Broken arm (full cast) - what on earth to wear!?

[INeedNewShoes]

I broke my elbow and am in a cast from armpit to fingers.

So far I've been wearing a stretchy vest top and a shirt a few sizes too big that I've cut the sleeve off.

I'm having to have help putting my bra on which isn't a long term solution as although I have help at the moment, usually it's just me and DD (3) at home.

Does anyone have any suggestions for clothing in this situation?

Do you need / want a bra? Fro t fastening might be better if so.

Can anyone close to you sew? I had tank tops adapted a bit with velcro on the shoulder so I could wear a base layer, then wore button up things (open) over that, pinning one shoulder on if necessary.

Poncho? Even hole in cheap fleece blanket if you need.

Poor you, btw. How did it happen?

DD had this last winter

She pretty much lived in vests and one woolly cardigan that was way too big and stretchy so we could get it over the cast. Could you buy one or two warm cardigans in a large size or with extra wide sleeves? Or even cut a long slit in the sleeve of a cardigan you don’t love.

She wore a padded gilet if we were going outside (cheap in the sale at Mountain Warehouse) as no coat was going to fit her.

Bra - no idea but maybe bralettes which have no clips? Then you could step into them and get them up one side at a time?

Oh yes, poncho is an excellent idea

Choose a couple of tops you like and chop the arm off, poncho top or big tunic for warmth.

Is it at 90' or bent?

A loose fitting dressing gown for warmth.

Thanks for the replies.

I slipped on snow and fell out on a walk on Thursday. I'm still waiting for surgery but it's been delayed by hospital pressures. It's currently in a temporary cast bent at the elbow but not so that it sits flat against my body.

Bra is definitely necessary. I've had a quick look for a front fastening one but drawn a blank so far for one in FF cup.

Poncho is a great idea - I'll get on the case with that.

I've got one hoody that I can kind of zip up.

I'm hoping to find something slightly less ridiculous looking to wear for when I'm teaching on Zoom!

Short sleeved thermals help as do ponchos and big drapey scarves. The Uniqlo thermals are cheap and effective

What worked for me was 2 gay and one med student flatmates. Though one of them said me hollering up the stairs "Whose turn is it to take off my bra?" will live with him for the rest of his days

Vest top and big drapey scarf/shawl around shoulders

Oh no re snow. It looks so pretty but is LETHAL!

Def scarves for zoom. You could always get a big one and put the triangle over your neck chest area, then bring the sides round to the front, so it is more like a piece of clothing than neck wear.

Something like this or this?

Toga?

There are also things called Tabards which I’d never heard of but could be useful?

example

Actually would front fastening bra work for you, as you still need 2 hands to bring the sides together to do them up.

Maybe some kind of aid would be better, eg www.completecareshop.co.uk/personal-care/personal-grooming/buckingham-bra-angel-view-large

Not clothing, but when I fractured my elbow I rigged up a light cross body bag from a strong carrier bag and some webbing which helped me hugely to carry things around the house.
Also you can get some waterproof covers from Amazon, to protect your cast in the bath or shower.

Later, as you start to heal, I found that therapeutic putty was extremely useful in helping me get back the fine control for finger and wrist movements.

Lots of luck, I remember it well!

Thank you so much for the sympathy and practical ideas and clothes links.

I haven't done much clothes shopping lately so had no idea that tabards were a thing. I'm going to buy one of these and see if I can find a wrap dress and cardi with over sized sleeves. I like the cardis linked above but I can't wear wool or polyester/amide as I have eczema so I need cotton/acrylic versions.

Are batwing tops still in I wonder...

To those of you who have broken your elbow and had surgery, can I ask how long you were in a cast and how long it was until you had recovered enough to use that arm for lifting (I'm thinking lifting a 3 year old, a car seat, moving boxes...)

Could you buy an oversized zip up hoody type top that you could get up over the cast?

When DS broke his arm it was September but I couldn't get short sleeved school shirts, so I cut the sleeves off his old ones. It was still warm at that time of year though. You'll be cold if you go sleeveless!

Hi @INeedNewShoes . I can't help with the clothing query but I've literally just searched the term "broken elbow" on here in the hope to find answers to the questions you have asked - as I'm in the same boat!

I broke my elbow in 4 places over two weeks ago now, with the surgery taking place 2 days after. I'm not going to lie, it's very grim. After seeing the pictures, I'm even more anxious about the long term implications as the metal work is somewhat sticking out of the elbow. The thought of being able to feel it honestly makes me heave.

In terms of pain, I was on codiene, ibropfen and paracetamol but it's absolutely destroyed my stomach and I was readmitted to hospital on Friday due to severe dehydration (caused by excessive vomiting). They've now switched me to tramadol, but I put my big girl pants on and I've managed on just paracetamol alone now...although I wouldn't recommend it.

I went for wound check on Monday which was great...albeit hideous. New cast and not back now for another 4 weeks.

I can't dress this up for you I'm afraid. I feel very sad and anxious about it. They've said it'll be weeks of physio. And I'm mad at myself for falling on the ice in the first place as I only went outside to put something in the bin that could have waited

Get a sequined boob tube!
(Unhelpful, I know )

Have a look at M&S poncho - they’re in the sale and have different top styles

When dd broke her elbow, she wore long sleeve tops that we cut off an arm. I just bought a stack of cheap, stretchy tops. It really didn’t look silly because her whole arm was engulfed in the sling and cast anyway. The worst thing was in the cast she wasn’t allowed to have any weight on her arm at all so once we took the sling off to change, wash, or sleep, she couldn’t even sit up or shift position without a helper holding her arm.

Your best bet is probably a stretchy sports bra, tank style.

Dd had the absolute worst type of break possible and only had to wear the cast for 3 weeks. The perks of being a female child. They heal quickly and are trusted to be careful out of the cast earlier than males (sometimes sexism works in girls favor) She had to be in the sling much, much longer. I don’t remember exactly how long. She was able to drop the sling at home a couple of months before she dropped it at school. They were very concerned she would get bumped at school so she had to wear the sling and wasn’t allowed in the corridors at the same time as other children for several months.

@alwayshappensonnye

I am so so sorry that you are in the same boat as me. This is the worst constant pain I have experienced in my life despite other fractures and a medical condition known to be painful.

I had my surgery on Monday. I've got metal plate and screws as my elbow was in multiple fragments.

I had a nerve block for the op so I enjoyed around 16h pain free. By the end of yesterday I was in an awful state with the pain and restored to oramorph.

I'm trying to only take 1 dose of codeine at night to minimise stomach effects of that and reading your post makes me wary of continuing ibuprofen 3x a day.

I may ask whether they would consider a switch to tramadol on Thursday when I'm seeing the surgeon to check for nerve damage.

Is your pain easing at all? When was your pain worst?

If you want to be the crappest ever in-the-same-boat shipmates, let me know.

The long term implications are a worry. I’m a single parent to a 3 year old and my work is in music, thankfully not all playing as goodness knows when I’ll get back to playing.

resorted not restored! Autocorrect

@INeedNewShoes I'll certainly be your ship-mate. It's nice to have a hand hold!

It's hard to describe when my pain was worst as like you I had the blocker and then the codiene, so ho until last Thursday I thought I was doing great! Then the constipation abc sickness started and I went downhill. I'm only on the paracetamol now and it's only really nagging on a night, most probably because I can't get comfy and because I believe I can feel the pin which looks to be close to sticking out of my elbow. I massively fear I'll be able to feel it and it makes me so anxious.

I'm not a single mum but my partner works away for long periods, so it's just me and the kids (12 & 9). The 9yo is my little nurse, doing my bra, pulling my arm over t-shirts etc. I'm in vests or huge oversized T-shirt's which I friend bought me from Asda. Thankfully I'm signed off sick, so no worry about keeping the standards up for MS teams meetings! I've also ordered one of those covers so I can bath/shower as at the moment my 9yo is bathing me and I know she's not particularly keen (although I wouldn't make her if she didn't want to).

I've attached the picture of my surgery. The bit sticking out of my elbow is what is causing me so much anxiety. If I can get past that psychologically, my recovery might be a bit easier. Top tip, try raise your arm above your head at least once a day to prevent the shoulder seizing and make your fingers into a fist every hour.