How dangerous can frostbite be?

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - The bitter cold is painful to be out in, and sometimes, it’s not just a temporary pain.

Frostbite can happen in just a matter of minutes.

Here’s proof that frostbite can happen to anyone. That’s my foot.

Last winter, I took a tumble outside and was unconscious for more than four hours. When I woke up, I noticed my shoes had fallen off and I couldn’t feel my feet. They were rock solid and I couldn’t warm them up. When I went into the emergency room, the doctor told me I had frostbite.

“Frostbite can result in amputation,” says emergency medicine physician Dr. Bill Heegaard at Essentia Health.

Luckily, amputation is not part of my story. But it was pretty traumatic.

It started in the ER...

“In the cases we see in the Emergency Dept., if you come in, we’ll put you in. We’ll thaw it very quickly. You’ve got to be in a hospital to do it. It’s painful. We have to reverse it quickly. You never want to do that outside of a hospital. If it’s real bad, we’ll get the surgeons and burn surgeons involved,” says Heegaard.

From the emergency room, I was referred to a specialist. Then I was allowed to go home. But Frostbite is a slow burn. It gets a lot worse before it gets better.

“Most people don’t seek medical care because it’s first degree. Then they notice that pain and look at it the next morning and think, ‘Gosh what happened? Something is wrong with my foot or my hand,’,” says Heegaard.

Frostbite can be reversed with the right treatment. That’s what happened in my case, but you have to know the signs.

“If you look and your feet or hands are really cold and they’re almost getting hard. Then you’re going to have to be worried about that. If you start warming up and it is so painful you can barely stand it, that means it was a deeper cold. If you start seeing blisters develop, that means you’ve developed some sort of frostbite--usually first degree,” says Heegaard.

Eventually my feet blistered. One toe was also starting to turn purple.

I was given creams to dry my feet up, and a thick layer slowly came off my entire foot in sheets.

Walking meant I was risking the possibility of long-term problems. I wasn’t able to walk far for more than a month.

So, a reminder to dress for the weather and avoid long exposure to the cold.

Essentia Health says if you think you have frostbite, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

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