If you have a child in an EDF/Mehta cast you know there are a few innocent, even wonderful things that are now looked at as products of the devil himself: water, wood chips, rocks and sand. Thanks to a child who was old enough to know better, we came face-to-face with that devil called sand.  To say I was not happy was an understatement.

A bucket of sand was dumped all over Nora’s head. Sand quickly made its way all over inside her cast. Sand inside a cast is the equivalent of shards of glass if it remains in there. Children have had to have casts removed early because of sand. It can quickly break down the skin which can be a big problem and delay casting. Skin has to be in good condition to be casted.

So anyway, we rushed home to try and fix the problem.  I did everything I had heard to do when something is in a cast that shouldn’t be. We removed her knit rite under shirt, I wiped away as much sand as I could, I used a hair dryer on the cool setting to try and blow it out, I “flossed” the cast with pantyhose and wipes. I thought we were ok till that afternoon when I looked again, still so much sand everywhere and her belly was red from it.

It was then when I inquired with my online support group family of what to do. That’s when baby powder also known as talcum powder was suggested. Our surgeon was also quick to get back to me with the same baby powder suggestion.

Let me tell you folks, your very first step after removing as much sand that you can visibly see, is to pour baby powder into the cast from every angle be generous. Then I found a gentle little twist and shake of my sweet Nora helped really get it in there. The baby powder has this magical way of adhering to the sand and releasing it completely from skin. My next step was to use the hair dryer on a cool setting to blow it out. That was it, the sand was gone!

Here’s what I recommend NOT DOING:

• DON’T do any type of flossing when sand is involved, it just rubs the sand into the skin or pushes it into the padding.
• DON’T use wipes either, you don’t want to get the sand wet.
• DON’T panic and take the cast off, you might be able to save the day.