my new wooden splint

yesterday it was time to remove the stitches from my wrist and thigh, and obviously, they had to make a new cast for the wrist. the nurses were discussing the options and they decided to try the latest invention in cast application (by a finnish company i might add) which is made of wood...







...wood? yep, i admit i had my doubts. they told me the cast is made of wood chips and biodegradable plastic, is non-toxic (you can either toss it into the compost heap or burn it) and pliable.

to start the application, a 4mm thick sheet of this OMNICAST is heated (60-65C), it's then pliable and you can cut it with scissors.







lots of hands here...once they got the measures and placement right, the cast was bandaged.







the onmicast website has good pics to show it was done. what i like is the facts that it took no time to harden (5mins with ice-packs, instead of the 30mins with tradiotional cast) and is so thin i can wear a regular jacket, and weights next to nothing.

the nurses seemed to like that this cast doesn't let out any toxic fumes whilst drying, is not messy and wet, and is quick to work with. the cast has been tested at helsinki university töölö hospital, which is probably the busiest trauma center in finland.







i wanted a pink "wrapper", but i guess i can live with this blue for 2 weeks...







i did take pics of the metal stitches in my thigh, but decided to save you from such an ungodly sight.