Humerus Fracture Week 1 to 2

I decided to write this post to share with  all of you out there in hope that it will help those going through similar situation or caring for someone who has a broken bone. I realised there are not many programme out there for someone like me with a fractured arm. I hope this post will give you a bit of an exposure and what to expect in days to come following a fractured bone.

Week 1&2

Above are pictures of my U-slab cast (sorry about the alignment) and my X-ray right after the orthopaedic nurses put a cast on it. Notice the displacement.

There are usually many ways to treat humerus fracture.In my case, they opted for the U-slab which is a special cast that fits over your shoulder and go all the way to the elbow. The aim of the treatment is to allow the weight of the arm to keep the bones correctly aligned whilst they heal. The collar and cuff sling also has to be worn at all times to help support the wrist. As you can imagine there is no where in hell you can even try straightened the fractured arm as it hurts a lot !!!

I was discharged home on the same day with a cocktail of painkillers : panadol, ibuprofen and codeine. I have to stress that it is important to take the painkillers regularly for the first 2 weeks at least following the fracture to control the pain. It was mostly bed rest for me and lots of fluids. I can clearly remember that it was the most unpleasant time for me.  I couldn't get up and move around very much because the fractured arm hurt a lot and I had to do things really slowly as any movement would move the bones. Sometimes this will effect in the bones grinding and trust me it hurts like crazy!

Check out this link for more information on how to care for a broken humerus :file:///C:/Users/MARIE/Downloads/ORT%20OP%20PIB-10%20%20Midshaft%20Humerus%20arm%20Fractures%20Sept%202013.pdf