Broken Wrist - three weeks before sailing

[jeblack1]

My wife fell and broke her wrist and it is less than 3 weeks before sailing (Carnival Horizon).

We already had excursions planned, but are now having to change those....any ideas on how I can make this vacation still enjoyable for her?

Have been on several cruises and know luggage may be an issue, but just curious if there are other things I am not thinking about.  Also know water will be an issue...anyone recommend something you can put over her cast so that she can still go in the water?

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I don’t know of anything will protect the cast from immersion in water,and you may not want to get seawater under the cast for a variety of reasons.  But if you want a “raincoat” for splashes or showering, you can use plastic bags and duck tape, or press and seal food wrap.

[Drazil65]

Sorry to hear about DW accident but happy you are still able to make the best of it and cruise anyway. 

 

I personally have no relatable experience BUT recently saw (on MG this past December) someone that had a cast on and it was covered with a plastic "umbrella bag" being they are slim and long, it fit perfectly.  They were the type that you can get in stores or theatres when raining out and they dont want you to drip water on floor from your folded up umbrella. 

 

Not sure if you can get a box of them somewhere (or grab a few from a box somewhere maybe) but it seem to work really well for keeping the whole arm cast covered.  Have  blast anyway!

[kingston13]

They do sell swim covers on Amazon - unfortunately I know from experience.

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, kingston13 said:

They do sell swim covers on Amazon - unfortunately I know from experience.

 

I mean they have them plenty of places, we don't have to buy everything on Amazon.

[ginabab]

Does she have a cast or splint?

[9tee2Sea]

why not just call her doctor and ask?  I have never broken anything, but there might be some waterproof stuff that they can encase the cast with.  Or at lest, tell her how to minimize the water exposure.

[kingston13]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I mean they have them plenty of places, we don't have to buy everything on Amazon.

was just trying to help

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, kingston13 said:

They do sell swim covers on Amazon - unfortunately I know from experience.

 

We had this plastic thing that was made specifically to protect casts from moisture.  We used it over our son's leg cast so he could bathe.  It worked better than I thought it would.   

[mom says]

5 hours ago, jeblack1 said:

Also know water will be an issue...anyone recommend something you can put over her cast so that she can still go in the water?

The first thing you have to do is ask the Orthopedic surgeon if she is allowed to go in the water. It may not be safe for her to do so. If she gets the go ahead, ask if she could have a waterproof cast put on. 

 

Otherwise, if just for showering, or in case of rain, there are plastic covers as mentioned above. When I had my arm in a cast, I just used a trash bag and tape when showering.

[GeezerCouple]

6 hours ago, jeblack1 said:

My wife fell and broke her wrist and it is less than 3 weeks before sailing (Carnival Horizon).

We already had excursions planned, but are now having to change those....any ideas on how I can make this vacation still enjoyable for her?

Have been on several cruises and know luggage may be an issue, but just curious if there are other things I am not thinking about.  Also know water will be an issue...anyone recommend something you can put over her cast so that she can still go in the water?

 

Oh, do I empathize!

 

I tore a rotator cuff a few weeks before a cruise.  Our insurance would have refunded everything, but... I wanted to go and "recover at sea", where all the cooking, cleaning, etc., would be taken care of anyway.

It was a bad tear, and at times *very* painful.  And it was my dominant arm.  (Is your wife's broken wrist on her dominant hand?  That does make a bit of a difference.)  Anyway, DH had to help me dress and cut food for me, etc.  The wait staff were also very helpful with this once they realized there was a problem and recognized me.  (Nice!)  I didn't have a cast on, so there was major signal to others, alas.  However, I was always keeping my arm at an odd angle, right next to my body.  (I had tried a sling, but it was more trouble than it was worth.)

And the hair salon got to know me pretty well, too.

 

I also took some major pain killers with me, and yes, I had copies of all scripts and a letter from the physician - with copies on our laptops and in the cloud.  NOTE:  We checked and these were not prohibited in any country we were going to.

 

The only mistake we made was that although we cancelled/changed a lot of excursions, we kept the one with a chartered motorboat to take us to a sheltered cove we like.

I could NOT get back into the boat! 😱  It took DH and another person to literally shove me up and into the boat after I'd splashed around in relatively shallow warm water.

(Yes, *embarrassing*  😳 )

 

We were both very glad we went, although it wasn't quite the vacation we were hoping for.

 

Good luck!  I hope you both have a great time.

 

And yes, I think they do make some waterproofing, but I don't know about soaking underwater for an extended time, vs. for a quick shower.  Ask your orthopedics group.  Yours won't be the first time it's been asked. 😉 

 

GC

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, jeblack1 said:

My wife fell and broke her wrist and it is less than 3 weeks before sailing (Carnival Horizon).

We already had excursions planned, but are now having to change those....any ideas on how I can make this vacation still enjoyable for her?

Have been on several cruises and know luggage may be an issue, but just curious if there are other things I am not thinking about.  Also know water will be an issue...anyone recommend something you can put over her cast so that she can still go in the water?

In October 2018 I fell and broke my right wrist.Due to my age and many medical issues my doctor did not believe it was advisable to do surgery.

A cast was placed on my wrist.It was removed 2=days before a scheduled cruise.The only thing I was not able to do was to carry luggage,my wife somehow did it for both of us.Even though the cast was removed my wrist was not totally healed,

[Meander Ingwa]

I would call the doctors office and ask the staff if the doctor or nurse have advice.  As @kingston13 kindly mentioned, they do make products specific for purpose.  Your doctors office might have a suggestion as to which one is bast suited to your wifes specific type appliance.

 

It might be a good idea to have a steak knife at the table for every meal, which might make cutting up food easier, if that is an issue.  That way she can select anything rather than choosing things she can manage without cutting.  If you eat at the same table the staff will remember her needs

 

book appointment at the ship salon for a hair shampoo and treatment , bit of pampering feels good.  Does she do her eyebrows ( wax thread or pluck). If so, make sure she is able to get to salon before trip if she wants.  Perhaps nails too, even if to just tidy them up.

 

you dont need 2 arms to dance 💃🕺

 

 

[mjkacmom]

22 hours ago, kingston13 said:

was just trying to help

We got a cover from Amazon for my son’s leg cast, but he ended up getting water in anyway dipping it in the pool and had to get his cast replaced that day (he had pins in his ankles). I wouldn’t trust anything for swimming. Amazon is the most convenient place to find things.

[mammajamma2013]

23 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

We had this plastic thing that was made specifically to protect casts from moisture.  We used it over our son's leg cast so he could bathe.  It worked better than I thought it would.   

I had the same experience when I broke my ankle. I bought my cover at Walgreens drug store.

[Turtles06]

I’m sorry this has happened to your wife and I hope her recovery goes well. PLEASE have your wife talk to her orthopod and find out exactly what she is permitted and not permitted to do on this trip.  Regardless of possible cast covers, the doctor may say the arm should not be immersed in water. And perhaps some activities (e.g., getting in and out of a pool or the ocean) present too much risk of falling. 
 

Folks on CC are great, but there are questions here that should be discussed with your wife’s doctor. 
 

I hope you both have an enjoyable trip. 

[jeblack1]

Thank you everyone for the responses.

 

 - We have gotten some things to cover her arm while she showers, but she also has a removable splint, so that is good.

 - After working around this issue the past few days, the biggest issue will be her hair.  She has beautiful long hair and I have always had short hair, so experience with long hair and putting it up is zero. 😬  I definitely need some practice.  Also luggage, flights, hotels and taxis will all be an additional experience.

 - The doctor seems okay with her getting her arm wet and it will have been healing for about 3 weeks by the time we get on the ship.  We live at the coast, so it is a given that we will be in the water and the doctor is aware of that.  She will have a follow up next week and again at the end of June.

No surgery is needed and that is a blessing.

[jeblack1]

14 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

I would call the doctors office and ask the staff if the doctor or nurse have advice.  As @kingston13 kindly mentioned, they do make products specific for purpose.  Your doctors office might have a suggestion as to which one is bast suited to your wifes specific type appliance.

 

It might be a good idea to have a steak knife at the table for every meal, which might make cutting up food easier, if that is an issue.  That way she can select anything rather than choosing things she can manage without cutting.  If you eat at the same table the staff will remember her needs

 

book appointment at the ship salon for a hair shampoo and treatment , bit of pampering feels good.  Does she do her eyebrows ( wax thread or pluck). If so, make sure she is able to get to salon before trip if she wants.  Perhaps nails too, even if to just tidy them up.

 

you dont need 2 arms to dance 💃🕺

 

 

I have thought about the salon, but she is particular with her hair, however if it is me or the salon, she would be wise to choose the salon.  She did ask me to touch up her nails last night, but I am sure she is planning on getting them done before the cruise.  Thank you!

[new_cruiser]

She can also google for videos to help with how to do things with one hand. I broke my wrist on a cruise in Thailand. It was my dominant hand. I was solo on that cruise. Mine was a compound fracture and needed surgery so I was in a hospital for 3 days before returning home. I watched videos on line for things like how to tie shoes with one hand. I had shortish hair at the time. Maybe she can find something on how to do long hair with one hand. 

[SPacificbound]

As long as you do the lifting and help her out, she should be fine. Unless of course she doesn't feel up to it.

 

Just over a year ago I broke my left ankle in five places. Fortunately I was on blood thinners, so was able to heal with splint, then cast. I bought waterproof leg covers on Amazon so I was able to shower. I also bought waterproof tape to go along the cover/skin area for extra water protection.