More Cast Help

You have to take him to have a new cast put on. The pee inside can eat away at his skin and cause an infection.

My daughter broke her tibia at 11 months. Our pediatric orthopedist told me if pee or poop got inside the cast that I was to bring her straight to his office during office hours or to the ER on weekends. From how he stressed this I understood it could happen pretty quickly...the skin infection.

So go ahead and call the office first thing in the morning and check...but a new cast is probably in your future. Sorry!!

I am an ortho tec, and put hundreds of casts on a day. I would definitely get a new one put on. The pee can destroy the skin causing it to errode, infections will set it. Some kids get staph infections (including MRSA) and other horrible infections after getting cast wet. Please call the orthopedist and get the cast checked and replaced ASAP.

My 12-year-old son had arm cast last year. When cast came off it was scary how much skin damage there was just from normal cast wear-and-tear - - small sections of skin were hanging off. If urine can cause redness and rash in a diaper, I'd hate to wait for signs of "itchiness and ouchiness" to make decision to replace cast. And you definitely don't want to ever be dealing with the new super-bacteria, methycillin resistant staph aureus. Read about that germ on the internet. We should all be on guard against it. A 15-year-old kid - a sweet, wonderful boy - at my son's school died from it 2 years ago.

Hee Hee he's gonna love that story when he is older. My little one was in a cast last summer and stepped in a mud puddle, it' didn't really cause too much of a problem but it eroded teh packing material a little, I wouldn't think that would matter if it was from teh top down. i'm sure you can call the nurse and ask, but other than trying to dry it and disinfect it maybe with a little rubbing alcohol?? or something, i think he'll be fine.

All great advise. I would call the nurse in the morning. They usually side with caution and may tell you to replace it. At least you could hear the reasons and make your own choice. Mine got wood chips in hers and they said we had to replace it. But I just put her in the bath and pushed them out with water day after day (hers was waterproof). Good luck.

Hi A.,

My daughter recently had an arm cast and I remember how "annoying" it was to try and keep that thing dry, I can't imagine having to worry about what you are. I would think it's not going to affect him healthwise in any way, but comfort maybe yes. It will take a good couple of days to completely dry out which may start getting very irritating and itchy for him.

If he starts to complain of discomfort, then definitely get it re-casted, we had to do that with my daughter's cast just from general discomfort and the orthopedic was great about doing it. I thought they might not since she only had a few weeks left by the time we took her in but they happily did it and she was so much more comfortable.

So just continue to keep an eye out and if he starts complaining you can call the orthopedic and tell them he needs a new one since it's still bothering him. Our orthopedic got us in the same day we called, hopefully yours will too if you need to get in soon. Take care and good luck!!

You definitely need to call the doctor's office and/or get in for them to look at it. I know everyone has an opinion & no one wants to buy a cast they don't have to buy. BUT, they are orthopedic specialists and if you trust them enought to care for your child I would definitely trust their wisdom on casting. You do not want to be dealing with skin irritations, wounds, all of the serious infections (MRSA, etc). I know you want optimum healing of his leg, and I would let the orthopedist make the call. Hope he is back to 100% soon!

I would call the nurse. Just because the pee is dry does not mean it's gone. I know my son breaks out on his bottom if he does not whip the pee off of him in the mornings from having a wet pullup. And his little butt gets air when he changes and uses the restroom where your son's leg will not get air to it. I would be worried about an infection and I know the rashes can pop up quickly.

Good luck and God Bless!!!

Def call and get him in! The urnine can destroy the skin and cause a very serious infection.....leaving you with a much bigger and possibly more serious problem than a broken bone.

Dont hesitate and have him seen for a replacement immediately.......

ps. it is never a good idea to use a hair dryer on a cast....even on the lowest settings.....to help it dry or otherwise.....

RN.

It's gonna smell if you don't get it recasted. Stale urine isn't the most pleasant thing to smell. Poor kid! I feel bad for him, but it sounds like he's a trooper!