No, you may not sign the cast!

[Bella_Vixen]

On a vaguely related subject-- recently my DM showed up to help move some games around. I got a bit worried when I noticed he had packing tape around a couple of fingers.

"Yeah, I broke a finger a few days ago. Didn't want to go to the hospital, wait four hours, and pay $$$$$ just to have them put it in a splint."

I noticed the other day that they sell finger splints at my local Jewel-Osco (grocery store/pharmacy for those not from around here. )

[Melxb]

I broke my pinky finger on my left hand in a car accident in 2001. When my car hit the other car (not that it matters, but I t-boned a Ford F-150 who was making an illegal left hand turn in front of me) the air bag deployed and bent my fingers away from the steering wheel. All the ER doctor did was tape my pinky to my ring finger in a "buddy splint" and told me to tape it like that for about 3 weeks. No cast. No real splint, but taped together.

It worked. The buddy tape worked and my finger was a-okay in just a month. Proof, I guess, that you don't need a plaster cast all the time.

[Rahmota]

I did that buddy splint with my finger once a long time ago.

Me and some friends was playing basketball. I tried to block the shot of one of them and somehow popped my index finger out of joint and back in bad enough that my fingernail left a scratch on my arm. We stand there looking at it and fortunately the friend who I did that on is a combat medic for the army. He looks at it asks me if I can feel it I said "no" So he goes oh good that means you're in shock grabs the finger and puts it back in place. I felt it then but we got it taped and I went home.

thats the closest I've ever come to wearing a cast fortunately. And I've broken or sprained (over my entire life) several ribs, both ankles, both wrists, shoulder, tailbone, cracked skull, nose, 3 different fingers, both knees and a shin bone. Live hard. My doctor knows that if I willingly go into the office then I must be really sick.

[CrazedClerk]

I'm back, sans cast. Got tired of it itching.
... My hand is still very weak, and I can't lift things over a few ounces without it throbbing; but other than that, I'm fine.

When I finally got my cast off after breaking my leg (skiing accident), I literally had to learn to walk again. I couldn't move more than inch at first when taking a step. You really do have to retrain your body all over again, but don't worry you'll get your mobility back shortly. And yes, I sympathize with you on the itching. I broke my leg over 10 years ago, but I still remember the itching.

[AFpheonix]

Wierdly, I couldn't roll my wrist with out it popping (like the motion you use to roll socks together) for awhile after I got it out of a cast. But hey, I was happy I could shave both armpits again