April 11, 2008
broken is the new cool
We took Charlie back to the orthopedist today. His arm is still broken, but NOT infected, which is pretty much what we were hoping for.
He chose the red cast, and when the nurse started to wrap the red stuff around his arm, he said, “THAT IS SO COOL!” and the doctor cracked up.
When the cast was completely on, and the bones had been all straightened out AGAIN, the doctor said, “Charlie, can you wiggle your fingers?” and Charlie started wiggling the fingers on his left hand. Which is funny because it’s his RIGHT arm that is broken.
We go back on Tuesday for more X-rays and possibly a new cast, depending on how things look. And then we lather, rinse, and repeat for six to eight weeks because this is one badass break and the doctor wants to be certain that Charlie’s arm will not be permanently at a 45 degree angle, or something like that.
Although maybe lather rinse repeat isn’t the best analogy, since I still don’t know how to give the kid a bath. It’s going to be a long eight weeks if I don’t figure that out, isn’t it?
Suggestions, Internet? Because I have a five-year-old who hasn’t had his hair washed in nearly a week. And dammit if it STILL doesn’t look better than mine.
Posted by Susan @ 10:00 pm • just happy to be here, those damn kids
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April 11th, 2008 at 10:15 pm, Jenn @ Juggling Life Says:
Saran wrap, covered with a hefty bag, secured with duct tape. Oh yeah, been there, done that!
April 11th, 2008 at 10:28 pm, Katherine Says:
I’ve done the hefty bag thing too - only secured with several rubber bands. It’s got to be easier to keep an arm out of water than it was a leg…
The kitchen sink with the spray nozzle works wonders too. I’ve used that on my kid when he was scared a bath would hurt (nasty scrapes from wiping out on his bike).
Luckily, at 5, once a week hair washes seem to keep it looking pretty decent still!
April 11th, 2008 at 10:50 pm, Headless Mom Says:
I used to love laying on the kitchen counter and have my mom wash my hair. But that might be easier with long hair. Although the novelty might be good for a boy… Also, do you have a Shower massage with a long hose? that could be good for directing water where it should go. My boys love ours, especially on “buzzy mode”. They’re pretty cheap, and easy to install if you don’t have one. Good luck!
BTW- He is the most precious patient I’ve seen in a long time!
April 11th, 2008 at 10:53 pm, karen Says:
I broke my leg last summer (I had a purple cast). I used a DryPro cast cover for taking baths and going swimming (pool and beach), and an easy on/easy off cover like this for everyday quick showers. I was able to buy both at a local medical supply shop but you can also order them online.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:18 pm, Cheryl Says:
Saran wrap etc but my daughter also liked tucking a washcloth in around the top of the cast to catch any water that might be tempted to run down her arm when taking the plastic off after a shower/bath. We tucked the wash cloth in, wrapped saran wrap around the top of the cast and then covered the whole thing in a trash bag secured with tape. Good luck!!
April 12th, 2008 at 12:15 am, McSwain Says:
Another one who’s been there. Same as everyone else said–bag over the arm. Also, sit him in the tub facing so that his right arm can rest on the outside edge of the tub. You don’t have to worry about making it too watertight if he doesn’t put it down in the water, which he shouldn’t. The bag should just protect from inadvertent splashes.
April 12th, 2008 at 1:24 am, margalit Says:
Another BTDT here. Do the plastic bag thing, but he’s got a fiberglass cast, not plaster and it CAN get wet. Not sopping wet (although we did do a bit of that) but wet enough. So what you want to do is, after the bath/shower, take your hair dryer and blow dry the cast. It will be FINE. Really, check with the doctor/nurses. They’ll tell you the same thing. As long as it does’t get soaked, a few drops or even a bit more will be fine. Just dry it off to ensure that it doesn’t lose it’s shape.
April 12th, 2008 at 1:43 am, Becca Says:
I have spent a lifetime in fiberglass casts. Ok, probably only a year, when you add up the weeks, but still. I bought a wonderful cast cover called a xerosox that works on the vacuum principle. You suck the air out with a little hand squeezy thing and then you can even immerse it in a bath and it won’t get wet. The trash bag is doable, but there was no way I was going to put up with that for more than a week. Other than buying my crutches instead of renting, and my wheelchair, one of the best investments in durable medical equipment I’ve made.
The deal with getting fiberglass wet is that it’s ok if the fiberglass itself gets wet, but it’s a problem if the padding underneath it does.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:25 am, Trish Says:
I’ve never broken anything or had a family member that has, so I don’t really know how well my idea will work. However, I think you should look into one of those removeable shower head sprayers with the really long necks. If he is okay taking showers, then it is really easy to point the water to =only the places it needs to go to rinse off soap. It could be one of the cheapy plastic ones or you could get a really nice one with different spray/massaging type. That way YOU could enjoy it after Charlie is done wearing the cast. I’m sure you could use some relaxation after all of this.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:02 am, Erin Says:
my son broke his elbow just before he turned 3. We bought a cast protector to make bahting easier as he was in a non-waterproof cast.
GOOD LUCK.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:13 am, Kellie Says:
Broken record: bag. I broke my wrist when I was 14 and was in a case for 8 weeks (ALLLLL summer!!). My Mom would put a washcloth in the top of my cast, wrap a bread bag around it and secure it. And for itches? A hanger. Dear GOD did my arm itch like mad. Ease the hanger gently down the cast and scratch away. And the stink when the cast was removed? Oh. My.
He’s so adorable—makes me want to put him in my purse and bring him to Target and buy him whatever he wants
April 12th, 2008 at 7:49 am, daysgoby Says:
Arm, meet breadbag.
April 12th, 2008 at 8:26 am, Emily Says:
I’m not sure if this has been said already, but the plastic bags newspapers come in were a good size for me when I was about that age and bathing with a broken arm.
April 12th, 2008 at 8:49 am, blackbird Says:
They do sell a special bag for over casts - your doctor would know where to buy one…
April 12th, 2008 at 9:32 am, All Adither Says:
That red is pretty snazzy.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:32 am, crockpot lady Says:
You’re in Oklahoma?
ask around at the feed store. they have really long gloves for birthing cows. and it would be a neat show-and-tell.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:36 am, sue Says:
I’ve been told that Glad ‘Press’n seal’is perfect for the job. Just be sure everything is dry when you start. Good luck!
April 12th, 2008 at 10:40 am, Alison Says:
He’s pretty proud of that cool red cast. So glad it’s not infected.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:25 am, Anna Says:
Please, trust the voice of experiences, (not me) but I would think that with a broken arm, a bath would be easy enough.
Then again, my 3yo has a blue cast (it was that or neon green) on her leg, so maybe I’m just a tad bit jealous.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:34 am, M&Co. Says:
When the GC broke her ankle, I wrapped the cast in saran wrap, put a garbage bag over it, put a rubber band around that and them put duct tape around the edges. I also used baby wipes on her toes because they got filthy. Charlie’s arm probably won’t get THAT dirty but you’ll probably have to clean them off occasionally. I think keeping an arm out of the water would be easier than the ankle but who knows.
I never did figure out how to get rid of the stench of the cast; it gets ripe after awhile.
Good luck!
April 12th, 2008 at 12:55 pm, leah Says:
A girl during my freshman year of college had a broken arm that needed a cast for a very long time… we (half of the dorm floor) would use bags and tape , so she could shower. Also, baking soda helped with the smell…
April 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm, Laura Says:
When I broke my arm one summer my mother put a plastic bag over it when we went to the shore. Unfortunately for me, it was a Wonder Bread bag.
April 12th, 2008 at 4:20 pm, Karyn Says:
Those are clever suggestions.
Way better than mine, which was:
Buy tarp
Cut hole in tarp
Stand child on one side of tarp, sticking cast arm through to other side
Stand outside in sunny spot and hose down
Goodness.
April 12th, 2008 at 6:27 pm, Mary Says:
xerosox.. or may be called drypro now.. it works terrifically.. if they are changing the cast often it won’t matter if it gets damp, but if it’s on there for any length of time you DON’T WANT THAT.. it gets really gross underneath and if it stays wet the skin will start to break down!!! So.. no bread bags, saran wrap, etc… they don’t work!!
ortho nurse, by the way!!
April 12th, 2008 at 6:39 pm, Corey Says:
We used the bags that the newspaper comes in. They are the perfect size and shape, assuming your newspapers some in bags.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:13 pm, Stephanie Says:
Find where the medical supply store/pharmacy is in your town. They will sell a special waterproof bag that has a built in elastic band that goes around the top of his arm. You put the arm in the sack, then cinch down the elastic with the plastic toggle at the top of the arm (careful to not cut off circulation.)
He can then get a shower safely. Don’t let him fully submerge the arm, and try to be careful, but this will keep the water out.
When I was pregnant I had a PICC line in my upper bicep that could not get was wet EVER because of infection issues. I was able to shower every day without problem, as long as I just kept the arm out of the direct stream of the nozzle.
Until you get the bag, the saran/garbage bag idea is okay, but water can still get in.
If your pharmacy doesn’t sell this cast cover, here’s a link to one: http://www.showerdri.com/
April 13th, 2008 at 11:31 am, Go Read It Today, Sunday, April 13, 2008 Says:
[…] Susan needs suggestions on how to bathe a child with a broken arm. […]
April 13th, 2008 at 1:13 pm, Jaime Says:
I will lay both my son & my daughter (separately! they take turns!) on the kitchen counter with their heads over the sink in order to wash their hair. Kitchen sprayer works on both of them.
April 13th, 2008 at 8:29 pm, Maria P. Says:
My mom would tie a plastic bag over my arm and then help me shower.
I broke my arm when I was a kid too. I had a hot pink cast.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:25 pm, Debra Says:
Susan,
Yeah, you can try the saran wrap and hefty bag tricks, but
THEY SELL CAST COVERS AT THE DRUG STORE. They slip over the cast, keep it dry and you dont’ have to mess with boxes of saran wrap and hoping it’s waterproof.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:25 am, Nina Says:
I love how everybody has these great home remedies and then Debra says “THEY SELL CAST COVERS!” LOL.
Anyway, I love how he’s obviously really proud of his cast. So. Cute.
But seriously, must they be constantly resetting it? Can’t they just get it right the first time? Sorry, I know they’re doing their best, but the whole idea of setting and resetting and then resetting his poor little arm…sends shivers up my spine.
Good luck with the bathing!
April 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am, Jamie Says:
I love how cute he is and so proud with the red cast! Very stylin’.
I don’t have any advice on the bathing. Still working on that some days myself.
Good luck! Sounds like you’ve already gotten plenty of sage advice.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:35 pm, dani Says:
Crockpot Lady gave you the same advice I was going to. The feedstore cattle birthing glove. Hawt.
April 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm, Steph T Says:
Breadbag is how we did my sister’s arm. Also, they have the nozzles that attach to the faucet in the tub that you can use to wash his hair. It’s going to be a fun time at your house. I’m glad he’s feeling better and I’m sure he likes his red cast (I think it’s pretty cool).
April 14th, 2008 at 8:35 pm, The Simple Family Says:
Second the saran wrap, trash bag scenario.
Just make sure he keeps his arm away from the water and you’ll be okay. I took a shower with a cast on my arm…so I’m sure you guys can figure it out