My husband broke his wrist, 29 days till my surgery!!

[Suzy]

Oh my gawd, what do I do? My husband broke his wrist today and is having surgery as I write! He insists I should NOT postpone my surgery. I need you all to tell me CAN HE REALISTICALLY HELP ME WITH ONE HAND??? Will he need to pick me up to get me out of bed? He will be able to cook, or I should say warm up, as its not his primary hand he uses that he broke and kids can help. I am concerned about what he needs to do to help me, physically. PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP! I am suppose to go donate my own blood in 6 days. My head is spinning..........

[LindaRacine]

Suzy...

No, your husband should not have to pick you up. You should be able to take care of your basic needs (getting in and out of bed, walking, climbing stairs, showering, etc.) on your own. Sorry about the wrist.

--Linda

[CurvySAT05]

Before you leave the hospital they will make sure that you are able to function independently at home (i.e. get your own drink, in and out of bed, walking, etc.) Also, you can make your own limits for leaving the hospital. For me I have a 2 story house and live also in the second floor of my dorm. I required that upon my discharge I had to be able to manage stairs without help. After a couple weeks you may feel up to making eggs or something quick at waist height. You wont want to bend down much.
I think it will be ok with your husbands broken wrist for you to still have your surgery. He will be able to use his good hand to vaccum and dust and the such. Put groceries away, drive a car and all that.
I hope everything works out for you. Let us know what you decide.
Mandy

[JoAnn5]

Suzy, when it rains it pours, right? I'm so sorry about your hubby's wrist and the added stress you have now. You should be able to get out of bed just fine, the PTs at the hospital will show you how to do a lot of little things that help you be self-sufficient. I DID need help once in a while to rise out of a chair or sofa that was too low and i just couldn't get my legs under me in the right way..but i bet he can help you do that even with his wrist in a cast. Pile the pillows on the chairs first, then rising won't be so hard... i learned the hard way...lol...Also for the first week or so when i got home, i needed help in the shower. If however, you have the shower chair and all the little helpful gadgets that are recommended, you should be able to handle that okay on your own pretty quickly. Check LindaRacine's list of things to have when you get home.. it is really, really helpful at this link: http://scoliosislinks.com/PreparingforSurgery.htm

The only thing i would add to that would be silky or satiny sleepwear to make turning over in the bed easier. I thought the warm flannels would be the thing to have, but they were like trying to turn over in velcro...lol...

God bless you and your hubby... keep us posted. JoAnn

[crookedspine]

Suzy, I am so sorry to hear about your husband's wrist. I'm sure that he is not doing any better than you, mental-wise. Just to set your mind at ease, as others have already done, my husband only uses one hand to help me out of bed, to turn over (when I need help once in a while), to get out of the shower, etc. He has NEVER had to use more than one hand. Tell your husband, and yourself, that we will be thinking & praying for both of you, and your kids! By the way, just make sure that REHAB knows about your husband's wrist, and they will make sure that you will be able to function when you get home. Linda

[Suzy]

Thanks for the words of incouragement. He is not happy I am thinking of putting off my surgery. He has an external support in his wrist and will have surgery in another week or so to put in plates and screws internally. The Dr. won't know till then if the external support will be need or not. He can't use that arm at all and can't get it wet with that thing. I don't know if they will cast it or wrap it post-surgery if the external thing isn't needed. I saw a head wrap thing at the beauty supply store that lets you sit up in front of a sink for hair washing. (Then anyone could help me.) It has a trough that goes in the sink so all that gets wet is your head. That might help till I can do it myself. I am still thinking whether to re-schedule or just go for it.................

[lelc2002@yahoo]

Hi suzy,
I'm sorry to hear about your husband's wrist. I think you will be ok to go. I agree he can help you w/one arm & I'm sure your son will help out when in need! Have you also checked about a rehab place after the hospital-I've heard it depends on the insurance plan but worth looking into. Lynne

[Karen Ocker]

For Suzy/husband's wrist

One solution might be to go to a rehab center for a week or two; this will unload the family, it's covered by insurance, you will get all the help you need, excellent pain relief, physical therapy to help you "uncoil" and protect you back. Your husband could not do that with 4 good hands.

I'm saying this because I did it. My husband was still working and there was no one else nearby. I stayed 2 weeks but you can decide how long you want to stay. I got the idea from another scoliosis forum.

This can be arranged in the hospital. They are experts at it. It will also enable you to be discharged from the hospital sooner and it usually is a more pleasant place for the kids to visit.

They will all appreciate you much more after all this, believe me!

Karen

[KUBUs]

Before you leave the hospital they will make sure that you are able to function independently at home (i.e. get your own drink, in and out of bed, walking, etc.) Also, you can make your own limits for leaving the hospital. For me I have a 2 story house and live also in the second floor of my dorm. I required that upon my discharge I had to be able to manage stairs without help. After a couple weeks you may feel up to making eggs or something quick at waist height. You wont want to bend down much.
I think it will be ok with your husbands broken wrist for you to still have your surgery. He will be able to use his good hand to vaccum and dust and the such. Put groceries away, drive a car and all that.
I hope everything works out for you. Let us know what you decide.
Mandy

Is absolutely right! I spend 1 week in ICU before going to a room, and one of the 1st think the doctor and nurse told me is that my stay in the hospital depended how fast can I be independent; as in going to the bathroom, walking stairs, getting on/off the bed, eating...which might seem as an impossible task at first, but my physio literally FORCED me to walk and ultimately be independent.

Btw, I forced my mom and bro to help me out even tho I didnt't need it...i guess those are some of the perks you get after surgery.