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Showering with a cast
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11/15/2018 02:06
dupynz 
11/15/2018 02:06
dupynz 
Showering with a cast

I don't want to encourage anyone to disobey a surgeon's (or other medical person's) instructions not to shower with a cast on your hand and forearm, and I was told very specifically that I mustn't get it wet or it would have to be replaced. However.... the weather here in the southern hemisphere is getting warm now and the idea of even a week without a shower didn't appeal to me. I think I read about someone on this forum using plastic bags or clingfilm so I thought it must be do-able.

And it is - I did it 3 times and not a drop of water got in. With someone's help it would be a whole lot easier but I did it alone just using my non-dominant (free) hand.

I didn't trust cling film, so I used two bread bags (because they are long and narrow, and two bags were more secure than one in case there was a hole in it). By bread bags I mean that here in New Zealand loaves of sliced bread come in plastic bags, but any bags long enough to cover the whole cast would do. I had been saving bread bags deliberately before my surgery and would put one over the cast at other times to keep it clean and dry if I was dealing with water.

Firstly I secured the bottom of the bags to my arm with a rubber band. Then I cut some strips of parcel tape (by which I mean wide, brown very adhesive tape about 5mm /2 inches wide and placed them round the bag ends. This was not very satisfactory without help, so then I attached the end of the roll to this tape and began to wind the roll round and round the bag bottoms so that they were completely sealed, then continued to roll it up my bare arm for a couple more inches before cutting it off. It felt rather tight and uncomfortable but it was so secure that I had some trouble getting it off when I was finished.

The hardest part really was trying to wash with my non-dominant hand.

11/16/2018 18:43
Scarlettnova 
11/16/2018 18:43
Scarlettnova 
Re: Showering with a cast

dupynz:
I don't want to encourage anyone to disobey a surgeon's (or other medical person's) instructions not to shower with a cast on your hand and forearm, and I was told very specifically that I mustn't get it wet or it would have to be replaced. However.... the weather here in the southern hemisphere is getting warm now and the idea of even a week without a shower didn't appeal to me. I think I read about someone on this forum using plastic bags or clingfilm so I thought it must be do-able.

And it is - I did it 3 times and not a drop of water got in. With someone's help it would be a whole lot easier but I did it alone just using my non-dominant (free) hand.

I didn't trust cling film, so I used two bread bags (because they are long and narrow, and two bags were more secure than one in case there was a hole in it). By bread bags I mean that here in New Zealand loaves of sliced bread come in plastic bags, but any bags long enough to cover the whole cast would do. I had been saving bread bags deliberately before my surgery and would put one over the cast at other times to keep it clean and dry if I was dealing with water.

Firstly I secured the bottom of the bags to my arm with a rubber band. Then I cut some strips of parcel tape (by which I mean wide, brown very adhesive tape about 5mm /2 inches wide and placed them round the bag ends. This was not very satisfactory without help, so then I attached the end of the roll to this tape and began to wind the roll round and round the bag bottoms so that they were completely sealed, then continued to roll it up my bare arm for a couple more inches before cutting it off. It felt rather tight and uncomfortable but it was so secure that I had some trouble getting it off when I was finished.

The hardest part really was trying to wash with my non-dominant hand.



You can buy cast covers/protectors for arms at the drugstore or online. Reasonably priced and I used mine for weeks. Easy to get on and off by myself. I showered every night.

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