What Could Go Wrong - Ice Cream Bucket Challenge - How Do You get FROST BITE in JUNE?

 Here is the rest of the story from Sunday's Father's Day ice cream shenanigans!  Grands had gone home...we were standing around talking in the kitchen. The ice cream bucket had been sitting in the sink. Michael looked around at everyone and said, "Time for the ice-cream bucket challenge." This could have been simple. It could have been laughed off, if not for the competitiveness of this gang. 

Michael stuck his hand in, and it was extremely cold. He pulled it out - about 7 seconds. 

Jenni went next and lasted 20 seconds. 

Jamin went next. I don't remember his time - I think a bit longer. 

Nolan went next! He just kept his hand in that water....60 seconds. 

I was chirping it was time to pull it out. He pulled his hand out and it was WHITE and COLD, and I wasn't happy with the way it looked. BUT I'm just a worrisome mom these days. 

 

Proving the Gherkins are not the only competitive members around here - Jenni went AGAIN! She lasted 63 seconds this time. This made Jenni the winner. 

This was Sunday night. Monday Nolan's hand was swollen. We were unaware of this. He googled what to do with swelling and it said "ice." He worked with the ice...and began taking Tylenol. He took quite a bit of friendly ribbing from the kids at work. 

"Did you burn your hand?" 

"No, the opposite." 

"You froze it? How?"

He explained the ice cream bucket challenge. 

"Why?" 

"Because the whole family was doing it?"

"Nolan! If your whole family jumped off a cliff, would you join them?" 

This is evidently one of the pieces of wisdom Nolan shares with the youngsters at work. 

Tuesday night at dinner we saw Nolan. He had his hand encased in ice. We looked at it. It was SWOLLEN and I was worried. He explained he was icing as that helps swelling. I asked if it was getting better or worse. He thought maybe better - but he WAS taking Tylenol, and his hand was numb. 

I bought Ibuprofen and dropped by his house. I suggested he stop icing his hand as it had been 2 days (I'd checked with nurse Jenni and she agreed). I also explained the dosing he could do and told him if it wasn't getting better or if it started getting worse it would be time to go to the urgent care. 

This morning, he sent me a picture and asked me if I thought he should go to the urgent care. 

Um YES. It's turning colors now and still swollen. His hand is stiff and he doesn't have great range of motion. He made an appointment. When it asks WHY you need to be seen he wrote down, "Suspected Frostbite." 

This started a humorous chain of events in the office.  They were perplexed! HOW do you get frostbite in JUNE when it's been in the mid 70's. 

Nolan came in and the nurses had questions. They thought the story was hilarious. 

The doctor came in and said, "I know your family." 

Nolan, thought, "Of course, you do!" LOL 

We knew Rob and Dollie at Goodfellow AFB and they moved up here about the time we retired.  They loaned us a trailer for BreZaak or CoRielle to stay in during the great migration to Alaska. Rob has since retired and is now a doc at our local urgent care. He is the doc who caught Allie's appendicitis too. 

Nolan shared the story again.  I said we need to tell Rob to expect a Gherkin every 3rd Saturday....or the Monday following every 3rd Saturday. 

His hand IS frost-bit. Really and truly. This is why his finger felt like a literal ICE CUBE after the "challenge," it's why the pain was so bad he was dizzy and nauseated (facts hidden from us).   They began him on antibiotics to ward off infection. The way to tell if there is permanent damage is to wait and see if it gets better...but if his fingers change to black, he's to go back in. 

As he was leaving another nurse ran out and asked him, "Did you win?" 

"No, Jenni won by 3 seconds." 

And THAT is how you get frost bite in JUNE!