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Hi all, my 14yo massively overjumped a jump, went OTB and landed breaking both wrists (yes....much ouch!) He's generally ok, but we're trying to figure out good hacks to help his recovery. Any tips gratefully received. Any good ways to pass the time appreciated too. He loves gaming, but mouse and/or controller going to be hard.
Bants is also good. E.g he already asked if his bike is ok! I told him that I'm sure he'll "bounce back" soon and that unicycling is an option for the 5 weeks until his casts come off.
Ouch, poor lad. Get him to write into MBUK with some pics and he might win some goodies
I think your back on arse wiping duties....
Audio books???
*resists obvious joke*
hacks
Bants
stay off the internet as much as possible, it’ll warp his brain.
Hope he recovers quickly.
At least he won’t go blind.
I broke both my hands at that age. During exam week. So no school. Eating was tricky, so everything was cut up. Pain was not so bad, but couldn’t really do much. I’d also second audiobooks to pass the time.
Any plates? Broke my wrist badly a couple of years ago. Typing and mouse with dominant hand was a no no for months. Writing the same. Can he finger type? If so that ma help. I assume he’s still going to school even if only to sit in lessons?
Take him to a mtb race for fun.
resists obvious joke
Is that the one about hiring a pro to give him a hand with stress relief sessions?
Teach him semaphore?
14yo with both wrists out of action? Hope he has a close friend.
He will have soon...
Offer him the option of having all meals as smoothies until he gets out of the casts, then just blend all the normal food you make. Spag Bol smoothie might be awesome. Or not.
I broke my left wrist and right elbow in the same sitting, that was bad enough at 31. 14 and no wrists, PTSD could be a real risk here!
TBH it’s not *that* bad, once the initial trauma settles down, time will drag, but at least it’s winter, I did mine in the middle of summer - 30c and casts aren’t good bedfellows.
Films, Audio books, maybe some of those cheap half-scale Xbox controllers, he might be able to use those with the casts - ASDA sell them for about £10 from memeory.
I honestly don't mind wiping his arse, but I'm not doing the other thing!
We're not quite sure what he can or can't do yet as we're still in hospital. Will be good to get him home and figure things out. I already plan on using my park workstand to elevate his right arm (worse break than left). Audio books are good idea. He loves reading, but holding a Kindle could be a pita.
If one or both has been plated then different surgeons have wildly different opinions about how long casts need to stay on, so if you don't get the answer you want first time, try a different hospital. Made six weeks difference for me.
My 13 year old son currently has his right arm / hand in a cast after breaking a knuckle punching his brother on the hip.
He is still able to play Xbox just fine.
Get him read up on the tuck & roll. Learn to never FOOSH again 😉
DezB also nails it. I was there at the time. I was looking away and as I turned around, saw his entry speed and knew it would go badly. No time to do anything.
He loves reading, but holding a Kindle could be a pita.
Then he can read at a table, or rest it on his knee, or on the arm of the sofa or...
He's only got to touch the screen to turn pages.
I've been in the same position - in-place fracture on the left and full break on the right going OTB at Chicksands.
Best advice I can give is get a couple of waterproof cast guards so he can actually have a shower. It's a massive pain trying to wash yourself when all you can do is stand and rotate and hope the water washes some smell off! I used Limbo I think, other options are available: https://limboproducts.co.uk/
In terms of what he'll be able to do, it depends on where the cast goes up to. I was quite fortunate in that the casts stopped just below my knuckles, so I could still place my hands on a keyboard and type, use an Xbox controller, etc. The difficulty comes less from finger dexterity problems and more from not being able to rotate your wrist - he won't be able to pour anything, for example. But he should still be able to use normal cutlery & eat normal food.
Hope he gets well soon - mine were 2 weeks for the left cast and 5 for the right, but I was back jumping the bike again after a couple of months. Although a few months after that I did break my collarbone... 😀
I was looking away and as I turned around, saw his entry speed and knew it would go badly. No time to do anything
Feel for you. Worst thing in the world, seeing your kid hurt themselves 🙁
My mates brother fell from a two-step ladder whilst painting his new born baby's room.
Broke both arms. So his missus had three arses to wipe and three months to literally feed for 2 months.
Just recovering from a collar bone break here (seven weeks after plating) so I can tell you that paracetamol is a very good painkiller as long as you keep the level topped up, i.e. take 1 gm every 5 hours or so. Keep a note of when he took it or you'll lose track and you mustn't overdose.
I avoided ibuprofen because the jury is still out on whether or not it hinders bone repair by suppressing the body's natural reaction.
I broke my collar bone a few years back (stw helped diagnose what the doctor missed). The sports doctor actually recommended smoking weed.
Prob not the best for the OP's 14 year old boy.
Glass of milk a day to help the bones mend.
Extra calcium needs to be taken with vitamin D. He will mend fast at that age.
Thanks all for some useful posts. To those who asked, he has "k-wires" in both wrists that can be removed clinically so avoids having further surgery to remove plates. Yep, he's got plenty of HGH in his system due to his age so hopefully will heal quickly. He only drinks water and milk, so hopefully the milk will help the bones.