Cast Coverz Broken Bones Gear : Feel Better, Heal Better : Review [CLOSED Giveaway]

If you follow along on OurKidsMom’s Facebook page, you have seen the photo below and know that the evening before our big family camping trip, my son had a bicycle accident and broke both bones in his arm in three places total.

Fortunately for him, my dear friend told me about an amazing company called Cast Coverz.

Annette, the founder and owner, is a mom to two children… one of whom has suffered from a broken bone seven times! During the recovery from the sixth injury her daughter received one of the ugliest casts she had seen. She decided to spend some time making covers and slings to help her beautiful but broken daughter be just a tad more fashionable and comfortable. Annette, now a semi-unofficial expert at care and trying to make the patient more comfortable (and stylish) decided to create the Cast Coverz store.

After an amusing conversation on the phone with Annette, she created the perfect care package for Joshua. He was suffering from severe itching (and you cannot put anything down a cast to scratch or you risk infection), was afraid to sweat into the cast which made him a couch potato (and this is my cross country running boy that just ran over an hour round trip to our local Wal-Mart) and he was depressed that he couldn’t shower or get in the pool.

The first item she sent was a CastCoverz! Armz! cover.

Fashion arm cast covers for your splint, brace or cast.

Make a FUNctional fashion statement with CastCoverZ!

Wearing CastCoverZ! daily can prevent the scratching and irritation of surrounding skin (or other people) and the snagging of clothes that so often occurs when wearing a brace or cast.  And, you’re giving your cast or brace some personality.  From fun to elegant, there’s sure to be a cover, or two, that’s perfect for you!  At CastCoverZ!, we’ve got you covered!

Joshua’s cast was plaster covered in fiberglass. The exterior had been causing snags on his clothes (and our furniture) and scratching his legs and body. The CastCoverz was easy to slip on and fit like a glove. It was also a nice change and a uniquely personalized way to jazz up a plain (or ugly) cast.

The only thing I noticed with the CastCoverz was that when Joshua removed it, the fiberglass snagged the cover in a few places. It didn’t cause a lot of damage to the cover, but I would recommend not changing it multiple times a day (like I know a girl might do).

Next up is a CastCoverz! Slingz!.

Fashion arm slings for your splint, brace, or cast.

Have some fun and fashion with these functional slings.  Each CastCoverZ! Slingz!comes with an adjustable black “faux fur” tube on the strap for neck comfort.

The hospital sling Joshua came home from the hospital with was, well… just plain blah. It was a typical medical blue. Although it was comfortable, he got it dirty quickly and I didn’t have the means to wash it unless he sat on the couch with a pillow underneath his arm while I ran the washer/dryer.

The sling arrived in a cool skeleton print and had a padded section for the back of the neck. The sizing was just right and I can totally see mix and matching the Slingz with the Coverz. Heck, if you have to wear a cast… why not look cool and show some personality while doing it, right?

The next item she sent was a Dry Pro Waterproof Arm Protector.

 

The DryPro™ Cast Protector is completely watertight keeping your casts and bandage dry. The DryPro™ offers the only leg and arm cast protection in the world with the patented vacuum seal to keep you dry.  It is so completely and totally waterproof, between the waterproof material and the vacuum seal, that you can even dive off a diving board or ride the ocean waves and still have your cast or bandage stay completely dry.

While on our trip (and waiting for our care package) we made at trip to a local drug store. They only carried one type of “waterproof” bag for showers and the pool. It was flimsy and not waterproof and Josh wasn’t happy.

The Dry Pro was easy to put on and lived up to it’s name. After slipping it on (easily I might add), Josh attached the air bulb and went to work. Within a minute or two the Dry Pro was completely air tight, there was no budging it. Joshua took a shower that afternoon and immerged with a huge smile on his face.

The next item out of the goodie box was a CastCooler.

The CastCooler® keeps your cast fresh and reduces itch by removing moisture from the lining under your cast. Simply wrap the CastCooler® around your cast daily, and connect a standard household vacuum. After 10 minutes, moisture is removed. Without moisture, bacteria growth (the cause of odor and itch) is reduced. Your cast stays fresh!

CastCooler® is a breakthrough in cast care!  Designed to concentrate cooling and drying effectiveness on moist areas under your cast.

CastCooler® will:

• Cool your cast

• Reduce odor and itch

• Freshen your cast

• Speed dry your cast

It is a huge toss up between the Cast Cooler and the Dry Pro as to Joshua’s favorite item he received. I do know that the itching he was experiencing almost drove him up the wall because he couldn’t scratch it. The Cast Cooler is a stretchy and somewhat sticky band that wraps around the cast and attaches to your vacuum hose. Run the vacuum for 10 minutes and you’ve aired your cast out. It wasn’t running for more than 15 seconds when I heard Joshua breathe a huge sigh of relief. He used it on both the lower and upper section of his long arm cast several times. One little pointer with this… it doesn’t mention using a damp towel to wipe it off between use, but it loses it’s stickiness when it gets dirty. Joshua’s cast left a film on it after each use… we just wiped it and let it air dry for a minute or two and it was ready for the next use.

In my opinion… I think hospitals should just issue one of these when they release a patient. I thought Josh was going to go out of his mind from the discomfort and itching.

The final item out of the box was a Cast Shield Waterproof Cover.

Protects casts and bandages so they can protect you!

The CastShield™ fills an enormous demand for waterproof protection of casts, bandages and prosthetics. While attending an Orthopedic and Wound Care physicians’ conference, physician’s stated they were “unaware of any truly effective means of protecting casts, prosthetics or bandaging against water”. Moisture ultimately leads to the degradation of casting materials.

Seepage of water occurs under the cast, bacteria grows, causing odor and increasing the risk of infection. Excessive external or internal moisture is the primary cause of premature cast replacement which is time consuming and expensive. Previous to the CastShield™, the only alternative suggestion was plastic trash bags or sponge baths. This product provides the patient with a solution that is safe and simple to use. The CastShield™ makes life easier. Many physicians and patients have stated “why didn’t someone think of this before?”

The CastShield is an effective means to keep your cast, bandage or prosthetic dry. It’s was simple to unroll up Joshua’s arm but a little difficult to get around his elbow (they over padded it because he’s boney). Although it would have effectively kept the water out, Josh felt a little unsure and didn’t want to risk getting water in. He said he felt more secure with the Dry Pro and just showered in that. I have enough faith that this would work just fine for an injury you want to keep dry and so it has a place in on the shelf in my closet… just in case we would ever need it for someone else.

My overall impression of the CastCoverz store was very favorable. They carry everything we needed (in one place) to help Joshua be more comfortable, stylish and safe while living as close to a normal teenage life as he could with a cast on. Annette is easily reachable and a great resource for a first time “broken bone” mom like myself. Even if you don’t know someone with a broken bone, check them out. After being a mom for 19 years without a single broken bone… I never thought I would need CastCoverz either!

BUY IT:

You can purchase the Cast Coverz short & long arm for $16.99 and custom size for $19.99

CastCoverz! Slingz! for $24.99 to $29.99 (depending on size)

CastCooler (one size) for $39.99

DryPro Waterproof Cast Protector for $36.95 to $40.95 (depending on size)

Cast Shield for $19.95

COUPON ALERT:

Receive 10% off when you enter OKM2011. 

Necessary small print:  special offers cannot be combined and S&H not included.

Good through 12/31/2011.

WIN IT:

ONE OurKidsMom reader is going to win a Member of Broken Bones Club T-shirt!

Past or present members can proudly wear this fun shirt.

Choice of white or black : child or adult sizes

HERE’S HOW TO WIN!

MANDATORY entry (1 entry):

This entry is required before any others will count.

* Visit Cast Coverz website and tell me something you like, learned or want.

Additional Entries! You may do any or all of these in any order after the mandatory entry above has been completed. If you have already completed these actions let me know you did! If I allow 2 entries for a particular action, please leave 2 separate comments.

• 1 entry- Follow OurKidsMom via Google Friend Connect (right hand column)
• 1 entry- “Like” OurKidsMom on Facebook
• 2 entry- “Like” Cast Coverz on Facebook
• 2 entries- Subscribe to OurKidsMom by Email or RSS Feed
• 1 entry – Enter any of my current giveaways : 1 entry per giveaway entered
• 1 entries- Grab my button and leave the direct link to where I can find it
• 1 entry each- Share this on Facebook, Digg, Stumble, or Google Buzz (you can find the buttons at the bottom of this post)
• 1 entry each- Share this giveaway on a blog hosted giveaway linky and leave the direct link to the post below. Please double check that you are not double posting. (This can be done 1x a day for 1 bonus entry per day).

Daily Entries:

• 3 daily entries- Follow @ourkidsmom and @CastCoverz on Twitter and tweet the following (up to 3x per day at least 1 hour apart) leaving a direct link in your comment:

  [tweetbox width=500 height=50 label=Retweet! content =”#WIN a Member of the Broken Bones Club T-shirt from @CastCoverz @ourkidsmom ends 7/18 %u #giveaway”]

 

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• Rules:

  You do not have to be a blogger to enter/win. An email address is required to enter. The winner will be chosen via the WordPress plugin “and the winner is…” and contacted via email. A reply to the winning email is required within 48 hours before a new winner is chosen. One person entering per household please. U.S. only.

  This giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on July 18, 2011.

  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Your experience with the product may differ from mine. The sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment and will be shipping the winner(s) their prize(s). For more information read my disclosure policy.