Why don't they put a cast on a broken wrist in the E.R? UPDATE Post 45, pg. 3

[OK!]

Happens quite often actually. Seems harsh, but it does happen.

At least this way, you will have an actual consult, diagnosed more thoroughly, and the ortho will take his time. Rather than a resident, or ortho being ticked about working the weekend, and rushing through it.

Good luck--I'm sure it will work out. Can you call her pediatrician, and get a script for stronger pain med. They can't call in a narcotic, to a pharmacy, but maybe something else.

Amen. I can't imagine being in that kind of pain with only OTC stuff to try to deal with it. When I broke my forearm several summers ago, I did have to wait till the following day to get it casted, but at least I had my old friend Vicodin to help see me through till then. Unfortunately, they only gave me 2 days' worth for a break with several smaller fractures on either side of it, and when I called in to see about getting a refill (and I have a ridiculous tolerance for pain, so I was already spacing the pills out as far as I could to make the script last longer), they made me feel like a skeevy criminal with their, "Ma'am, we're not in the business of prescribing NARCOTICS over the PHONE for people. Perhaps you should try Tylenol," in a sneering, condescending tone. I almost said, "If it doesn't have a "3" after it, I doubt that the Tylenol's really gonna do a whole lot of good, but thanks anyway."

 

[OK!]

last year my dd broke two bones in her arm last year close to the wrist but past the growth plate. One of the bones was completely separated. Honestly at first it didn't look swollen but I just didn't like dd's cry. I called the ped and told them I was coming right in. We were there within 15 minutes and the dr immediately had the nurse give her motrin then came in with the xray order for downstairs. After the xray the ped gave her more motrin and sent us to Childrens hospital. The motrin seemed to really help dd and by the time we got to the er at Childrens (driving thru Boston right before a Red Sox game) she seemed completely fine.

At the hospital dd saw a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. She didn't need surgery per se but the surgeon was able to manually manipulate the bone back into place. DD was sedated and I was sent out of the room for this. The surgeon did say she wouldn't know if it was feasible because it depended on the where the muscle was which wasn't obvious from an xray; The surgeon put a cast on dd right then. The cast while neon pink couldn't be a waterproof cast at that point. It went from her hand to above her elbow.The surgeon said she needed a different type initially but I don't remember why. For pain I was told to use motrin as needed which dd took off/on for a few days. We didn't leave the hospital until after midnight and dd slept off/on the entire next day so no way she could have gone to school but it was vacation week.

After 4 weeks in a regular cast dd was given a choice of maybe 30 different waterproof casts to wear for the remaining 3 weeks. This was a pastel colored tie dye cast that ended below the elbow. After the cast was removed she had to wear a splint most of the time for 3 weeks followed by wearing the splint a few more weeks during gross motor type activities.

The reason anyone with a cast that extends beyond a joint (e.g. from the wrist to above the elbow) can't have a waterproof cast is because water can collect in the joint of the cast and presumably do pretty gross things to your skin, not to mention the inside of the cast. That was the first thing I asked for when I broke my forearm, but because my cast went from my wrist up to my armpit, they said no. So I got to shower with Hefty bags on my arm, which was tons o' fun.

 

[Disney Doll]

Today her wrist and hand is twice the size that it was when we were at the ER. We have kept ice on it and given her motrin every 4 hours. She is in quite a bit of pain!! My heart is breaking for her!!

That is the reason why. Because the hand/wrist would have tried to swell as much with or without a cast, and if it had been casted, you would have been bringing her back to get it cut off so her circulation wouldn't be impaired. That is standard operating procedure in my hospital for simple fractures.

I have no idea why they told you that it is because there is no pediatric orthopedic surgeon on call. First of all, casting a wrist doesn't need a specialing orthopedic. And it's because of the swelling, not who available.

 

[VolleyballQt07]

MY sister broke her elbow 2 weeks before our sept. trip to wdw. The ER doc said it didn't look broken so they just splinted it and sent the xrays to the ortho...Next day ortho called and said yep its broken so she had to go and get it casted like 2 days after she broke it. The surprising thing was she only had the cast for 3 weeks, but of course one of those weeks was while we were at WDW ....

She broke it right above her elbow (about an inch) so she had a full arm cast. What made my mom a little mad was that she was able to ride every single ride at WDW and at UO but at Sea World they wouldn't let her ride the kiddie rides or Journey to Atlantis because it was a full arm cast.. Not like those are the wildest rides in the world.

 

[rbuzzotta]

UPDATE

DD will be having surgery late this afternoon/early evening to manipulate (closed reduction) her bone into place. It is on the growth plate and the ortho is optimistic that an closed reduction will be just fine. He was excellent with her!! She is in pain still and can't eat after 8 AM (no pain meds either only ice)!!

She picked out a beautiful green cast and of course, the Gore tex so she can shower and swim (my neighbor is opening her pool this week!!).

Thanks for all your support...............

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I hope she does well with the surgery. As a mother I hope you do well also. I know when my children are hurting my heart aches too! We will say a special prayer for her today.

 

[debster812]

UPDATE

She picked out a beautiful green cast and of course, the Gore tex so she can shower and swim (my neighbor is opening her pool this week!!).

Thanks for all your support...............

Best wishes for a VERY successful surgery.

Oh, and one last tip from me, they make a Silver-Metallic Sharpie that works beautifully for signing colored casts.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

UPDATE

DD will be having surgery late this afternoon/early evening to manipulate (closed reduction) her bone into place. It is on the growth plate and the ortho is optimistic that an closed reduction will be just fine. He was excellent with her!! She is in pain still and can't eat after 8 AM (no pain meds either only ice)!!

She picked out a beautiful green cast and of course, the Gore tex so she can shower and swim (my neighbor is opening her pool this week!!).

Thanks for all your support...............

Just checking in to see how the surgery went and how your daughter is feeling. I hope she did well.

 

[VALDAN]

I hope your DD feels better.

I broke my fingers while on vacation in Lake George.
The local hospital din't have a orthopedic on staff at the time so they gave me Percodat and put a ace bandage on it.
I went home to a orthopedic and he had to break the fingers again to set them. That hurt even more then the fall.

 

[WDWBarb]

UPDATE

DD will be having surgery late this afternoon/early evening to manipulate (closed reduction) her bone into place. It is on the growth plate and the ortho is optimistic that an closed reduction will be just fine. He was excellent with her!! She is in pain still and can't eat after 8 AM (no pain meds either only ice)!!

She picked out a beautiful green cast and of course, the Gore tex so she can shower and swim (my neighbor is opening her pool this week!!).

Thanks for all your support...............

Rosemary - how is she doing? I'm glad she'll still be able to swim!! My DD would be horrified by not being able to swim starting early in the swim season!

 

[golfgal]

Thanks for the responses!! It wasn't too swollen at the ER but today it really is swollen!! I have to keep loosing up her ace/splint due to the swelling!!

I wish it were me and not her!!!

This is why they don't cast it--imagine it swelling like this inside a cast that you can't loosen. It would cut off the circulation and she would loose her hand at the minimum. Most of the swelling in a trauma happens 24-48 hours AFTER it happens so it is quite common not to put a hard cast on it right away. The splint/ace is doing the same job as a cast, keeping it immobile.

 

[dk2002]

thats all a bunch of crap, you go to the er than to a bone doctor insurance charged at er, orthopedic doctor not payed by hospital so higher charges for another visit and everybody wonders why insurance is so freaking high

 

[mjkacmom]

Lesson learned, always go to a hospital with pediatrics, preferably one with a trauma center. When dd16 broke her wrist at practice, I was called, and was about to go pick her up, and bring her to a local hospital that has a pediatric trauma center (where ds14 was brought by ambulance when he shattered his ankle in a soccer game, and needed surgery). Unfortunately, dd started freaking out, so the trainer called the ambulance, and went to a regular ER. She was sent home and told to call her orthopedist. She saw him the next day, and she has to be put out and have it set at the hospital that afternoon. So, pick your hospital wisely.

 

[Allison]

Just so others are aware, I'm sure everything is fine now since this post is 10 years old.

 

[anniemae]

ZOMBIE

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Old thread aside, I fractured my wrist in 3 places & was casted in the ER though I didn't go to the ER until the next day. Same accident caused a fracture in my elbow which wasn't cashed at all.

 

[mom2rtk]

Old thread aside, I fractured my wrist in 3 places & was casted in the ER though I didn't go to the ER until the next day. Same accident caused a fracture in my elbow which wasn't cashed at all.

Yeah, my dad broke his elbow decades ago and was put into a full cast. He hasn't been able to straighten his arm fully ever since. So I wasn't shocked when our son broke his elbow about 10 years ago and they didn't cast it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Yeah, my dad broke his elbow decades ago and was put into a full cast. He hasn't been able to straighten his arm fully ever since. So I wasn't shocked when our son broke his elbow about 10 years ago and they didn't cast it.

That was the reason given with mine.

 

[maxaroni]

Old thread aside, I fractured my wrist in 3 places & was casted in the ER though I didn't go to the ER until the next day. Same accident caused a fracture in my elbow which wasn't cashed at all.

I fractured my wrist in 3 places as well, in Barbados, came home to have surgery. I was not cast in Barbados but they put a board underneath and then ace bandages. I needed a plate and screws and was not cast. I again had some sort of board and ace bandages. After 4 weeks, I believe, I had some sort of board type thing and a sleeve. Removable for PT.

 

[Planogirl]

I broke both wrists and had screws put into my left wrist. I wore braces but thankfully no casts.