New Cast

A week and a half after the operation I had a new cast put on to replace the backslab/bandage one I woke up with. Not a moment too soon either as I couldn't use the shower cover I had been loaned (affectionately referred to as the 'arm condom') without the bandages unravelling. This meant I had to sit down in the bath and use the shower attachment to have a wash, which I was struggling with really badly due to my right knee being so sore-sitting on the floor and getting up again are both still an issue for me now. This lead to a lot of frustration, and on one occasion I slipped and banged my bad arm on the bath which was seriously unpleasant!
Ali took me along to see the physio's who first cut off the old cast. I got to see the wound for the first time and was pretty surprised how big it was, but to be honest I was more concerned about the fact that I had no feeling in the skin on the top of my hand and leading to my little finger! I was assured this would come back (two weeks on from then I can confirm it has-phew!). It was so nice to get the old cast off, as it was lined with some sort of synthetic gauze stuff which was so itchy it was driving me mad and I had managed to scratch my skin raw in places I could reach!

I was expecting the new cast to be the same plastic mesh stuff I had first time around, however the two physio's emerged carrying a large, slightly molten sheet of solid plastic which they proceeded to mould around my arm as it cooled and hardened. Weird stuff but very light! After a few adjustments (made using a heat gun and scissors) the cast was ready, and sealed shut with a few strips of Velcro. It's pretty good because I can take it off to clean both it and my arm which is a big bonus! Another big bonus was swapping the big blue foam sling for a slightly more stylish one :-)




When I got home my wrist was aching really badly so I took some codeine to help with the pain and had an early night as a headache and nausea kicked in.