Like many women, 21-year-old Shauna Bryne often used a hot water bottle to help soothe her period pains. But the mum-of-one from Birmingham wasn’t prepared for the level of pain she was about to endure as a result of this habit.
Talking about the night the awful accident happened, Shauna explained: “I was suffering from really bad period pains, but I was staying at my friend Sharon’s and didn’t have my usual hot water bottle with me.
“Sharon mentioned her mum had a hot water bottle and went in search of it. I was relieved when she found it in the attic.
“It hadn’t been used for a few years, so we filled it with cold water to check there were no holes in the plastic.”
Satisfied it was safe to use, the girls filled the hot water bottle with boiling water and Shauna relaxed back on the sofa.
But it wasn’t long before things took a serious turn for the worse.
Shauna told CloserOnline: “Just a few seconds after settling down, I noticed a trickle of water on my leg. I lifted the bottle up to see where it was coming from and it just exploded all over my lap.”
Shauna’s friend Sharon immediately phoned 999, and an ambulance quickly arrived to rush Shauna off to Queen Elizabeth Hospital specialist burns unit.
“I almost passed out from the severe agony,” Shauna explained. “The pain was so excruciating they administered morphine to calm it down. Resuscitation were on standby at the hospital in case I went into shock as medics thought I might not make it.
“I was confused and terrified – I didn’t know what was going to happen to me.”
Shauna has so far spent five days in hospital, where her dressings are changed daily and she is given strong pain relief.
Speaking to us from her hospital bed, Shauna talked through her horrific injuries: “The burns are all over my legs and inner thighs, tummy and private areas. I’ve been told I may have permanent never damage and be scarred for life.”
“At the moment, I can’t stand up unaided, and I’m still on morphine. They say once the pain starts to ease off they can give me milder painkillers and I can start to do simple things like go to the loo on my own.
“I can’t even look down at my legs because I’m so terrified at the sight of the redness and scarring.
“Doctors just can’t predict how severe the lasting effects will be. They told me I could be in hospital for weeks.”
One thing Shauna’s grateful for is the fact that her 10-month-old daughter, Elcie, was staying with her nan when the accident happened.
“I am so glad Elcie didn’t see her mummy getting burned,” Shauna told us. “My family and friends have been amazing and visited me loads – I don’t know what I’d do without their support – and the nurses are also really caring, but it’s hard to put on a brave face when you’re in so much pain. “
Looking to the future, Shauna is now hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of hot water bottles, telling us: “Hot water bottles should come with a stark warning that they must be renewed regularly.
“The level of injury I’ve suffered is just shocking. I just thought as long as it didn’t have holes in it’d be safe to use.”
She added: “I will never let my daughter have a hot water bottle – I’m staying well away from them.
“I just hope my story serves to stop this happening to anyone else.”
