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Two broken arms :-O



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 3rd 03, 06:31 PM
Robyn Kozierok
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Somehow we got through 9 years of raising boys with no broken bones.
Then last summer Ryan broke his finger. Well, Matthew decided to
do something about our low bone-break-count. He cracked/buckled
a total of 4 bones in his forearms! (In each forearm, right near the
wrist, the larger of the two bones is buckled and the smaller one is
cracked.)

So, now he is in 2 (temporary, for now) casts, each going from his hand
to above the elbow, and he can't do anything for himself. For at least
6 weeks. Give us strength! He can't get either hand close enough to
his mouth to feed himself. He currently can't write at all, but I am
hopeful that the permanent casts will allow enough finger flexibility
for him to hold a pencil.

On the bright side, I no longer have a conflict with the two boys'
soccer games. :-/

If you have a child who might be prone to do so, tell him/her that when
climbing a baseball backstop, it is *not* actually a good idea to turn
around and try to climb down with your back to the fence so you can see
where you're going better. :-O

--Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/93 and Matthew 6/96 and Evan 3/01)

  #3  
Old September 3rd 03, 07:31 PM
Karen G
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Gracious, I feel for you. Casts are a pain. At least he can pick a
neat color and they aren't as heavy as the old plaster ones. How long
will the permanent casts have to stay on? We went through a dislocated
elbow/broken arm with surgery last summer. What a deal! We were very
blessed with a good pediatric orthopaedist.

Good luck with the necessary activities. It took my then two year-old
quite a bit of time to get the hang of going to the bathroom and eating.
With two casts it is going to be twice as hard. Fortunately, at 2 she
only had to have the cast on for 4 weeks.

A note to you and to other parents with kids in casts for the first
time. The removal can be quite traumatic. They use a saw connected to
vacuum cleaner to cut the cast material. Always make sure the person
doing the removal shows the child (on his/herself) and then on the
child's other hand or leg that the blade will not cut skin. The noise
is bad enough, but the idea of a blade is pretty awful.

Karen G

  #4  
Old September 3rd 03, 09:09 PM
Scott Lindstrom
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Robyn Kozierok wrote:


Anyone know of any kind of special utensils that might be available to
allow a person to feed himself with an arm casted at a 90 degree angle?


I've seen really long forks before, I think they were
gag gifts -- so you can eat off other people's plates.
If they're longer than your 7-yo's arm, he might be
able to use them.

Or maybe he should perfect his throw-the-food-in-the-
air-and-catch-it-in-his-mouth technique

Good luck. Healing wishes have been sent ...

Scott DD 10 and DS 7

  #5  
Old September 3rd 03, 11:05 PM
LFortier
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Robyn Kozierok wrote:

So, now he is in 2 (temporary, for now) casts, each going from his hand
to above the elbow, and he can't do anything for himself. For at least
6 weeks. Give us strength! He can't get either hand close enough to
his mouth to feed himself. He currently can't write at all, but I am
hopeful that the permanent casts will allow enough finger flexibility
for him to hold a pencil.


Ouch! So how's school going to work out?


If you have a child who might be prone to do so, tell him/her that when
climbing a baseball backstop, it is *not* actually a good idea to turn
around and try to climb down with your back to the fence so you can see
where you're going better. :-O



We will keep that in mind.

Lesley

  #6  
Old September 3rd 03, 11:05 PM
Splanche
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Anyone know of any kind of special utensils that might be available to
allow a person to feed himself with an arm casted at a 90 degree angle?

Thanks!


You may find stuff for disabled people in a medical supply store, but you might
also do ok with a long wooden spoon.
reading shouldn't be too tough-- a book holder will help so he doesn't have to
hold onto the book himself. something like:

www.3000giftsandmore.com/book_holder.htm




- Blanche

  #7  
Old September 3rd 03, 11:06 PM
just me
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Default Two broken arms :-O


"Robyn Kozierok" wrote in message
...
Anyone with suggestions as to what a 7yo boy with 2 casts can do besides
vegging in front of the TV?


When my then 4 yo brother broke his arm my father bet all three of us $5 [a
significant amount in the 1960's to a child] that we could not learn to tie
a shoe one handed. I learned, taught both my YS and my bro. The point I'm
making is that if you make some interesting challenges your son may well
respond to them above and beyond any expectations. Perhaps working from the
frame work of what is it like to live without arms and challenging him to
learn various tasks with his feet. Perhaps you could find information about
some individuals who have responded to that type of challenge successfully.
This could become quite an eye opening in empathy, surmounting difficulties
and looking beyond the disability.....he might also develop quite an
artistic outlet that becomes an avocation......


Anyone know of any kind of special utensils that might be available to
allow a person to feed himself with an arm casted at a 90 degree angle?

Consult with an Occupational Therapist. They have all sorts of interesting
tricks and adaptive devices. If you are into cost savings, see if you can
find the inexpensive alternative, such as the door handle in the bathroom
instead of the expensive but very similar looking/functioning device to hold
onto to get up off the toilet or out of the bathtub. You ought to be able
to get a referral to a decent Occupational Therapist from the physician
without any difficulty in light of the fact that both arms are broken and
immobilized.

Hang in there! This could be a very interesting time and perhaps sibling[s]
will find new ways of both terrorizing him and of responding to his needs
like a loving sibling should ;-)

-Aula

  #8  
Old September 4th 03, 01:43 AM
Iowacookiemom
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Default Two broken arms :-O

Yikes, Robyn, I'm so sorry!

When Henry broke his leg and was in a cast on both legs, toe to waist, it was
mostly a matter of accepting that there was not much he could do for himself.
Of course, he was much younger.

It sounds like he's an adventurous sort (given how this happened), so I'm
betting he will creatively figure out how to do lots of stuff. You'll also
find what types of food he can eat no-handed. For example, when I am alons I
still practice a childhood habit of eating the first few kernels of popcorn out
of the box by touching my tongue to them and just lifting the popcorn out (it
will adhere to the damp tongue).

My nephew had both arms in similar casts at about 12 yo. IIRC (we do not live
close to them) they never found much they could do to accommodate him; they
just had to resign themselves to doing it all.

Good luck to all of you!

-Dawn
Mom to Henry, 10

  #9  
Old September 4th 03, 01:47 AM
Robyn Kozierok
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Default Two broken arms :-O

In article ,
Scott Lindstrom wrote:

Or maybe he should perfect his throw-the-food-in-the-
air-and-catch-it-in-his-mouth technique


Oh great. I'd rather avoid another ER visit for food aspiration.

We did let him eat some items "puppy style" tonight. He thought that
was cool

--Robyn

  #10  
Old September 4th 03, 05:59 AM
chiam margalit
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Default Two broken arms :-O

(Robyn Kozierok) wrote in message ...
Somehow we got through 9 years of raising boys with no broken bones.
Then last summer Ryan broke his finger. Well, Matthew decided to
do something about our low bone-break-count. He cracked/buckled
a total of 4 bones in his forearms! (In each forearm, right near the
wrist, the larger of the two bones is buckled and the smaller one is
cracked.)

So, now he is in 2 (temporary, for now) casts, each going from his hand
to above the elbow, and he can't do anything for himself. For at least
6 weeks. Give us strength! He can't get either hand close enough to
his mouth to feed himself. He currently can't write at all, but I am
hopeful that the permanent casts will allow enough finger flexibility
for him to hold a pencil.



Serious bummer. Like you, I was recently knocking wood that I had yet
to be in an emergency room in my 10 full years of parenting, but that
ended with a child shutting another child's hand in the sliding door
of the minivan by accident. It WAS an accident, I was watching and saw
the whole dreadful thing happen. We got a striped pink and purple
cast. It's lovely. YOu can request multi-colored ones, and one sample
at our children's hospital was a delightful plaid. :-)


If you have a child who might be prone to do so, tell him/her that when
climbing a baseball backstop, it is *not* actually a good idea to turn
around and try to climb down with your back to the fence so you can see
where you're going better. :-O


We'll keep that in mind. Although I *think* my kids are beyond
climbing on backstops, one was on the roof of the train station
recently until spotted by a neighbor who threatened to call the
police. You gotta wonder just WHAT they are thinking!

As for feeding oneself, there are always chicken nuggets and other
large chunk food, which can be eaten right from the plate, doggie
style. And one of my kids has perfected eating with a fork between her
toes, so you might want to try that out. It's disgusting but
fascinating, in a weird way.

Marjorie

 




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