I’m scarred for life after a hot water bottle exploded all over me – the pain is getting worse every day
A DISABLED teenager could be scarred for life after a hot water bottle exploded all over her – and she says the pain is getting worse.
Georgia Hattam, 18, was having stomach pains on Monday evening, so her mum Claire filled up a hot water bottle for her, as she had previously done so on various occasions before.
But just five minutes after getting into bed with it, Georgia screamed out in pain as the boiling water covered her skin.
Hospice health worker Claire, 47, told the : "I came in from work at about 10.45pm and Georgia had been suffering with pains all last week, so I made her a hot water bottle up.
"She went to bed and I went to my room, but a few minutes later she let out this piercing scream."
The hot water bottle had burst open releasing the hot water all over Georgia’s legs.
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Georgia had managed to get out of bed and into the hallway while her mum ripped off her daughter’s pyjamas and rushed to get some cold flannels to cool her down, while also calling 111 for help.
Claire was initially told by ambulance staff there would be at least a two-hour wait, and then called back later to say the delay could even be longer as Georgia was lying in pain and the blisters were getting larger.
Instead of waiting, Claire from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, managed to get Georgia down stairs with the help friend and into the car and drove her to A&E herself.
Medics took Georgia through a painful deroofing process to remove the blisters and skin and has now been referred to a burns unit, as it is feared she could be scarred for lifee.
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Claire said: "I have terrible mum guilt. Georgia is probably scarred for life and I was the one who gave the water bottle to her.
"We won't be using them ever again and have already told family to throw theirs out.
"All I can remember is hearing Georgia let out that piercing scream."
Georgia has autism and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of rare inherited conditions that cause very flexible joints and fragile, stretchy skin.
She is studying Animal Management at college, as well as working part time at a trampoline park.
She says though the pain from the burns is getting worse each day, not better.
Georgia said she just wanted other people to be aware of the dangers.
As the cost of living continues to bite and people are looking for ways to cut their energy bills, people are turning to hot water bottles as a way of saving money.
Consumer champion Alice Beer told This Morning viewers earlier this week that she had been contacted via Instagram by a parent whose child suffered third-degree burns after her hot water bottle had burst.
Alice said this was now becoming a common issue, adding that a London hospital is seeing people with hot water bottle burns at least once a week.
Here's what you should do if your child suffers a burn
A team of experts advise parents to call an ambulance for all serious burns.
A serious burn is larger than 3cm and affects the face, genitals or throat.
Their step-by-step advice is:
- Run any type of burn under cool water for 20 minutes.
- Remove all clothing, such as nappies, that aren't stuck to the burn
- Keep other body parts covered and warm
- Cover the burn with a non-stick dressing - such as clingfilm - until emergency services arrive
She said: "Half of hot water bottle injuries need skin grafts and surgeries. These are not surface burns, these go really deep."
Alice warned that a regular hot water bottle should last up to three years before people should think about finding a replacement.
She advised people to check the date of manufacture on any hot water bottle they have.
Alice said this can be found out through a hidden code on the product.
She said: "You don't know about it because this is a brand new hot water bottle in a fluffy cover. Why would you ever take it off unless it got dirty.
"I'm sorry, but I think this is the worst system for printing a date because it's so confusing."
She added: "Inside you have got a daisy wheel date. It's got 12 segments and in the middle of this one you have got a 22. This one was made in 2022. Then you have 12 segments around the outside and those are the months.
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"You can tell the month it was manufactured from when the dots end. It's got dots in eight segments so it was made in August."
Alice also said people should remove the cover when filling it up so you can accurately check the condition it's in.
