3 year old with broken ankle - how do you manage?

[stramash]

DD2 broke her ankle today after an unfortunate incident on her cousin's tramponline. Long story....

She's in a below knee cast ( and has been given a dinky pair of crutches). I've no idea how I'm going to manage 6 weeks of this. She screams every time I move her ( despite buckets of calpol and brufen) . Poor wee mite, she's tried very hard to be brave ( but has gone right off doctors). I know it's still really sore and should get better but does anybody have any tips on how to manage baths, sleeping etc? Feel stupid for not knowing this sort of stuff...

She's due to start preschool on Weds too...

[MatNanPlus]

What position does she sleep in normally or is she in motion?

The pain will settle in a few days, make sure the meds are as on time as possible and if pain still really bad go to the gp for better stuff even if only for sleeping.

think you can rule out preschool this week but she should be quite good on her crtces by next week and they may be happy to have her.

you can buy a plaster cover but a bin bag taped would be okay if fiddly, tape bag 5 cms from the top then put cotton wool all around and tape bag over it to her skin, micropore should be ok.

[stramash]

Thanks MatNanPlus.

She's all over the place when sleeping but tends to be a bit of a "starfish" on her back. She's asleep now with her foot up on a pillow and I'll sleep beside her tonight on the "airbed of sick" as dd1 calls it, which is wheeled out for such occasions.

Will try the binbag trick also . I guess it's lots of DVDs and the pushchair for the next few days...

[MatNanPlus]

You could add 2 rolled towel to the pillow so her leg is more likely to stay on it, also if you use syringes for medication draw them up and store sfaely so you can easily give them in the night, i would set my alarm so she doesn't wake in serious pain.

Pushchair maybe but practicing on her crutches will be good, you could have a pashmina round her chest under her arms with you holding the tails a little behind her so if she stumbled you would be there (if you don't have reins), only until she is confident swinging herself around.

Airbed of sick sounds groovy, is it a high one? we have a 50cm high one and it is bliss to get in and out of as very similar height to a proper bed

[Beeper]

You can rent mini wheelchairs from the red cross at most hospitals.

[AbbyLou]

I would highly recommend the Limbo cast covers that MNP linked to, they are brilliant. Ds broke his arm last year when he was 2 and the cover was a godesend as we were due to go to Center Parcs the next week. He was able to swim for a couple of hours at least every day and had a bath or shower every day and not one drop of water got in. It saved our sanity and our holiday!
As for sleeping she'll probably just find a position that's comfortable for her. She should be in less pain soon I should think.

[stramash]

Well, dd2 ended up being admitted from fracture clinic on Monday and went to theatre Tues for fixation of her ankle . She was a little star but I have to say that two nights in hospital with not a lot of sleep was fairly grim.

She is now in a plaster but has to be completely non weightbearing for 4 weeks - the OTs have given us a wheelchair and a zimmer and tole us to use a pushchair indoors. They've taken the crutches away

If anyone has any clue how to make a 3 year old hop on one leg for four weeks please let me know! I guess it's just a case of getting on with it. At the moment she's too sore to want to move much and moving her on to the loo results in sobbing and screaming with pain ( hospital refused to give us codeine home with us - don't get me started).

Am deffo going to get one of the limbo things. Thanks for the advice , it sounds stupid but it's really helped to know that other people have been here, done that. And , after all , dd2 should be back to normal in four weeks or so ( although does need another op in 6 weeks) whereas some of the poor parents I met in hospital had been in for weeks and weeks, with no option but to keep going. Feel for them I realy do.

[stramash]

And no preschool for at least 4 - 6 weeks....