My son just had his first broken bone over the weekend. It's his index finger, and the ER gave him a splint and taped it. I was surprised that I couldn't get an appt. with the ortho until this coming Friday.
How long have you had to wait to see the ortho after your child broke a bone? I'm wondering if this is a "normal" wait time. Thanks.
EDIT: It was the ER that called me and said that we needed to go to the orthopedist after the pediatric radiologist looked at the x-rays.
Thank you Mamas!! Your responses were very helpful and comforting. Since this was our first broken bone I had no frame of reference other than what I went through as a child myself (many) years ago. So glad to know waiting is not uncommon.
frankly, that's not that long of a wait....And, actually, I don't remember ever going to the orthopedist after my trip to the er also for a broken index finger, which they splinted...and it healed... and it's the one I'm typing and clicking away with right now.
hope he feels better
I'd say that is normal. I've often waited 1-2 weeks to see a specialist.
I know my stepdad who is a veteran waits months to see a Dr.
Less then one week away? That seems pretty fast actually. If it was something that needed to be fixed right away they would do so, so try to relax and let the doctors do what they do.
My son broke his clavicle on Saturday - we were in the ER that day - and the ortho specialist on Monday. this was before 0bamacare took full affect.
I'd check with my insurance for another orthopedist. If they set your son's finger and splinted it, it should be fine.
I'm not too surprised. You do want to wait a little bit, because you want the swelling to go down. It's quite possible that there really aren't any appointments available until then.
There isn't much they are going to be able to do to help him other than splint it. When it comes to other bones, they splint the bone right away and then cast it once the swelling goes down. Maybe once the swelling goes down they will give him a different splint. I'm sure they doctor will want to look at it and double check to make sure nothing was missed and the finger is in the correct position to heal
It really is ok to wait a few days. You could always call the doctor's office to see if there are any cancellations. Your son is going to be just fine waiting until Friday.
And Wild Woman, seriously? You don't have to love Obama, but people are not waiting longer for appointments because of Obamacare. It's fall. People are active. This doctor just happens to be busy taking care of other patients. Sheesh!
Who did you see at the er? Is splinting the definitive treatment for this type of fracture or will something else need to be done? My son had a chip fx of his thumb this summer and we saw the orthopedic resident at the er. She put a cast on and told us to follow up with an orthopedist in a week. Since he had already been treated a one week recheck seemed appropriate. However we had seen a generalist and been told the splint was just to relieve pain prior to definitive treatment a week would have been completely unacceptable.
This is normal. I'm surprised you even got an appointment. The doctor would do the same as the ER. What do you expect the doctor will do?
Sometimes it's two weeks. I broke my ankle last January and the doctor I WANTED to see was a month long wait. The one I went with was about 10 days.
Ironically my son broke his index finger last week as well. We went to his primary care the next morning and he splinted it. We aren't taking any further action at this point. Only need ortho if we need surgery or if the splint doesn't do it's job over the next week.
my cousins kid broke his wrist on a thursday and didn't get a cast till sunday. waiting is normal.
to wildwoman: how does the mandate for insurance (Obamacare) have anything to do with wait times to see a specialist?
Our Veterans are waiting months to a year to see a Dr and sometimes die waiting, your son will be fine.
I'm not surprised. It's a finger - they can't do more than splint it.
That seems like a long time before treatment. How old is your son? Kids heal quickly so I'm surprised you are having to wait that long. I would call back.
I've broken fingers and toes growing up.
The first time the doctor splinted it - for all the others we just splinted it ourselves.
I've never seen an ortho for a finger or toe.
9 times out of 10, a splint is all that's needed, at least in the short run. Getting a Friday appointment with an orthopedist is great! I know it seems like a long time, but there's really no emergency with broken bones. Even if were a horrible break that needed to be set, you actually have some leeway in this. I'm sure they told you to do what you can to keep the swelling down (ice, elevation, maybe anti-inflammatories). In fact, the waiting time may help the orthopedist evaluate what healing has already occurred. Your goal is only to keep your child comfortable and to prevent further injury. I know the wait is frustrating, but medically I don't think there's a problem.
When my daughter broke her finger last year, we didn't even go to the doc. I spoke to a nurse over the phone and on her orders, went to the pharmacy, bought a finger splint and stuck my daughter's finger in it for a few weeks. No doc, no ortho. That's what's done, apparently, with broken fingers. It healed. She's totally fine now.
It seems to be pretty common to wait a while to see specialists. Fall sports are in full swing - probably plenty of injuries happening.
An appointment in a week is pretty good. It's just a finger, not a leg or a hip.
Honestly, I'm surprised he needs to see a specialist. I broke a finger in school when I was a kid and they just splinted me up and let it heal. Sounds like maybe it was a strange break?
ER splinted it. That's really all they could do for a finger.
I can remember the ortho's office wanting us to wait almost 2 months, until I had my primary doctor call and make an appointment for me within a few days. Waiting less than a week, for an appointment that is not considered critical is excellent.
My youngest broke her collar bone on a Saturday. On Sunday we got ex rays, and on Monday we got an appointment for late Thursday.
My father needed to see someone about a heart issue. He had to wait a month!
I think waiting is very common.
My toddler broke his foot on a Saturday, but couldn't get in to see a Peds ortho (with DuPage Medical Group) until the following Thursday. Totally normal wait for a non-emergent issue.
My dd broke her elbow on a Friday when she was 2 1/2, and had to wait until the next Wednesday in a full arm splint to see the ortho.
I agree with those who say it's a wait because it's a finger. It's been seen and splinted, so it's not untreated. If I were concerned about my child's healthcare, I would call the pediatrician to confirm the whats and whys. Toes are especially bad. Not much they can do.
Yes, they'll likely put him out to set it anyway so waiting a few days isn't going to make any difference.
