Broken Leg in the Winter - any tips? - Update post 23

[pezheadmeg]

Check with the ortho about water proofing the cast. I had mine done 5 summers ago so it was shorts time. However, it didn't occur to me until I was sitting across from a 4 year old at x-rays the day my cast came off that I could have it wrapped in a water proof cover. It would've made showering a little easier. Baby wipes! Use them to clean around the top line of the cast as well as the toes. It'll make a difference. If he's an athlete his arms are probably strong enough to be fine with the crutches.

And yes have him pop a pain killer before they take out the staples. I had an infection at that point, they reduced the dislocation without painkillers. I could've used them for the staples coming out.

For me, I sacrificed one pair of old jeans by cutting up the leg. Breakaway pants can work, that way the other leg can have full length pants. Cheap sweatpants can be cut down on just that leg. Also, if he's going back to school it might be worth buying a pair or 2 of the zip off cargos.

to him. I was beyond bored after a few days, and on top of it less than a week after my break it was the NorthEast Blackout, no power for 24 hours meant reading 2 books back to back. Lots of movies will help too. If there's a laptop in the house, let him have it on the couch. But he'll be exhausted he won't bore too easily.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I'm so sorry to hear that your son broke his ankle!

 

[Amy]

Just wanted to stop by and say thank you again, and offer a bit of an update.

My DS17 saw the ortho surgeon today. He took off the dressing that had been on the incisions/break since last week, put on fresh stuff. He's due to go back next week to get the staples out. Everything looks good! Kind of funny - I guess his break WAS pretty bad....when we checked in at the dr's office, everyone said "oh, so you're the kid who slipped on the ice after the Super Bowl, huh?". So I guess the dr was talking about his break!

Anyway, the best news: the dr said that since he's got all these pins and a plate holding the bones together, he's not going to need a plaster cast to keep the bones in place. He's just going to have a walking cast. He still can't put any weight on it for 5 weeks, but once the staples come out next week, he'll be able to take the cast off to take a shower! So I guess the moral is: if you're going to break your leg, break it bad enough so you need to get pins; then you'll get a walking cast instead of a plaster cast.