Has anyone had a walking cast?

[lisajl]

Hi everyone!

My son-9- went to a Boy Scout meeting last night, tripped over someone and ended up with a swollen ankle this morning.

We spent most of the morning at the doctors office, then off to the hospital for an xray.
He has a fracture and the doctor suggested a walking cast.
How difficult will this be for him to get around?
Thanks for any suggestions.

Lisa

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

When I broke my right ankle about 10 years ago I ended up with a walking cast.

I rode bike, drove my car and went up and down stairs just fine....the stairs were slow but it went fine. I used a ladder at work and tended to my garden. The only thing to stay away from is anything having to do with water.

If ya got to have a cast on a limb, I think that's the one to have! LOL LOL

Hope your son heals nice and fast!

 

[lisajl]

Thanks so much! That is exactly what I needed to know!
I have never had a cast on, so not too sure what exactly to do for him.
Our DD has broken her wrist-fell over a baby gate, broken her nose-ran into a wall in gym class when she was five, and just this past Sept, fractured her foot. AAAHHH!!!!!

It makes me crazy!!

Lisajl
P.S. She only needed a cast for the wrist, thank goodness.

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

The worst part was bathing. Rough stuff with a cast! LOL

 

[Blondie]

I've had two in my lifetime so far, once you get the hang of walking in it, it's easy.

But I agree, the hard part is bathing!

Oh...and they tend to itch as well!

 

[elgerber]

My son had one when he turned 5, and he was literally running down the street with his friends after a couple of days. His, amazingly, did not itch, but bathing was a challenge.

Erika

 

[lizdotcom99]

i have found Schetchers to work well, but I am a female. It might be harded to find them for guys. Good luck and lots of healing pixie dust to you and your ds!!!

 

[luvmydogs]

I broke my ankle the day after my wedding, and Dr. put me in a walking cast. I second what everyone else has said--you do get the hang of it fairly quickly. With all that's happened with your kids and broken bones/injuries, you'll be an expert in no time! Hope your ds is feeling better soon--kids don't seem to milk injuries like some adults (ie. my husband )--they just get back up and keep going!

 

[Twigs]

FYI, DS just had a cast on his wrist (fx while playing soccer) and his Dr. told me to get a XeroSox to put over it for bathing. They come in all sizes for half or full leg or arm, and it works really well. DS was able to get in the shower and the cast never got even a little damp! They are a little pricey x-sm half arm cost me $37 but it was well worth it. He could even go swimming with it. It is made out of a rubber type material and has a bulb pump that sucks the air out of it creating a vacuum seal. Check your local surgical supply store for it, the pharmacy down the street from me had it.

The Dr. also told us to dump an ounce of baby oil down the cast once a week to keep the skin lubricated and to help prevent itching and that worked really well too.

 

[lisajl]

Hooray! Thanks for the help. I will look for that xerosox, too.
I'll bet our pharmacy has one.
Should be interesting...he is taking the next two days off school.

He won't mind that at all! LOL!

Lisa

 

[Val]

Spent much of my senior year in college in casts, the last was a walking cast (bad break in soccer)...although that was 20+ years ago. Plastic bags around the cast, with a towel tucked around the top helped with bathing.

When my son broke his arm about 2 years ago we went to the farm supply store and got horse leg wrap (it comes in "designer" colors)....was great to wrap around the cast and keep it clean, and my son really liked changing colors. Was fairly cheap, easy to use (just wrap and cut- sticks to itself like those self-wrapping ace bandages) and really helped keep things cleaner!