Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

Original poster

I swear to god, come Monday I'm cutting that cast off myself

11 replies

toomuchtooold · 01/07/2021 13:47

My older daughter broke her wrist three weeks ago. She had a checkup Xray after a week, and they said it was healing fine and the GP could take the cast off and they would write him a letter to say so. Only they didn't, so I phoned back up to get them to send a letter, but the lady who does the letters was gone for the day (2pm). Phoned the next day, she enthusiastically agreed to do it. Tried to phone GP today to see if they got it but it's just going to answerphone. If it hasn't arrived I could just go to the hospital and pick it up tomorrow but I can't really ask the hospital to do another letter until I know the first one hasn't arrived. If I wait until I get through to the GP tomorrow I don't know if there'll be time for them to do the letter and let me pick it up tomorrow. And her cast removal appointment is on Monday, and the GP won't do it without the letter.

I'm fairly handy with a pair of scissors. I'm going to be extremely tempted, given the GP won't be xraying it, you couldn't feel the original break so there's nothing really to check, and DD is in no pain.

OP posts:

SeaToSki · 01/07/2021 13:57

Just go and get the letter…

But also 1 week isnt enough really, it should be three weeks even for a hairline fracture. Wrists are tricky things

HumpHumpWhale · 01/07/2021 14:01

I took a cast off my daughter myself when she was 1. 2 or 3 days early, too, she'd dipped it in a paddling pool of rainwater when I wasn't looking (for 3 seconds!!!) and the stench was godawful. I can't see it's that big a deal if you've been told she doesn't need to be seen in the hospital again.

swapsicles · 01/07/2021 14:04

Is this a usual thing? I've known 3 people have wrist fractures and they all get removed at the hospital in the fracture clinic (different times and hospitals) usually another xray and possibly a new one put on if not healed enough.
Takes hours of back and forth between departments and waiting rooms but all in the same hospital, never heard of a gp doing it.
They usually use a special tool and I think on one occasion scissors but they were made for the job so normal ones might not work or be a tad dangerous for a diy effort.

Foobydoo · 01/07/2021 14:04

Get some of these then you can safely do it yourself.
www.onlineorthotics.co.uk/orthotic-products/plaster-cast-scissors-and-plaster-cast-shears.php

FixTheBone · 01/07/2021 14:10

If it's a full cast you won't be able to do it safely with scissors, you'll need a cast saw.

Some departments use softcast which can be cut or sometimes unwrapped.

If it's only backslab, then it probably hasn't been providing any functional support for the last 2 weeks anyway.

A lot of buckle fractures in children are now managed without a cast at all, just a futuro splint and ged rid when it stops hurting, that said 'fracture' covers a massive range of possibilities from 'definitely needs an operation' to 'doesn't need anything at all.'

Original poster

toomuchtooold · 01/07/2021 14:14

It's normal here - we're not in the UK. The childrens' hospital covers quite a large area so they often let the GP do follow up.

I phoned the hospital anyway and got another very nice lady who said she couldn't see on the system but was 95% sure it would have been sent (as am I, they're usually very efficient) so I should phone tomorrow morning to check. So I can drive in and get it tomorrow if I need to.

Still tempting though... she wouldn't have to miss school then either.

OP posts:

Wakeupin2022 · 01/07/2021 14:14

My DD wouldn't allow them to remove her cast. After trying for ages we were almost getting sent home to soak in Bath.

Plaster guy decided to try and pull if off. 2 seconds later, no cast

Original poster

toomuchtooold · 01/07/2021 14:19

@FixTheBone

If it's a full cast you won't be able to do it safely with scissors, you'll need a cast saw.

Some departments use softcast which can be cut or sometimes unwrapped.

If it's only backslab, then it probably hasn't been providing any functional support for the last 2 weeks anyway.

I think it might have been softcast. They did an xray through it, so that's fiberglass isn't it?

OP posts:

FixTheBone · 01/07/2021 16:02

You can xray through any cast. Better images through synthetic casting materials than plaster though.

Original poster

toomuchtooold · 01/07/2021 17:35

I got the letter! The hospital had in fact not sent it on Tuesday, but they agreed to email it to me so I can just take it in on Monday.

The letter says it's Combicast which I understand is synthetic? So I could have probably hacked it off.

The wee one says she thinks she could probably slip her hand out of it right now anyway

OP posts:

Original poster

toomuchtooold · 02/07/2021 10:15

The plot thickens. I took the letter down to the GP this morning and he happened to be there. He had a look at it and was like "ah no I can't remove that type of cast." Luckily, and I should have thought of this before, our other GP on the other side of the border and in the same country as the actual hospital (DH is a cross border commuter) not only agreed to do it, they were quite happy to aceept my word that the doctor said it could be removed after three weeks and they have an appointment today! The wee one is going to be absolutely delighted!

OP posts:

Flip