Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Major Warning Issued After Woman ‘Burnt Alive’ When Hot Water Bottle Explodes
An urgent warning has been issued after a woman felt like she was ‘burning alive’ when a hot water bottle burst on her body.
Annie Thomas, from Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, U.K., fears she could be permanently scarred after the hot water bottle ‘exploded’ onto her stomach and legs.
The 28-year-old used the household item every day when the weather began getting colder.
She’d fill it three quarters full with boiling kettle water, put it back inside its ‘fluffy’ cover, and shove it under her jumper to keep warm.
Yet on one fateful day, the financial social worker claims the hot water bottle split open, pouring the boiling liquid onto her body.
Thomas recalled: “When I sat down it burst all over me. It all happened so quickly.
“I had a thick fluffy cover on my hot water bottle so when it burst I think this helped with the impact as it took a lot of the heat.
“I had a delayed reaction for sure but it took me a few seconds to realize what happened and then my whole body erupted in immense pain.
“The burns were on my lower stomach area, the majority of my right thigh and inner thigh.”
When the hot water bottle burst, Thomas ran to the shower screaming, where she stood under the cold water to ease the ‘intense’ pain.
Before heading to A&E where she had her blisters popped with a needle and peeled, she soaked in a cold bath for hours.
“I kept trying to get out but the pain was so intense,” she explained. “It just looked like a sunburn at this point as it hadn’t blistered yet. It was really pink.”
Shocking photos show the 28-year-old with her thighs and lower tummy red raw and blistered.
Although the wounds appear to be healing well, Thomas believes they have the potential to scar.
“The burns are paler now and my inner thigh is a light pink,” she said.
“On my right thigh, where most of the burns are, the scabbing has gone but there are patches that I can already tell are going to scar.
“I think I will be left with a few scars but they are minimal to what I thought I’d be left with after seeing them under the dressing for the first time.”
Thomas had roughly received the hot water bottle as a Christmas present six years before and while she threw the item away before checking it’s expiry date, she believes it was out of date.
Now, she is encouraging others to check the expiry date on their own hot water bottles and to replace them every two years to reduce the risks of this happening to them.
“People need to check this on their own hot water bottles and when they purchase one,” Thomas said.
“I don’t think everybody knows about this and this is what was quite shocking to me.
“You also need to change your hot water bottle every two years.”
She added that many people are under the impression hot water bottles are ‘invincible’ and forget they ‘tire out eventually.’
Thomas also stressed: “Don’t put boiling water straight into a hot water bottle like I did. I know I did and up to this point it has always been okay but I think it is always best to put some cold water in with it…
“Burping your hot water bottle is also very important and this is something I always did as it releases the air inside of it.”
A flower symbol should be visible on your hot water bottle, indicating when it was made.
The number in the middle is the year it was made. The flower segments represent the 12 months of the year and the dots inside those represent the number of weeks.
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