So I was hoping that this week I’d have a lovely new House to Home post to update you on the progress of our bedroom. You can see the first post here! However, it is now going to be a good few weeks before you see a post with some photos of a newly decorated bedroom because there has been a bit of a decorating disaster…
By disaster I mean I fell off the ladder, whilst stripping the last little bits of lining paper, and I’ve fractured my arm!
As a first aider I knew as soon as I’d fallen and I struggled to move my arm that I’d done something serious, and I was almost certain I’d broken it.
In all honesty the fall itself is a bit of a blur all I remember is the landing and the immediate pain. I couldn’t move my arm by itself, I had to use my right one to move it and although I couldn’t feel any disfigurements, the intense pain suggested a break of some sort.
Dan, bless him, did the best he could with looking after me. He ran and got pain killers, took my rings off and got me the First Aid box we have. I took it in my stride that I’d taken a chunk of skin of my toe, which was profusely bleeding, because quite frankly the pain from that was not a patch on the pain of my arm!
We were lucky that we had friends close by that we could call on to come round and babysit Alfie, whilst he was sleeping so we could go to A&E. Unfortunately, I didn’t react to the accident and I started to have the signs and symptoms of going into shock. I was shaking uncontrollable, I couldn’t talk in sentences properly, I had no colour in my face and I felt sick.
I needed several blankets and a hot coffee, (This is probably not medically advised but it’s what I needed!) before I started to feel warmer and get some colour back in my cheeks. The shaking didn’t stop for a good thirty minutes, I was still going when we arrived in A&E!
I can’t quite tell if it’s plaster cast or paint on my t-shirt…
A&E
There was nothing graceful about presenting myself at the reception desk. I had painting clothes on, blue and white dolly shoes, a dressing gown over one arm, a messy bun with my hair falling out of it and no bra on… The shame! Sometimes you just don’t care, this was one of them!
After a quick check with the triage nurse and the doctor making me scream as he pressed on my arm, I was sent through for an X-Ray. There was no time before the Doctor calling me back to see the results. He seemed pretty impressed with how I’d broken it. My description was “It’s just a bone that somebody’s drawn lots of lines and cracks in!”
As a result I was given morphine for the pain and told I’d need a cast. Although I didn’t have a full cast, for the first few days, due to the swelling. Once it had gone down I’d have a proper cast on for 4-6 weeks.
4-6 weeks in cast with a toddler are you crazy?!
Top tips for after an injury:
- First of all, the number of people who do not take painkillers after an accident/injury is ridiculous! The pain is not going to go away by itself… Take as many as you are allowed, trust me it’s worthwhile!
- If the injury is on your arm take off any rings or bracelets. The last thing you’ll want is them cutting it off!
- Make yourself as comfortable as possible! Since you don’t want to make the pain worse or hurt yourself even more.
- Keep warm! If you have a pretty significant injury the chances of you going into shock is quite high (See symptoms above!)
- Accept help! You will need to swallow your pride and get on with it.
- Drink wine! It won’t numb the pain however you’ll feel better!
- Finally, don’t climb ladders whilst decorating! I think this is pretty self explanatory!!
Do you have any tips for coping with a cast? Or coping with a toddler, please send them my way!
Wine definitely helps… Yes it does look like I’m going to drop it… I nearly did!
However feel free to call me a wally… Or send some decorating help!
Mummy Fox xx