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My wife broke her arm above the elbow, around biceps area today, Saturday. The ER wrapped it and put it in a sking and we were told to call the orthopedist on Monday regarding surgery. What can we do in the meantime to keep it secure, especially when sleeping, and comfortable? We were somewhat surprised they didn't do anything today and had us wait two days and potentially more if needing to schedule surgery.
When my husband broke his upper arm, the doctor put it in a sling, and then there was a separate strap that went around him and fastened with velcro so that his arm was immobilized. Google "arm immobilizer sling" and you'll see a number of different styles. You can get them at drug stores, or order online.
He had to go back to the orthopedist several times -- they took repeated x-rays and kept close track of the healing bone. He never did need surgery on that arm.
As for making your wife comfortable, did the doctor prescribe pain meds?
When my husband broke his upper arm, the doctor put it in a sling, and then there was a separate strap that went around him and fastened with velcro so that his arm was immobilized. Google "arm immobilizer sling" and you'll see a number of different styles. You can get them at drug stores, or order online.
He had to go back to the orthopedist several times -- they took repeated x-rays and kept close track of the healing bone. He never did need surgery on that arm.
As for making your wife comfortable, did the doctor prescribe pain meds?
We have pain meds so I'm more worried about sleeping given that she tends to turn a lot. And the bone isn't set, so they would at least need to do something before it would start fixing itself. Its her dominant arm too, so that presents even more issues.
I broke my arm just above the elbow back when I was a kid. They put a cast on it, down over the elbow. Back then, casts were very clunky plaster-of-paris-on-linen things with cotton batting underneath. Heavy, clunky, uncomfortable, and incredibly smelly after the first 2 weeks of wearing it. I still remember when they took the thing off, my skin was all wrinkled and peeling and an unpleasant shade of yellow. No surgery though, it was a ragged, but not splintered break. The two ends were able to mesh back together without any outside interference. It just needed some immobilization time.
Fast forward many years, and I broke my radius and ulna on the other arm in a car accident. That required surgery. It was a clean break all the way through, which meant it wasn't likely to mesh properly without outside interference. So they screwed a metal plate onto each side of each bone, forcing the two sides of each bone to press against each other. A year later they took the plates out. I had a temporary removable cast during the first few months, which was rigged with some kind of electromagnetic device that they claimed would help it heal faster.
I don't know if it healed any faster than it would've if I didn't have the device, but it wasn't costing me anything so I rolled with it. The important part was keeping it immobile as often as possible while the ends meshed together again. A sling was sufficient for that, I only wore the cast at night for a few hours after supper so I could hook it up to the machine plugged into the wall.
For sleeping, I recommend wearing one of those slings someone else recommended, AND having pillows on the "broken" side of her body to prevent her from being able to roll over onto that side in her sleep.
I agree with Anonchic....Maybe a couple of those big body type pillows, or even a couple of firm king size pillows braced up against her. You could grab those at any Walmart or KMart or big box store. Hoping for the best for your wife.
I broke my arm when I was a kid (wrist, broken in 7 places) and they operated on it and put a cast on that same day at the hospital. They've changed things now...my daughter broke her arm a couple of years ago (just above the elbow, one break) and the hospital did x-rays, put a splint on and prescribed pain meds, but my daughter didn't get a cast until a few days later when she saw the orthopedist. She didn't need any kind of surgery, but the ER said they don't do casts anymore, only the orthopedist does.
For my daughter, we got her a queen bed instead of a twin so she had room to stretch out her arm, and we propped her arm on pillows. The pain meds made her sleep without her usual kicking and rolling around. You might want to see if your wife wants to sleep by herself so she has room to stretch out her arm if you don't have a giant bed. She may want you close to her for comfort though. And she'll probably need some help with putting on her bra in the mornings, or just skip the bra until her arm is in a hard cast. Pants or shorts that don't button at the waist would be a good idea too.
icing will help reduce the pain and inflammation. maximum 15 minutes at a time. Have her sleep on her "good" side with pillows that prevent her from rolling over.
I broke my arm (just above my elbow and just below my elbow) eight months ago. It was splinted and put in a sling at the ER, and I saw the orthopedist a little over 48 hours later.
I couldn't sleep with the sling on, so I put HUGE body pillows on either side of myself to support my arm in its splint. I was then able to sleep.
It took about three months for me to be able to sleep without the pillows to support my arm. Granted, my swelling didn't go down for a few months, either, so that was probably why I needed the support I did. It was just the way it was, and I dealt with it.
I hope your wife's arm heals quickly. I am still dealing with pain in my arm eight months later. It is not fun.
Sleeping will be "natural" - one roll onto it and she will quickly learn not to roll too far this way or that way.
People adjust fairly quickly to these things - learning to use the other hand - etc.
The most fun in these situations is when you break your right arm, and have a stick shift car! Shifting gears with your left hand is a "challenge" to say the least!
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