My 6 year old broke his wrist right at his ulna on Friday doing something stupid. I was surprised they put a soft temporary cast on him at the ER. They said that we had to wait 2-3 days before having a cast on. I have to call the Orthopedic surgeon in the morning. What will they do with him? I am 34 and my husband is 34 we both have never had a broken bone. How do I give my son a bath so he does not get it wet? We have been wiping him down before bed, but he needs to get a real bath. Any help would be appreciated. Also he broke his dominant wrist for writing.
2007-11-04 18:11:45 · 4 answers · asked by TM 3 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Injuries
Ohhh poor kid. I did it a few years ago - being silly in a Greek taverna!! THe soft cast is normal for the first few days, I think because of the swelling. It will be replaced with a hard cast soon once the swelling has gone down. I used to bath with one arm hanging out of the tub - you will need to help him to wash though. No writing for 6 weeks, although you will be amazed at how much he WILL be able to do with it. (I even used to manage to peel potatoes!!) Good luck to him and hope its not too painful.
2007-11-04 18:21:51 · answer #1 · answered by Sal*UK 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
Broken Wrist and Casting?
My 6 year old broke his wrist right at his ulna on Friday doing something stupid. I was surprised they put a soft temporary cast on him at the ER. They said that we had to wait 2-3 days before having a cast on. I have to call the Orthopedic surgeon in the morning. What will they do with him? I...
2015-08-10 06:32:32 · answer #2 · answered by Harmony 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, the soft cast is to allow the swelling to go down before they put a full cast on, I had a soft cast for 2 weeks after my operation. It is unlikely he will need an operation otherwise they would have kept him in.
As for bathing, you can buy a cast protector which you can et the details from the plaster room when you go back, they usually deliver within 24hrs, failing that you can use a plastic bag and secure it with an elastic band (not too tight) so no water gets in.
Please do not let the cast get wet, this can cause infection and encourage infection to spread, there is a reason for the doctors saying don't get it wet.
2007-11-04 20:24:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
As long as he doesn't have an open cut that is stitched, you don't have to keep the wrist dry! It is just stitches that can not get wet. If he is in a soft temp cast, can't you just remove it to bathe him?
If not, get a plastic bag, quart or gallon size and tape it on his arm above the break line. You may need to shave his arm where you intend to tape it down so that it doesn't rip his baby hairs out when you remove the tape. You might also stick your fingers on the tape before you press it down so that it doesn't pull too hard coming off.
2007-11-04 18:25:54 · answer #4 · answered by joanie m 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hello
What you need to do is...
Put a walmart bag over the soft cast. Secure it by a rubberband or be extra careful by taping duck tape around it.
2007-11-05 09:44:17 · answer #5 · answered by Distance Runner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋