Type 2 diabetes and bone fracture healing time

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dillydog

Member
Messages
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I am a type 2 diabetic, on Metformin. 8 weeks ago I managed to fracture my finger, and have had to wear a splint for that amount of time. I was told I should wear it for 6 - 8 weeks at the fracture clinic, but now, having removed it, I find it still misshapen, swollen and painful if I touch it.

I only have to attend the fracture clinic again on 19th Jan. if I have problems, otherwise I should cancel the appointment.

Can anyone tell me whether it takes longer for fractures to heal if you are type 2 diabetic, or if this is what I should expect and is the norm.

Thanks very much.
 
S

sugarless sue

Master
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Rude people! Not being able to do the things I want to do.
If it appears mis-shapen then perhaps you need another X-ray to determine whether it has,in fact ,healed up in the correct position.Having been in a splint for a while it will take quite a lot of gentle exercise to get the joint working again.Once the joint is being used then the swelling should also go down.
 
H

hanadr

Expert
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soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
Get it checked!
the tighter your BG control is to non-diabetic levels, during the healing, the quicker it will be. That means keeping around 5 at ALL times.
Ask for plenty of test strips and "eat to your meter". They should let you have strips under these circumstances.
The consequences of imperfect healing are horrible.( SORRY!!!!)
 
T

Trinkwasser

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,468
It takes most things longer to heal if your BG is too high.

Having said which I have a few horror stories about unhealed fractures/dislocations in nondiabetics too, any problems *definitely* go back and see them ASAP.
 
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999sugarbabe

Guest
I, stumbled on this thread whilst looking for something else but thought I'd put in my threepenneth worth.
I had a road accident in 1999 and ended up with srews and plates in my tibia and fibular.
A couple of years ago I noticed my leg changing shape and becoming more painful than usual. Eventually I went to see my doctor and was referred to the orthopaedic clinic where I was in turn sent for a scan.
Apparently the titanium plate and screws supporting the fracture in my fibular had broken into 3 pieces... hence the change of shape and pain. It also came to light that the actual fracture was still totally unhealed and pretty much exactly as when I was originally knocked down.

I was supposed to undergo further surgery to repair the broken metalwork and have a special bone graft, however in the meantime I discovered I was Type 2 diabetic. This, together with the hospital having a poor reputation of acquired infections following surgery, has put me off any further procedures.

Since then I have done quite a bit of research, and it certainly appears that being diabetic may have contributed to my non-union fracture, as well as adding to the risk of poor healing and chances of infection being increased if I were to have further surgery.

Recently I have also noticed increased pain in the sites of other (old) fractures too. It makes me think...

Anyway, I've had my say on the matter. Best of luck.
 
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