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Parenting

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Original poster

Urgent help please, regarding badly broken arm.

19 replies

3littlebadgers · 26/10/2015 08:50

Please help me. I have no idea what I am doing!
Dd is currently in hospital following being thrown from a horse first thing Saturday morning. Left arm (she is a lefty) very badly broken and they rushed her straight into surgery.
The Nurses have said that they think the surgeon will let her go home today, after his rounds becuase her obsession are good and fingers, apart from little one can wriggle. DH has come in so I've nipped home to shower and I want to take in a few bits to make her more comfortable on the way home. But I've looked in her wardrobe and there is nothing that I can imagine getting over her cast.
She has a full arm cast, which is massive because of the pins and wires which are hiding underneath. I'd say at least three times the width of her normal arm, right up to her arm pit and down to her wrist.
At the minute she is wearing a vest with spaghetti straps and pj bottoms, which is fine because the hospital is roasting. But what can I take her home in? Even getting the vest on she was in tears bless her and that was so stretchy is didn't touch her arm as such.
If anyone has experiance of such a cast please can you advise? What did you dress them in. Also what did you do regarding school uniform? And general care tips would be great.

OP posts:

dlwelly · 26/10/2015 08:53

No experience I'm afraid and not a quick fix but if you're handy with a sewing machine could you add some poppers onto the straps of vests so that they can be pulled up from the bottom and then clipped over her shoulders (a bit like a baby sleeping bag iyswim).

Hope she's better soon.

OldCrowMedicineShow · 26/10/2015 08:55

Your poor dd, it sounds like a horrid fall.

For leaving hospital, a poncho, cape or large wrap to keep her warm?

Could you modify some strap tops - sew a popper onto the bit which would normally slip over the arm?

Elk · 26/10/2015 09:02

I broke my right wrist 4 weeks ago so am only in a half cast. For the first few days I wore a vest top but only put the strap over my uninjured arm the covered with wraps, my cashmere wrap was amazing as it was so soft and warm.. Skirts / trousers with elasticated waists are easiest to put on.

You can get waterproof cast covers on the internet which are great.

She will probably need pillows / cushions to get her arm in a comfortable position for both sitting and sleeping. I needed to take pain killers for quite a while after my op and the swelling is still quite impressive.

To be honest my wrist hurt so much that I didn't feel the cold for at least a week, but I may be a complete wimp.

Hth

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Original poster

3littlebadgers · 26/10/2015 09:08

Brilliant, thank you all the poppers advice sounds like a great idea. I have no creative ability whatsoever but I'm sure even I could manage a popper. I might look a next online for a nice warm poncho type thing, they do next day delivery right?
We are very lucky, the circulation in her had was very poor when they took her into theatre and it wasn't looking good. I feel very blessed indeed that it has gone this well so far.
Do you think school will be ok with random clothes on the top for a while? She is year 2.

OP posts:

Original poster

3littlebadgers · 26/10/2015 09:11

Also a bit premature, they said they will need to change the cast at some point, and she is as yet unaware of the wires and pins and I am scared that she will be distressed if she sees it. Anyone been through something similar?

OP posts:

MrsJen3 · 26/10/2015 09:12

I took my DS (5yrs) home from hospital the day after his op still wearing his hospital gown, he wore that for a further 2 days once home as he was in too much pain to move never mind attempt a change of clothing.
Once the pain had subsided a little and he felt able to get dressed we bought t-shirts, hoody's and school shirts that were a good couple of sizes too big for him to wear until the cast came off. HTH x

mudandmayhem01 · 26/10/2015 09:15

My daughter had an open fracture of her forearm, surgery, full cast. Make sure her painkillers are kept topped at all times even if she doesn't mention being in pain. I cut the arm out of some old tops, leaving quite a big armhole so a lot easier to get on. When she went back to school I did the same with some cheap polo shirts and just wrapped a cardy round her.despite the severity of the break she made a very speedy recovery.

Watto1 · 26/10/2015 09:16

When it comes to getting dressed, remember BAD arm in top/coat first. It's easier to manoeuvre the clothes around the bad arm to get it in when the rest of the body isn't in it if that makes sense.

MrsJen3 · 26/10/2015 09:17

Not sure how old your DD is but when my DS has his cast changed the nurses did a good job of making sure he didn't look at his arm during the process.
Myself and DH were kept busy on one side of the bed reading to him and keeping him busy with toys, whilst they set to work on the other side of the bed changing the cast.
It was difficult/painful and there were tears from DS & me but he got through it.

Pixi2 · 26/10/2015 09:19

You may find that school won't allow her back until the cast is off. Dd wasn't allowed in with a full leg cast. Dnephew had attendance letters continuously over the course of secondary school as he managed a fractured skull/eye socket/shoulder and a broken arm (all school rugby incidents may I point out) and wasn't allowed in until healed.apparently it is because they cannot control the risk of random knocks/accidents to the cast.

mudandmayhem01 · 26/10/2015 09:28

Our school always seems to have at least one child in a cast, my daughter has broke her arm twice, if they hadn't let her back to school she would have missed 12 weeks school in three years!

Original poster

3littlebadgers · 26/10/2015 09:31

Thanks everyone. I've got some wraps for the journey home and I will see what I can find for after that. I really hope she will be allowed into school becuase she loves it so much. I was trying to explain to her yesterday that ballet and things would have to stop for a while and she was beside herself. She's had a tough year bless her, I just wish I could make it better for her.
I have been security checked, and used to volunteer at her school, do you think they would let me go in to help her? I'd be completely fine doing that and she is little enough to quite like that. The Dr said it would be a long road to recovery, and she'd require further operations the idea of her life being on hold for such a long time seems so sad. I wish I could take it from her

OP posts:

BertrandRussell · 26/10/2015 09:38

My DS went back to school with a cast in year 2 - but after talking it over with his teacher, we agreed that at first I would come and take him out at lunchtime. They were reluctant t let him in the playground both because he might hurt himself but also because a cast can be quite a lethal weapon on the arm of an active 6 year old! They offered to let him and a couple of friends stay in the classroom over lunch but I thought that was a bit unfair on the friends so I took him out for a couple of weeks. It was the week of year 2 SATs and I can still remember the wail from his teacher "Oh no, how could you! One of my Level 3 Writing boys!!!!!!!"

MilkyChops · 26/10/2015 09:38

They have those cardigan/poncho type things in newlook that seem to have come back into fashion. With leggings, easy to pull up and down and warm boots.

Put the vests on over the legs first then pull up over the arm. Rather than trying to manoeuvre the arm. Or if you can do some sewing turn some vest tops into halter tops so she can pull them up over her legs then just push her head through.

Or you can get tops that button up the back?

Is she of the age where she doesn't mind you helping her dress still?

Bogburglar99 · 26/10/2015 09:53

By analogy, when DD broke her leg I cut the relevant leg off a pair of leggings. Kept the rest warm! So maybe big, cheap Long sleeved T shirts and hack the left arm off? Ditto cardies, hoodies?

You could even open up the left shoulder seam and popper it, so you could put top on good half/ put on like jacket, and then popper the left side around her shoulder?

Good luck. Hope she is in less pain soon and makes a good recovery

CMOTDibbler · 26/10/2015 09:53

I broke my arm very badly 5 years ago, and due to multiple operations was in a cast or bulky splints for just about 2 years, so I have a lot of experience!

Vests with thin straps are great as you can step into them and then pull up, putting the strap over the bad arm first. I then layered with short sleeve cardigans (go for boyfriend style so they can be baggier) with joggers and an arm warmer for the other arm. I got a lot of wear out of a nice thick cape!

I'd recommend getting a good sling as it makes a lot of difference to comfort.

Hard to tell if she'll be distressed by seeing the wires - its very weird to see them sticking out and I had a lot of stitches which were a bit stuck as my arm had been so swollen. A bit different, but ds was 4 when I did it, and even my external fixator didn't worry him (unlike adults). Get as much pain relief as you can into her before a cast change though.

Original poster

3littlebadgers · 26/10/2015 12:30

Thank you everyone. CMOT I hope your arm is better now. I have ordered a few massive looking cardigans and tops that look easy enough to hack an arm off without it being a problem.

As for school I've ordered a few polo tops without the logo to chop the left arm off and the same with a couple of cardigans. I was thinking to send her in with Jersey bottoms rather than skirt and tights, just so she can manage the toilet with one hand, and hope the school won't mind. What do we do about her washing her hands? At the moment when she has needed the toilet I have been helping her so she didn't touch anything and I just wiped her fingers with a wipe after but when she is on her own doing it I imagine that won't be enough. Her cast is a big old school plaster cast with a bandage layer over the top.

We are home now and it feels so good to have her here. She is snuggled up on the sofa in a little nest of cushions watching The Lorax.

OP posts:

RoseDog · 26/10/2015 12:37

Anti bac hand gel but in a pump dispenser on her desk at school, I doubt the school will bother too much about what she wears as long as she is comfortable.

I hope she recovers well.

CMOTDibbler · 26/10/2015 12:44

If you have a pump soap dispenser at home, then washing hand is easy enough - turn tap on, use thumb to press pump down with rest of hand under, squish soap in hand, rinse. The other hand will be fine. Antibac gel is surprisingly hard one handed as you can't rub it in. It is good for the bad hand as it stops smell between your fingers

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