NEWS10.NET - CARMICHAEL, CA - Jimmy Speer was playing at a friend's house last Tuesday when the friend's French bulldog bit him on the nose.
"I was just playing with the dog and he turned and just snapped," said the 8 year old. "He came home with a towel on his nose and when I took it down, there was a flap of skin hanging down," said Jimmy's mom, Rachael Speer. " We rushed him to the emergency and he got about 11 stitches."
In addition to stitches, Jimmy has also received hyperbaric oxygen treatment or HBO. HBO is normally used to treat carbon monoxide victims or diabetics who have circulation issues. In Jimmy's case, the extra oxygen helps with areas of restricted blood flow, said Dr. Richard Stack. "This gives extra oxygen to the area to help it survive and heal," he said.
According to Mercy San Juan Medical Center spokeswoman Becky Furtado, the Mercy San Juan HBO chamber is the only one in the Sacramento area used to treat facial injuries from dog bites. She said Mercy San Juan takes patients from other hospitals who are in need of the treatment.
Jimmy has had his fourth and final treatment. He said the most uncomfortable thing about the chamber was the pressure it caused on his ears. He said once his ears popped, he didn't mind the two hours inside of the chamber. The third grader could watch his favorite movies like "Ironman 2."
Rachael and her husband James said the HBO chamber will save their son years of painful, plastic surgery. " I take pictures everyday to see his progress and he's looking pretty good," said Speer. "I'm very happy with the way things are coming along."
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