This cast is going to be the death of me!

[JerseyJanice]

Arrggghhhh!

How do you keep a 7 year-old boy down?!?!

Mine broke his right arm about two weeks ago. He's got a gigantic cast on it--from just below his armpit to just below his fingers. It's a plaster cast, too, so it's heavy.

Do you think he should or could ride a scooter? I think not!

He tried riding his friend's a few days after the accident; I caught him and ripped him a new one over it.

So what do you think happened after school today? His good friend from down the street rang my doorbell to tell me that he had taken a spill in the friend's driveway. He fell off the kid's scooter.

I ran down there to find DS crying and holding his casted arm. I felt very bad for him, but I wanted to kill him at the same time. Hello?!?! Is trying to ride a scooter or bike with that cast on a good idea?

He fell on the broken arm. He seems fine now, but I'm telling you--if I'm not using "Preference" to cover my white hair before this cast comes off, I never will.

 

[grinningghost]

Go for it Janice - Heather Locklear says you're worth it.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Ha ha, GG!

He's all upset too, that we have to put Tae Kwon Do camp on hold for now. There's no way we can know now whether his arm will be healed enough in time, and I am not losing our deposit.

He keeps trying to show me that he can do martial arts moves with the cast. Yeah, right.

 

[preb]

I feel your pain! My DD who will be 5 in two weeks, fell at pre-school and broke her arm in two places. She's in a full cast, also. Of course, in the next month we have her ballet recital, soccer camp and she's starting t-ball. For her birthday on 6/6, I had already bought her rollerbaldes, a skateboard, a new mitt and soccer shin guards.

The break and cast slowed her down for approximately 12 hours. I've had to chase her around and try to control her ever since!

I've aged 10 years in the last week!

 

[phillybeth]

A girl I went to grade school with broke her arm rollerskating. One week later she broke the OTHER arm riding a bike! She had both arms in casts for about 3 months!

 

[clutter]

Ok, I'll stop whining now. Back in April I tripped over thin air and broke the upper part of my arm. No cast, but I was in a sling and body wrap thing. After the first week, it wasn't too bad, but since I've been out and trying to get my range of motion back... it hurts!!! Don't know how these kids do it! (people keep asking me if I have to do physical therapy, I tell them "yeah, they're sending me to remedial walking school!")

My sympathies to you, janice.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

You might want to get his arm xrayed again.... just to see/make sure he didn't hurt it worse.

My son (now 6- was 5 at the time) broke his arm at the elbow... actually broke the little corner off the elbow inside there plus another fracture going up from that area... last May by going across the monkey bars without me underneath him. (that's always been my rule- and he's never fell before... 'course he falls the one time he tries it without me) at the public park which is sand... but he landed with his elbow behind him and did that.

He had to have pins in his arm and a cast for months (all but one week of summer- I call it he$$ summer 2003.... cause it was TORTURE for me for him to not be able to do anything and a lot of stuff none of the kids could do because of it... like water parks which we usually spend a lot of time at here in the summer) and after about 5wks with the cast on- they do xrays again and see ANOTHER hairline fracture in another direction that wasn't there before! They said he had to have hurt it and would have been in pain and swelling/etc.- but I never knew he fell therefore it couldn't have hurt.

So I worry since your son fell and was actually crying and holding his arm. I hope he didn't break it worse!

I feel TONS of sympathy for ya hon..... been there done that and hope I NEVER go through another summer like that. I had to watch him like a HAWK.. he kept wanting to do things he couldn't do while healing!

 

[lsyorke]

I've been through lots of broken bones, my advice is Preference #8 is a lovely color!!

 

[ElizK]

We've been fortunate enough to never have to deal with anything like that. I've heard there is such a thing as a waterproof cast, or at least a cast that can get wet. Do ya'll know about these? Ever used one?

So sorry he (and you!) is having to go through this. Rotten time of year to not be able to do all the fun stuff.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by lsyorke
I've been through lots of broken bones, my advice is Preference #8 is a lovely color!!

LOL
Come to think of it... I don't think I had any gray hairs until my son was born and started having these injuries..... hmmm.......

 

[02bBarbie]

I would definitely have him re-checked...he could have done some serious damage under that cast..poor kid.

 

[gina2000]

You don't want to know, Janice....you don't want to know....

DS fractured a metacarpel last spring. Luckily, the doc was a swimmer so he gave DS a waterproof cast. DS was allowed in the pool.

So he's in the pool. Doing back flips off the diving board. HELLO??? IS ANYBODY HOME????

Then he started to do front flips. I was screaming bloody murder.

One good thing. His swim coach said the cast actually improved his stroke.

Fast forward to the cast coming off right before long course junior olympics. Doctor does not want him to dive off the block. Another bloody battle.

I think I was drinking Preference last summer.....nevermind using it.....

 

[Beauty]

Janice,

No advice about the broken arm, the only one in my family that has had one is me! Thankfully about 3 years later the only time I can tell it was ever broken is when the weather is getting colder!

I can say thought, that it didn't HURT in the cast so if it isn't hurting you can do anything RIGHT????????

 

[Tinkim]

I feel your pain! My son has managed two broken legs. Once when he was 5 he broke his tibia while sledding when he ran into me (and told everyone I was to blame by the way). I told his dad not to let him go down the hill alone. The second time a neighbor kid (not my favorite) broke his femur when he was 6 by jumping on him while he was sitting in the snow. Long long story short he had to stay in the hospital for a week in traction and a body cast for 12 weeks. Tutor at home, wheelchair, couldn't go to the bathroom without assistance or shower or even roll over. He was immobile for three months and that darn cast was heavy. It went from the bottom of his foot to his chest and halfway down the "good" leg. I sure did get a workout though. Then crutches for another couple of weeks. My older son broke his arm in the summer as soon as we put the pool up and couldn't swim. If they check out your son's cast and decide to change it ask if he could possibly have the fiberglass cast with the Gore-Tex lining. That is waterproof and at least he could get it wet. The good news is though (fingers crossed) we haven't had any orthopedic incidents for a long while now and my son's have both healed nicely. Kids are very resilient and heal very quickly. I am amazed when I look at his x-rays. His femur was completely broken in two pieces and now it looks just about normal. If you or I broke our femur like that we would have been in a world of hurt and required surgery, pins, physical therapy, etc. but kids are amazing little healers. Good luck.