7A- Testing the Hypothesis

Individuals who have broken bones need to wear a cast which may smell really bad and create a skin infection because the broken bone needs to be stabilized and immobile.

Beth Raulerson- In talking with Beth, a pharmaceutical rep, we discussed casts. She said that a lot of people feel the same way about casts but there is not a better solution yet that us cost efficient. When I asked if all cases are the same she quickly responded no. Some casts differ from others, for example fracture casts vs. surgical casts. For that reason, the why part of the discussion would differ from person to person depending on their injury. She also mentioned how the benefits of having a permanent cat that cannot be taken off heavily outweigh the risks such as smell and skin infection.


Sam Capitano- In talking with Sam, a middle aged man, I learned that not all people even use cast in the first place. He said how when he broke his wrist, he just wrapped it in tape and never had to use formal cast. I suppose he wouldn't feel everyone would treat an injury the same. When discussing th boundaries of the need for casts, he was quick to say that they are important only if you need them but if it is not super serious he would not have used one. I threw out the case of a surgery and there he  said was appropriate to use a cast. For the why aspect of the conversation, he said he grew up not with a lot of money and that casts can cost a lot. Not even talking abound the smell or possible skin infection a cast poses, he was adamant on not even wearing a cast in the first place unless completely necessary.

Justin Tice- I got the right guy when I went here because I picked him because he also had a cast in like me. He broke his forearm and was dealing with he same problem I currently am, the thing smells.  When asking him who he thinks needs to use a cast, he said everyone who needs one, meaning everyone who's doctors tell them to. I then asked if the cast was worth the small and possible skin infection and he said yes. When I asked him what the boundaries of the need were he was confused by the question. I then asked who all he thinks needs a cast and who doesn't, which he responded people with broken bones. Except for fingers and toes, he said those were useless. I asked him why and he got really confused, but I clarified and said why do people need casts when they have a bad smell and possible skin problems and he reiterated because the doctor said so. I also found out that some casts you can shower in depending on the different injury and that pissed me off. I can't do that with mine.

Joseph Mello- When talking with Joe, I asked are there others who have this need for better casts and he responded yes because they smell bad without me prompting him to say so. When I asked him the boundaries of this need, he said everyone who needs a cast should have one on even if there are some bad side effects because healing the bone is most important. When I asked why he felt that way and he responded because that's the rules. "if your going to do something stupid and break a bone, be prepared to deal with a smelly cast."

Dk Devantio- My last person I talked to about casting and it's wrong effects explained to me the upside versus the downside of casting. The upside is that your bone will heal quicker and the downside obviously being it can smell or cause a skin infection. The upside heavily outweighed the downside. Everyone who breaks a bone needs a cast, it is not specific to each person. The boundaries according to DK were anything from a major break to a broken pinky, any bone in the body needs to be casted to ensure your strength and health. Dk's why, was consistent with everyone else except Sam in saying that it is for the betterment of you heath and not wearing a cast is asking for more trouble.

Ultimately, I didn't find out anything that I didn't already know. Casts can be expensive but whenever there is a broken bone, you must wear a cast regardless of the side problems. I also asked everyone if there was a better alternative then wearing a cast, would you wear that instead and everyone answered yes. So now my ultimate opportunity is to find something that preforms the same function as a cast that is doctor approved and will not smell or leave some kind of skin infection.