broken arm

[clori]

My dd9 broke her arm last Sunday night. She broke both the radius and the ulna bones about midway up the forearm. They were completely separated and overlapping some initially.

The arm was set at the hospital early Monday morning fortunately without surgery. The arm set wasn't considered stable but when I took dd back to the orthopedic clinic Thursday morning the bones had stayed put. DD started 4th grade Tuesday with a full size sky blue arm cast. I take her back to the clinic Friday which should definately confirm that surgery isn't needed though there is a slim chance she might need it.

The nurse practitioner said that everyone has a cast on for a different amount of time but hopefully after week 4 dd can switch to a shorter cast and if the dr feels it is okay we can opt to pay extra for a waterproof cast but with her type of break not to plan on it.

DD wants to know if people were allowed to switch to a waterproof cast after 4 weeks. She also wants to know how long people wore a cast all together. Did you need PT afterwards?

My question is did your child miss gym the entire time the cast was on and if so how was the grade handled?

Oh I saw a price list for the waterproof casts from $39 to $119.

 

[golfgal]

DS broke his arm in a similar manner when he was 8. He had his cast on for 6 weeks. I don't think they had waterproof casts back then so I can't help you with that. We just wrapped it up in a plastic bag and let him shower with that. He didn't have to do any PT after.

I think he still played in gym class for most things but his was in the winter and they were inside for gym. I know when I was in 7th grade I sprained my ankle pretty badly and ended up in a cast. I pretty much had to sit and do nothing since we were doing a soccer unit. Our grades were pass/fail and I still passed.

 

[OK!]

I broke my forearm several summers ago and wasn't ever given the option to switch to a short cast. They told me at the first checkup that I was healing quicker than normal so I had hope, but then the healing inexplicably stopped and, in fact, all of the new bone growth still hadn't occurred when I got the cast off. I think the doc felt sorry for me (being in a cast from fingers to armpit in St. Louis in the summer while driving a car with no a/c is pure and unadulterated hell on earth), though, 'cause he just put me in a brace. I kind of wish now that he'd kept me in a cast for a few more weeks because it never healed properly and looks a little "off" (not to mention doesn't have a ton of mobility and hurts like the devil before it rains).

Good luck to you and your DD! I don't know if you've worked out a shower/bath solution yet, but what worked really well for me was a Hefty bag with a scrunchie just above the top of the cast (by the armpit), then folding the bag back down over the scrunchie and securing it with another scrunchie. The cast never got wet, even after I quit trying to hold it out of the water.

ETA: Oh, and I had the cast on for (I think) 6 weeks total, followed by another 2 in a brace that went about halfway up my forearm (the break was down pretty close to my wrist). I then got a kind of neoprene short brace for when I wanted extra stability like at the gym or something.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I broke my arm when I was 18 and wore the cast for six weeks without any PT afterwards. My break was by my wrist and the bone looked like it was folded. I did not get switched to a waterproof cast, but I'm not sure they existed back then. The hard part was that I never realized how much I used my left hand for until then.

 

[Kae]

DS has had 3 broken bones first was when 4 a non-displaced fracture right above the elbow. No WP cast it was right before 4th of july it was hot it was horrible, tried baggies. bath time was hard. 4 weeks total.

2nd was his wrist 2 yrs ago. Soccer goalie thing. WP cast it was the best thing ever, you have to get it wet every day just threw him in the pool. Cost was $40 well worth it, had to pay for 2 cast still i was ok with it. Around here the extra cost is the wrap part which is what is WP the other outer part of the cast was the same. It is $40 per roll so cost depends how big the cast is.5 weeks total.

3rd was last year broke pinkie, tackled to high in Football. Had to have surgery, yep Bionic Digit is what we call it. No WP cast because of the pins. it totally stunk, after have a WP cast then going to regular. 8 weeks total.

Kae

 

[OK!]

I broke my arm when I was 18 and wore the cast for six weeks without any PT afterwards. My break was by my wrist and the bone looked like it was folded. I did not get switched to a waterproof cast, but I'm not sure they existed back then. The hard part was that I never realized how much I used my left hand for until then.

OMG, exactly! I only had a manual can opener and had to go next door to have my neighbor open a can of soup for me for dinner one night.

But you know what the worst was? Not being able to pull my hair up in a ponytail for 6 weeks. I have such thick, heavy hair that it's basically like wearing a winter hat all year round, and in the aforementioned St. Louis summer...

 

[mommasita]

Sorry to hear about your DD's Break.

My DD10 broke her radius and 2 bones in her right wrist in August. She had the full cast (no waterproof possible) for 3 weeks, and last week they put 1/2 cast that is waterpoof. She has this for 2 weeks, and they said possibly one more, but only time will tell. We go back Sept 11th.

THe waterproof cast was 43$, and insurance will refund us. It was worth 1000$ IMHO. Just the fact of her washing her own hair, etc, is worth it to me. FINALLY it is hot this weekend, and I just want her to swim before the season is completely over.

She has no gym for 8 weeks if it is contact sports. She can do cardio. I am not sure on how the grade will work, and that is the least of my worry. These things happen. Not the child's fault.

She was told some therapy would be needed, but we don't know that until we go back next week.

Good luck to your DD.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I broke my arm the exact same places 28 years ago! Wow! I am getting old.

Anyway, I was able to get the shorter cast, but there were no waterproof options back then. I know I couldn't ride my bike so I would walk to the neighborhood pool and just hang out. It was on 6 weeks (I am almost positive, but I was only 10), and then I still couldn't do some things for about a month after the cast was off. The one thing I vividly remember is how skinny my arm looked when the cast came off. For a couple of days I really wanted my cast back on because I was afraid to use my arm.

I know I didn't go to any sort of PT, but now I am having a memory of a couple of exercises I was supposed to do to gain back my arm's strength.

Good luck!

 

[LilyWDW]

When I was in 5th grade I broke both bones of my left arm near the wrist. Both were broken through, the bones dislocated, and I had multiple fractures in each as well. I did it by falling off the high bar on the play ground at school. Somehow I didn't end up breaking both wrists as I landed on both.

I was in a cast for a total of 8 weeks. 2 weeks were with a full arm cast and then they took that one off, checked to be sure they were healing correctly, and then put me in a wrist cast for another 6 weeks. If I had been much older I would have needed surgery according to the Dr. I did not have a waterproof cast, but I survived lol.

I DID have exercise I was supposed to do after I got out of the cast finally, but didn't have formal PT. That wrist is actually still weaker then my other one and there are times it "locks up" when I rotate it too much.

The hard part was that I never realized how much I used my left hand for until then.

OMG do I understand this!

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I DID have exercise I was supposed to do after I got out of the cast finally, but didn't have formal PT. That wrist is actually still weaker then my other one and there are times it "locks up" when I rotate it too much.

I understand this part, too....but I was bad. I took the cast off myself because I was at Disney the week it was supposed to be taken off and I never had a recheck.

 

[PatsMom]

They make a waterproof "sleeve" that you can put over the cast for showering. I wouldn't trust it to keep the cast dry swimming and I don't think it is meant for that. But it works for showering. I used mine through two elbow surgeries and a broken arm.

 

[Rora]

I was your daughter's age when I broke my wrist. I was told I would be in my cast for 6 weeks. It didn't come off until 8 weeks.

Honestly, the time estimates that doctors give you is rather optimistic, sadly. I would make sure your daughter knows that even though the Dr. says one thing, it might not happen.

I don't know much about a waterproof cast but I hope, for her sake, that she can have one and that her arm heals perfectly!

Good luck OP!

 

[clutter]

My dd broke her right arm last fall. But she had a short cast. The doctor did not recommend a waterproof cast unless she was a swimmer, and we got one of those sleeves at a pharmacy to use for showering. Because it was a short cast, she was allowed to play soccer with the cast bubble-wrapped, and she could participate in anything she could do in gym. (Not basketball or volleyball, obviously.)

 

[funhouse8]

My son broke his arm the same way the night before he was to start 5th grade. I was just thinking about this this am because it also was my DD's BD. Her birthday dinner had to be put on hold because i spent the night in the er with son. Lol. He wore the cast for six weeks. Being the summer was over didn't think about a waterproof cast, just covered it when he showered. I just wanted to let you know when they took his cast off he was covered with hair. Looked llike a monkey. The Dr said that is common. Boy did it look strange. Went back to normal in a week or two. Thanks goodness.

 

[dazeddaisy]

My dd9 broke her arm last Sunday night. She broke both the radius and the ulna bones about midway up the forearm. They were completely separated and overlapping some initially.

.

I feel your daughters pain. I did the same thing 4 weeks ago. Only difference being I had to have surgery and get 2 plates in my arm.

I had my cast changed at the 2 week and 4 week mark. On the 4 week mark I had a choice of casts. I opted for a water proof simply so I could shower without my trusty plastic bag.

I should get my cast off in 20 days (yay I can tie my hair back!) and in theory I can play sport 6 weeks later. But this all depends on what happens over the next few weeks.

 

[nskjerven]

My DS broke his arm (same 2 bones as your DD) on 8/13. He had them set under general the next morning. We go to the doctor again this coming Thrus 9/10 and are hoping to get his new shorter cast.

We have not bothered with the expensive bag for showering/bathing. Just using plastic bags and they are working fine.

We have been told 6 weeks total for cast.

Okay, flame suit on...

My son races go-karts and he has a race on 9/26, 2 days after the cast comes off. We are seeing a sports med doc after the cast comes off in hopes of him giving us a green light to race that weekend (pun intended)

His surgeon has already told us off the arm for a total of 3 months.
The surgeon also told my DH that his kids don't ride scooters (of course this is how he broke it in the first place)

I'll keep ya posted if he gets his cast changed out on Thursday.

Now, shall we share the awful pictures of the broken arms??? Mine is really gross, but it's over now, so it isn't upseting us quiet as much anymore.

 

[nskjerven]

Forgot to add, yes he is out of PE for six weeks, no effect to his grade. We submitted a doctors note to be out of PE.

So far our part of his bill is $ 1107.12, total bill so far $3629.00 haven't gotten the bill from the anthesialogist (sp) that is going to be a biggie

 

[tinatark]

My son broke his arm, just below (above?) his wrist, snowboarding in February.

He got a traditional cast - what our Ortho kept reminding us was, the cast is just holding it in place, it's still healing - he didn't want to give him a waterproof cast - he wanted him to NOT USE the arm for the 6 weeks it was casted - picking up nothing heavier than paper, etc. He was excused from dressing out during P.E. for the entire time. I also had him leave class a few minutes early - his school is large, and we didn't want his arm to be bumped - it hurt! We were also lucky in that one of the nurses at his school is the ex-wife of an ortho surgeon - she kept him straight with his pain meds he needed during the first couple of weeks.

His cast came off 3 days before we left for a spring break cruise - he was released to full duty, no PT, but still guarded it for most of the summer.

 

[LilyWDW]

My son broke his arm, just below (above?) his wrist, snowboarding in February.

He got a traditional cast - what our Ortho kept reminding us was, the cast is just holding it in place, it's still healing - he didn't want to give him a waterproof cast - he wanted him to NOT USE the arm for the 6 weeks it was casted - picking up nothing heavier than paper, etc. He was excused from dressing out during P.E. for the entire time. I also had him leave class a few minutes early - his school is large, and we didn't want his arm to be bumped - it hurt! We were also lucky in that one of the nurses at his school is the ex-wife of an ortho surgeon - she kept him straight with his pain meds he needed during the first couple of weeks.

His cast came off 3 days before we left for a spring break cruise - he was released to full duty, no PT, but still guarded it for most of the summer.

When my cast came off my wrist was so skinny and pale looking... it scared the heck out of me. I was afraid any little thing was going to re injure it. They sent me to the bathroom to wipe it off after they cut the cast off and I was scared to scrub it. I was using one finger to rub the junk off LOL.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

When my daughter was in 2nd grade she broke the same two bones. It was so bad with swelling that after surgery they had it in a temporary cast for three weeks and then three weeks in a permanent cast. Our doctor suggested NOT getting the waterproof, he said they can be more itchy and hot because they are water and air proof. It was in September so she wouldn't miss out on beach or pool time. If it was summer I would have gone waterproof.

For baths/showers we used the press and seal kitchen wrap. It was a great solution, kept everything dry without being bulky.

I also "blinged" up the arm sling -- she loved it! I bought some gems and ribbon and got creative.

For gym she stayed with her teacher, due to the temp cast we weren't allowed to have her near anything that could hit and harm her. The grade wasn't effected.

I thought the hardest thing for her was recess -- not allowed for the 6 weeks in a cast and then not for the next 2 weeks. Two months! I was lucky that I was a SAH and about 3 times a week I went over so she could sit on the bench outside the front door and at least get some fresh air. I felt sorry for her socially because the other kids were on the playground across from the parking lot.

I also went in and talked to the teacher and principal. Each break is so different and I wanted them to know how severe it was. A few days after my daughter broke her arm a boy broke his. But his was only one spot and he was on the playground doing everything with the other kids. So not all breaks are created the same!

Sorry this happened to your child, it's sad to watch them in such pain. Good luck!