The Weight of Plaster

Kids today, if they break something, they have it so easy. We hadn’t even seen the concept of the lightweight fiberglass type materials of today. Many barely even think about the lightweight cast they have on their limbs today. We used to get the old plaster of Paris casts. Where a nurse or doctor would get the x-ray and examine the break. Poke or pull it back into about the correct position or place (and I do mean ‘about’). Even an injury with two or three breaks to it would often just be poked into place. Generally, to avoid having to do any surgery (Unlike today). Then, when they were reasonably satisfied the arm was about right, they would put it in a cast. They would get the bucket of water, a handful of white plaster bandages and dipping them into the water, they saturated the plaster on the woven bandages. They would start to wrap the damaged limb using the rapidly thickening plaster. You sat as patiently as possible. Then, as they wrapped the wet bandages over and around, building up a sloppy layer to finish the outside of the cast, the temperature would start to build up in the bandages. They always insisted you sat for a short time after they completed the cast. Just to make sure you didn’t break it before it even started to set.
For the number of breaks I had, I should probably have developed bigger muscles from all the weighty attachments I lugged around during my youth. And if you think I was joking about the way the doctor, or nurse would ‘poke’ the break back together. Let me recount this particular incident. There was a certain casualness from doctors some years ago (pre the modern day law suits and Health board worries).
I was carrying a cast on my left arm (again). Two weeks later, I attended the hospital for a follow-up to allow another x-ray for the doctor to check how the healing was progressing. Unfortunately, it was one of those moments when a doctor looks two or three times at the x-ray, then back to you, then back to the x-ray. All with a slightly worried expression, before finally announcing while reaching for my right arm, “No. Not good. Nurse, will you cut this off?”. The nurse looked as concerned as I felt. I raised my left ‘plastered’ arm to show which one the cast was on. “You mean this one?” The doctor looked up a little distracted. Before realizing his error. “Of course, that one. Just cut the cast off will you nurse. I don’t like the way the break is healing.” With that he walked off to talk to someone else. Hopefully to someone senior. Hopefully, for a second opinion? The nurse prepared the small circular cutter (like a home power tool set), but started to cut the cast away first with a thick handled pair of scissors, which chewed the plaster to pieces rather than cut it.
(Continued tomorrow)