Broken mid shaft humerus - how to cope please

[rachaelsara]

My 12 year old fell off a horse yesterday morning and broke her humerus. The pain is awful, any advice please....

we were seen by a nurse practioner who didn't look ata the x-ray until I suggested it . I didn't feel very reassured or confident so took her to little local a&e who prescribed the codeine. Hopefully the fracture clinic will give us a clearer idea of the future re cast or not or splint. I'll offer tobuy it myself iff need be.

ds1 was told not to straighten arm
he had snapped the humerous through slightly higher up than mid shaft..
Pain was hideous for 3 days then he was a lot better bug he was casted on day 4 then he felt better much less pain.

Yep, and the pain is terrible - completely unlike other fractures. So she needs lots of love and sympathy and chocolate etc

I've go her some choc flapjack and a bag of grapes to counter the constipation. I believe it hurts because she has a really high pain threshold. Good to know it's all normal though.

piffle - i won't do the bath again then

Oh, and if you would be able to pay for a splint, certain hospitals have people who can make them, which would be good for a child. I have skinny arms, and the off the shelf ones didn't support it enough. Then the occupational therapist made one by literally molding the plastic tightly round my arm, and it was heaven.

oh I'd check re the heat tbh ESP so soon
not advised in broken bones ESP in first 48 hrs as it dilated blood vessels and can compound swelling, affecting healing.

OK no heat. We have got BUPA with dhs job, so will try to get reffered for a proper job.

Though why the NHS can't do what's needed...

Poor thing. I fell down a flight of stairs when 16 weeks pregnant and broke my humerus too (towrds the joint though). I was in collar and cuff and could only take paracetamol (as pregnant and allergic to codeine). The pain was really bad for the first couple of days but then it quickly got a lot better.

No advice but hang in there.

I think soem NHS do it, but, certainly when I was there, it was quite a specialist thing. Had to pay for my second one, couple of hundred quid I think

Lilly's break is probably hearer the top than bang in the middle and on the x-ray it looked like a clean snap but the bone ends aren't in line any more. It's hard to believe gravity alone will fix it. Her arm is huge.

Am fairly sure it needs casting unless a greenstick fracture? Unlikely at age 12 and hard bone to greenstick imo

When is she due to be reviewed? We had 24 he fracture clinic review and then they said return in another 48 hrs for cast. They wanted all swelling to die down first.
ds1 did not. Need codeiene once we put him on 4 hrly paracetamol with 4-6 hrly nurofen.
He slept really well bizarrely
the shock and pain wears them
out

having just read your last post Rach...
do go back to bupa or anywhere and get. 2nd opinion

Fracture clinic mon 4pm which is 48hours after event. I think it's closed over the weekend, so it's best to break a bone in the week, 9-5. She slept in my bed, propped up on lots of pillows (dh slept in her single!). The pain and nausea woke her up. I've been told to give her 400mg nurofen 8 hourly, 1000mg paracetamol 6 hourly and 15mg codeine 4 hourly. I'm writing it down as I go to keep track, but the pain is back before the meds are due.

crikey ds was on more often that that!
we were told 4 hrly 1000mg paracetamol 6 hrly 2 nurofen tabs 4 hrly if pain severe or breaking through.
co codamol instead of paracetamol if needed.

How old was your ds? Lilly is 12, 5ft tall and 8 stone ish.

If you have Private cover there is no harm in checking out what they can do. Have you called them? We looked at ours this week as DD hurt herself but they said A&E had done everything that could be done so no need to push a referal - it was good to know I could ask for a 2nd opinion though.

He was nearly 12, about 5ft 1 and 8 stone!
tall strong boy.

Spoke to private hosp who said we'd need a refferal so I'll push fracture clinic dr ( first Doc she'll have seen) to get that organised.

DD1 and DD2 just measured her arms and her right arm is 31cm in diameter compared to a 25cm left arm - now onder it hurts, though codeine is making her much more relaxed!

bump

...

At age 12 and eight stone she counts as an adult in terms of medication, the paracetamol and ibuprofen doses sound fine but the codeine dose is maybe a bit stingy?

You could phone GP tomorrow/ask for telephone consult and ask about a higher dose to help the pain. I'm about the same size as her and took 60mg codeine 4 x daily after surgery - that would probably be excessive for her but maybe ask the Dr about her trying 30 mg 4 x daily? Just a suggestion.

IIRC collar/cuff is the usual for this kind of break as the weight of the elbow and lower arm acts as a weight/traction to straighten the broken bones, or pull them into alignment. But its a few years since I was in orthopaedics so not gospel...

How is she today rach?
hope she ( and you/dh) got some sleep.
good luck with referrals too

bump as you'll have been to fracture clinic by now. i hope they were helpful.