Broken Toe Problem

[Maridw]

I am not sure this is really the right area to post this, but I am not sure where else to post. My daughter broke her toe at the beginning of October and she was on crutches and then the doctor took her off them for 2 and a half weeks. On our second visit to him he says there is a LITTLE healing, but not much (4 weeks after accident). So he puts her Back on crutches for 3 weeks. It was to 2 weeks from that date that we are going to WDW. At this point she is supposed to be on crutches for our week long trip to WDW. They put her in a special shoe, but it really doesn't keep it from bending or putting full weight on it. She can now put some weight with the crutches, so she is using them as her right foot to put all the weight on the crutches instead of her foot.

Any suggestions on what to do would be greatly appreciated. She really does not want to be on crutches to try getting on and off rides etc. I am disappointed in the doctor for taking her off the crutches in the first place.


<marquee direction-"right" align ="middle" behavior="alternate">8 days and counting!!!!</marquee>

 

[LWQuestie]

I was on crutches when I went to the World in 1997, with a knee injury from being hit by a car. I rented a wheelchair when I got there. There was just absolutely no way I could have hobbled my way around the parks. I would have had no fun and neither would the people with me. The CMs were great about finding out what you can and can't do to get on a ride (ie slowing the moving sidewalk, bringing the chair as close to the vehicle as possible).

 

[Kermit]

I broke my toe a few months ago, but I guess I was lucky because it healed fine without crutches.

Realistically, there is no way she can do WDW on crutches. You either need to get a second opinion from a doctor who thinks that she doesn't need crutches or get a wheelchair. I can't imagine what her under arms would feel like after spending all that time walking around.

 

[Maridw]

We did go to another doctor. Unfortunately we are military and they had referred us to the original Orthopedic doctor and so we went back to the military base to see if they could even give her a small walking cast or something, but they just gave her a little different shoe than what the Orthopedic doctor gave us. The second doctor said putting a cast on a broken toe, was like putting a cast on a hand with a splinter in it.

I guess she will end up in a wheelchair, (she will enjoy getting pushed around ). We'll just keep it wrapped good and then when she does have to do any type of walking she won't have too much pain or problem with it.

October must have been the month for broken toes, as her Aunt broke her middle toe and her real father broke his little toe (same as hers). Bad things come in threes, there's three. To make matters worse, we were rear-ended last Friday. We are all alright, but the person who hit us went to the hospital. She wasn't wearing a seat belt. We all had ours on. Our NEW 2 month old car is now a disaster. We will end up with a rental to come to WDW. I am crossing my fingers that nothing else can happen between now and when we leave.

 

[teri]

You should consider renting a wheelchair for the duration of the trip. Not only are the parks large, but the resorts and the distances between parking areas and the front gates are also substantial. If you stay onsite, you can get a wheelchair from your resort for free on a first-come first-serve basis. Or, you can rent one by the week from on of the offsite companies such as

CARE Medical Equipment - 1-800-741-2282
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com

RANDY'S Mobility in Kissimmee 407-892-4777
http://www.randysmobility.com/

Walker Medical - 1-800-334-9501
http://www.walkermobility.com

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

Be sure to look at the FAQ by clicking on the link in my signature.

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi, I saw this yesterday when I was at work, but I couldn't post.
I am not an orthopedic nurse and have never worked for one, but I have also never heard of putting a cast (and non-weightbearing) for a broken toe. Usually they just tell you there is nothing they do for a broken toe and if they do anything, they might splint it. The doctor must have some reason why he thinks this particular broken toe needs such drastic measures.
Anyway, I agree with the others that whatever resort you stay in is going to involve quite a bit of walking, so it would be better to have a wheelchair for your whole trip.
You didn't say how old or how big your DD is. By the fact that she has crutches, I'm thinking she's at least school age, but if she's little and still fits in a stroller, you could use that. You can get a Guest Assistance card that allows a stroller to be used as a wheelchair (go in buildings and lines where strollers are not usually allowed).
The wheelchairs rented by the parks and resorts (and I think by the places that teri mentioned) are adult sized. If she's pretty tall, that might be OK, but the seat is too deep for a smaller child and they end up either sitting on the end of the seat with no back support or sitting back in the seat with their knees held straight and the feet straight out. That would get tiring pretty quick with a cast on your foot.
You can rent child sized wheelchairs from a company called All About Kids. One poster indicated they had good luck with them. I went to their website and saw it basically just gives their contact info. Here it is:
Phone: (407) 812-9300
Toll Free: 1-800-728-6506 (outside 407 area code only)
Fax: (407) 812-4648
E-mail: AAboutKids@aol.com
For getting in and out of the rides, many are like getting in and out of a car back seat. Some are lower down than that. I have seen people with casts sort of hopping on their weight bearing foot. That might work OK if she is close to the ride car. My biggest hint is to watch people getting off and/or on while you are waiting to board. That way you can plan out a little bit what will work best for you. It seems like each ride is very different, but if you watch for a bit, you will see that there are only a few main types of ride cars. That helps a lot for boarding.

 

[Maridw]

Thanks for all suggestions.

My daughter is 14 years old. They had originally had her in a half splint, but the orthopedic doctor took her out of that and had us buddy tape (tape to toe next to it) and wear a Wooden Sole Post Op shoe. It is an open toe shoe, but the first one rubbed her bad toe and her foot slid back and forth and her toe would catch on the seam of the shoe. By the end of the day her toe was very sore. The last doctor gave her a little different shoe and it doesn't come past her little toe (broken one), so there is no chance her toe can catch on it. We have been told to continue buddy taping and pad up the outside of the toe with gauze pads and such. We are doing that and wrapping it with a small ace bandage. This is helping and she just uses the crutches to keep most of the weight off her right foot. She puts some weight on it but not enough to cause any pain.

I will look into getting her a wheelchair and me some type of glove as suggested on one of Teri's links. I will look for something like a leather glove with no fingers, just to protect the palm of my hands, as I will end up pushing her.



Again Thank you for all the suggestions!!

<marquee direction="right" align="middle" behavior="alternate">7 Days and Counting...</marquee>

 

[SueM in MN]

An average size 14 year old should be OK in an adult wheelchair, so at least that shouldn't be a problem. If you can find some bicycle gloves, those should work OK. They are easier to find than leather gloves and not as hot. A lot of people wear gloves like that to drive their wheelchairs. My DD has a pair, but refuses to wear them (fashion, you know).

Sending some healing pixie dust your way.