Broken bones and surgery

[Jack_M]

While this relates to an upcoming top surgery it's not actually about that particular surgery so I thought I'd post in general to reach a wider audience cause I'm close to freaking out here and need some feedback.

I'm fairly certain I've broken my thumb.  The problem is I have top surgery in just under a months time (Dec 17th).  Does anyone know if you can have surgery with a cast?  Even if I had to get the cast removed and put back on or whatever.  I dunno.  But if I can't have the surgery I'm thinking of just not getting it seen to because if I don't get the surgery now, I lose $500 and I can't even think about getting the surgery again for another 5-6 months and after this wait I just don't wanna wait even longer!!

I'm scared to ask questions too because I don't want to be in a situation where they find out and I could have kept it hidden until after.  Anyone unfortunate enough to have been in this sort of situation before, or know someone and can let me know what happened in their case?

[Gabrielle]

Talk to your top surgery doctor.  I don't see the problem, unless you have an issue with post-op self care.

Go get your thumb looked at.

I thought you were a med student?  What do they teach about honesty in the doctor-patient relationship?

[Sammy]

I cant comment anything about broken bones and having extra surgeries, but having had two broken fingers in my past - and both traumas required surgery (just cant broke them simply with out complications), so it boils down to how serious Your trauma was. Was the bone shatter, was it an open or closed fracture? If You have metal stiffs inside, they usually stay there for ~ 1-2 months and it is something You cant hide. But what matters - is the post-operative care. Fingers, unless it was open and complicated fracture (metal stiffs), heals up very quickly and You only need to pay attention to post-op rehabilitation and exercises. After one month, pretty much everything is in place already. Which is not the same thing with stiffs - if You fall or bend something while bones have not settled - this can be huge problem and lead to less functional finger afterwards... well, with open and complicated fractures they are never the same anyways...

[chuck]

Hey - I had two broken legs and was in a wheelchair for my last surgery! The surgeon didn't care, he just asked me to make sure my legs were comfortable before he put me under.  I totally understand your apprehension. I asked my surgeon months in advance if it would be okay with my broken legs and he said as long as the doctor working on my legs was fine with me having surgery, then he was fine too. Honestly, I wouldn't even mention it to my doctor - a broken thumb isnt jack shyt

[Jack_M]

Wow, way more extreme Chuck, thanks for that feedback! If you can get surgery with broken legs, casts on an arm should mean nothing!

I know that we should be honest with medical professionals but when it's a case of waiting months, I could hide this and hense asking. Obviously, not advisable for healing purposes, in fact it really is flat out bad, I know that, but just knowing if it's a problem or not concerns me. It's my left thumb, I could risk it if need be and I know that's ridiculous but it's more the having to wait than the costs for me. Been wanting for this forever and it means a lot for me to get it near Xmas just because prior events make Xmas a time I can't stand and depresses me. Having it be the new anniversary of having had top surgery would mean a lot! Plus having geared up for Dec after waiting since May, it just seems like a giant set back to put it off another half year or do if I'm lucky :-/.

Fingers are a lot different from thumbs. For fingers, unless it's a bad break, they don't do anything but strap them up. For thumbs you're talking short arm casts and potentially (but hopefully not) surgery! It's not open and unlikely to be complicated (though can't 100% rule that out). My thumb just hurts like hell and is swollen and bruised but isn't at an odd angle or out of joint. Having had broken bones in the past and having had a dislocation of that thumb recently (they said there could well be a small fracture but xray doesn't always pick that up) I'm sure the knock I just took that caused an almighty crack and for me to see stars was perhaps a small break breaking a little more .

[Missy~rmdlm]

I got a broken index finger via an airbag inflation displacing my finger that was resting on top of the cover when it went off. (Note safety texts say don't place body parts in front of the airbag, I concur.) Anyway, it was a clean break, with some meds and a glorified splint I was horseback riding the next day. I think one can manage if determined. Btw that was in 2002, it healed fine.

[Sammy]

I badly crashed my index finger when riding my bike home from work - it was open and complicated. I turned around, drove to the ambulance (yay for the adrenaline shock - the saviour of all wounded), got it fixed up, the x-ray, painkillers and assignment for surgery. Washed the blood off the bike handlebar and figured out that if I am gonna leave it there overnight, there is no way I will see my bike next morning - so I pedalled 11km back home and carried it up to fifth floor singlehandedly:P.  All what I can say... it does suck getting Your limbs broken.

[Jenny07]

Should not be an issue if you let them know in advance.

I had surgery on my shoulder 10 years ago. I was told it was 50/50 if he could fix it and had to put up with it for 13 weeks before being operated on. It was a clean break and dug into my shoulder joint and to put it mildly was agony.
Sometimes things are not so easy to fix and need time to figure out how. Took a bone graft and screw to mend it.
As long as they know they can work around it so don't fret.

The cast could interfere with the IV but there is another arm they can use, isn't there?

Jen

[aleon515]

Well might keep you from pushing off and so on with both arms to get up and whatever else. You need to use your core/trunk whatever to get yourself up and so on. I don't know why it would be a problem. BTW, someone told me to work out the abs before surgery, so happy I did this.

--Jay

[Jack_M]

We do pushups on each others abs at Taekwondo, so I'm not worried about abs . Getting thumb checked out soon (just finished work). *fingers crossed*

[Jack_M]

I'll be getting a heavy duty splint instead of a cast that can be removed so surgery won't be an issue.

Panic over!

[Sammy]

*fingers crossed*

Your doctor did not tell You not to move that thumb???