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Old 06-05-2014, 12:40 PM
 
3,805 posts, read 6,328,121 times
Reputation: 7860

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Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I have a wire hanger ready to go and will buy some of those ribbed straws.
Fortunately the fracture is NOT on my dominant hand. If it was, I'd be in real trouble!

Since the trouble is in my wrist, I'm pretty sure I'll have a half arm cast, so at least I will have use of my elbow.

I use a curling iron and so far that has been VERY difficult. Plus all the exertion makes my head sweat so it's hardly worth it.

I really hate this but I'll have help when I need it and will muddle through the best I can.

Reps to all! If you didn't get one, let me know.
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Old 06-05-2014, 12:57 PM
 
Location: In a house
13,250 posts, read 42,625,789 times
Reputation: 20198
Bah forget the curling iron. This week's fashion mantra: Hair just wants to be free!

For the wire hanger - proceed with caution, you could rub your skin bloody, which can actually be dangerous because there's no place for the blood to go and bacteria buildup can result in infection.

Also the plastic bag/elastic thing will work just fine. I think I just used an old string from a discarded pair of sweatpants instead of trying to put together a kajillion rubber bands. If you tie it right at the top of the cast, the cast itself will keep the tie from slipping.
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Old 06-05-2014, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Up North in God's Country
670 posts, read 1,039,068 times
Reputation: 1007
Default Cast on Arm

Quote:
Originally Posted by sayulita View Post
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I have a wire hanger ready to go and will buy some of those ribbed straws.
Fortunately the fracture is NOT on my dominant hand. If it was, I'd be in real trouble!

Since the trouble is in my wrist, I'm pretty sure I'll have a half arm cast, so at least I will have use of my elbow.

I use a curling iron and so far that has been VERY difficult. Plus all the exertion makes my head sweat so it's hardly worth it.

I really hate this but I'll have help when I need it and will muddle through the best I can.

Reps to all! If you didn't get one, let me know.
Oh, I remember that well. Mine was my dominant hand, and I didn't have a good hair day for weeks. I went into the beauty shop alot to get my hair done.

Best of luck to you. This too shall pass!
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Old 06-05-2014, 02:30 PM
 
Location: League City, Texas
2,919 posts, read 5,909,393 times
Reputation: 6259
Here's some old school ortho nurse advice. If you have someone to help, or if you are able, you can just use plastic wrap (Saran Wrap, etc.), and tape it at the top & bottom of the cast. You should pretty much be able to keep it elevated and away from the water in the tub or shower.

Don't use a wire hanger to scratch, either. If you do decide to use a plastic straw, be sure it's not sharp--you don't want to break the skin. As pointed out above, you could do some damage & cause an infection you can't see.

The cast will immobilize the fracture. Go ahead & use the arm, within reason, of course--trying to constantly rest the arm or avoid its use will actually increase your chances of swelling & discomfort. Just the brief few weeks a cast is in place is enough time to start some atrophy or weakening of your muscles from disuse, so use it appropriately (don't be lifting weights or arm wrestling, ).
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Old 06-05-2014, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
1,248 posts, read 2,156,674 times
Reputation: 2534
I didn't read all of the responses, so please forgive me if this had already been suggested. I had a plaster cast for 6 months on my leg. Since it was during the summer they offered me a swimming cast. It could get wet in the pool or tub as long as you made sure that all of the water drained out of the cast after you were done.
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Old 06-05-2014, 06:35 PM
 
10,102 posts, read 19,299,358 times
Reputation: 17432
You can buy a cast guard, or shower guard, at Walgreens. They work much better than the garbage bag. They are made of extra-thick vinyl and have a very tight, waterproof cuff. Should cost about $20.
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Old 06-05-2014, 06:44 PM
 
10,102 posts, read 19,299,358 times
Reputation: 17432
Quote:
Originally Posted by sayulita View Post
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I have a wire hanger ready to go and will buy some of those ribbed straws.
Fortunately the fracture is NOT on my dominant hand. If it was, I'd be in real trouble!

Since the trouble is in my wrist, I'm pretty sure I'll have a half arm cast, so at least I will have use of my elbow.

I use a curling iron and so far that has been VERY difficult. Plus all the exertion makes my head sweat so it's hardly worth it.

I really hate this but I'll have help when I need it and will muddle through the best I can.

Reps to all! If you didn't get one, let me know.

NO, No, No!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do NOT dig at it with a coat hanger, straw, etc. The skin under the cast quickly becomes extremely fragile, and easy to tear. A small cut could turn into a MAJOR infection. The inside of the cast is teaming with bacteria, fungus, etc.

Trust me, I've have many, many arm and foot casts over the years. Its best to have the cast replaced often, if your doctor and insurance will agree. I had mine replaced about every 2-3 weeks. The muscles do atrophy quickly, so the cast needs to be "re-sized" often. Just for hygiene, that mouldy, stinky thing needs to be replaced often.

Get a supply of Benedryl to help with itching. Its best to get the liquid, children's formula, you can adjust the dose easier. Pills are 25 mg and 50 mg, which can make you sleepy. The liquid is 10 mg/tsp, I found sometimes just 1/2 tsp would help the itching.

Here's another little trick--if/when it itches, scratch the other arm! I know, it sounds silly, but somehow seems to help. I guess it trick your brain into thinking something is being done.

Good luck!
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Old 06-05-2014, 06:50 PM
 
10,102 posts, read 19,299,358 times
Reputation: 17432
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick View Post
If it makes you feel any better, they told me when I had a cast on my arm, to NEVER try to stick anything down to scratch when the dried skin starts flaking off (we shed our skin regularly - the cast keeps it from going anywhere so it itches like crazy and stinks like old vinegar). So what did I do? I did the most obvious thing - I unbent a metal hanger and stuck the end down under my cast and scratched. Thankfully - I didn't scratch hard enough to make it bleed.

I also rebelled against the spirit of the concept of a cast - while I was recovering in the hospital from the surgeries, some friends came to visit, with their instruments and my guitar. And we all went into the solarium and performed for the other patients there. With a cast on my -left- arm - I had to position my hand around the neck of the guitar, THEN slide the guitar in place on my lap, before I could even get my fingers to touch the strings. The doctor almost had a stroke watching me, but I was determined!

Determined to do what----show the world what a tough guy you were by making your problems worse?
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Old 06-05-2014, 07:12 PM
 
Location: In a house
13,250 posts, read 42,625,789 times
Reputation: 20198
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII View Post
Determined to do what----show the world what a tough guy you were by making your problems worse?
I didn't make my problems worse. I had a broken radius and ulna, which healed within the time period the doctor said it would heal. I had surgery to screw a steel plate to each of the bones to hold both halves of each one together. The function of the cast was to hold a funky box-like thing, that connected to an electro-magnetic device, that connected on the other end to a plug in the wall whenever I was home.

The reason the doctor nearly had a stroke was...
1) a live accoustic band performing in a hospital geriatric ward solarium..hello?
2) watching me place my hand around the guitar neck, 5 days after surgery (I was in the hospital for 2 weeks).

To answer the question: I was determined to NOT be a cripple. The doctor also said I'd probably be wheelchair-bound by the time I was 40. I'm 53 and I can still do a cartwheel.
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Old 06-05-2014, 07:22 PM
 
3,805 posts, read 6,328,121 times
Reputation: 7860
Well, just had the assessment and am having surgery tomorrow. So I won't be in a cast for very long and when I do, it will be removable. After tomorrow I'll be in some kind of splint wrapped up in something like an Ace bandage (I think. My mind kind of went blank after the word "surgery" came up. Glad I took a friend with me). I did buy the cast cover at Walgreens today, so I'm set for showering whatever is on my arm.

I'll post when I can comfortably type again. Or maybe I'll just type with my good hand and dispense with capital letters and certain punctuation. Bear with me when I do.

Thanks again for all the advice and support!
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