Ray B. was diagnosed with an incomplete C3/4 quadriplegic spinal cord injury.
Because of his injury and quadriplegia, he has limited use of his arms and hands.
Here is his story!
On Sunday January 20, 2008 I was trapped on the deck outside my home in my wheelchair. The wheelchair was immobile, my headphone had fallen off my head, and the temperature peaked at 6 degrees, (wind chill of -3 to -8). I estimated that by the time the aide found me I had spent 3 hours outside just two inches from my backdoor. Needless to say my family called 911 and I spent 3-4 hours in the emergency room.
Fortunately for me my body was in great shape, and I knew it was from all the IMT processes I had received. However, the emergency room doctor feared that the frostbite on the fingers of my right hand might claim some parts of my fingers. He told me to see my family doctor as soon as possible.
The next day I did two things: I called my doctor for a Tuesday morning appointment and I called Center IMT-Atlanta for homework on frostbite fingers. The homework assigned was touch therapy (NFP) to the frostbite area from all process centers and I started that very day. The next day, Tuesday, my doctor did not seem too concerned but wanted to see me again on Thursday. I continued my homework assignment at the pace of 30 minutes each day. By Thursday my doctor was a little more concerned but wanted to wait a few more days and suggested I see him the following Tuesday. On the Tuesday visit my doctor was a little more concerned especially about my little finger. He then set up an appointment at the Wound Healing Center for the next day so that a surgeon could look at my fingers. On Wednesday January 30th I went to the Wound Center and the following picture was taken (9 days post injury):
By this time I had approximately 4 hours of homework completed, (all the process centers had been covered 2-times).
The surgeon told me it would take up to 16 weeks to heal and that I would probably lose the tip of my ring finger, and possibly down to the knuckle of my little finger. He also said that I would probably lose a few finger nails but they would grow back. My next appointment was set for the following Wednesday February 6th at 1:00pm.
By the next Wound Center visit on February 6th my Homework Helpers and I had completed 7 hours of IMT Touch Therapy to the frostbite area, (14 sessions covering each process center 3-4 times). When the surgeon looked at my fingers he was totally surprised. He said that,
I was one lucky man. My fingers looked fine and he kept calling me lucky. Just to validate himself he took a section of dead skin off the little finger to inspect the skin underneath. He then proclaimed my fingers clean, and good to go. I asked him if there was anything special I needed to do, like wrap them for protection, but he said No. He informed me again how lucky I was that I would not lose any part of my fingers and that he wanted to see me one more time in two weeks. The fingers were healing nicely and that I could just wash them in soap and water. He said hed like to check me again after my trip, to Atlanta, in two weeks.
Two weeks later, when I visited the Center for the last time, the surgeon was still amazed at me fingers. Before leaving I asked them to take another picture (30 days post injury).
