Waterproof casts

OK. Got waterproof cast. Only AFTER I paid the $78 extra did the doctor redefine "swimming" for me. I can't put any pressure on my right hand (I fractured it at the wrist; it's slightly dislocated but healing OK so far), but I can kick. I also broke my wrist and fractured my elbow and was swimming right away with a waterproof cast. I'm confuzzled as to why you're being asked to wait--other than the threat of a malpractice suit (in the doctor's mind, not yours). I have noticed an increase in the Urgency of instructions by doctors to kids and their parents after breaking bones*. "NO activity" seems to be the prevailing thought, rather than "proceed, but with common sense" (apparently no one has this anymore?). After talking with some doctor friends of ours they admit that it's due to the high amount of malpractice suits. *this is with "typical" breaks, not extenuating circumstances.

Your side stroke will be much improved.

(I used a shop vac with an "edger" attatchment worked to suck out the water mid-cast) then a hair dryer worked. I also used to put one of those ceramic heaters with the fan on "hi" right near my leg after it got wet (while eating, watching TV, etc.) You are giving this advice to someone who almost burned down her apartment building by forgetting that she had put rice cakes in her toaster oven to crisp up? And who was in the adjacent room and told herself not to overreact to smell of smoke because she often does and has called fired department for outdoor smell of wood stoves and so she said ignore the smoke? And then she said, ooo ooo ooo I forgot about my rice cakes and the toaster oven was on fire and she pulled the rice cakes out with her bare hands and stomped on them with her feet and melted both the soles of her shoes and the linoleum kitchen floor and one rice cake still flaming slid right under the chair where her fleece jacket was hanging? I would electrocute myself. I agree, though. I swam last night (yeah yeah yeah!) with arms at side or streamlined and did dolphin kick and kickboard kick and backstroke rotation drill kick, but none of this was very aerobic (except underwater dolphin kick). It is cold here in Boston and I have to walk about 15 minutes from pool to subway and my cast arm was wet and freezing. Am wondering if it would actually freeze. Ice on injury good, right? Cast took at least an hour to dry. Long post. Obviously I am somewhat bored and housebound and unemployed au present since I am editor and need right hand to do the kind of pencil/paper editing I do. Am reading the uplifting SCARLET LETTER for the zillionth time. Actually it is good because it is set in Salem, closeby. Cheers. I will stop here.

OH - ME!! ME!! I've had TWO! I swam 2004 SCM Zones with one (right arm, short arm cast) and then 2005 LC Nationals with another one (left arm, full arm cast). they're a pain in the ass to dry off, but if you've got some hand-dryers at your facility, spend some time there to help the process along. i thought the waterproofness was well worth it. I did a lot of kicking and it was after those injuries that my legs really kicked in (pun intended) on my distance swims. I started swimming about 3 weeks after the casts were first put on. Swimming will put a strain on your shoulder so be careful, don't try to go too fast at first, and work a lot on your technique. You'll notice with the limited range of motion of your arm some areas for correction in your stroke. lastly, I will mention that unless your doctor instructs you that swimming will cause death, I think it is very beneficial to the healing process. In the first instance, I was in the water, kicking, 3 weeks after the break, and by week 6, was swimming about 80% effort and 80% normal yardage. I did a couple meets after that, and the cast was off in 13 weeks. With cast #2, I was in the water 3x during the first 4 weeks with the full arm cast (warmup and 2 races at nationals), then took it really easy getting back in the swim of things. That injury, which was the exact same style of break to the same bone on the other arm, had me in a cast for 16 weeks, and when the weather gets bad, that is the wrist that hurts. My point here is that I think being in the water helped the bloodflow needed to heal my broken bones. Since I was doing a lot of swimming with injury #1, there was a lot more activity in the bloodstream and I think that one healed quicker and better because of the swimming. :cane::toohurt:

I had a waterproof cast on my foot/ankle/calf for 6 weeks. I swam with it, but there were places that never dried out so got a bit funky. I found that a combination vacuum cleaner (I used a shop vac with an "edger" attatchment worked to suck out the water mid-cast) then a hair dryer worked. I also used to put one of those ceramic heaters with the fan on "hi" right near my leg after it got wet (while eating, watching TV, etc.) If the cast breaks (water helps do that...) then your insurance co. may pay for a replacement.

OK. I had one. If I were any respectable dog, I would have chewed it off over the weekend and left it on the living room floor. Caused me much claustrophobia. Itched. Was very tight. I was sure my arm was disinitegrating inside it. So, after one week, I asked the doctor to take it off. He was mean about this, saying he'd have to put a regular cast on, but I reminded him that I was the one who had wasted my money and I couldn't cope with it. So he put me in a removable splint and told me not to use my hand. Hmmmm. Went to pool today, removed splint, kicked for a while, got bored, thought, I'll just try a little freestyle with both arms, pulled very very gingerly, no problem. So I'm being a bad dog by swimming very gently, which I think actually will facilitate the healing (I really want to do a meet in December!). I will not post here if I should be so stupid as to screw it up and start over again at beginning of healing process. I am using pain as my guide. But the waterproof cast, bad idea for me. Too tight, plastic against my skin made me feel itchy and claustrophobic. I KNOW if I were a dog I would have chewed it off. As it is, I showed great maturity, I think, in waiting a week for my appointment.

Try swimming with a splint.

just cut the darn thing off and start swimming again!! My arm?

OK. I had one. If I were any respectable dog, I would have chewed it off over the weekend and left it on the living room floor. Caused me much claustrophobia. Itched. Was very tight. I was sure my arm was disinitegrating inside it. So, after one week, I asked the doctor to take it off. He was mean about this, saying he'd have to put a regular cast on, but I reminded him that I was the one who had wasted my money and I couldn't cope with it. So he put me in a removable splint and told me not to use my hand. Hmmmm. Went to pool today, removed splint, kicked for a while, got bored, thought, I'll just try a little freestyle with both arms, pulled very very gingerly, no problem. So I'm being a bad dog by swimming very gently, which I think actually will facilitate the healing (I really want to do a meet in December!). I will not post here if I should be so stupid as to screw it up and start over again at beginning of healing process. I am using pain as my guide. But the waterproof cast, bad idea for me. Too tight, plastic against my skin made me feel itchy and claustrophobic. I KNOW if I were a dog I would have chewed it off. As it is, I showed great maturity, I think, in waiting a week for my appointment. You certainly are a trooper! If it starts to hurt, definitely utilize the splint that the doctor gave to you. If that doesn't work, just cut the darn thing off and start swimming again!!

My arm? haha...absolutely....just kidding, obviously.