Category Archives: Comfort and Care

How to Survive the Holidays with an Injured Arm

christmas-bauble-15738_1920The holiday season is here! There are decorations to put up, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap and parties to attend.  Throw in the fact that you only have one good usable arm, and have a huge list of things to do.  The end result?  You find yourself feeling STRESSED.   But what can you do?  Your injury isn’t going to magically heal overnight and to-do lists don’t complete themselves.

Here are four tips to help ease your panic of having an injury of how to survive the holidays with an injured arm.

Tip #1: Don’t do it Alone

Help is all around, just ask for it!  Do you have children at home, a neighborhood friend, or a niece/nephew?   Kids LOVE to help make cookies, decorate, and wrap presents.  Not only will you get added quality time, but you will be able to brag to family and friends that you had a special little elf’s assistance this year.  They will be proud to have helped.

No littles around?  Have family and friend assist instead.  No task is too small to ask for help with. When friends, family, or church members offer help; take them up on the offer.

In a pinch?  Use bags to wrap your gifts and skip the baking.  Do you really need to have all your decorations out this year?  Your family and friends will understand your limitations and will be accepting of this.  This leads us on to our next tip.

Tip #2: Know Your Limits

You may want to try to do everything you normally do, but you need to know your limits to avoid further injury and to get the rest you need heal.

Need to go shopping?  You are going to need someone to carry your gifts, assist you with transportation, even tying your shoes to go out.  Try online shopping this year to avoid the shopping malls and crowds.

Doing this with one arm is tough though right?  Try snuggling up with a loved one next to a computer.  Have them take over control of the keyboard while you sit back and work your way through that shopping list.

Cleaning to do before your guests arrive?  Take your time when doing chores around the house and do not over do it. Check out our blog on HOW TO DO HOUSEHOLD CHORES WHILE INJURED for more great tips on this topic.

Cut back on the cooking. Be realistic.  Do you really need to make 3 different types of fudge and 7 kinds of cookies this year?  Your main priority right now is taking care of you.  We suggest teaching someone your favorite recipe (what fun!) or let others bring you the sweets and treats.  Have a recipe no one else can master?  Take a look at our post on COOKING WHILE INJURED to help you on your way.

Tip #3: Relax

Remember that you do not have to and at this point cannot do it all. It is important that you get some rest, especially if you are having difficulty sleeping at night. Even if it just relaxing on the couch watching your favorite Christmas movie, it is so important to your healing process.

Tip #4: Enjoy Time with Family and Friends

blingblackYou will still want to enjoy time with family and friends and don’t let the cold weather and your injured arm stop you from holiday activities.  Have parties to go to where you’ll want to hide that unsightly cast? Black and sparkly, Armz! in Bling it on Black (shown here in Long and Short versions) or any of our other blingy selections will change the conversation from, “What happened to you?” to “How Cool is that?!” Check out our CastCoverz! Armz! our flagship product that will protect your clothes, furniture, and skin from snags and scratches, plus it will keep your cast clean. Going outside and want to keep your cast dry and your hand warm?  Try Mittz! Cozy and Mittz! Dry.

Looking for more helpful hints on how to enjoy the holiday season while you heal?  Check out Activities You Can Do In the Snow While Injured,  and How to Shovel Snow When Wearing A Boot, Cast, Brace, or While On Crutches, With these tips, you will not only survive holiday season, but also enjoy it. From all of us at CastCoverz! we are wishing you and yours an amazing holiday season! 

 

Back-to-School also means Playground Injuries Spike

Back-to-School also means Playground Injuries Spike

This article was first published by CastCoverz! in 2011.  It’s worth repeating!
Back-to-School means new backpacks, shoes, jeans, pencils, and excitement!  But, it also means a spike in playground injuries.  Did you know:

*  that 40% of all injuries occur at the beginning and the end of every school year?   
*  that 70% occur on public playgrounds?
*  that 70% of those injuries are severe and involve falls to the surface?
*  that severe injury includes concussions, stitches, fractures and even worse?
Broken Humerus
My 10-year-old daughter was a casualty of a playground structure.  She fell over 7 feet, hitting a piece of equipment on the way down and snapped her humerus.  That’s the big bone in the upper arm.  The worst part?  It was preventable.  SafeKidsUSA and CastCoverz! wants all parents, educators, and playground supervisor’s to be aware of school playground dangers.  But, we also want you to know that most accidents are preventable.  Our next post will be about the ways school playground accidents can be prevented.  In the meantime, have fun with your friends, study hard, and BE SAFE!     
CastCoverz! takes child and playground safety very seriously.  Check out our articles on Playground Safety Tips and Preventing Playground Injuries for more information.

 

External Fixators, Ex-Fixes, and Halo’s. Oh My!

When you or your loved one breaks a bone, the typical prescription is a cast. Sometimes, the patient will receive a splint, or clamshell, cast. If the foot is involved, occasionally a “walking cast” (also known as a “fracture boot” and commonly known as an orthopedic walking boot [think Star Wars boots]) is dispensed. But, there are times fractures or conditions require an external fixator, also known as Ex-Fixes.External Fixators, Ex-Fixes, and Halo's

Ex-fixes are external “cages” that stabilize an appendage (leg, foot, arm, hand, finger, …) to promote healing. Most people are familiar with them as “halos” when someone has fractured their vertebrae in their neck or spine. Most ex-fixes are unsettling to look at because the appendage (leg, foot, hand, shoulder, etc…) is often swollen and bruised, with rods sticking into the limb. Quite often blood soaked cotton pads at the pin point are an unintended visual of the device.

Why an Ex-Fix and not a cast? Sometimes injuries or conditions are so severe they require constant manipulation to ensure proper healing. The rods and screws can be adjusted, externally, to accomplish this, without requiring additional or minimizing the number of necessary surgeries. Sometimes “ex-fixes” is a treatment choice.CastCoverz! owner’s 17-year old daughter, Elli, was in a serious car accident and her femur was crushed. The femur is the biggest bone in your body and is in your upper thigh. Her orthopedic surgeon gave Elli and her parents the choice of a rod inserted or an ex-fix around her leg. For a variety of reasons, they opted for the rod.

Healing with an ex-fix is typically a long, inconvenient, and often precarious process. Quite often leg and/or foot ex-fixes require bed rest. Compassion and adjusting your expectations for the patient is necessary during this trying time. Often physical surroundings have to be adjusted, too. Remember, as the caretaker, nothing is as inconvenient as what your loved one is enduring.

One solution for those healing in an Ex-Fix around their foot/ankle are our Sleeping Bagz! These comfy-cozy fleece covers are designed to lightly slip over your device to provide some coverage as you rest (and keep your sheets clean!). Not only will they keep your toes cozy, but they’re a lot more fun to look at than your special external “cage”! Check out all your options here.

Committed to Customizing!

Because of the obvious unease when looking at an ex-fix (many patients describe it as people staring at them), covering their ex-fix is an important part of a patient’s well-being and healing. CastCoverz! has an experienced custom sewing department that creates custom covers in a variety of fabrics made-to-order for each ex-fix customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s important to note that ex-fixes for the leg come in weight-bearing and non-weight bearing options! For this reason, it’s important that we know the exact measurements of your device so we can make the perfect custom cover for you or your loved one!

Likewise, ex-fixes can cover arms, knees, and fingers; our team of experts has designed custom covers to fit all these needs. We’ve designed a series of custom covers that can stretch, protect, brighten your ex-fix!

Check out our website for more options for covering your ex-fix, while also customizing it to fit your needs! Choose from a variety of fabrics and prints to help you FEEL better so you can HEAL better 🙂

Fixated on Function

While most customers are on the hunt for a cover to hide their device, some are shopping for special occasions! It’s not all about fashion; in fact, our covers can be purposed for a wide variety of activities.

One memorable customer requested (and received) a camouflage cast cover. Yep, a hunter went traipsing in the woods and bagged a deer with her foot/leg in an ex-fix covered in camo.  P.S. She was on the the last “leg” of her healing and had consulted with her doctor (at least that’s what she told us 🙂 ).  

Experts in Ex-Fixes!

Have you or someone you know worn an External Fixator before? If so, what were some functional “life hacks” that helped ease everyday tasks while you healed?! Share your bright ideas with our community; you never know who will benefit from your genius ideas 🙂

Cast Covers for Your Special Event

Are you in a cast, an orthopedic walking boot, on crutches or in a sling and have a special event – such as a wedding or prom – to attend? Unfortunately, injuries and emergency surgeries have no regard for the special event on your calendar.

Don’t worry! CastCoverz!™ is here to help. We have cast covers, orthopedic boot covers, slings, crutches and accessories that are fashionable, functional, and customizable so that your cast or sling won’t be the center of attention on your special day … or maybe you want it to be? Either way, we’ve got you covered with over 200 fabrics to select from to match your dress or tux or to make your cast blend in (with neutrals like ivory, nude, black, or white), or to make it stand out with added customization (Swarovski® crystals, perhaps?).

Following are some of our CastCoverz! customers who shared their (very) special cast with us and how we helped the conceal it or stand-out:

Cast Cover for the Bride

Custom Cast Cover for Bride by CastCoverz

 

Designer Color Crutches (in Black) for the Groom

Designer Color Crutches for Wedding by CastCoverz

 

Custom Cast Covers for Prom

Custom Cast Cover for Prom by CastCoverz

 

Custom Leg Cast Cover for Prom by CastCoverz

 

Cast Cover for Dance Recital

Kids Cast Cover by CastCoverz

 

Visit our large selection of cast covers for arms, cast covers for legs, covers for orthopedic boots, designer arm slings, designer color crutches, and crutch accessories to cover your injury for your special event.

If you don’t find what you are looking for or have a custom cover idea in mind, contact us by email (cs@castcoverz.com) or call us toll free 1(800) CASTCOVER (1-800-227-8268) and we will happily help you create a customized cover because we want your special day to be about YOU and not about your injury. 

Feel Better, Heal Better with CastCoverz!