Casts 'n Stuff

[Mirf]

Ok i miiight get a little long winded but i wanna start from the beginning. Feel free to skip it or stop if you get bored .

I dunno if someone noticed, but i didn't reply to my birthday thread. But not because i missed it or had a bad birthday or anything. Actually i had an awesome birthday, probably one of the most fun ones in years. Except for my way home. I went home around i dunno let it have been 2 am or something (So technically it wasn't my birthday anymore) at least it was already as dark as in one of those chambers where you develop photos. Which probably barely exist anymore with all the digital stuff.

Anyway on my way home i came along a "construction construct" or whatever you call it. You know those metal thingies with wooden planks that they use to build and paint houses. So this one was rather small or maybe i was too big. At least i was wondering why the first wooden plank was so far down. So i was really careful not to bump my head kept looking at the plank and wanted to pass under it. The problem was the little metal bar that connected the outer bars at the ground. I didn't see it before. Maybe it was too dark. Maybe i didn't pay enough attention or was too distracted by the low plank. And i didn't think of the chance of there being one either.

So as i was watching to not hit my head i totally caught my foot in that bar and fell rather violently to the ground. Luckily i used my lightning quick reflexes to catch myself with my hands before hitting the ground with my head. Unluckily my reflexes aren't really that lightning fast and besides getting bruised all over and looking like i went diving in a pebble swimming pool i broke two fingers of my right hand. Now i've never broken anything before in my life (and i was pretty proud of that being the clumsy butt that i am ) and i never imagined having one would be so annoying and hard.

So my right hand is in a cast and i'm right handed. So what do you think first when you have your primary/dominate (or however you call it) in a cast? Yup can't write whop de doo. Not really that bad. But wow, i never thought how hard the simplest of things suddenly become. Stuff like brushing your teeth, shaving yourself, opening your door or getting out your wallet and paying become actually quite the challenge. Luckily i didn't have a big or complicated fracture. And apparently i healed pretty fast. Cause the doctor said usually you keep it 4 to 6 weeks upwards and i kept mine only 3 weeks. Which really was more than enough for me. Especially with the whole summer temperature thing. I still have a bandage thing but that's flexible and not as big and i can do most things fine with it. For example i can finally type and not take 3687738564875 hours again .

Anyway so if you read this far i'm curious. Ever had a cast? And did you find it as annoying and/or hard to manage as me?

[Anonymouse]

I had to get a cast for a single broken finger and yes, it was annoying but I got used to it. I got sick of explaining to a billion people everyday why I had a cast when I'd only broken my finger. I have no idea how I managed to write during that time. I was actually in a drum corps at the time and I played the trumpet, and I had to do a parade wearing that cast. Playing the trumpet with a cast is pretty much impossible, so they told me to just fake it. It was raining too so I had what I called an "arm condom" over my cast to keep it dry.

The funny thing is that I was bragging about how I'd never broken a bone in my life the day before I broke my finger.

I'm glad you healed quickly!

Oh and dark rooms still exist (there were at least two at my college), but I'm sure they're on the decline.

[Joal 555]

About 10 years ago I ruptured my achilles tendon and had a cast from my toes to just below the knee (so I needed crutches to get about). They initially told me it would be for 8 weeks so I mentally geared myself up for that period. Imagine my disappointment when with 2 weeks to go, they said actually it needs another 4 weeks i.e. 10 in total. Arrrrgh! Why not say 10 in the first place and then if it turns out to be 8, it's a bonus.....

Anyway, it was a difficult period and the leg was terribly weak when the cast was finally taken off. But many people put up with much worse on a permanent basis so I always tried to keep it in perspective (sometimes easier said than done!)

Glad you've recovered Mirf!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Very glad to hear you healed quickly. (And that you had an awesome birthday of course.)

Only ever had casts as a fun hospital demonstration thing, but managed to have a shoulder going out and back into the socket and got misdiagnosed at the first aid facility. Which I realised when the arm froze up and I could hardly move it for a good while. Is that close enough?

It did make it very difficult to do anything, what I remember best was a 5 hour shift as a cashier at the time, as my boss was very difficult about days off. Working a shift with one hand... not fun.

[Salamander]

Glad to hear you're healing up.

I never had a cast on, but a broken arm with a cast from fingers to shoulder is the reason I have one my best friends- she was an acquaintance I had coffee with once a week or so, and I was nuts about her. When she broke her arm and went in to have a metal plate put in it (ouch!) she needed someone to take her home from hospital all stoned out on anaesthetic, and take care of her in her pain-killer addled state for a few days. I was the only person who was free at the time. We were forced into each other's company for three days straight, while I slept at her house, cooked her food she could eat with a fork in her wrong hand, dressed and undressed her (bras and flies are hard!) and dosed her up on meds. Forced intimacy was a tiny but awkward at first, but now we have no shame or secrets around each other.

Now we refer to it as a happy accident, but my Gods I remember how hard it made life for her.

[Rhomberg Rabbit]

Only one thing worse than breaking a bone and having it in a cast. And that's breaking a bone and not having it in a cast. When I broke my left arm [fortunatly I'm right handed] they put metal plates in but no cast. I went around for 8 weeks terrified I was going to trip and fall on it again. Same thing happened when I broke my hip. I got a pin but no cast. And I couldn't put any weight on it for 6 weeks. Try and imagine what that's like.

PS glad to hear you're better

[Purple]

Oh gosh. When I was about eleven, I broke my wrist. Being uncoordinated already (How do you think I broke the damn bone in the first place!), I ended up with a bloody nose because I got scared and jumped and hit myself in the face. With my cast.

For me, the worst part was when they took off the cast. No one really prepares you for that.

That being said, be prepared to see a very flaky, white, floppy limb that may or may not have bruises on it. Loads of fun.

[Kiwifruit]

I have never had a cast and feel like I missed out on a childhood experience...is that terrible?

I sprained my right wrist once though, I slipped on some books my little brother pulled off a shelf and landed on my right arm. I think I was about 7 or 8? I had to have it in a sling still though, despite the lack of a cast. Was very annoying trying to do things with my dominant hand up, I remember...I was sooo relieved to be able to take the sling off. I could use scissors again!

*Pulls out glitter pens and signs everyone's casts*