cautionary tale, kitchen fire

[Mark N]

Hi folks everything turned out okay and no one was hurt and no real damage to the house, so what happened? I turned on a pan with oil in it preparing to fix something to eat. My meds kicked in, I was in the living room talking to my son and forgot about starting the pain for my meal. My son says something smells like it was burning but I didn't really hear him, you know those times you hear people but the pain and meds don't let us focus on what is being said. The smoke detectors started going off and I walk into the kitchen with flames roaring out of the pain. I pulled it out from under the cabinet, off the back burner to the front, and got some baking soda. The baking soda just spread the fire so I got the lid [it should have been out on the counter next to the pan] and put it on the pan which doused the flames while I got the fire extinguisher out just in case.

Several lessons for me, have the lid to pans out if I use it or not, don't be distracted from my task, and don't use the high setting on the stove.

Good things that happened, smoke detectors are a must, have a fire extinguisher, know the ways to deal with different types of fires [don't use water on oil fires, don't use dishrags to put out fires they are just more fuel for the fire].

As my time as a CPer goes year by year there are more and more things I have to stop doing and I wonder how far I can slide since I am only 51 right now. I cook for the family, will I have to give that up if not now how soon.

It was a good lesson for my son as I was calm and able to take the right steps to keep it from getting worse and it gives me a good excuse to bring up an important issue in our lives that we don't often think about.

[suede]

Mark,
I'm glad everything turned out okay.

I'm afraid I can relate all to well, my daughter is going with me to my next Dr. app. as I have to get my meds changed, it's surprising I haven't burned down or house or done serious injury to myself or others since having been on methadone and I'm only on a very low dose.

I have tried talking to my Dr about it but he rx'ed provigial for me and guess what it doesn't help.
I have never been so scared as I have over some of the really scary things I have done on this med, I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat it's unreal.

Again I'm happy this turned out well for you this time, what are we to do?

Linda

[debhun]

Hey every one.
Well it sound about like me there. I forget I am cooking all the time.
Glad you didn't get hurt.


Deb

[hummer]

It is a good thing it turned out okay.....because of my brain injury.....I cannot track, time passing....I can think it has been just moments and it can be hours....or I think it is a day passing and it can be weeks.....

I have learned when I am going to cook.....when I turn on a pan....I turn on a cooking timer.....not one that just dings once....but one that beeps for a full minute, so if I do go off I will hear it for a while........I will set it for one minute or how ever long it is going to take before I must pay attention.....it has saved me so many times and is a simple thing to do.....

I use it when I do other things, too......it is a great little tool to help me live my Life....I still do things I might not feel up to if it weren't for that little timer reminder to help me along......

Don't be too hard on your Self, either......there are people who things like this have happened to, and they were perfectly healthy and not having to take medications to live....

I had a friend who put his tennis shoes in the oven to help in the drying and only remembered them when he came back home to the fire department coming out of his house.....burnt tennis shoes cause a lot of smoke and they really stink.....

You thought of what to do and saved it from getting any worse......You did good......

Yesterday, I went to turn off a light, that has a switch in the cord, and it shot out sparks, and smoke began pouring from the switch.....I just stood there for a while, before my brain kicked in....I have plugged, most things in my home, into those outlet strips, so that I can turn the switch off on the electricity, at any outlet.....good thing I did that, because yesterday, all I was thinking was that I didn't want to touch the cord.....it was a while before the brain said....follow the cord....turn off the outlet....

It is a good thing, our instinct, is to survive.....sooner, or later, it kicks in....even if we are on medications, and distracted, or our brains are whacked...

Blessings to you.....
Hummer

[Mark N]

Linda and Deb, it is a common problem for us and you are right, what are we to do. We can stop living but that isn't a real option but we don't want to endanger ourselves or anyone else.

Hummer, your idea about the timer is a good one and something I will have to teach myself to do each time I turn the stove on.

[Kathi49]

Wow Mark! I am glad everything is okay.

I only had that happen once and I wasn't even on meds...so don't beat yourself up too badly. :)

I was cooking on a gas stove and a bottle of vanilla fell out of the cabinet (should have shut the cabinet door) and busted, caught fire and spread flames all over my counter. The only thing I knew to do was to grab the canister of flour and just dump it on it.

So, let's see, I have smoke alarms, a fire extinguisher and I do use my timer...for a lot of things.

My problem is...I can still cook...I just don't like to. :D Any time I can get out of it I will LOL!

No, seriously, I am glad you are alright.

[photonut]

MARK, MARK, MARK. OMG...I suppose you have already realized how bad this could have been. Thank God no one was hurt and not too much damage..Now what are we going to do with you. Just kidding. I will continue to keep you in my prayers and I will wait to hear how you make out with it all. Your friend.....Allie

[suede]

I have done the timer thing, problem with me is since I have been on this methadone I can doze off without notice, have before even standing up, when this happens I don't even hear the timer.
I have even sat on the stairs in the kitchen and still dozed off and not heard it.
Most usually I don't nod off for long, it doesn't take long for damage to be done.
Something has got to give for me soon as I only get maybe 3 hours of sleep a night and even that is not at one time.
I haven't had this problem with other meds I was on though.
I have to say it seems to always be something else, ya know.

Linda

[Mark N]

Kathi and Allie, don't worry about me beating myself, up my wife does that for me lol, I see things as a learning experience.

Linda, Rarely do I have the getting knocked out so much I wouldn't hear the buzzer. Almost every time I am cooking it is a couple hours after taking my meds. Sorry you have had to stop cooking except for the microwave. My wife brought up needing in home care for me but she is going overboard.

[suede]

I hear you Mark!!

I don't know though, I had another ESI in the T spine yesterday.
I went down the basement while ago to get something out of the freezer and slipped on a wet spot slid across the cement floor and landed hard on my left side. of course my left side is my bad side.

My DH had just left for the road and my daughter was in the back yard, I laid there screaming for some time before anyone actually came.
I'm basically okay, I think, I'm to sore to really tell, I just hope that it didn't effect the ESI, ya know..

I don't know, you see I'm 53 and feel like 93 to say the least, heck my grandmother at 93 could have kicked my behind at 15, should I have been so lucky.

I guess I am going to have to attach my cell phone to me some how, so I won't be without it.

Linda

[Mark N]

Linda, maybe it would be better to have a home alert device so you can say "I have fallen and can't get up" and have them send help to you :D . Sorry about the lame joke but there have been several times it hasn't been a bad idea for me. I remember one attack where I was trying to call out to my wife and daughter but they couldn't here me and I just had to suffer until my wife came back in our room.

I hope you haven't hurt yourself more than bruising your side. It would be bad anytime but especially after getting your injection trying to control your pain. It is too bad that something as simple as some water on the floor can have such devastating results for us. My wife is more aware of the sidewalk cracks than I do when we go out to walk because she is afraid of me falling down. I ma sorry that you had to stay down there until your daughter came inside to see what you were doing. It is such a helpless feeling to lie there needing help but not being able to do anything about it especially with someone so close but still not aware of your predictiment. I hope your soreness goes away in a few days and your pain improves.

[simby]

Keep salt near the stove and use that if it happens again.

glad no one was hurt.

[Mark N]

I have salt, baking soda, and a fire extinguisher next to the stove. Salt is a good tip for oil fires Simby. Thanks for the concern about us.

[Kathi49]

Another word of caution and only because I remembered it last night.

Don't ever leave the booklets or papers that come with an appliance IN the appliance! :eek:

Years ago, and it was my 18th birthday, that's why I remember it; my mom had received some kind of bacon thing for Christmas. I just remember it resembled a toaster. All she had done was to leave it on the counter to be put away. It was obvious she wasn't going to have it setting out. But, my dad, half asleep anyway, plugged it in thinking it was the coffee pot.

I happened to notice that the light coming in from under my bedroom door was brighter than usual. So, I go out to the kitchen and there was my dad calmly reading the newspaper while the whole corner counter was on fire! I have to kind of laugh at it now because I can still see him sitting there just reading. I know, not funny really but I am still amazed why he didn't smell it or notice it.

I just said, "Dad! The kitchen is on fire!" OMG! You would have thought he was having a heart attack. Anyway, he got it put out and then was mad at my mom for leaving it on the counter. Well, she had plenty to say about that...like...LOOK at what you are plugging in before you do it!

Anyway, just thought I would add that...just something I have remembered all these years.

[BrokenBladder]

Mark I'm so glad that you and your son are okay!!
I really feel like people with Cp that are taking meds get a bad reputation because we're human and make mistakes. this could've happened to anyone and no one would've been talking about home health care. I know that we have to be extra careful with our meds, but I don't think it's always fair to blame an accident on them.
Glad everyone is okay and now you need to go and get the timer!! I use one all of the time and for alot more than cooking!!

[Mark N]

Lisa you are right. I was absent minded long before I became disabled and used meds. If I would have followed my original path I would have been a professor and the classic absent minded professor at that:D .