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Post by pierkiss on Feb 19, 2017 6:42:10 GMT
My kid managed to break his elbow while jumping out of his sisters desk chair today. (worlds lamest broken bone story ever!). Anyone have any advice on how to make him comfortable? Advice on how to dress him for the next month or 2? He has to wear a uniform for school (polo shirt with button up pants). Would it be unreasonable to ask the principal of we can modify the uniform with sweat pants? He cannot pull up his normal pants after using the bathroom at the moment. I've never had a broken arm, nor has my husband, and we're not really sure what to do here beyond give pain meds when we can and keep it in his splint and sling.
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Post by padresfan619 on Feb 19, 2017 6:46:49 GMT
If his uniform can't be modified he willl need help in the restroom. Hopefully his current needs will be accommodated.
Make sure to wrap his cast in a trash bag during bath time so it doesn't get wet. A pillow under his arm when he's laying down will help take pressure off the collarbone.
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Post by mom on Feb 19, 2017 6:53:55 GMT
I would definately ask about his uniform being modified.
Otherwise, I have no real advice or experience other than to remind you to keep on top of his pain medicine.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:31:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 6:54:24 GMT
My kid managed to break his elbow while jumping out of his sisters desk chair today. (worlds lamest broken bone story ever!). Anyone have any advice on how to make him comfortable? Advice on how to dress him for the next month or 2? He has to wear a uniform for school (polo shirt with button up pants). Would it be unreasonable to ask the principal of we can modify the uniform with sweat pants? He cannot pull up his normal pants after using the bathroom at the moment. I've never had a broken arm, nor has my husband, and we're not really sure what to do here beyond give pain meds when we can and keep it in his splint and sling. They do make boys pants with elastic waistbands that aren't sweat pants. I'd try to find some of those instead of sweats because they will look more like what he currently wears. But yes, ask the school about modifying his uniform so he can take care of himself. Stay on top of the pain in the first week or so. Give his pain meds on time and not wait until he is hurting.
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Post by scrapqueen01 on Feb 19, 2017 6:59:54 GMT
You both have my sympathies. I've been through this with dd as she has broken both arms. If you get permission to modify his uniform that will help. I found that over sized shirts and elastic pants/dresses worked best. I took dd to the beauty shop once a week for a good hair washing. If the doctor gave him pain meds then give him those or children's tylenol. After about a week dd's pain had just about gone away. After a couple of weeks you will both find a rhythm that works. Dd was better able to dress herself with one hand when she no longer hurt. Hugs to both of you.
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Post by ntsf on Feb 19, 2017 7:16:31 GMT
for a shower, put garbage bag over arm, use a rubber band, then cover the end of the bag (at the skin).. with glad press n seal.. that is the best stuff to keep out water. elevate, rest, keep pain meds on board (don't wait til pain is severe).. elevate is the best thing. dh has been dealing with broken bones and the consequences thereof for 30 yrs..
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Post by Delta Dawn on Feb 19, 2017 7:44:05 GMT
My son had a knee injury (lots of blood, stitches oh god what a mess). I think I comforted him with anything under the sun that he wanted. Food, Lego, Thomas the Tank Engine and maybe money, too. He has liked money for a long time it seems.
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AmandaA
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,502
Aug 28, 2015 22:31:17 GMT
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Post by AmandaA on Feb 19, 2017 7:51:19 GMT
Oh man, that stinks. I don't have any broken bone advice but wanted to chime in about the uniform. My son has been uniformed since 2 years old and we have done lots of elastic waistband pull on khaki's (and still do in kindergarten). If they will allow you to modify, just wanted to suggest Old Navy, Lands End, and Gymboree for pull on boys sizes.
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AmandaA
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,502
Aug 28, 2015 22:31:17 GMT
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Post by AmandaA on Feb 19, 2017 7:54:22 GMT
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Post by mlynn on Feb 19, 2017 8:17:39 GMT
I went the garbage bag rate as a teenager. Major flop. Ruined the cast and had to have it removed and replaced.
As an adult, I used a cast protector. It has a diaphragm at the top that keeps the water out. You should be able to get one locally at a medical supply store - or possibly a drug store.
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Post by Lexica on Feb 19, 2017 10:48:44 GMT
I broke my elbow and had surgery to repair it. Did his break require surgery and does he have permanent screws or pins in it now? I agree with the advise to provide a pillow to prop his arm on during sleep, and even when laying on the couch for TV. It is surprising how just the weight of your hand and wrist causes painful pressure on the elbow. Make sure he doesn't use that arm for any lifting and follow the final instructions of the doctor as to how much he can carry on that side. I still bend my arm at the elbow and hold it close to my body before sliding grocery bags on that side. I can't hold it straight down to lift anything anymore. His elbow may also kind of lock up in the bent position due to being held that way to heal. I ended up having an apparatus made to stretch my arm straight again so that it matched the arm on the other side. It will probably take a few months before he feels it is all back to normal. Well, I shouldn't say that. I'm an old fogey and it took mine a long time to feel normal. He may heal a lot faster and not have any difficulty with it freezing in one position since he is a child.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,156
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Feb 19, 2017 11:48:05 GMT
We've had a couple broken bones here. The nurse in our district is the best person to talk to about accommodations. One of my boys was in a cast for broken thumb and she called me right away to talk accommodations. He didn't really need any because it wasn't his writing hand and he was doing ok on his own.
My other ds broke a bone in his wrist which required a cast from hand up past and including his elbow. That much casting is a challenge! Luckily no uniform and he was always in sweatpants so no big deal there. But he couldn't wear his jackets so I took one of hubby's sweatshirts and cut the arm off at about the elbow. Several sizes too big, but was easy for him to maneuver in and out of it and he was warm.
Good luck, a bit of a challenge, but they bounce back and heal quickly. Mine were always ready to go (or thought they were) far earlier than the MD thought. After the first few days its the new normal.
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Post by mikklynn on Feb 19, 2017 12:09:24 GMT
Oh, poor guy!
I agree with the others, it's important to give him pain meds on a schedule to stay ahead of the pain. I'd even get up in the night the first couple nights to give it.
Other than that, I pretty much gave my DS whatever he wanted the first few days.
Kids bounce back quickly, thank goodness!
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Feb 19, 2017 12:20:09 GMT
I went the garbage bag rate as a teenager. Major flop. Ruined the cast and had to have it removed and replaced. As an adult, I used a cast protector. It has a diaphragm at the top that keeps the water out. You should be able to get one locally at a medical supply store - or possibly a drug store. I picked up a pack of waterproof cast covers at Walgreens, but Amazon has them, too. Sooo much easier. just don't do what I did when DD came home in a cast - I served chicken on the bone for dinner. What was I thinking?
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Country Ham
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,316
Jun 25, 2014 19:32:08 GMT
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Post by Country Ham on Feb 19, 2017 12:25:38 GMT
My daughter broke her arm when she was 5. The staff just coped. They helped her as needed in the bathroom and with her pants, someone carried her tray for her in the lunch room. There never was any discussions about it. Daughter showed up with a cast one morning and it was automatically handled.
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 19, 2017 13:58:50 GMT
Thanks everybody! I wound up moving him down to the reclining sofa around 2am because he would not stop screaming from the pain/being really uncomfortable in his bed. As soon as I got him down there and propped his arm up and reclined him a bit he stopped screaming and was a bit happier. Once the next dosage of pain meds kicked in he was really good to go. I was shocked that he slept soundly until 7:45 this morning after all the screaming and crying. So, I guess he will just rest and sleep on the sofa for at least the next week. Right now he's just in a hard splint and sling. We have to go see the orthopedic surgeon next week to find out if he will need surgery/screws. He PA In the ER didn't think he would, but couldn't guarantee that because the part of the bone he broke is hanging at an oddish angle. Really praying that he doesn't need surgery. I fully plan on keeping him on a schedule of his pain meds. I don't want him to be in pain.  and thanks for all the tips regarding bathing! We'll get to try some out later today! 
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scrappinmama
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,672
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Feb 19, 2017 14:15:28 GMT
Oh man! That poor kid.i wouldn't hesitate to ask the school about changing his uniform in to elastic waist pants.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:31:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 14:22:39 GMT
Ughh! I'm sorry he's in so much pain. Poor guy.
On the bright side, at least it's not summertime. As if having a cast could be any worse...seeing the kid not able to enjoy summer water activities is even worse.
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,816
Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Feb 19, 2017 14:34:27 GMT
When DH broke his elbow, his greatest complaint was constipation from pain meds. So, get your DS eating lots of fruit, and consider stool softeners. Try to keep him as physically active as possible.
In our elbow experience, we learned that there will be regular physical therapy needed. He had sessions, and I had to exercise the arm 4 times daily. That may be hard to fit into the daily school routine.
Good luck! It really will heal more quickly than you realise!
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Post by scrappychick on Feb 19, 2017 15:03:44 GMT
If it's his writing arm, you're going to want to ask for a scribe at school for a couple weeks.
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 19, 2017 15:50:51 GMT
If it's his writing arm, you're going to want to ask for a scribe at school for a couple weeks. It is not thank God!! 
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caangel
Drama Llama

Posts: 6,025
Location: So Cal
Jun 26, 2014 16:42:12 GMT
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Post by caangel on Feb 19, 2017 16:17:48 GMT
My DH broke his arm while *PRACTICING* Easter egg hunting. It is a big family joke.
Definitely have him keep up with the PT. When DH broke his elbow (different time) he didn't keep up with the PT and now he can't fully straighten that arm. Makes doing certain exercises and sports a little tricky.
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Post by salem on Feb 19, 2017 17:01:05 GMT
Thanks everybody! I wound up moving him down to the reclining sofa around 2am because he would not stop screaming from the pain/being really uncomfortable in his bed. As soon as I got him down there and propped his arm up and reclined him a bit he stopped screaming and was a bit happier. Once the next dosage of pain meds kicked in he was really good to go. I was shocked that he slept soundly until 7:45 this morning after all the screaming and crying. So, I guess he will just rest and sleep on the sofa for at least the next week. Right now he's just in a hard splint and sling. We have to go see the orthopedic surgeon next week to find out if he will need surgery/screws. He PA In the ER didn't think he would, but couldn't guarantee that because the part of the bone he broke is hanging at an oddish angle. Really praying that he doesn't need surgery. I fully plan on keeping him on a schedule of his pain meds. I don't want him to be in pain.  and thanks for all the tips regarding bathing! We'll get to try some out later today!  My DD broke her collar bone and slept in our oversized chair all propped up for a good week. It was very painful. I hope your son is on the mend soon. The uniform change hopefully won't be an issue at school. Will you be able to get a polo shirt on him? We went with very gently putting button down shirts or big tshirts on and yes, stretchy waist pants. The school will probably ask a buddy to help get his books and stuff together too. Just remind him to be really careful about leaving space around him at school. My DD got bumped a couple times and she learned to step back to avoid the pain.
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 19, 2017 17:44:55 GMT
Thanks everybody! I wound up moving him down to the reclining sofa around 2am because he would not stop screaming from the pain/being really uncomfortable in his bed. As soon as I got him down there and propped his arm up and reclined him a bit he stopped screaming and was a bit happier. Once the next dosage of pain meds kicked in he was really good to go. I was shocked that he slept soundly until 7:45 this morning after all the screaming and crying. So, I guess he will just rest and sleep on the sofa for at least the next week. Right now he's just in a hard splint and sling. We have to go see the orthopedic surgeon next week to find out if he will need surgery/screws. He PA In the ER didn't think he would, but couldn't guarantee that because the part of the bone he broke is hanging at an oddish angle. Really praying that he doesn't need surgery. I fully plan on keeping him on a schedule of his pain meds. I don't want him to be in pain.  and thanks for all the tips regarding bathing! We'll get to try some out later today!  My DD broke her collar bone and slept in our oversized chair all propped up for a good week. It was very painful. I hope your son is on the mend soon. The uniform change hopefully won't be an issue at school. Will you be able to get a polo shirt on him? We went with very gently putting button down shirts or big tshirts on and yes, stretchy waist pants. The school will probably ask a buddy to help get his books and stuff together too. Just remind him to be really careful about leaving space around him at school. My DD got bumped a couple times and she learned to step back to avoid the pain. Well, the regular daily uniform shirt is a polo. But the dress uniform shirt for mass days is a white button down dress shirt. I've been thinking about this, and I'm coming to the realization that he might just have to wear his short sleeved dress shirt everyday. I do not love this idea, but after watching my husband try and out him in a long sleeve quarter zip shirt, I don't think there are many options. Might try again after the permanent cast goes on, as hopefully it will be a bit slimmer than his current splint.
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Post by salem on Feb 19, 2017 18:37:51 GMT
My DD broke her collar bone and slept in our oversized chair all propped up for a good week. It was very painful. I hope your son is on the mend soon. The uniform change hopefully won't be an issue at school. Will you be able to get a polo shirt on him? We went with very gently putting button down shirts or big tshirts on and yes, stretchy waist pants. The school will probably ask a buddy to help get his books and stuff together too. Just remind him to be really careful about leaving space around him at school. My DD got bumped a couple times and she learned to step back to avoid the pain. Well, the regular daily uniform shirt is a polo. But the dress uniform shirt for mass days is a white button down dress shirt. I've been thinking about this, and I'm coming to the realization that he might just have to wear his short sleeved dress shirt everyday. I do not love this idea, but after watching my husband try and out him in a long sleeve quarter zip shirt, I don't think there are many options. Might try again after the permanent cast goes on, as hopefully it will be a bit slimmer than his current splint. Oh, poor guy. I'd definitely go with the short sleeve. Injured arm in first and then around the back and then good arm, then reverse taking it off. It caused the least amount of jarring. If you can get a size bigger, even better. No pulling to button it. Good luck.
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Post by melanell on Feb 19, 2017 19:27:35 GMT
poor kid!  I definitely hope that the school will be willing to allow an alteration of the typical school uniform in this case. Two years ago my son broke his wrist. He wasn't running, playing, or anything like that. he was walking in a park, tripped on some sort of hole in the ground, and put his hand out at just the right/wrong angle so as to break it as he hit the ground. Now that is a lame story.  And he did it the last weekend before summer vacation. So for the first half of the vacation he had to keep telling his lame story to everyone who asked what happened to him!  People were even telling him that he needed a better story. 
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queenofkings
Full Member
 
Posts: 283
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:41 GMT
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Post by queenofkings on Feb 19, 2017 19:32:49 GMT
My son broke his arm recently too and is still in a cast that goes up to his bicep. We have a lame story too- he fell off the end of our bed. (He was also told by literally every person we told that he needed a better story! LOL) We tried to buy the cast covers, but it simply wasn't long enough to go all the way over the cast (close but not quite). We've been using a trash bags and waterproof bandage tape. It's working well. Thankfully, no uniforms so that hasn't been an issue. Shirt sleeve shirts will be a must. Cast arm first putting it on, and last taking it off. You'll definitely want to do lots of elevation amd ice for the first several days. Don't let him stick anything in the cast to scratch when it gets itchy either (and it WILL) because if he breaks the skin from scratching it could get infected. Ice packs seemed to help him a little bit when it has gotten too itchy. The first 2 weeks are the roughest and it gets better after that. Mine stretched a nerve so he had some tingling and pain from that. The swelling in his fingers took almost 2 weeks to go down also. But watch for the color - blue or white is bad and needs to be checked out quickly. If you press the fingers and they pink up quickly, that is good. You may also check with the doctor about getting him a piece of felt that has adhesive on the back to wrap around the edges of the cast if he has any trouble with it rubbing and creating irritation.
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Feb 19, 2017 19:42:09 GMT
for a shower, put garbage bag over arm, use a rubber band, then cover the end of the bag (at the skin).. with glad press n seal.. that is the best stuff to keep out water. elevate, rest, keep pain meds on board (don't wait til pain is severe).. elevate is the best thing. dh has been dealing with broken bones and the consequences thereof for 30 yrs.. There are really good cast covers available that are thick, durable, and waterproof. I had to get one recently for my husband. They carried them at Walgreens but not all stores have them. There is an online inventory feature that shows which local store has them in stock. My husband also appreciated liquid body wash in a bottle with a pump, and those plastic flossers that you can use with one hand.
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Post by quinlove on Feb 19, 2017 19:48:42 GMT
Thanks everybody! I wound up moving him down to the reclining sofa around 2am because he would not stop screaming from the pain/being really uncomfortable in his bed. As soon as I got him down there and propped his arm up and reclined him a bit he stopped screaming and was a bit happier. Once the next dosage of pain meds kicked in he was really good to go. I was shocked that he slept soundly until 7:45 this morning after all the screaming and crying. So, I guess he will just rest and sleep on the sofa for at least the next week. Right now he's just in a hard splint and sling. We have to go see the orthopedic surgeon next week to find out if he will need surgery/screws. He PA In the ER didn't think he would, but couldn't guarantee that because the part of the bone he broke is hanging at an oddish angle. Really praying that he doesn't need surgery. I fully plan on keeping him on a schedule of his pain meds. I don't want him to be in pain.  and thanks for all the tips regarding bathing! We'll get to try some out later today! OH dear. I instantly cried when I heard about him screaming in pain. This breaks my heart. My ds dgs would be getting literally anything he wanted. He will be in my prayers.
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Post by grammadee on Feb 19, 2017 20:00:22 GMT
What kind of sling is he in? With a broken arm near my shoulder I could not sleep comfortably until dh picked up a 4 point sling from the pharmacist.
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