Yep, it's broken..
September 30, 2015 3:56 PM Subscribe
Any tips and tricks for dealing with a broken arm as an adult?
I'm a 44 year old Mom and I broke my left arm yesterday. Arrrrgh! I fell down my wet, deck steps and banged myself up pretty good. Back and neck strain, lots of bruises and scrapes and a left radial fracture. I have on a cast to the elbow for the first time. Any tips on living with this for the next 5-6 weeks? I'm a SAHM, doing all the typical mom stuff and it's going to drive me crazy. I've never had a broken bone before... I thought I would poke the hive before I started googling tips and tricks for cast living. It's not waterproof, regular fiberglass cast. Thanks in advance!
I'm a 44 year old Mom and I broke my left arm yesterday. Arrrrgh! I fell down my wet, deck steps and banged myself up pretty good. Back and neck strain, lots of bruises and scrapes and a left radial fracture. I have on a cast to the elbow for the first time. Any tips on living with this for the next 5-6 weeks? I'm a SAHM, doing all the typical mom stuff and it's going to drive me crazy. I've never had a broken bone before... I thought I would poke the hive before I started googling tips and tricks for cast living. It's not waterproof, regular fiberglass cast. Thanks in advance!
Best answer: Stick some adhesive velcro to your cast and stick the other side to things you need to carry around all the time.
If your arm gets wet and sweaty,run a tube from a small aquarium pump down your cast for sweet relief. A chopstick gently inserted can be used to scratch.
Don't get all frisky and bump your cast into hard surfaces like door frames. Yes, you can rebreak a healing bone. Ask me how I know.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:22 PM on September 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
If your arm gets wet and sweaty,run a tube from a small aquarium pump down your cast for sweet relief. A chopstick gently inserted can be used to scratch.
Don't get all frisky and bump your cast into hard surfaces like door frames. Yes, you can rebreak a healing bone. Ask me how I know.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:22 PM on September 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: How old are your kids? Typical mom stuff might have different meanings/different advice. Sorry about your arm!
posted by freezer cake at 4:26 PM on September 30, 2015
posted by freezer cake at 4:26 PM on September 30, 2015
Response by poster: 15 and 8 and very independent.... Not worried so much about them.... It's the canned air and Velcro type tips that I need. Maybe some good ideas on bedazzling it. It's ugly!
posted by pearlybob at 4:37 PM on September 30, 2015
posted by pearlybob at 4:37 PM on September 30, 2015
Best answer: Sharpies come in a big bunch of colors and can be used for drawing designs or having people sign or doodle on your cast.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:43 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:43 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: And be very careful if you use canned air. It gets really cold, really fast and can irritate the skin. You do not want frostbite patches. That's why I suggest the aquarium pump, the air is room temperature and you can keep the breeze going until the skin is thoroughly dry,
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:48 PM on September 30, 2015
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:48 PM on September 30, 2015
Best answer: They have cast bags you can get to put over it in the shower - I think those were easier for my niece to use than a trash bag would have been.
They also have fabric cast covers on amazon that come in different colors/patterns, if you're interested in decorating it.
posted by needlegrrl at 5:35 PM on September 30, 2015
They also have fabric cast covers on amazon that come in different colors/patterns, if you're interested in decorating it.
posted by needlegrrl at 5:35 PM on September 30, 2015
Best answer: I broke my wrist a year ago yesterday. Stuff I figured out:
- get some waterproof tape to seal a plastic bag around it in the shower - I can't remember the brand I used but it was from a CVS in the section with the bandaids.
- don't bother trying to wash/style your hair properly, especially if it's long. Get someone to wash it for you (friend/family/salon), and use spray-on dry shampoo in between.
- I found getting a bra on was one of the hardest things to do one-handed. Switch to crop tops or go without if you can.
- stuff will take longer and be more tiring, so allow more time for everything, at least in the first couple of weeks. Be gentle with yourself, and don't be afraid to take shortcuts. Sweatpants or leggings are way easier to manage one-handed than button-fly jeans. Takeout or frozen meals are fine for a few weeks. Take the painkillers if you need them. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And feel free to Memail me if you want to vent!
- assuming the cast is immobilising either your wrist or elbow (or both), you'll have to do physical therapy to regain strength and flexibility in the muscles, so don't expect to be back to normal straight away. I'd recommend doing a better job of keeping up with your PT than I did, though - I got lazy and it took me ages to get my strength back.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 5:40 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
- get some waterproof tape to seal a plastic bag around it in the shower - I can't remember the brand I used but it was from a CVS in the section with the bandaids.
- don't bother trying to wash/style your hair properly, especially if it's long. Get someone to wash it for you (friend/family/salon), and use spray-on dry shampoo in between.
- I found getting a bra on was one of the hardest things to do one-handed. Switch to crop tops or go without if you can.
- stuff will take longer and be more tiring, so allow more time for everything, at least in the first couple of weeks. Be gentle with yourself, and don't be afraid to take shortcuts. Sweatpants or leggings are way easier to manage one-handed than button-fly jeans. Takeout or frozen meals are fine for a few weeks. Take the painkillers if you need them. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And feel free to Memail me if you want to vent!
- assuming the cast is immobilising either your wrist or elbow (or both), you'll have to do physical therapy to regain strength and flexibility in the muscles, so don't expect to be back to normal straight away. I'd recommend doing a better job of keeping up with your PT than I did, though - I got lazy and it took me ages to get my strength back.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 5:40 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Be super careful with putting anything under your cast to scratch your skin. Doctors will tell you to just ignore the itches and they will go away...but that's a lie. The itching will drive you crazy at like 3 am or other inconvenient time so prep beforehand to make sure you have something that is firm yet somewhat bendable, won't break off inside the cast, is long enough that you can keep a good grip on it and still scratch everywhere, and doesn't have sharp edges. Also, only scratch once (down and up) then wait to see if the itch resolves before trying another down/up. Scratching a bunch is what you will want to do but this is bad, because if you cut/scrape your skin under the cast it won't heal right, as the cast doesn't permit the correct airflow on the wound. It also hurts!!
Things I would not recommend: pencils, pens, butter knives, pipe cleaners, unbent paper clips.
I had knee-to-foot cast and my dad made me a scratcher out of an unbent wire hanger (unbend the hanger and bend the open ends together; push into a football-shaped oval with the bent ends forming one point; hold the bent-together part as a handle and insert the other point of the oval into the cast). A chopstick (maybe plastic or metal instead of wood to minimize breakage) also sounds great if you have a short enough cast.
Source: 3 years on-and-off with leg casts from ages 12-14; now 35, still remember being embarrassed when the all the above objects fell out of my cast when getting it cut off (i had like 6 casts so each object was tried once and abandoned) and when the nurse scolded me for having to peel the cottony cast underlayer off of scabs, still have scars from abrasions made by too-vigorous undercast scratching.
posted by holyrood at 6:04 PM on September 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Things I would not recommend: pencils, pens, butter knives, pipe cleaners, unbent paper clips.
I had knee-to-foot cast and my dad made me a scratcher out of an unbent wire hanger (unbend the hanger and bend the open ends together; push into a football-shaped oval with the bent ends forming one point; hold the bent-together part as a handle and insert the other point of the oval into the cast). A chopstick (maybe plastic or metal instead of wood to minimize breakage) also sounds great if you have a short enough cast.
Source: 3 years on-and-off with leg casts from ages 12-14; now 35, still remember being embarrassed when the all the above objects fell out of my cast when getting it cut off (i had like 6 casts so each object was tried once and abandoned) and when the nurse scolded me for having to peel the cottony cast underlayer off of scabs, still have scars from abrasions made by too-vigorous undercast scratching.
posted by holyrood at 6:04 PM on September 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: une_heure_pleine has some good advice. I second all of it, including this: - stuff will take longer and be more tiring, so allow more time for everything, at least in the first couple of weeks. Be gentle with yourself, and don't be afraid to take shortcuts.
Since you just did this yesterday, also expect some of the aches and pains with sore muscles/strains to show up or actually feel worse in the near future.
I broke a couple of fingers last year in such a way that my dominant hand was useless for the duration. This Curad cast protector worked really well for showering and goes well up the arm. (I was a little dubious given the price, but they are reusable and worked really well.)
I went and got my hair cut fairly short and was able to wash it myself in the shower.
I asked this question at the time about food, and though the food part may not apply to you, some of the answers included some good general advice you might find useful.
Now is the time to ask for help and call in favors. Let other people cook you some meals, or just eat a lot of frozen food and takeout, get someone to clean your house, do the laundry, or shop for you or go with you to help with shopping, etc.. Don't try to do all the stuff you normally do at home.
Not sure quite where you are, but fall is coming. You want to make sure you have something with loose flexible sleeves that will fit over the cast that you can wear on cool days - sweater, hoodie, jacket ....
posted by gudrun at 6:10 PM on September 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Since you just did this yesterday, also expect some of the aches and pains with sore muscles/strains to show up or actually feel worse in the near future.
I broke a couple of fingers last year in such a way that my dominant hand was useless for the duration. This Curad cast protector worked really well for showering and goes well up the arm. (I was a little dubious given the price, but they are reusable and worked really well.)
I went and got my hair cut fairly short and was able to wash it myself in the shower.
I asked this question at the time about food, and though the food part may not apply to you, some of the answers included some good general advice you might find useful.
Now is the time to ask for help and call in favors. Let other people cook you some meals, or just eat a lot of frozen food and takeout, get someone to clean your house, do the laundry, or shop for you or go with you to help with shopping, etc.. Don't try to do all the stuff you normally do at home.
Not sure quite where you are, but fall is coming. You want to make sure you have something with loose flexible sleeves that will fit over the cast that you can wear on cool days - sweater, hoodie, jacket ....
posted by gudrun at 6:10 PM on September 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Take this opportunity to get your kids in the habit of always doing the dishes!
posted by ktkt at 6:45 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ktkt at 6:45 PM on September 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Ask your doctor if you really need that cast all six weeks. I fractured my left radial median head, I was splinter for three days only and then non weight bearing for six weeks. One doctor would have left the cast on, fortunately the second cut it off. Ask for it to go at your next xray, see what they say!
Order outfits if you need them so you can wear clothes with no buttons or zippers. Use a food processor to chop food. Consider an electric can opener. It should go without saying but order in groceries and do not attempt in person shopping. Call in help to get your kids around since you can't drive. I contacted the parent association at school and some good neighbours helped.
I had an easy time with the elbow rehab and it's good as new. Good luck!
posted by crazycanuck at 7:52 PM on September 30, 2015
Order outfits if you need them so you can wear clothes with no buttons or zippers. Use a food processor to chop food. Consider an electric can opener. It should go without saying but order in groceries and do not attempt in person shopping. Call in help to get your kids around since you can't drive. I contacted the parent association at school and some good neighbours helped.
I had an easy time with the elbow rehab and it's good as new. Good luck!
posted by crazycanuck at 7:52 PM on September 30, 2015
Best answer: When my daughter broke her foot, her orthopedist recommended calcium chews. So maybe ask your doc about that.
posted by cooker girl at 8:21 PM on September 30, 2015
posted by cooker girl at 8:21 PM on September 30, 2015
Best answer: Cooking: Get a wooden chopping board. Have someone put a couple of screws through the chopping board so there there is a couple of centimetres of screw sticking through the chopping surface.
Impale vegetables on the screws so you can chop them without them rolling around.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:52 PM on September 30, 2015
Impale vegetables on the screws so you can chop them without them rolling around.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:52 PM on September 30, 2015
Response by poster: Wow. Great ideas. Thanks everyone! Whoever up thread said that the bra would be the hardest thing to deal with is spot on so far!! Holy cow! That's trying! I'm just glad it wasn't my dominant wrist, I'd really be screwed! Thanks for all the tips... I will add any to the thread if I figure anything out during the next few days. Already rockin the short hair (love it!) and my daughter is the chef of the family. I am going to be calling in some more help. Had lots of offers but I didn't want to put anyone out. I think I'm going to need to. Have a great day everyone! ❤️
posted by pearlybob at 4:32 AM on October 1, 2015
posted by pearlybob at 4:32 AM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: If the bra thing gets to annoying, you can try searching Amazon for "arthritis bra" which is basically closed with velcro and might be easier for you. Not the sexiest thing ever (this is what my grandma wears!) but it could be good for everyday ease.
posted by rainbowbrite at 4:42 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rainbowbrite at 4:42 AM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you Rainbowbrite! Just ordered 2!! Great idea!
posted by pearlybob at 4:48 AM on October 1, 2015
posted by pearlybob at 4:48 AM on October 1, 2015
Best answer: Hello fellow broken arm MeFite! I broke both forearm bones at my wrist on Friday evening, right hand, which is my dominant arm, whee.
Some helpful tricks:
- use your feet to hold things steady. Bonus: this generally means putting things on the floor, which means they won't fall.
- bras: fasten them at your waist (with the fastener in front), then turn them around and shimmy them up.
- form-fitting tops: put in your cast arm first. Then neck, then good arm. Works like a charm.
Be sure to stretch the arm you're using and rest it. Also stretch your injured arm, but carefully! Nothing that would twist your wrist or cause pain. This will help recovery be a bit easier.
posted by fraula at 8:24 AM on October 1, 2015
Some helpful tricks:
- use your feet to hold things steady. Bonus: this generally means putting things on the floor, which means they won't fall.
- bras: fasten them at your waist (with the fastener in front), then turn them around and shimmy them up.
- form-fitting tops: put in your cast arm first. Then neck, then good arm. Works like a charm.
Be sure to stretch the arm you're using and rest it. Also stretch your injured arm, but carefully! Nothing that would twist your wrist or cause pain. This will help recovery be a bit easier.
posted by fraula at 8:24 AM on October 1, 2015
If your cast goes way down to include your fingers like mine did, I discovered one of the worst things: zip-loc baggies. OMG I could not get those things open or closed. If you are a family that uses them a lot, figure out a new storage system for food - Tupperware or Pyrex or whatever. Nothing worse than wanting a turkey sandwich but I couldn't open the deli bag to get the turkey out.
posted by CathyG at 10:12 AM on October 1, 2015
posted by CathyG at 10:12 AM on October 1, 2015
oh man that's annoying. When my husband broke his wrist a few years ago, the orthopedist told him the only thing proven to help healing was red meat. (He asked if he should take calcium and the dr said no, it wouldn't help! Surprised us for sure.) So he ate meat for at least one meal a day, and it really did seem to help - his cast was off in four weeks instead of six! (he did gain some weight, but he thought it was worth the trade-off...) So if you're not vegetarian, I'd strongly suggest that.
I hope you heal quick. Broken arms are a PITA.
posted by john_snow at 11:33 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I hope you heal quick. Broken arms are a PITA.
posted by john_snow at 11:33 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lilac girl at 4:15 PM on September 30, 2015 [1 favorite]