Sheldon, Iowa — With the arctic low temperatures we’ve been seeing, frostbite is a real possibility.
We talked to Sanford Sheldon physician, Dr. Ryan Becker, and he tells us that prevention is the name of the game when it comes to frostbite.
(as said) “Basically keeping those extremities as warm as possible if you’re going outside and whether it be scooping snow or going for a walk or walking the dog or whatever it might be. We’ve just got to be mindful that it doesn’t take too long to get really cold, especially when it comes to the extremities. So making sure that we’re wearing proper fitting clothing along with gloves and boots that are able to try to keep those feet and toes dry as best as we can, as if they start to get sweaty or wet then that can predispose us to frost injuries a little bit sooner than just keeping them dry. so if we can keep on warm, that’s the best when it comes to prevention.”
Becker says consuming alcohol is also a factor in frostbite injuries. He says people think that alcohol keeps them warm, but he says the flushing effect is only temporary and actually alcohol will lower your core temperature. He says it also impairs your judgment and numbs your responses, so you may not realize how cold you are, or you may not want to do anything about it if you’ve consumed too much alcohol.
If any part of you gets very cold and you think you may have frostbite, he says you should warm it up — but be careful and don’t do it too quickly.
(as said) “If we go too fast, and certainly if you get too hot of water, you may not feel that heat as well. And so then what can happen is you can go from cold-related injury to not only having cold-related issues when it comes to decreased blood flow and perfusion to the extremities, but then you get into a situation where now we have a hot-related injury when it comes to burning the skin so we certainly don’t want that. So I would encourage patients that if they notice that they feel like they may have some frost up to even approaching frostbite to start warming up those extremities… try to get off any sort of wet clothing that you may have. Try to get it down to the skin and just warming up more slowly than anything when it comes to lukewarm water and just starting to rewarm those.”
He says to remember that it might be painful, but if the pain s beyond reasonable, head for the emergency room or clinic.
(as said) “Certainly, if you notice any sort of significant blistering or even darkened appearance when it comes to the fingers when it comes to even being black that kind of thing… then we definitely want you to be seen too, not only from the frostbite injury and the frost-related injury, but then also from an infection standpoint too, so if that’s the case and make sure you’re getting a hold of your primary care provider to see what to do next. “
Becker says remember a winter survival kit in your vehicle should contain extra warm clothes to help avoid any issues if you should get in an accident or get stranded.
Also, according to Becker, there is a possibility that there might be a blackout. He says that could cause issues as well.
(as said) “Now with certain power outages that are going around just being sure that we’re able to have a back-up plan in the case that you were to lose power. For short periods of time, it’s not a big deal. But then once we get longer periods of time that house can get pretty cold. So we got to be careful with that. “
If you do get cold in your house — if during a power outage or any other reason, do reach out for help, because authorities tell us there is help available.
