broken wrist/misery

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sareenagreen

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broke my wrist wed.went to er.they did finger traction, didnt work so well then did closed fraction reduction..felt the bone snap back thenn they splinted it.went to ortho fri xray, doc tol me options..surgery or cast and see if it improves.i opted out of surgery.casting lady did another closed fracture reduction while casting cuz i guess er didnt do it right or something like that.she also set my cast with my wrist bent down a bit.this causes a lot of discomfort and hard to sleep just cuz its bent and not straight.its a full arm cast.again one of the worst pains ever and i didnt get meRAB both times.ortho doc did xrays again after casting and said alignment was pretty good of course not perfect but thats just how it is.


ive been extremly afraid of my boones slipping ancoming out of alignment.every pain i feel i think its the bones slipping especially thelil sharp ones.im just so scared to get it reduced again and i really dont want surgery either.

its also har to get comfortable in this.ive tried different positions but again afraid.

i have been moving my fingers an massaging them.ive gained goodmovement since the break.i think i have a pinched nerve though because i will get shooting pains..not bad to be doubled over but noticable.ive gad nerve issues before with this arm/shouler so go figure i break this one.




i guess im just looking for comfort to put my mind at ease.i only know one person that broke their wrist and shes on vaca so cant talk to her.



i just hope it stays put and heals.ive been trying to boost my antioxident intake with boost drink and string cheese and calcium magnesium zinc tabs.i dont get much calcium in my diet so i have to.



any addvice/ going crazy here:(


oh and i have a follow up tomorrow with another xray.hopefully in cast...and hopefully everything looks fine.





also as far as pain management goes, ive just been taking one motrin pill a day excluding yesterday due to tummy upsets caused by anxiety and didnt want to make it worse.
 
Hi Sareen

I am so sorry you have to go through this!

yes, whether your bones are properly lined up and whether your hand and wrist are straight is VERY important for the future use of your hand and arm. As sad as it is, even while we are sufferring we have to take a stand for what we want and be our own advocate, do our own resaerch, etc. You came to a good place to get support and advice from others that went through similar expereinces.

My own broken wrist is now 9 weeks post op. I broke it in July and the emergency room splint left my hnd hanging down side ways. If it locked into that position I would have had a deformed and useless club hand. I type for a living, and paint for fun! That was not acceptable to me, and I found a very respected surgeon for a second opinion the day after the break.

The break was horribly painful. I had my son cut the sloppy emergency room cast back, myself. My bones that were not properly set had to be rebroken and reset a month after the initial break, and a plate put in to hold the pieces together. This was needed to get my bones aligned properly. Always ask a doctor if the care you are give is what he would want for himself, his child or wife/mother. If he doesn't immediately say 'yes this is the best care there is', you can believe a shoddy or at least not so great job was done...then you need a second opinion OUTSIDE that medical group, area and hospital. Likely from a specialist in a different city. Even then ask the new doctor if this is what he would want done for himself or a beloved family meraber.

You need to demand proper care or you will get the least repair possible to save money. Emergency room care is only to stabilize you and save your life, not to assure that your injury fix is fine tuned. I think by law insurance must pay for a second opinion. You can check out a copy of your x-rays and take them to the second opinion doctor or he can send for them.

Movement is lost faster in the hand and foot than anywhere else, with all of those little ligaments that will shirink. I had a very respected orthopedic expert do my rest surgery, but I had been already casted and I lost a great deal of movement before I was able to get the surgery. After the bone was reset a removable splint was put on my hand and wrist.

I used a cold compress and Motrin for pain and it may work for you if you follow the directions and can take it. I use only the name brand, as generics have filler (even sand/silica) added that are not good for the body. I do well with 600 mg at night, and take it a half hour before bed so pain doesn't keep me awake. During the day I take 200 mg for pain relief. I find it inappropriate that they didn't offer you pain med or suggest an over the counter pain relief. But if you didn't tell them you are in really bad pain they may not offer it.

In a cast it is unlikely the bone will twist and cause further cappillarie damage. After any break there will be some internal bleeding that causes bruising, and the blood will pool at the bottom of the arm, or elbow. You need to keep your hand above your heart as much as possible to keep down swelling. You will lose arm muscle tone really fast. That's normal. The lower arm muscle is built up by wrist movement, so when you can use your wrist again the muscle will build back up. You will have a skinny lower arm for awhile after getting the cast off. That's normal.

Massaging the fingers and hand and upper arm and shoulders and neck is very good.
A break is very significant, but you need extra care and rest. Don't even lift a coffee mug with that hand.

Do you have a primary care doc? Many specialists refuse to see anyone not referred by a PC...try calling and asking anyway...ask frienRAB if they will call their docs and ask them to see you for a second opinion.

I ended up cutting off the emergency room plaster splint and cutting it down so it was not around my elbow or stopping my fingers from moving, and my Stanford level orthopedic doctor told me I was smart. I totally believe you need to find the most expert orthopedic doctor you can afford.

Let me know how you are doing and if you get another opinion outside that doctor's group.
 
thanks for the reply;)


yeah the er i went to has no affiliation with my health care center.they were just the nearest hospital.they dropped the ball with the ortho referel too.luckily my health care center has clear communication.they were all very nice..receptionists,xray tech,caster person and ortho.i havent been to the doc since i wasabout 10 so i was scared! lol they eased my fear.they were also quick too.


anyways, when my ortho showed me the xrays after the cast was on[last xrays taken], he said it looked really good compared to pre cast lol.im going back wed for a follow up and another xray to see if everything is ok.HOPEFULLY the bones stay in place and i will get this thing off in six weeks.5 weeks from fri!im just a paranoid person thinking theworst[bones coming out of alignment].all i want is to heal fast and get tis over worth.


my pain level isnt that bad.the first couple of days i took acouple of 200mg motrin everyday.now i am only taking one.i try to elevate it and keep my fingers iced two times a day.i have movement in them and just try to work with them so they dont get stiff..morning times is usually the worse but it gets better.


im also looking aroun for physical therapy videos so i can get on it as soon as it comes off.



when it does come off, is icing it and using a hesting pad good? seems like it would soothe it.i also have three and 5 pound durabells fir when i gain more strength.
 
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