Always Follow Directions
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118449)
Gainesville, Florida
February 26, 2019 7:28pm CST
Per doctors orders, when I got home from work today I popped the heating pad in the microwave and set the timer for 1 minute 40 seconds. While the heating pad was warming up in the microwave, I sat down on the couch to take off my knee brace and massage my knee a little bit. As I was doing that, I heard a loud explosion from my kitchen. It scared the you-know-what out of me!
I hobbled into the kitchen as fast as I could (which felt like an eternity to this crippled man) to see what had happened, and I saw that the microwave door was wide open, but the heating pad was nowhere to be found. Well, that's not entirely true. I found it....it was in about 1 million little pieces scattered all over my kitchen. It was the type of heating pad that had those micro-beads inside, the kind that look like little balls of gel.
If I had read the instructions properly, I would have seen that it called for the pad to be heated for a total of 40 seconds, not 1 minute and 40 seconds. But I certainly have a lot of time to dwell on that now as I try to clean up a million little gel pellets scattered throughout my kitchen (I like to refer to them as "heating pad guts").
And sadly, I now don't have a heating pad to place over my injured knee!
So, folks, always remember to properly read the instructions before you do something stupid like I did this evening!
40 people like this
40 responses
I knew without reading the instructions.
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
@LadyDuck I've done that with eggs before! Now, whenever I cook an egg in the microwave, I put it in a coffee mug and then put a saucer on top of the mug to keep the egg from exploding out. It actually makes a perfectly round, flat egg that way that is perfect for putting on top of an english muffin, biscuit or bagel.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
For some reason, I had 2 minutes stuck in my head, and decided to go for 1 minute 40 seconds just to make sure it wasn't too hot. Yeah, that didn't work! It was a little overheated I'd say! haha
4 people like this
@Mavic123456 (21898)
• Thailand
27 Feb 19
ouchies... good thing that you were not there waiting for the pad .. you know like standing by the microwave and watching it. otherwise you will be hurt.
2 people like this
@Mavic123456 (21898)
• Thailand
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc ohhh.. yeah ... good thing also. Is everyone okay? no damage?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
@Mavic123456 Everything is okay, no damage other than an exploded heated pad. I'll go to the store today and buy a new one.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
Maybe if I had been standing by the microwave watching, I would have seen the the heating pad swelling up and getting ready to explode. Maybe I could have turned off the microwave in time to prevent the explosion!
3 people like this
@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
27 Feb 19
Oh man, I can imagine the clean up 
. . . good thing you weren't standing near the microwave when it happened! You can fill a sock with uncooked rice and sew up the opening (or tie it up really tight) and stick it in the microwave . . . I think a wet towel in the microwave works too.2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
27 Feb 19
i was about to say the same thing - the uncooked rice in a sock. i think the wet towel is better. won't explode for sure! them maybe pack it in plastic when you take it out?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
@hereandthere I heated up a wet towel, and then wrapped it in a dry towel to keep the heat from burning my skin. It worked like a charm! I'm going to go to the store today and buy a new heating pad.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
Well, I don't have any rice on hand currently, but I like the idea of heating up a wet towel! That way I can at least put something warm on my knee!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
I certainly seem to be presenting a good case for argument!
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
27 Feb 19
You numpty! You're going to be finding guts in obscure crevices for years to come. :)
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60355)
• Perth, Australia
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc I had my head in my hands while reading this. Couldn't help but smile and giggle a little! Just how you worded this was quite amusing BUT I am still sorry that happened. Bit of a nuisance!
I have a few heat packs that I use often. Was mainly for those gallbladder attacks I was having and other...girly things lol
I really hope you are able to relax and hopefully get a new heating pad soon!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
I only have 989,000 more heating pad guts to clean up off the kitchen floor. At this pace, I should be able to relax in 6 days from now!
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60355)
• Perth, Australia
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc That's the thing that made me cringe. Having to clean it all up. Not exactly ideal in your condition! 
lol 6 days!
lol 6 days!1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
@VivaLaDani13 Hey, I'm cleaning up as fast as I can! Between my crippled condition and the million little gel beads everywhere, I'm lucky it's only going to take 6 days to clean up! lol
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169973)
• United States
27 Feb 19
It was funny,,,but tragic at the same time!
. It sounds like something I would do actually!
. It sounds like something I would do actually!2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
I couldn't help but laugh at the situation myself.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (95190)
• Marion, Ohio
27 Feb 19
It happens. But does sound like a mess You can use a towel dipped in hot water for a heating pad.
You can use a towel dipped in hot water for a heating pad.2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
That's what I ended up using last night, I wet towel that I heated up.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73444)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
27 Feb 19
You have no reason to feel stupid. Mistakes always can happen to the best of us. Just glad you were alright and there was no fire. Hope your knee feels better soon and you get those gel pellets cleaned up. BTW perhaps you might consider getting a regular heating pad for your knee that you just plug in and leave on for some time.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
I have a regular heating pad somewhere, but I just can't remember where I put it. It's been a long time since i've needed a heating pad for anything.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40523)
• United States
27 Feb 19
Oh my, that's awful! I imagine the cleaning up part is the worst part. Hope you get better soon.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40523)
• United States
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc Take care of yourself! What does your doctor say about your knee?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
@1creekgirl Originally they suspected an ACL and meniscus tear. Now they have ruled out the torn ACL, but said I might have a torn MCL instead. They're pretty convinced about the meniscus. I will be seeing an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow for x--rays. They had to wait until the swelling went down. Once they see what the x-rays show, then they'll determine if an MRI is needed. They seemed a bit more encouraged at my doctor visit today than last week, so maybe the damage isn't as bad as they originally thought. But the knee is still in some pretty bad pain, so something is definitely damaged in there!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
It took a while, but I finally got everything cleaned up. But it did require me to put undue stress on my knee.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38659)
• Midland, Michigan
28 Feb 19
What did you do to your knee? I think I stepped wrong last week and twisted mine. Was ice recommended at all? I have one of those heating pads from my mom without directions. Hers is small though, so now I know not to heat it much.
Have you ever heard of biofreeze? It has menthol that works like icy hot and it's wonderful. I've used it on my back, knee, and thumb joints. It comes in 4% or 5% either should work if you get the lesser first.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
I play on a pro paintball team. I injured my knee in a tournament a couple of weeks ago. Until I have surgery, my doctor says to keep the leg elevated as much as possible, and iced down as much as possible.
Yes, I've heard of Bio-Freeze. I used it quite extensively when I was in a car accident last year and injured my back.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
@MarshaMusselman I will find out on Tuesday. If the damage is not as severe as the doctor thinks it is, he says I could be out a week. If it's a little more severe, I could be out of commission for up to 6 weeks.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38659)
• Midland, Michigan
2 Mar 19
@moffittjc How long will you be laid up after you have the surgery? A month, six weeks or less? For a full knee replacement it can be up to three months, but it sounds like it's less extensive than that.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
@cintol The told me ice originally to get the swelling down, and then once the swelling went down, they said put heat on it to relax the muscles around the knee. However, they are now saying that the swelling is back, meaning there must be something more going on in my knee than they originally thought, so they said ditch the heat and go back to ice only to keep the swelling down as much as possible.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
I'm definitely a hot mess! haha
I bought a new heating pad today on my way home from the MRI appointment. Except that the doctor told me not to put heat on my knee, only to put ice on it.
1 person likes this
@cintol (11261)
• United States
2 Mar 19
@moffittjc Well problem solved, you don't need the heating pad now but why didn't they tell you that the first time around, you would still have the original one!!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 19
That's okay, I don't mind you laughing so much. I have been laughing about it myself.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 19
@YrNemo I'm still in pain, but it's not so bad when I take the 800mg ibuprofen. I'll meet back with the surgeon on Tuesday to determine when surgery will be.
1 person likes this
I have a microwave and I'm always afraid to explode.@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
The only other time I had an "incident" in my microwave is when I overcooked a baked potato. It actually caught on fire! But that was many years ago.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Mar 19
@Nevena83 Just don't stick any metal objects in there and you should be okay!
1 person likes this
@Nevena83 (65282)
• Serbia
28 Feb 19
@moffittjc Oh, my God, now I'll be afraid to turn on the microwave.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
4 Mar 19
Yah, I went to CVS and bought an electric one for Al, it is really nice and I will save my microwave and myself a lot of work lol Luckily I had a 25% off coupon as it was not inexpensive.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
8 Mar 19
@moffittjc We keep ours right beside the recliner so it is ready when we sit down and I have separate cold packs in the freezer or I grab a bag of peas or corn
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Mar 19
@BelleStarr I have bags of ice already pre-made that I keep in the freezer ready to go. And I've also used bags of frozen vegetables before too!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Mar 19
I was looking at the electric ones when I was at Walgreens the other day buying a new heating pad. I ended up getting the microwavable one instead of the electric one, because the microwavable one can be used both as a heating pad and a cold pack. And also because somewhere at the house I already have an electric heating pad, I just need to find what I did with it!
1 person likes this
@just4him (306266)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Feb 19
They call that - live and learn. Yes, you need to read the directions thoroughly, even twice to make certain you read them right.
I'm sorry you blew up the heating pad. At least it sounds like your microwave is still okay. Or did you blow that up too?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
The microwave was fine after I cleaned it up. I used it a little later on to heat up the wet towel that I substituted for the heating pad.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306266)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc I'm glad it's still working.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
@just4him I'm glad it's still working too. I would have hated to spend money on something I caused to break!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Mar 19
Yeah, it was quite a mess, but I got most of it cleaned up right away.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Mar 19
@Courtlynn Hi Courtney, happy Saturday! How's your day going so far?
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74569)
• East Tawas, Michigan
27 Feb 19
Jeff, are you sure those weren't your paint-ball buddies, using your microwave&kitchen for a practice round?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 19
If it was, I'm going to kill them! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Mar 19
@kobesbuddy Oh no, I would never do that! They would get revenge on me for sure! We all sleep in the same house when we travel across the country for tournaments!
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74569)
• East Tawas, Michigan
28 Feb 19
@moffittjc You could paint ball them, while they lay in bed sleeping!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 19
Are you seriously laughing at me? That's so cruel! 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Feb 19
@Happy2BeMe I'm shaking my fist at you right now! haha
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82002)
• Rupert, Idaho
27 Feb 19
Oh my, that would be a mess to clean up for sure! Sorry to hear that happened! It happens to us all though, I am sure.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
Yeah, it was a pretty big mess to clean up. But I got it all cleaned up. Well, everything I could find. I'm sure I'll be finding little gel beads for the next couple of days.
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82002)
• Rupert, Idaho
27 Feb 19
@moffittjc Sounds like it would be a big one to clean up! That's good you got what you could find cleaned up though....and that's a possibility!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Feb 19
@MommyOfEli2013 I found a little bit more today when I came home from lunch. I'm sure over the next few days I'll still be finding little gel beads in weird places.
1 person likes this
