

I met with a woman earlier today who was using a hair curling iron when the cord separated from the unit, sending the current into her arm, through her body and out the top of her head and one of her feet. She couldn’t described the pain, but said there had been a loud noise like gunshots, the world slowed down and a wide blue arc connected her flesh to the electrical outlet by way of thin black cord.

One of the medical professionals she has been working with told her that her electrical system was overloaded and shut down, like a plug during a storm, and they just haven’t been able to get it back up and running.

Usually when someone experiences a physical trauma, we can relate. Who hasn’t fallen down, or gotten cut, or burned accidentally? We’ve all felt pain at some point - whether fleeting or otherwise and have at least vague memories of what it’s like.

This, however, was not one of those situations.

I always thought it was hilarious in the movie So I Married an Ax Murderer when they are talking about situations that would be gross or uncomfortable, mentioning things like going to eat a steak and discovering a bandaid, or drinking lots of coffee, eating a bran muffin and being trapped in a traffic jam on a bridge. One of the characters offers up - “being electrocuted” which just doesn’t seem to fit. That scene kept playing in my mind today, before going to meet with Rita and her lawyer. How would it feel, I wondered. How would I describe it to people?

There are so many things that are interelated to our electrical functioning. Think back to high school bio - electrical currents are what keep us going. When Rita was zapped by the cord, it did more than just hurt. Her entire right side doesn’t really respond and ” feels like 1,000 pounds” now. She can’t work. She can’t stand up. She can’t think of words.

When it rains, she feels the thunder and lightning. Fourth of July was excruciating, she said. She could feel each whiz and pop. It just made me think, even though the current has left her, it’s still bouncing around inside her. She said occasionally a small charge will make its way out of her skin, leaving a burn mark behind. The shocking happened in January and instead of time healing all wounds, the passing months seem to be revealing more ways the electricity has burned paths through her.

There should be a story coming in the next few days, talking about Rita’s experience as well as what her and her lawyer are now trying to do: make sure it doesn’t happen again.