How the heck are you supposed to bathe with a cast?

Plastic bag + water-proof-ish tape OR some sort of sling where you can keep your leg above water while you submerge. Best bet is to get someone to do it for you and play the “I broke my leg” card. Also ask for a martini while they’re at it.

1) wrap with large garbage bags and duct tape. Try the shower and straddle the lip of tub or leave one leg outside shower curtain. A bath will be tough.

Plastic bag or a garbage bag put around it and taped at the top.

Is cast to knee or to thigh? I survived a cast that stopped at the knee for six weeks.

If the cast is giant, get a good friend to give you sponge baths…give her the martini.

Tape around ankle section, also. More importantly, what happened? (And two weeks isn’t bad, in the scheme of broken bones.)

Go to a medical supply place, like where they rent wheelchairs and ask for an
aqua-shield. They are sized for any appendage and work great. Sure garbage bags and duct tape could work, but these are made for arm and leg cats. You DONOT want to get your cast wet!

The booze is up to you, but not with pain pills.

Hang in there, Poser! It will be a long haul. One tip. Get a long-handled back scratcher for itching, but be very careful not to tear skin.

Or, if you are cheap, use a plastic knitting needle or an unbent wire coat hanger taped at end.

I did this for over two months when I broke my foot. I did the garbage bag and duct tape thing with my leg hung over the edge of the tub. Wasn’t easy and I still managed to get water in it sometimes. I went through a lot of garbage bags and duct tape, believe me. Then, the last visit to the doc’s I noticed the ad for the aqua shields. Her answer was that she had forgotten to tell me about those things. I would have saved a lot of money and trouble in the long run.

@Marina: When my son broke his arm in 5th Grade, we went to take off the cast. All this stuff dropped out, and I thought it was dead skin. The guy taking it off just chuckled before my son could say anything. He had been scratching it with his pencil eraser.

sponge bath.

But make sure to wrap in large garbage bag, tape and rubberband.

My son, as a teen-ager, broke his arm and had the wrist-to-elbow cast. Years later I learned that his three step-brothers had driven the boat while he water-skied, with a plastic bag, he says, but who knows.

@see: you found a bath easier than a shower?. How did you get out? A strong partner or a small crane in bathroom?

@gail. You’d have to see my bathtub to understand. I have a friend that makes all sorts of wonderful bath products and a large tub with lucite guardrails in just the right place. I had to use it backwards because it was my right leg, but luckily the faucet is offset.

Needless to say, I was really determined and the way I broke my foot, it was better to get off of it. I have very strong arms and was able to get my self out. They did switch me to a walking cast (much better) and that helped a lot. I could take it off temporarily and just leave the Ace bandage on while I took a bath. It wasn’t fun and I still have to be careful because it gives way every then and now, five years later. My entire foot looked like a had a purple sock on for quite a while. I threw a bone chip as well, but luckily, that dissolved.

The only part of my life that I missed was that I couldn’t climb the Tower of Pisa. Not only does it have the uneven, time worn steps, but it has no guardrail. I don’t do downstairs sans guardrail any more.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I know two weeks isn’t long in cast-time, but it’s only been one day and I’m exhausted. Doesn’t help that my bedroom is on the second floor of the house.

@gail—It was a motorcycle accident, albeit a minor one. Didn’t even leave the bike. It involved darkness, a sharp corner, excess speed and a concrete lane divider. The bike was fine (even rode it home), but my foot is somewhat worse for the wear. If I ever needed proof that safety gear will save my life, I have it now.

Well, I’m off to bag and tape and shower. Thanks everyone!

my brother had a broken arm, and he just put a plastic bag around it. it would probably work the same with a leg. hope you get better.

@madmax303 thanks. Been better for a while now. I convinced Doc to put me in a walking cast after two weeks. Made it much easier because it was removable. Been out of it now for months.

Though a long afternoon of wallyball yesterday didn’t help it.