Broken metatarsal :-(

[laura_<3]

DBF has just text me to tell me he has been to hospital and they have confirmed he has a broken 5th metatarsal :-( he has to go back to hospital at 9am to see the fracture team. I'm in an absolute tizz! We go on holiday 2 weeks tomorrow, has anyone had any experiences with broken metatarsals??

Thanks all x

 

[london75]

Fortunately no but I went last year with two broken wrists and stomach ulcers and still had a great time!

Just wanted to say that it's perfectly possible to have a brill holiday still, it just might be a little different

Oh, and tell your insurer, they won't cover the foot regardless but if you don't tell them they won't cover anything.

 

[disneyholic family]

DBF has just text me to tell me he has been to hospital and they have confirmed he has a broken 5th metatarsal :-( he has to go back to hospital at 9am to see the fracture team. I'm in an absolute tizz! We go on holiday 2 weeks tomorrow, has anyone had any experiences with broken metatarsals??

Thanks all x

tell him to get VERY specific instructions of what he can and can't do.

what he can and can't do is to some extent dependent on where on the 5th metatarsal the break was and how bad the break is (is the bone displaced or not, etc).

more than likely he will be put into a cast and a boot....and more than likely they will tell him that he has to stay off of it for 6 weeks (perhaps using crutches)..
and more than likely, he will need physical therapy...(to prevent stiffness)...

but all of this is speculation - it depends on the break - which part of the bone is broken and how displaced or not the break is.

again - tell him to get very detailed instructions about exactly what he can and can't do.
he should tell the doctor that he has a trip scheduled for WDW and ask how this will affect it and what he can do or not.

also- is there a possibility of a waterproof cast (if he needs a cast)?
that would be very helpful on a trip to florida - if he has a cast that allows him to swim. And forget swimming - there is the problem of torrential rain. So this is an important question as well!

make a list of questions - write them down...so that he doesn't forget to ask everything.

 

[laura_<3]

2 hours later and he has a cast until 18th Sept, comes off 2 days before we fly!!!

Should I still tell our insurance?

Thanks everyone

 

[disneyholic family]

2 hours later and he has a cast until 18th Sept, comes off 2 days before we fly!!!

Should I still tell our insurance?

Thanks everyone

that's a really short time - that means it's a very mild break.
the more standard time is 6 weeks in a cast/boot, so that's good that he only needs 2 weeks.

when he gets the cast off, be sure to ask EXACTLY what he can and can't do.
Make sure you know if there are any limitations at all.

Make sure they are aware of what you're going to be doing on vacation (as in walking walking walking walking).

Get clear and complete guidelines as to what he can't do, if anything.

 

[Holstar]

I didn't have a clean break - but I did acutely fracture my fifth metatarsal at the same time as badly breaking my little toe!

Apparently it's really common, especially if you're like me and drop things on your feet all the time! In fact, whilst I've not been silly enough to fracture my metatarsal again, I have rebroken my little toe two more times since.... I'm pretty clumsy...

I was put in a temporary cast for four/five days because the swelling was fairly bad, and then in a full cast for about three weeks - it wasn't too bad after it came off, but I did have to be really careful for a few weeks as my foot was really stiff and it made walking for a prolonged period quite painful (more of an ache than a pain!).

He'll be fine! Just take it easy

xxx

 

[bazzanoid]

2 hours later and he has a cast until 18th Sept, comes off 2 days before we fly!!!

Should I still tell our insurance?

Thanks everyone

That's a tricky one.

Technically it's not an ongoing pre-existing condition as it will be out of the cast by then, so you should be ok.

HOWEVER, you will likely find that he will have a tubigrip bandage on it for a few weeks after the cast comes off, so there is the possibility they could class it as a pre-existing ongoing condition. I would say personally tell them that the cast comes off before you fly and the doctors decided that without your input, but be prepared for them to say that any injury on holiday on that foot or possibly that whole leg could be indirectly related to the metatarsal fracture, and they won't pay out.

Your call.......

 

[laura_<3]

I've rang the insurance company tonight, they said they won't be able to advise anything until the cast comes off so to ring back on the 18th

What a nightmare!

Thanks everyone for the advice

 

[RDP]

Keep in mind that when the cast or support is taken off, the foot may still be tender and he will need to take it easy or risk a re fracture. If its just an avulsion type fracture (where a little bit of bone has been pulled away from the metatarsal) hopefully he will recover quickly with the right rest and treatment.

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