"A Fracture"

Several weeks ago I attended the Emergency Department at the Albany hospital to have my arm checked out because it had been hit by a flying portion of a tree branch. At first I thought it was just bruised and I would get over it; but it had been over a week and it was still hurting, so I wanted to get it x-rayed to see if it had been damaged.

The x-ray showed a hairline fracture right across my right ulna.  The fracture was hard to see, but it was definitely there.  The doctor I saw didn't think it warranted a cast, so I went home without one.  I wrapped it in a compression bandage myself.

I had identified a number of things that I could not do because it hurt so was careful not to do any of them.  However, the next day I inadvertently did something that combined all the things I could not do and the bone broke all the way across.  I nearly fainted from the pain.  

I was taken to another hospital who x-rayed it again and the break was very obvious. They put me in a half cast.

Given my age (I am elderly), and the delicacy of my bones, I think that a precautionary half cast should have been applied to my arm to protect it whilst it healed at that first visit to the ED.  So I am very disappointed that that was not thought of by the doctor who saw me.  I do not want to name them, but I believe all doctors should take the age of their patient into consideration on such occasions.