Possible fracture, LE arm

So sorry to hear of your fall and subsequent injury. I hope it's not a fracture but in case it is, have you checked out the Step Up Speak Out website? Perhaps there are answers to your question there.  Keep us posted.

Amy

i can tell you of my experience when I did a 'good job' on my LE wrist in Jan 2013. 

I was walking in the hall, slipped on a dog bone and wound up sitting on my butt.  Nothing hurt so I got up but very shortly wrist got very mad at me so when Hubby came home had him take me to UC, they said there were breaks and wanted orthopedics to review on Mon.   They splinted it and home I went.  Mon the ortho Dr I saw wanted the ortho surgeon to see the Xrays.  We had,had a blizzard and the roads were not good but safe to drive senseably.  Unfortunately, not all drive sanely or senseably.  About 1 1/2 miles from home on the way back, a NUT flew past me in a mediumish sized 'something' with a bunch of kids in it.  She lost control of it quickly which left me with nothing to do other than to hit her and the kids (would have been bad - I was in my 4X4 3/4 t. Dodge) or take to the ditch - only logical thing to me was to do was go into the ditch.  My truck was not hurt at all, however all the bouncing did more damage to wrist making surgery absolutely necessary.  (added - I drove my 3/4t 4X4 Dodge not just because of the weather instead instead of my little 2X4 S10.  Could not drive S10 it is a stick shift and no power steering so even small was not an option with a broken wrist while Dodge is an automatic with power steering.)

Back to your question(s).  If there is a break it isn't the end of the world even with LE.

With the pain, there was no way I could have gotten my sleeves on.  Could CAREFULLY wrap though.  My Surgeon and my LET guy talked and the decision was the best idea was to do a short arm splint/cast and then wrap above so I came out of surgery in a splint and 'Guy' had been there and wrapped me above.  As I was told the splint/cast will limit swelling in its area and wrapping above (and/or fingers also if needed) would handle the other areas.  Worked for me - fingers were not an issue and were not wrapped but then the only time fingers are is with the wrong compression level.  Basically my elbow area is the worst.

Taking off the splint does not make sense, TO ME, just to pull on a sleeve - the splint is to stablize to bones.

Hope I made sense - if not ask.

Spookie:  there is a doctor in Orlando who specializes in LE.  I've been debating about driving down to see her. Dr Margarita Correa-Perez.  In addition to being a MD, she is also CLT with the LeDuc method.    I don't know anything about her,, been asking around,,, you need answers pretty fast, but just thought I'd mention her for future consideration.

Looks like she has an office in Clermont too.

I think you can get a plastic cover to go over the cast/splint at a medical supply store.

Spookiesmom, it's your call, but putting a gauntlet on when there's swelling in the wrist could very well push the swelling into your fingers and trap it there, where you definitely don't want it. An Isotoner or Imac glove (from the drug store) that has at least partial fingers would be a better bet. And ACE is generally not a good idea with LE because it's too stretchy and will allow the layers of wrap to shift and be hard to control. With LE involved you want gradient compression that will move the fluid upward, and ACE can't do that.

Better to use some gentle cold--for no more than 15 minutes at a time, and with a layer or two of cloth between the ice pack and your skin. Elevation, as often as possible, even on pillows at night. And stay really well hydrated. Some deep breathing at intervals will help too, because it stimulates the largest lymph vessel in your body.

Sure hope you get some clear guidance soon!

Hugs,
Binney

Edited to add: Swelling after an injury would be normal and may not indicate a lymphedema flare, so hang in there!

I hope it heals soon and no swelling!

I hope no swelling too!!

Oh darn! Is it a plaster cast? I broke my LE arm wrist two years ago. The triage nurse in ER could tell that it was broken even before having the x ray which is why I was hoping your case was something else or a simpler break that would not require casting.

Anyway for what it is worth since my LE was stage 0 here briefy was my experience. Plaster cast in emergency after reduction procedure to align the bone. Cast seemed to be heavy, arm was very painful for the first few days. I wasn't certain what was normal swelling and what might be LE but as up to that time I didn't associate pain with LE assumed pain was from the swelling within the cast from the break. The base of my thumb was a little puffy but that was all.

I was told to come back in if my fingers started to turn blue from the cast, nothing about swelling.

I was referred to an orthopedic clinic for followup to see if I needed surgery. I didn't. The new X rays showed additional damage to the ulna? bone too and I was told that it can take some days for a fracture to show up on an X ray and I was wondering if that was a reason for some of the confusion in your case.

Two weeks after getting the plaster cast the cast the cast was quite loose so I required a new one. 

[will edit to continue later, trick r treaters starting to arrive at door]

Ok so I will continue here.  I believe the plaster casts are put on the same way though I don't remember as I had conscious sedation but did see the tech smooth the surface after and could see the lines of wrapping. When I got the new cast I was offered what they called a 'wet' cast, this would cost extra as it wasn't covered under gov't insurance, but the cast could get wet, you could shower, heck you could even go swimming if you wanted. It was made of fiberglass, including the lining next to the skin which is why it could only be used after the swelling was down. It was like a mesh and water could run right through it. I don't know if it could be used with active LE though as it it is harder than the other and so has a hard edge. I could not have survived living alone with the plaster cast trying to keep it clean and dry. BTW I did not shower with the first cast though I did cover the cast with a kitchen garbage bag and attempt to shampoo my hair in the sink. ( I couldn't shower for the more than three weeks with a drain after lumpectomy either so knew that could be done, but six week?

When I mentioned before about the first cast feeling heavy it was when I changed casts that I discovered that most of that sudden six pounds that I gained must have been lymph fluid because the lighter Fiberglas cast wasn't much different. 

The second cast came off at close to six weeks after the fracture and I was told all was fine and that I would not require physiotherapy. Within hours my arm and hand flared up with rebound LE. I had never experienced anything like this before and it was painful. I went to my pcp and she arranged for physio, I asked for someone local as I knew I wouldn't be able to drive with that arm to the next city where I had been to see an LE therapist before and besides I needed to see someone as soon as possible, so I took who I could get.

I should mention here that Kira who is one of the authoritive members on this forum about LE broke her wrist a year or two before I did. I remembered some of the things she wrote about her experience, including patiently going through rehabilitation with a therapist who did not fully understand LE.  I took that to heart, healing the wrist came first and I would worry about the LE later. Not that Kira was not under the care of an LE therapist also at this time and able to do mld and to wrap but at stage 0 I wasn't and still am not quite there yet.

Anyway my physio was familiar with mastectomy patients and knew about LE but hadn't had any training in MLD so she did not attempt it, but she did use several other methods to try to lessen the swelling and to move the lymph and they worked enough to take away the horrible pain so I was comfortable about that and she was very good at what I was really there for which was to work on the wrist to help it to continue to heal and to  get as close to the original range of motion as possible. I had therapy for four weeks starting at three days a week then later two days. She said that the healing was taking longer than it otherwise would  because of the Lymphedema which made sense to me. 

As I believe I mentioned once before on the forum, six months after breaking my right wrist I broke the other one, this one on the non LE side. This time it was much different, less pain, less swelling, less physio required, so I can really understand what the effect the LE must have had the first time. 

Spookie if you have any questions at all perhaps Binney could pass them on to Kira if no one reading here has an answer.  She did I think have to wrap her fingers with the cast.

Kathy