You know that you are overdue at the hair salon when the trama team at the hospital ask you if your grey hair is due to being hit by lightning, and then you have to inform them that you simply havent had time to touch up your roots.
Well, first of all I am OK thank God. I was hit by lightning on the farm Thursday night when I was on my way in from the fields. The sky got really dark and the wind started blowing. I could hear thunder in the distance and saw a few far off flashes of lightning. I ran inside just as a few raindrops started to fall with my dog Emma. My dad told me that he didnt put down the left side of the coldframe (which is like a giant greenhouse) and if I didnt the wind could destroy it by tearing through it. Against my better judgement, I ran back out to "save the coldframe".
I thought the storm was still far enough in the distance, and to tell you the truth I didnt even think of my safety at all. The only thing I could think of as I was running out there was the image of the wind tearing the plastic off of the frame, and flipping over all of my seed starter trays (again).
I ran out to the coldframe barefoot and grabbed the metel hand crank, which turns to raise or lower the sides. The crank is attached to a 200 foot metal bar. As soon as I touched the crank, lightning shot out of the sky to my hand from the left side, it was so bright that I turned my head away and saw the lightning continue its path through and outside of my right leg into the ground. Everthing happened so fast. I let go of the pole, and as soon as I did, the lightning spark flashed out of my hand and traveled down th e length of the metel pole. I think I was in shock, bc I grabbed the pole again to lower it.
I ran into the house, and said to myself I think I was just hit by lightning, but I'm not dead. I said to my dad, I think I was hit by lightning. I had no char marks, I didnt pass out, I was still standing. Immediately my right hand started burning where I touched the pole. Then, my hand, rightarm, chest, left arm and bottom of my feet. My body was burning. I called 911. They came and rushed my to the only hospital that would take me, Bridgeport hospital because they have a really good burn unit. My EKG and bloodpressure were off the charts in the ambulance, and my whole body was burning. I really thought this was it. The paramedics said that with lightning, the most damage can be done internally.
It didnt help when in the trama room, a women came in and said she smelled something burning. Bloodwork was taken, and I guess they look for a few things, one being your levels of CPK. When you get hit by lightning, it can damage your muscles and nerves by heating them up, heart being included as a muscle. Your muscles release lactic acid into your boodstream and can shut down your kidneys if you dont flush it out. My bloodwork showed high levels of CPK, and the hispital began flushing out my system and kidneys).
I was in the cardiac unit for a couple of days to make sure my heart wasnt affected too badly. Most doctors dont know alot about lightning strikes, especially when a person is walking and talking with no physical marks. Drs were debating whether it was lightning, or a static shock (like you walk up to a door and get a shock), but shock was ruled out because of my EKG and levels of CPK. I called a couple of lightning specialists who specialize in lightning strikes in people. They all agreed that I was very lucky and if I had grabbed the crank with my left hand, I would most likey be dead because the lightning would have traveled more through my heart with that path.
Most likey what happened is when I ran across the field I built up static electicity on myself (the hairs on your arms stand up). When I grabbed the metel crank lightning was drawn and hit the connection location point of my hand and the metel crank, and I was used as a grounder, and that is why I saw the lightning continue in and around my right leg into the ground. When I let go of the metel crank, the lightning continued its course through the coldframe, finding other grounders and that it why I saw the lightning flash down the metel rod. So because there were other avenues for the lightning to travel on the coldframe as well, that is why I didnt receive the full force of the bolt.
There are so many damaging effects that can happen post-lighting strike. You can have trouble with thinking, and processing information , and nuerological and musclular problems that can come on immediately, after a few days or up to 3 years. Most lightning victims develop problems with their short term memory, and I appologize in advance if I start forgetting who you are. My mom lives in Texas and she is a nurse. She was telling me that I shouldnt be worried and asked me if I ever saw the movie about some guy who got hit by lightning and became brilliant and started writing symphonies. So I guess I will just wait and see what happens, and maybe I will turn into a genious composer.
But all in all, things are coming together, the farm is sprouting up goodness, lightning or no lightning, we will move forward.
See you all soon, Kim
