topic Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint? in Wellness

Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

lynne6was7 — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 22:07:20 GMT

I fell on Saturday and injured my wrist. They think I broke it but won't know for sure until the swelling goes down and they can re-do x-rays. In the meantime, I'm in a fiberglass sugar-tong splint and it's driving me nuts. Even with a sling, it's like carrying around a heavy log. And, of course, an itch has started a couple times. I've been able to distract myself so far as there's no way to get to it with the elbow bent. Any coping tips would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

on the bay — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 22:12:01 GMT

Is it possible to itch it with a chopstick or something?

It sounds awful!😬

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

Spacrazy — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 22:40:44 GMT

All I can tell you is “bless your heart”.

Buckle up, it might be a bumpy ride.

My limited personal experiences are to follow your doctors advice and be patient. Be very careful - complications can make your recovery soooo much worse.

I’m sure you’re using cold packs for swelling - helps with pain and bruising. Prop up carefully with an extra soft pillow or one of those “spongey” things the hospital provides so you can rest.

Good luck and I sincerely hope you’ll feel better soon!

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

lynne6was7 — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 00:49:13 GMT

Thank you both for your replies and well wishes. Yes, it is awful. I wouldn't recommend it. LOL. My arm is bent and the splint is L-shaped around and above the elbow so no hope of sliding anything along the skin. If my wrist is broken, this thing will make the short cast seem like a picnic. Not sure how we'll know when the swelling is down.

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

Meowingkitty — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 01:11:38 GMT

I broke my wrist in two places back in February and had one of those splints put on in the ER until I saw the doctor who suggested surgery. He took the original one off and replaced it with a smaller one which helped but it still itched and was pretty painful. I didn’t get much sleep during that time because it was hard to get comfortable like you said with a log around my arm. I had surgery about 10 days later where I got a removable brace for about 6 weeks. That was ok because I could put lotion on, take it off and stretch my fingers and bend my wrist a bit. All I can say it was miserable. I managed to get my finger under the splint around the itches but it drove me nuts. I had surgery and was in quite a bit of pain for quite a while. Even to this day 6 months later my fingers are still stiff and if I try to do to much lifting my wrist will ache.

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

cherry — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 13:19:21 GMT

Could you try something like Talcum powder, it might sooth the itch? Particularly like ammens medicated powder..That smells so pretty like jergen's hand cream

Re: Anyone had a sugar-tong splint?

lynne6was7 — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 16:59:02 GMT

@Meowingkitty it sounds like you had a miserable break. So sorry. My doctor was not sure if seeing an old injury or arthritis, or a new break on the initial x-ray, If a new break, thinking that a short cast will be sufficient rather than surgery,

@cherry there's no easy access point with this beast unfortunately.