My wife got me a Curad brand cast cover and I couldn’t have been happier with it (other than if I didn’t have to use it to begin with). I think it is made of some kind of rubber but it was cheap ($13 for two) and they last (3 weeks on 1st one). It really cinches well on your leg so that no moisture gets in.
I have been using the “original” from “dry cast”. Here is the URL to their web site: http://www.medcareproducts.com/castcovers
The dry cast products are like large condoms with a plastic rim (of varying size diameters) at the open end. There is a rubber membrane stretched across the plastic rim with a hole in the middle in which you insert your leg. the hole is smaller than the diameter of your leg, but the stretciness of the rubber membrane allows your leg to enter, and then forms a perfect seal around your leg. (The company also apparently sells a fully submersible product, but I did not purchase it.)
I have been using it to shower and it works great!
The Duro-Med Adult Short Leg Cast Cover I found listed on this site is awesome as it works as advertised. Excellent invention and well worth the money.
Here is a shower tip. It occured to my son Eli, who has a 1 year old, that I try “Diapergenie” plastic refills, which are long (about 50 feet or so) continuous plastic tubes, 12 inches or so in width, that are widely available in drug stores like CVS in their baby department. They are designed to be part of a diaper disposal system, but they work great to keep my cast dry in the shower. Just cut a suitable length, tie a knot in one end, slide the open end up over the cast condom-style (sorry), and when you get to the thigh, tape it to the skin with packaging tape or the equivalent. I tape a second time around at the top border of the cast, for safety. It works to keep my cast bone dry in the shower, is easily removable, and can be discarded after use. Haven’t had a failure yet. I think I get about 6-7 uses from a 10 dollar roll, which I guess could add up, but its simple, pretty fail proof, and effective, and can be applied without assistance from a second person. So my grandson Louie and I are both using diapergenies! Best, Arnie
This time (my second ATR) I had the advantage of (a) a boot instead of a series of casts, (b) no surgery (so no incision to keep dry or “baby” or otherwise worry about), and (c) a relatively quick and aggressive protocol that got me FWB at around 5 weeks, and gave me permission to shower barefoot a bit earlier than that. (I went into the shower stall in the boot, sat down, and took off the boot, having left the crutches leaning against the outside of the stall.)
I thought of buying a fancy cast cover, as I had for my first — MUCH slower — rehab. But even that time, by the time I found one and got it (by mail), I was almost ready to stop using it! This time, I already had a great 1″ wide Spandex-and-Velcro strap (from the Dollar Store!) that wrapped around my leg just above the knee, and applied a reasonable amount of pressure. I also had a big box of cheap black plastic garbage bags.
When I put the strap together with the garbage bag, it did a reasonable job of sealing. To be doubly sure, I also tucked a big microfiber car-washing towel into the top of the boot, and draped it down into the bottom of the bag. (It always seemed to come out dry, as did the boot.)
As I moved toward FWB, I started standing on the bag more, which gave it little “stretch marks”, but they seldom went through. I may have used TWO cheap garbage bags in total by the time I started showering bootless.
The main “trick” I used was to try to keep the top of the bag tilted so that the water would run away from it, rather than into it. In the shower, I had a little padded seat AND a little “foot rest”, so my knee was raised up. (I used a little plastic pail of Spackle (”wall mud”) for the “foot rest”.)
When I washed my backside, I often stood on one foot with my bagged boot on the little padded seat. Or I just kneeled, and it still didn’t seem to leak.
Any particular leg cover do someone recommend?
good stuff on here
My wife got me a Curad brand cast cover and I couldn’t have been happier with it (other than if I didn’t have to use it to begin with). I think it is made of some kind of rubber but it was cheap ($13 for two) and they last (3 weeks on 1st one). It really cinches well on your leg so that no moisture gets in.
Here is the link:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=209768&catid=59970
I have been using the “original” from “dry cast”. Here is the URL to their web site: http://www.medcareproducts.com/castcovers
The dry cast products are like large condoms with a plastic rim (of varying size diameters) at the open end. There is a rubber membrane stretched across the plastic rim with a hole in the middle in which you insert your leg. the hole is smaller than the diameter of your leg, but the stretciness of the rubber membrane allows your leg to enter, and then forms a perfect seal around your leg. (The company also apparently sells a fully submersible product, but I did not purchase it.)
I have been using it to shower and it works great!
The Duro-Med Adult Short Leg Cast Cover I found listed on this site is awesome as it works as advertised. Excellent invention and well worth the money.
do these products cover the boot as well? Or the initial splint?
Here is a shower tip. It occured to my son Eli, who has a 1 year old, that I try “Diapergenie” plastic refills, which are long (about 50 feet or so) continuous plastic tubes, 12 inches or so in width, that are widely available in drug stores like CVS in their baby department. They are designed to be part of a diaper disposal system, but they work great to keep my cast dry in the shower. Just cut a suitable length, tie a knot in one end, slide the open end up over the cast condom-style (sorry), and when you get to the thigh, tape it to the skin with packaging tape or the equivalent. I tape a second time around at the top border of the cast, for safety. It works to keep my cast bone dry in the shower, is easily removable, and can be discarded after use. Haven’t had a failure yet. I think I get about 6-7 uses from a 10 dollar roll, which I guess could add up, but its simple, pretty fail proof, and effective, and can be applied without assistance from a second person. So my grandson Louie and I are both using diapergenies! Best, Arnie
This time (my second ATR) I had the advantage of (a) a boot instead of a series of casts, (b) no surgery (so no incision to keep dry or “baby” or otherwise worry about), and (c) a relatively quick and aggressive protocol that got me FWB at around 5 weeks, and gave me permission to shower barefoot a bit earlier than that. (I went into the shower stall in the boot, sat down, and took off the boot, having left the crutches leaning against the outside of the stall.)
I thought of buying a fancy cast cover, as I had for my first — MUCH slower — rehab. But even that time, by the time I found one and got it (by mail), I was almost ready to stop using it! This time, I already had a great 1″ wide Spandex-and-Velcro strap (from the Dollar Store!) that wrapped around my leg just above the knee, and applied a reasonable amount of pressure. I also had a big box of cheap black plastic garbage bags.
When I put the strap together with the garbage bag, it did a reasonable job of sealing. To be doubly sure, I also tucked a big microfiber car-washing towel into the top of the boot, and draped it down into the bottom of the bag. (It always seemed to come out dry, as did the boot.)
As I moved toward FWB, I started standing on the bag more, which gave it little “stretch marks”, but they seldom went through. I may have used TWO cheap garbage bags in total by the time I started showering bootless.
The main “trick” I used was to try to keep the top of the bag tilted so that the water would run away from it, rather than into it. In the shower, I had a little padded seat AND a little “foot rest”, so my knee was raised up. (I used a little plastic pail of Spackle (”wall mud”) for the “foot rest”.)
When I washed my backside, I often stood on one foot with my bagged boot on the little padded seat. Or I just kneeled, and it still didn’t seem to leak.