A MAN with epilepsy had his nose bitten off by his own pet dog during a violent attack that was triggered when the animal became frightened during a seizure.
Ben Horne said his house was “plastered with blood” after the attack, which left his upper lip hanging and only the septum of his nose intact.
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Over the past five years, the 34-year-old has undergone around ten surgeries to reconstruct his face, using bones from his ribs and skin from his forearm and forehead.
Ben has suffered from epilepsy since he was 15, but after changing his medication he started having nocturnal seizures.
During one episode, his dog Henry became frightened and attacked Ben’s face, ripping off his nose, parts of his mouth and chin.
I couldn’t believe the amount of damage. It was heartbreaking.
Ben Horne
Ben woke up and managed to call an ambulance, but had difficulty accepting his new appearance.
Now, after the surgeries, he is finally starting to accept himself and hopes by sharing his story he can help others who are going through something similar.
Ben, from Yeovil, Somerset said: “During one of my nighttime seizures my dog got scared.
“In the process, he caused a lot of damage to my face.
“My entire house was covered in blood. I called 999. I couldn’t speak, but I managed to convey that I needed an ambulance.
“When I arrived, a nurse said, ‘I’m going to hand you a mirror and it’s going to be a big shock.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of damage. It was heartbreaking. I’m really trying to accept myself.
“It’s learning to love yourself and the way you are, rather than reflecting on how you used to be.”
After the incident in November 2019, Ben’s upper lip was left hanging, he lost much of his chin and only had the septum in his nose.
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He was rushed to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton for a 10-hour emergency operation to find out what they got.
Ben, an aerospace engineer, said: “I remember looking in the mirror and just wishing I hadn’t been able to call an ambulance.
“I didn’t see how I could live with what happened.”
MAIN SURGERIES
Ben decided to go down the reconstruction route and had an initial reconstruction in May 2021 – due to delays due to the pandemic – at Southmead hospital in Bristol.
This involved creating yet another septum for his nose, but this collapsed after he had to wait until October 2021 for his next surgery.
They took skin from the left forearm to create the inside of the nose.
Ben said: “Both of my forearms are tattooed so I had to decide which one I preferred.
“At least I can say I have a tattoo on the inside of my nose.”
They also removed bones from her ribs in the same surgery and an artery from her forearm to connect it to her neck.
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Ben said: “I found it really difficult.
“I’ve always tried to keep looking forward.
“Having a piece tattooed on my face that I had to put makeup on every day.”
He underwent another surgery in September 2022 to remove part of the skin from his forehead and fold it over the tattooed skin.
Ben said: “Having the forehead flap – it was huge on my face.
“They have to leave the skin connected so you have a huge lump hanging over your eyes.
‘YOU WANT TO HIDE’
Ben’s surgeon decided to go private in the middle of his surgeries, but the Exeter plastics team managed to intervene.
They completed the surgery in March 2023, where they removed more hip bone and rib cartilage to attach to the forehead – after the bone from the previous donor became infected.
In May 2023, Ben had the skin on his forehead detached and since then the team has been completing operations to work on the structure of his nose.
Ben still needs plastic tubes to help him breathe, so the next step is to find a way to remove them without closing his nose.
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Ben is finally starting to accept his new appearance, but has been fighting the stares.
He said: “It’s very difficult when you see people looking at you for a long time.
“They look at you like an object.
“It was very embarrassing.
“I compare it to a dream where you are naked in public.
“You want to hide, but you can’t.
“You can’t change things and what happened.”
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Ben, who had Henry for 10 years before the accident, said the dog was rehomed following an assessment and is happy with his new family.
Ben is fundraising to support Exeter Plastic Surgery and Epilepsy Action.
He will participate in two difficult mudders and two 50k races.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain, causing repeated seizures
Anyone can have a single seizure, but this does not always mean they have epilepsy.
People are usually only diagnosed with epilepsy if their doctor thinks there is a high chance they will have more seizures
The condition affects around 630,000 people in the UK.
Epilepsy can start at any age and there are many different types
Some types last a limited time, but for many people, epilepsy can be a lifelong illness.
What causes epilepsy?
Possible causes of epilepsy include:
- Brain damage, for example damage caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury or infection
- Brain tumors
- The way the brain developed in the womb
- Changes in a person’s genes
But in more than a third of all people with epilepsy, doctors don’t know the cause.
How is it treated?
The main treatment for epilepsy is medication.
They are sometimes called anticonvulsant medications (ASMs) or the older term antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).
The medicine does not cure epilepsy, but it helps stop or reduce the number of seizures, or make them less severe.
Source: Epilepsy Action
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
