My wife Catherine and I have electricity between us.
That’s a truth I am proud of even if we have to check the voltage every now and again after 30-plus years of marriage.
But what I am about to describe is not actually the spark of love or the metaphorical way we describe electricity between people, sparks flying and all..
I’m talking literally.
When she touches the top of my ear, at certain times, she feels an electrical buzz on her fingertip. When she does and moves her finger back and forth I hear what sounds like a Star Wars lightsaber — bzuhzzzzzzzuhzzzzzuhzzzz (thanks Reddit and Huffington Post for offerings on how to spell that sound.)
We discovered this phenomenon a few weeks back and it kind of freaked me out. Not known to be electrifying, I wondered how there was a current running through me. Now when I touch my ear after she feels the buzzing, I don’t feel anything.
My thoughts eventually led me to wonder if it has something to do with my brain disease, Lewy body dementia. The ear is rather close to the brain I figured. And strange body feelings are sometimes symptoms of LBD.
After some time searching the Internet, I got a better idea of what may be going on – but certainly not a definitive answer. It appears that the culprit may be the computer laptop. Other reports are that the phenomenon is connected to electric blankets.
What I found were scattered reports on website threads from people asking the same thing.
This from a reader on a physics blog.
When my wife uses her laptop, if I touch her skin, I can feel a buzz. She doesn’t feel the buzz, but she can hear it if I touch her ear. So I’m guessing it’s a faulty laptop, and she’s conducting an electrical current. But why would she not feel anything, and what would it be that she would be hearing when I touch her ear?
Similar stories are reported on a few scattered websites but many of these reports are five or more years old. And it’s true that the buzzing goes away if I’m not using my laptop with it on my lap.
Now scientists have pretty much ruled out any links between laptops and testicular cancer, a concern in the early days of heavy laptop use. But I haven’t been able to find a study on this particular situation.
So I don’t think it is a symptom of my brain disease but I do wonder – though doubtful – that it may be a cause.
Some reports I have found are here and here.
As ‘Buzzing in California’ asked on a blog post relating an electric blanket experience: This experience prompts two questions; one of an academic nature, and the other more related to general health matters.
Has anybody out there experienced this or know any more about it?
I’d love to hear from you as I keep seeking an answer.
For the time being I’ll just chalk it up to the electrifying chemistry I have with Catherine.