Broken wrist, how long does the pain last after removal of the cast?

yolog chloe02837 · 2018-02-06T09:45+00:00

i am going through what a lot of you already have. i am grateful this site exists where we can actually communicate with each other in a useful way.

my accident was dec 18, 2017. i had surgery on my wrist on dec 22nd. the surgeon said it was the worst break he'd seen all year. i have two plates and a bunch of screws. he also did carpal tunnel release since he figured i'd end up needing it. i was in a cast for 10 days, since then i have been wearing a splint. i try to keep my arm/wrist elevated--and alternately have the splint on and off due to pain from swelling.

the doc said my bones are soft--which i kind of knew anyway. part of the problem is my inability to digest minerals properly due to damage in my intestinal villi from celiac. i take serrapeptase to help counteract the scar tissue so my villi can come back--but it has not been completely successful--though i have improved somewhat given my teeth , fingernails and hair are better than the were.

i also recently discovered my old lyme disease that has been bothering me after i moved to another state last year. i now have been taking anti lyme herbs since last fall. i also now avoid most grains and as usual sugar.

i can now tolerate eating more foods due to controlling the lyme disease and overall have less joint pain--which plagued me for years. i am also now starting to take mms which really is effective against lyme disease. didn't realize once you have lyme disease its for life. it comes and goes depending on the strength of the immune system. i think the mms etc. is also helping reduce some of the swelling.

no doubt my critters have just loved this injury site in my wrist since they like places like that in general and eat collagen and the myelin sheath covering the nerves. i am going to try the dmso someone here recommended to see if it helps. in addition i am taking things like dandelion root, burdock, milk thistle and cleavers to help my system reduce swelling by helping out my liver, digestion, skin and lymphatic system. plus yes am back on more absorbable calcium again and trace minerals including boron.

i take herbal pain killers too since i am sensitive to most--though i do use gluten free arthritis tylenol at night, was using naproxin but then found out it feeds the lyme disease. so anti pain herbs that help me are california poppy, vervain, wood betony. am also having lots of nettle tea to help with calcium and oodles of greens--and making sure i eat sufficient protein which fortunately i now can do.

and yes i do my hand/wrist exercises in the shower, and/or portable plastic tub balanced on top of my was basin in the bathroom so i can immerse my arm in hot water. i am just starting to take dead sea salt baths at night again now that my knee is improving.

the other posts here give me hope despite the fact yes the movement in my hand and wrist is still painful and very stiff and in many ways near impossible. the heat in water helps the most. i have to ice after otherwise there is too much swelling.

Mandy_J chloe02837 · 2018-02-24T00:43+00:00

Hello Chloe and everyone on this thread!

I did it real good. I broke both my wrists when I fell playing Pond hockey on Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. The nurse in emergency said to me, "you know it will be a long time before you can wipe your bum." I replied, "oh no, I hadn't got that far in my thinking. I was wondering how I would answer my phone, how I would respond to emails, how I would dress myself, how I would feed myself. I haven't got that far!!!"

I was determined to wipe my own bum from the start. I got a great tip. Use the fruit and vegetable bags you get at the grocery store, along with the baby wet wipes. With a leg up on the counter this works like a charm! For the first few days I could not even pull up my underwear so I stayed in my nighty all day, as I was on my own except for help first thing in the morning to get dressed and have breakfast as well as friends that came in to make my lunch.

From the beginning I was also able to feed myself when I reverted to eating like a two-year-old with my elbows out wide and gripping spoon like a two-year-old. I was able to manage Half a cup of tea in a paper cup. But as the weeks progressed I was able to increase that to a full cup and it eventually back to a mug.

As far as dressing myself, after about a week I was able to manage my underwear and found a pair of pants that were loose enough for me to pull up without being too loose so that they would fall down.

I started on moving my fingers and thumbs from the very beginning and using a Stress ball, just a tiny bit. I gradually build my strength. To open the fridge we had to start with tie looped around the handle that I could slip my arms through. After a week I had enough strength in my fingers to pull the door open. My husband would leave things for me to eat in containers that we're very light without the lids on tight. He would put a small amount of milk in a water bottle rather than me having to deal with a large jug. Lots of little things like this made life easier.

My neighbor loan me a woolen scarf which we inserted into a Sling that I got when I left the hospital. I wore this around my neck like an old fashioned muff and this kept my hands toasty warm when I went out for walks, as I could not wear mitts. I live in snowy icy Canmore, Alberta, so I had a very good winter boots with studs on the bottom to give me good traction went out walking as they certainly did not want to fall again! Initially Friends took me out walking but soon and I was going out solo. Keeping active is very important to me.

The final thing that I could not manage myself was to wash my face but we finally came up with a solution to that as well. The night before, my husband would wet a washcloth, ring it out so that it was damp and leave it in a bowl. When I got up in the morning I would put it in the microwave for 30 seconds on high and presto, I would have a lovely very warm cloth with which to clean my face!

I have been sleeping fairly comfortably at night by placing two king size pillows on either side of me and across my chest, then resting my arms on top of them.

As I am self-employed, I could not call in sick and have someone do my work for me, so I have been spending several hours a day in my office working on my computer, with significant rest breaks. Although I have been using a dictation a lot on my computer, it makes a lot of mistakes and can be frustrating. I combined that with typing as usual but much slower. This has insured I use my fingers a lot and it certainly has made the six weeks passed by quickly in addition to watching the Olympics.

Now the painful rehab begins in earnest. I love to downhill ski and in my goal is to ski at sunshine in Banff national Park on my birthday which is in two months time on May 7. Wish me luck and good luck to all of you in your recovery efforts. Slow, consistent effort is the way forward!

Broken wrist, how long does the pain last after removal of the cast?

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Thanks for your help!