Like many of us, Sarah* used a hot water bottle during winter. It was comforting on those cold nights. Although she knew they could be dangerous, she didn’t think anything bad would happen to her. She never had a problem until one night when it all went wrong.
Here is her story and warning to others.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m a mum in my early 40s with two kids in their early teens. I work part-time as a secondary teacher. I’m outgoing and enjoy going on holidays.
Have you always used hot water bottles?
Yes, ever since I was a little kid.
Were you aware of the risk?
It never even occurred tome to think about the risks of a hot water bottle bursting. I had used them all my life with no issues so I was very complacent.
One day, you had an accident. Can you tell us what happened?
I was on a camping trip with family and friends near Victor Harbor (with access to power and amenities) and was keen to head to bed. I heated up water in a kettle to boiling point and poured it into my hot water bottle as I have always done.
Given that I was camping, I went to bed in a sleeping bag, zipping it up closed to stay warm, with the hot water bottle near my knees.
I spent some time reading. At about 10 pm I felt a weird and painful stinging sensation on my legs, but had no idea what it was. In hindsight, I now know the hot water bottle had started to split and a small leak had occurred. I shuffled in my sleeping bag and reached down to move the hot water bottle.
As I pulled at it, it completely burst and boiling water poured out onto the back of my thigh, just below my backside. I was stuck in the sleeping bag with the boiling water and it was incredibly painful. It took some time to be able to unzip the sleeping bag to escape.
At the time I knew I was burnt but couldn’t see how badly as it was on the back of my upper thigh. I called to my husband to get me some icepacks but soon moved the showers to get cold flowing water on it. I was in the shower for 45 minutes with the cold water flowing. I began shivering uncontrollably, probably due to the cold and a little bit of shock.
Whilst in the shower, my husband rang a helpline. Due to the fact that my skin had gone waxy in appearance their advice was to get to an ED, the closest of which was in Victor Harbor 20 minutes away. We drove with icepacks strategically placed but the pain was intense.
What happened at the hospital?
On arrival, I was taken straight through. I lay on my stomach. Nurses placed a gel pad over the burn which instantly soothed it. I continued to shiver for over an hour, probably from shock.
The nurses instantly knew what I had done as it seems to be a common reason people present to the ED.
I was there for a couple of hours, with nurses changing the gel pads over until it was no longer painful when the pads were removed. It turns out it was in fact a 2nd degree burn about the size of a small dinner plate.
The care I received was great. I was sent home with bandaging and advice on managing the burn at about 2am.
What happened next?
I could not sit for two weeks. I had to sleep on my stomach (not my normal sleeping position) and had to see my GP for dressing changes. Although the ED visit was free, I had GP gaps to pay each time I went. After that, things improved pretty quickly.
Have there been any ongoing issues?
Now, I have a red patch on the back of my thigh that is slowly fading with time, but there’s no ongoing pain.
I consider myself lucky that it wasn’t any worse.
What advice would you give to others?
- Never use boiling water in a hot water bottle. At best, hot water from the tap.
- Replace your hot water bottles regularly as mine likely split due to age.
- Think about alternatives to hot water bottles, like wheat bags, and identify the risks of using these products.
- Avoid using a hot water bottle with children. The risk is just too great.
- Spread the word about how dangerous hot water bottles can be.
*Name has been changed for anonymity
Has a hot water bottle ever burst on you or to someone you know? What happened? Are they okay?
I’d love to hear from you below or connect with you over on Instagram or Facebook.
Melanie Wegener
