Category Archives: CastCoverz

Not every broken bone needs a cast

Submitted by Annette d. Giacomazzi, Owner and Founder of CastCoverz!™, America’s #1 trusted brand of orthopedic covers and accessories.

Annette’s daughter, Elli, was the inspiration for CastCoverz! when she suffered her 6th broken bone, at the age of 10. Read more about that story here.

My 17 year old daughter and I were in a serious car accident two months ago. Elli suffered the greatest with a broken femur and collarbone. We were hit by an unlicensed driver who ran a red light, then struck a vehicle which launched him airborne, until he slammed into my daughter who was sitting in the front passenger seat of my car. You can’t see it in the picture, but the truck’s wheel imprint was just 1 foot behind where my daughter sat. 3 cars were totalled and the jaws of life had to be used to extricate her from the car. It was the most helpless feeling a mother could ever have. And nothing ever prepares you to witness your child throwing up in a cervical collar. The next day, a rod was literally hammered up into her femur and screws installed into her hip and knee. Instead of having a 5 inch scar across her shoulder, she chose to have her collarbone heal on its own.

At a time when most 17 year olds are looking at Forever 21 or Hollister brands, Elli’s accessories were a hospital bed and wheelchair. The doctor had an in-your-face description of her condition, “while she heals, she doesn’t have the use of 50% of her body.” She couldn’t roll over in bed, brush her hair, or brush her teeth. I will honor my daughter by not describing more of what she couldn’t do or what she needed help with. Imagine being a 17 year old girl wanting to assert your independence during your much anticipated senior summer, now once again totally dependent on your mother. My heart ached for her. She needed 3 people to get her out of bed and into the wheelchair, an excruciating, exhausting event for her. I had to give her shots in her skinny belly so she wouldn’t die of blood clots due to laying flat. No matter how much she needed me, I thanked God every time she called for me, whether it was 5 times in 20 minutes or the middle of the night due to hallucinations from the pain medications. That’s because the alternative, loss of limb, paralysis, or death, could have been our reality.

There wasn’t a dry eye as she was wheeled across her high school auditorium by friends to receive her graduation diploma. Even though my daughter lost her senior summer, blessedly, she will mostly recover from her physical injuries. Two and a half months later, she uses her wheelchair for long excursions (farmer’s market, shopping, etc…) and crutches for shorter stints (around the house, to the movies). She’s finally back in her own bed and bedroom surrounded by her familiar pictures, soft pillows and fuzzy blankets. She’s even starting to go out with friends. Sidebar: Elli has amazing, rise-to-the-occasion friends. Their visits were just as important as the any medicine or therapy and I welcomed each and every one of them. They made her laugh until she was exhausted. Check out this blog post and pic of Elli with her big-hearted friends. Even her boyfriend, Chad, completely stepped up to the plate during this mind-blowing experience demonstrating tremendous allegiance and patience, at such a young age.

This horrific nightmare didn’t stop my Elli. Still in a wheelchair or crutches, she is volunteering next week, her 6th year, for Vacation Bible School at our church, and she’s worked a few hours at CastCoverz! for spending money (thankfully, there is only so much of the Kardashians you can watch). After securing a handicapped dorm room, in 3 short weeks from now, we drop her off at Auburn University in Alabama, 2,300 miles from home, to begin her college career. Amazingly, she’s excited about it. Bless her heart. Bless her great big “I’m-not-letting-anything-stop-me-from-living-a-great-life” heart.

In no way do I minimize her condition, but it is a miracle that Elli “only” broke bones. Her femur and collar bone are broken bones number 11 and 12 and neither require a cast, so no covers from CastCoverz! to make her “Feel Better, so she could Heal Better.” But, she could hand-pick as many designer Slingz! she wanted, and chose a rainbow of designer color crutches and crutch covers. In addition, our awesome team of sewists, tailored her clothes to accommodate a broken collar bone and femur. Best of all, the CastCoverz! team kept the business humming along while I stayed home to care for Elli and to recoup from my two surgeries.

God, side airbags and my big ole’ burb saved my daughter’s life. Angels came dressed as friends who made her laugh and helped her with year-end school projects. More angels delivered home-cooked delicious meals and were also disguised as employees who went out of their way so a mother could care for her badly broken daughter. We are blessed. So very, very blessed.

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Guest Post By Leslie Vandever

Healthy-bones

Good bone health is vital. Our bones protect our vital organs—the heart, lungs, liver, and brain. They provide the framework for the entire body, allowing us to move and live independently. But, say you’ve broken a bone. It might be your wrist, which cracked when you slipped on an icy patch and fell. Or maybe you broke your leg skiing, or your arm, or hip, or fingers or toes. Unfortunately, accidents do happen.

Bone is living tissue. When it breaks, cells from the blood flow into the injured area and start the process of turning into new bone. Healing time varies, depending on the severity of the injury, your general health, your sleep habits, hydration, and how much daily exercise you get.

Your diet can make an appreciable difference in your healing time, as well. Your body must have a steady supply of certain nutrients to build new bone, remodel injured bone, and maintain bone that already exists. You can choose to eat in a way that helps that process along.

Good bone health requires, first of all, a well-rounded, nutritious diet. A healthy one includes foods that are high in protein, like lean meat, chicken or fish (or beans and legumes, if you prefer), nuts and eggs, and an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits of all kinds every day. Limit foods that are high in carbohydrates, like those made from refined white flour. Focus instead on whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereals. Stick to healthy, plant-based, unsaturated fats for cooking and eating, like olive or canola oil, and avoid sugary foods and beverages except as rare special treats.

Calcium is one of the most important minerals needed for bone health and healing. Other parts of the body need calcium, as well, and the bones act as calcium storehouses. Foods that are rich in calcium include: Milk, yogurt, cheese, almonds, broccoli, kale, collard greens, mustard greens and other green leafy vegetables, liver, beans & legumes, shrimp, canned salmon with bones, other saltwater fish, and calcium-fortified soy products.

When it comes to bones, however, you also need to get an adequate daily amount of vitamin D. Your gut can’t absorb the calcium you eat without this essential nutrient. One of the best ways to get enough vitamin D is to spend some time each day outside, in the sunshine. When the ultraviolet rays of the sun hit your skin, your body produces vitamin D endogenously, making it the only vitamin that we don’t necessarily have to get from the foods we eat. But be mindful about staying out in the sun for too long. Sunburn can cause skin cancer. Try not to spend more than 10 minutes at a time out in the sun, unprotected.

Although there are only a few foods that supply vitamin D in the diet, they do exist. They include: Cod liver oil, salmon, swordfish, tuna fish, sardines, liver, egg yolk, orange juice fortified with vitamin D, vitamin D-fortified milk (whole, skim, or non-fat), swiss cheese, fortified yogurt, and fortified cereals. You can also get vitamin D from supplements, either prescribed by your doctor or over-the-counter at the drugstore. Recommended dosage is between 400 mgs and 1,000 mgs daily. Take care, though: more than 2,000 mgs of vitamin D per day can be toxic.

Calcium and vitamin D are both essential for bone health throughout your life. Make sure you’re getting enough of both each and every day.

Leslie Vandever is a professional journalist and freelance writer with more than 25 years of experience. She lives in Northern California.

References:
Vitamin D. (2014, Nov. 10) National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
Bone Health for Life: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family. (2014, July) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/bone_health_for_life.asp
Making Wise Choices in Each Food Group. (2014) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.veteranshealthlibrary.org/Search/142,41395_VA
Bone Health: Tips to Keep Your Bones Healthy. (2013, Feb. 9) Mayo Clinic. Retrieved on December 19, 2014 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/bone-health/art-20045060

Cast Shoe? Cast Boot? What’s in a Name?

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Collage Are you wearing one of these orthopedic contraptions? What’s it called, anyway? This type of orthopedic device is most commonly known as a post-op shoe, but doctors, and patients alike, call it many different names; such as, cast shoe, Jesus sandal, wound-care shoe, cast sandal, cast boot, and orthopedic shoe. Who knew one device could have so many names!

The use of a post-op (postoperative) shoe after surgery, trauma, or wound-care treatment at home helps speed up recovery by easing pain and actually aids in the healing process. These types of cast shoes not only provide stability and reduce the risk of slipping, they minimize the pressure on wounds for faster healing, while helping maintain mobility.

Whether you’re in a walking cast or bandage and you’ve been told you have to wear a post-op shoe or an AFO (ankle foot orthosis, which supports the ankle and foot by maintaining proper alignment and controlling motion,) CastCoverz! can cover your orthopedic accessory and keep your foot dry and warm with a custom BootGuardzXtreme! (for extreme weather) orthopedic cover. If you’re looking to simply cover your leg cast and toes, check out CastCoverz! Legz!