Audiophile Electrocution

Much of this is because people are stupid and lawyers are asked how to protect companies. The one I love is on rotary lawn mowers, or at least mine, there is notice to not pick up the mover with your finger underneath while it is running. Apparently some guy decided it would be great to trim his hedges with a lawn mover and cut off all of his fingers.

My father used to repair electronics, this entailed checking out the set while it was on. I can remember several times when he ended up on the floor. Usually, however, the voltages were not too high. Big old output tubes with 1600 volts on them were probably not survivable.

Amazing story, armstrod. So you think the shock changed your metabolism? It sounds like it was for the better except for having worn out your thyroid too soon.

Hmmm...I'd love to have more energy and could stand to lose a few pounds. Think I'll try a little DIY on my tube amp.

Drubin,

Yes, I'm quite sure the shock changed my metabolism. Up until that point it seemed quite normal; after the shock, definitely revved up, and stayed that way for years.

My doctor said he studied cases in med school where people where people had the same thing happen from a blow to the head. Rather than sticking your hand in your amp, maybe you should just take up listening to headbanger music!

Armstrod:
I wonder whether the shock damaged your thyroid and thereby exposed previously sequestered thyroid antigens to your immune system, and triggering Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis, or some other subtype of autoimmune thyroiditis. Hashimoto's classically has a hyperthyroid phase during which the gland is being destroyed and releasing excess thyroid hormone from the destroyed follicles. Then there's a euthyroid phase when the amount of hormone released roughly equals normal values because many of the follicles have been destroyed. Finally there's a hypothyroid phase where most of the gland has been destroyed by the immune response. I don't know whether that's what happened iin your case, but it seems possible.

Mdhoover,

That's sounds pretty much like the description my doctor gave me. I'm definitely in the hypothyroid phase now. Thank goodness thyroid hormone replacement drugs are common now and relatively cheap.

Too bad my original shock was AC - if it was DC I could have just reversed polarity and cured myself.

:-)