Hi Moms, My 10 yr old daughter is having surgery Friday and will be in a cast for 8 weeks. I have heard that there are a few ways to keep the cast dry for showering. Her cast is going to be on her foot and ankle - so it will have to be "in" the shower unlike an arm that she could hold out somewhat. Thanks for your help!!
Hi Joyce,
When I had surgery on each of my feet, I had to wrap a garbage bag around and put tape (I think we used waterproof medical tape) around the top to seal it off each time I showered. It was a pain! If you don't get the tape completely sealing off the opening around the top of the bag, it will leak :( One way I used to work around this was to "hang" my leg up on the side of the tub and take a bath, or just sit down in the shower. At any rate it is a real hassle.
I have seen posters in the hospital advertising special waterproof bags which wrap around the cast to keep it dry. When I Googled "medical device waterproof cast shower bag", the "Dry Pro Waterproof Cast Protector and Shower Bag" for "only $33.95 to $36.95" (+ S&H, of course) claims to be protective enough to allow swimming. Here's the website I saw if you want to take a look: http://www.drnelsonclinic.com/shower_bag.htm I think it's worth a shot, anyway; the aggravation you will save from not having to wrap a garbage bag w/tape for eight weeks will be worth the $40.
Good Luck!
--Mary
ask your doctor to use a waterproof cast. or you can buy bags at the pharmacy specifically for leg or arm casts. I used rubberbands around the top of the bag for my kids because neither one liked to rip off the tape after.
When my son broke his leg he had a cast up to his hip and we put him in the bath tub with his leg sticking out. It wasnt easy but that was the only way we could do it. He was 6 when he broke his leg.
Check out this web site. We purchases one for a leg cast that our daughter had and it worked great. They sell them for arm / leg casts. Good luck.
Hi Joyce, I heard that Press N Seal is awesome to cover casts no matter where they are. Just wrap and press and it should keep the water out! Good luck.
Hello,
My son broke his thumb at 2 years of age and was put in a full arm cast. I found Press & Seal Wrap worked great it's like plastic wrap for food but has a bit of tackiness to it you can find in in with the tin foils and baggies. It adheres to the cast and skin but isn't painful to remove. I would wrap the cast and skin about 2 inches past the cast with it then put his whole arm in a trash bag then duct tape the opening shut around the top of the cast. I also used the Wrap when he did art & crafts and played with things that might be too dirty or wet. Good Luck!
my oldest broke her arm at 2! it was awful, we used grocery bags etc. then, after her cast was removed I came across this giant condom looking thing that is made especially for keeping cast dry, you may find it in a pharmacy but you may also try a medical supply store, good luck!
HI My 4 year old daughter broke her foot this summer and we put a bag over her cast(also on her foot and ankle) and taped it to her leg. The we put a stool in the shower so she could sit and have her leg dangle out of the water over the side of the tub. I have also heard the press and seal works but did not try it. Good Luck!
Hello,
Ask for a waterproof cast. These are fully submersible. My daughter is seven and broke her arm during the summer last year. My concern was that she would miss out on swimming, I asked the doctor and he said not a problem. Our insurance covered a regular cast, but not the water proof so we had to pay for the additional materials, which were only $15.00.
Good luck!
Melissa
I highly recommend a cast cover. They are available at medical supply stores and may be available from your surgeon directly. IT is basically a tight fitting bathing cap for your cast instead of your head. It will be important to be sure she can balance okay and not slip in the tub too! Good luck.
As much as I prefer showers myself, I can't recall my brother taking a shower for almost a year (broke his leg and 10 days after he was out of the cast he broke his ankle) when he was in a cast. I remember my mom doing baths with his leg wrapped in a large garbage bag and taped at both ends. She also kept it elevated on the side of the tub. He was a little younger than your daughter when he went through that and it's the only thing I can think of. Good Luck to you both!
Joyce,
My son just got out of an arm cast this week. He was in it for 8 weeks and we had a cast guard that we used for the tub (and pool...although his arm was never fully submerged). I have added a link for you to a site that offer these guards. It is not the one we used (we had a hand me down that was purchased in Europe.)
http://www.americarx.com/Products/4112.html
Good luck!! I know this can be a scary time!!
Helen Z. (SAHM 5, almost 4, and 15 month old boys)
My 14yr dd had surgery last August for ankle surgery and i have to tell you the shower was out of the question for a few weeks...we learned how to do sponge baths..My dd was quite ill from the anesthesia and did not move for about 3 weeks unless their was a babyroom break..but that was our situation
YOu can use plastic bags and we tryed ducktape to keep the water out/or cloth tape..but my dd got use to having her hair watched in the sink and we got special liquid soap for all those sponge baths ooooooooy it will be a lot of work
good luck to you and your daughter
I would get one of those shower seats or benches that she could sit on and prop the casted foot up on the side of the tub. Also, wrap a plastic garbage bag around the foot and secure it with some tape, just to be safe. I had minor surgery on my toe while I was pregnant (and not so good with balancing on one foot!) and that's what I did. You can find the bench/seat at a medical supply store, some of them even rent them short term. (My parents still had my grandmother's from when she lived with us, so I just used that one.)
Hi, Where I work we tell patients to put a garbage bag over the cast and tape the top of it. For extra insurance I tell them to use two. I have gotten some feedback from previous patients who love to use the glad brand (not sure what brand makes it)? Press and Seal saran wrap. I guess it works wonders. You just wrap it around and there are no leaks. There is also a product, a cast cover designed for showers sold at drug stores. I have gotten negative feedback from patients saying that it doesn't fit properly and leaks.
Good luck to you and your daughter. Write down your questions and ask the doctor and nurses. They may have some better suggestions.
When my son broke his wrist 5 years ago I ran into the same issue. The doctor put a cast on his wrist that is made of a material that allows showering ect. It is made of a material that wicks the moisture away from the skin. My insurance wouldn't cover it (probably since this type of cast was relatively new at the time) and it cost me about $80 out-of-pocket. The cool thing about this cast is that is comes in a rainbow of colors that your child can pick from. I can't remember what this type of cast is called but you might want to ask you doctor about it.
Wrap a trash bag over it and put an elastic band to secure it so water does not get in.
Good Luck!
My niece was in a cast for a while and they have these bags that go over the cast to protect from water. I don't remember what they are called or where to get them but I know they have them.
My daughter broke her ankle last year, so I have a little experience in keeping the cast dry. First of all - I know she won't like it - but I would HIGHLY recommend she take a bath instead of a shower - and keep her leg draped over the tub. Next - it would be helpful, not just for the tub, for you to get the plastic bags that they sell that are meant for keeping the cast dry. They are not available everywhere - we got ours at a supply store in North Andover/Andover. Right now the name escapes me, but it is off Rte. 495 on Rte 28 South - it is just on the left, pretty soon after you get off the highway (tucked back in a little). There are all styles of these bags - some pretend you can even go swimming, but for us the only ones that fit were just regular "baggies"-type bags that were shaped like a boot. They are expensive, so we only bought four of them. When she took a tub, we put one on, got it all secured, then put the next one on to doubly secure it - and good thing, because the outer one always let a little bit of water in, but the inner one always kept the cast wet. The reason we bought 4 was because eventually, they'll tell her she can walk on the cast - THEN it is really tough to keep it dry when it is raining. So we had one set of bags (doubled up) to go to school in, then a dry set of bags (doubled up) for her to put on to come home in. We also bought an extra cast boot. She had one boot to be outside and have wet. This particular one had a closed toe. Once she got inside, she'd take off the wet boot, the plastic bags, and put on the dry boot (which was the one she got for "free" when she got her cast - which was open toed). Also, wish I had known this too - once my daughter started walking - she was really aggressive - she was even running - she started complaining that the inside of the cast was hurting. When I called, they said it was probably just a little loose because the swelling had gone down. I wish I had pushed the issue - because when they did take the cast off, it turned out she had totally worn away all the padding, and she was just walking on the bare cast and it was rubbing her heel practically raw. I don't know how she tolerated it. She clearly needed to get a new cast earlier, but they acted like her pain was normal. However, the girl who took off the cast said she'd never seen a cast worn out like that. So if your daughter gets very active toward the end, listen to her if she complains. Another thing you might want to buy is some REALLY big men's socks to fit over the end to keep her toes warm. The cold weather is coming, and if she's outside, her exposed toes will be freezing. We found the only thing that would fit over the cast were GIANT sized men's socks. Good luck!