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Original poster

Who knows about broken wrists?

17 replies

Portofino · 22/08/2011 11:13

Dd broke her right wrist on holiday and has her arm in plaster up to the armpit until the end of August.

I am just investigating what I need to do now - I guess it will need to be xrayed to check everything is OK, but (fingers crossed) it is, it just a simple matter of the cast coming off?

Or will it need to be strapped up still? Will she need physio or anything? Will her arm be all white and pasty or black and grungy?

I have no experience at all of broken bones and a great horror of hospitals. I am still shuddering after having read through the list of departments to find a number for pediatric xray.....

Thanks for any experiences...

OP posts:
trumpton · 22/08/2011 11:32

I broke my wrist 5 years ago. Was in plaster cast with arm bent at elbow for 3 weeks then cast shortened to elbow length for a further 3 weeks. No physio . arm a bit smelly (!) until i washed it.

Mabelface · 22/08/2011 11:35

I broke my wrist when I was 8 and was in a cast for 6 weeks, no physio after. Mine was a greenstick fracture, so I think it would depend on the severity of her break.

CMOTdibbler · 22/08/2011 12:04

Was it a fracture of her radius ? In which case she might need some physio, but not everyone does - just depends on exactly where she broke it. Her arm will be a bit smelly and dry, but not black

PuppyMonkey · 22/08/2011 12:09

I broke the scaffoid bone and was in plaster for 6 weeks. It wasn't black and withered Grin when cast came off. But... It hurt more after cast came off than when I actually broke it. Was given two weeks of physio exercises, stretching fingers etc, then it was ok. She had her plaster done in hospital I take it?

I broke mine iceskatingBlush

Original poster
Portofino · 22/08/2011 12:49

She fell off a swing!

It was a clean break of both bones right at the top near her hand. (Still makes me feel a bit sick thinking about it) She had it reset under GA in hospital. She was incredibly brave about it - more upset that it put paid to her swimming. The hospital in France was wonderful.

After calling the hospital here, apparently i have to go see my Belgian GP first for a "papier" to say that she is allowed to have an xray. This seems a bit like money for old rope to me Hmm With a bit of luck, she will also make an appointment for me as my French medical vocabulary is a bit lacking....

School starts on 1st September and the 45 days are up on 31st August. I think she is hoping to still have the cast when she goes back to school to show to her friends, but obviously being her right hand, I am hoping it will be off sooner rather than later as it will make schoolwork a bit tricky. Grin

Thanks for the stories!

OP posts:
trumpton · 22/08/2011 20:59

How old is your DD ? I had a POWERBALL to strengthen my wrist after the cast came off. It was very good. ( I pushed my radius and ulna down into the little bones of the wrist had it put back together under a GA )

jenniec79 · 22/08/2011 21:06

How old is she?
Did they show you the XR in A&E - is it basically lined up right or a bit wonky?
Is she still in a half-bandage-half-plaster affair?
When is her fracture clinic appointment - if you don't have one, keep ringing the hospital until you do - these are all things that will be adressed at her first appointment.
Where in the UK are you?

As a ball park; usual not-seen-her provisos apply...

IN ADULTS, IF THE FRACTURE IS LINED UP OK, then it'll be about 6 weeks in a plaster to the elbow.

IN CHILDREN it can be a bit less, but generally played by ear. The rarely need physio as kids generally just get on with it!

You'd be amazed how well they manage at school, many parents seem to swear by LIMBOs (google it) which are a waterproof dooberry that go over the cast for baths/showers/swimming.

shabbapinkfrog · 22/08/2011 21:14

My DS4 (now aged 14) broke his wrist 3 years ago. Was dropping down from the monkey bars on the park...dropped about 4 inches went over on his ankle and put his hand out to stop himself. When it was xrayed he had broken 2 bones in his wrist (I dont know any medical terms LOL) they took him to theatre the next morning, put a pin in the bone and plastered him up to the elbow. He healed very quickly. The cast was taken off after about 6 weeks and then he wore a kind of a fingerless glove that had a soft support around the wrist. He has quite a large circular scar on his wrist but never complains about it at all. I still have a panic attack when I see the park - it was a scary incident and he coped much better than I did Grin

Milliways · 22/08/2011 21:22

My DS broke his scaphoid, had 6 weeks in plaster, then broke his Ulna 4 weeks later - same arm!- divinginto a pool. They reckoned the muscles were too weak to fully support him.

We got him a powerball after that Grin

Original poster
Portofino · 22/08/2011 22:22

She's 7. No mention of fracture clinic appointments!! The surgeon in France managed to align the bones without pins, and at the follow up appointment 5 days later (just before we came home) he said it looked "perfect".

He told me I needed to do nothing else but wait 45 days then see "my surgeon" to have the cast taken off. Not having a personal surgeon and being slightly past the 30 day mark, I was wondering what to do - especially as I have no clue about Belgian hospitals....

Anyhow, tonight I went to see my lovely GP. Within 5 mins she had booked us an appointment with an Orthopedic dr nearby - at a supposedly fab polyclinic that she works with all the time. So, on Thursday, they will apparently remove the cast, x-ray her arm and then decide whether she needs another lighter cast, or if it is OK. We also have a physio in the wood, should it be necessary....

I am feeling really guilty that I didn't go see her a month ago to discuss what follow ups they do here! Blush I assumed the french orthopedic surgeon knew what he was talking about. Fingers crossed it is all fine. I kept the last lot of x-rays. And, praise the Lord - we don't have to go to the big hospital! I was wibbling a bit at the thought - and it's not even me that is injured Blush

I am hoping our insurance covers this......

OP posts:
Original poster
Portofino · 22/08/2011 22:32

shabba - god kids are brave aren't they? I was a hysterical mess, not helped by the fact we had only just arrived in a strange place. DH got lost driving back to the gite to find some food/toothbrushes etc so I was sat on my own in a strange french hospital whilst they came and wheeled my pfb off for surgery. Dd only cried once - when she realised that she wouldn't be able to do "high fives" with her bf, and of course no more swimming for the summer.

And I feel mean fussing over this when you and others have been through much worse experiences. Sad

OP posts:
shabbapinkfrog · 22/08/2011 23:14

Oh Porto - why do you think you are being mean? You aren't being mean - its your DD and you love her....if my grandson has a temperature I panic like mad Smile Just remembered my DS4 had his cast on and somehow ended up with a mozzy bite under it!!! I rang the hospital and asked could he put something down the cast and itch the bite. They almost screamed down the phone....'NO...THE PIN HAS A SMALL LOOP AT THE END AND YOU WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE'.......it was an 'interesting time.' Also remembered when the cast was taken off his arm was much whiter and hairier!!! LOL

Sofabitch · 23/08/2011 06:36

Ds broke his wrist in April. Same as your dd both bones just above the hands. Although he had his reset under a general as try thought it might need wires. Anyway he has a week in a plastercast then 4 weeks in a coloured cast (can't think at this time in the morning what they are made of) and then a week in a soft cast just up to his forearm rather than shoulder. (but not bandage) that we could take off at home by soaking in water.

His skin was smelly and delicate and a bit pasty as it had been good weather when the cast came off he was told not to rub it. He complained it was tender for a week or so I just gave calpol/calbrufen when asked. We are about 3 months since the break now and he still finds it tender when he bends his wrist back. But generally has been fine and just got on with it. He was told to avoid monkey bars for 6 months but he hasn't and he is a pretty rough and tumble type boy. I can see a slight dip in his wrist where is broke it. But other than that it's been fine. Tbh by about week 2 he was trying to ride his bike with a full up to the shoulder type cast.

Sofabitch · 23/08/2011 06:40

Forgot to add he was x rayed weekly for 3 weeks to ensure the bones were healing straight. They went there was a7 degree movement but the surgeon said that was within normal range.

Original poster
Portofino · 23/08/2011 09:57

I am bit worried that she hasn't been checked for a month! I wasn't told it was necessary She has been instructed to be very careful, but god only knows what she has been up to out of my sight.....

OP posts:
CMOTdibbler · 23/08/2011 10:05

If it makes you feel better, I hugely, hugely fractured my wrist last year, had three lots of surgery with pins, screws blah de blah, was in plaster for 10 weeks, and had an xray 2 weeks after surgery and the day they took the plaster off, so I'm sure its fine that if the surgeon was happy after surgery it didn't need xraying till the 45 days

Original poster
Portofino · 23/08/2011 10:49

Thanks CMOT / everyone!

OP posts:
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