Ben's Story

It was Saturday, July 2, 2016, when my husband was trying to repair our roof before a big storm moved in. The rain moved in quicker than expected and he was trapped on our metal roof. He began to slide and somehow ended up cutting his right hand on his pinky and ring fingers.

We rushed to the ER, where he got 20 stitches and was sent home with a follow up at a clinic in Bloomington for Tuesday, July 5.

That Tuesday, we got to Bloomington early that morning and we were turned away from the Orthopedic Clinic we initially went to, as they did not accept our insurance. Through some frantic calls, I was able to get him a consult with an orthopedic doctor.

We met quickly with the doctor, who recommended emergency surgery to repair the hand, as he was losing feeling in his fingers.

He was rushed into what was supposed to be a one to two hour procedure….two hours passed, then three… On nearing the fourth hour, his doctor came out to speak with me.

He explained that the hand surgery had gone extremely well, in fact he is considering it to be one of his most successful surgeries as he was able to repair both severed nerves and both severed tendons and my husband was expected to have a full recovery.

The doctor then went on to explain that about an hour into the surgery, Ben began to have a fever. His anesthesiologist alerted the nurses and requested that they immediately call the Malignant Hyperthermia Hotline when his heart began to race.

The anesthesiologist conferred with the operator on the MH hotline, and quickly began treatment for MH with dantrolene.

Ben’s CO2 levels rose, his muscles began to spasm, and his temperature was still high after the treatment and during recovery. His doctor called for emergent transport to the emergency room.

When we arrived, the nurses quickly began to administer dantrolene again, drawing labs, and putting Ben on what we called “the ice man blankie.”

Late on Tuesday evening, Ben was transferred to the ICU because his temperature was still nearly 102*. His nursing staff and doctors were so excellent and optimistic about his condition; I never even had a doubt that he was going to be okay.

Wednesday, July 6, his temperature was down to 99-100*, he was transferred to a step down floor, the Progressive Care Unit. He was monitored closely there for two more days. He had his worst night on July 7^th. It was then that his fever spiked again, and he began to develop bronchitis. Again, the hospital reacted quickly and treated him immediately for everything.

The next afternoon, amazingly, he was released!

I heard so many times from everyone whohad treated Ben over that week that no one had ever seen an actual case of MH before. This included his nurses, ER doctors, his surgeon, and even his anesthesiologist…the same man whose knowledge of MH and quick diagnosis of the condition saved my husband’s life.

Ben has now begun the healing process from this huge ordeal. He felt very sore and flu like for days after the incident, he said every muscle in his body felt tight and sore. But, he has been able to rest somewhat comfortably and is gaining strength with every passing day.

We have already added MH to all of our children’s medical history as a precaution for any future procedures they may have to have. We’ve warned every member of Ben’s family that it is a possibility that they carry the same genetic precursor. We pray that we, nor anyone else, ever have to go through this. But, if they do, we pray that their doctors are able to diagnose and treat quickly and effectively.

As told by Ben's wife; Chelsi Hise

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