broken clavicle...surgery or not?
- Thread starter James Thomas
- Start date
Thanks again, bon_gabs. I'm actually pretty excited about having this done. I know it will be a rocky road to recovery and even though my surgeon has a bit of a cocky sense of confidence to him I kind of like it... One thing he mentioned in my last visit was "I would do it if it were me". Sold!
Hey everyone! I found this forum tonight and have learned more on this site than on any other I've found!! This is an awesome forum!
Okay so on April 6th I was riding my road bike home from work at night when I hit this big speed-bump-like thing in the street. I spilled off and landed with most of the impact on my left shoulder.
After going to the ER I was told that I had fractured my left clavicle but that everything looked okay and I should wear a sling and make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. So I went to work the next day(I work as a barista) and just worked the register one-handed. By the time I called the orthopedic office, i was told that it would be about two weeks until they could get me in. At this point I thought that I was most likely healing up pretty good, and the pain had subsided dramatically.
I saw the doctor on May 1st and he seemed pretty concerned. The new X-rays look WAY worse then the ones I initially got at the ER.
So he informed me of my options and I opted for his recommendation of surgery. I'm a little nervous about the surgery after youtubing videos of it... but it's scheduled to happen this coming Monday(the 7th)
Also...... I bought a $1400 non-refundable round trip to India departing on 5/15 until 8/28.
My doctor provided me with a note to give the airlines, but unfortunately(even with the note) they won't let me reschedule my flight without paying exorbitant fees of $1500++
I'm not planning on doing any crazy backpacking(anymore), but mainly just to take it easy and maybe find a nice peaceful northern town to recover my strength and maybe learn yoga.
My question for everyone on this thread is what their opinion about traveling so soon after such a surgery is. I'm aware that my doctors opinion is important on this matter, Ive just been planning this trip all year! I even got rid of my car and opted to bike everywhere to save money! I just seem to be having a hard time finding any information on traveling after such a surgery. I'm 23 and feel like I'm a pretty healthy active guy. Please let me know your thoughts and any (more) tips you can give me to aid a speedy recovery.
Thanks,
Levi
of
Las Vegas, NV
Okay so on April 6th I was riding my road bike home from work at night when I hit this big speed-bump-like thing in the street. I spilled off and landed with most of the impact on my left shoulder.
After going to the ER I was told that I had fractured my left clavicle but that everything looked okay and I should wear a sling and make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. So I went to work the next day(I work as a barista) and just worked the register one-handed. By the time I called the orthopedic office, i was told that it would be about two weeks until they could get me in. At this point I thought that I was most likely healing up pretty good, and the pain had subsided dramatically.
I saw the doctor on May 1st and he seemed pretty concerned. The new X-rays look WAY worse then the ones I initially got at the ER.
So he informed me of my options and I opted for his recommendation of surgery. I'm a little nervous about the surgery after youtubing videos of it... but it's scheduled to happen this coming Monday(the 7th)
Also...... I bought a $1400 non-refundable round trip to India departing on 5/15 until 8/28.
My doctor provided me with a note to give the airlines, but unfortunately(even with the note) they won't let me reschedule my flight without paying exorbitant fees of $1500++
I'm not planning on doing any crazy backpacking(anymore), but mainly just to take it easy and maybe find a nice peaceful northern town to recover my strength and maybe learn yoga.
My question for everyone on this thread is what their opinion about traveling so soon after such a surgery is. I'm aware that my doctors opinion is important on this matter, Ive just been planning this trip all year! I even got rid of my car and opted to bike everywhere to save money! I just seem to be having a hard time finding any information on traveling after such a surgery. I'm 23 and feel like I'm a pretty healthy active guy. Please let me know your thoughts and any (more) tips you can give me to aid a speedy recovery.
Thanks,
Levi
of
Las Vegas, NV
Levi,,just Do the surgery,,you have still a week of timeframe before your flight,at your age you'll recover faster,,Im 43 but after 2 days Im on the trainer already,,take your vacation but very careful or just wear your sling all the time as warning device..take pain meds with you..the wound dressing can be remove overceas,avoid making it wet during shower..good luck,,you'll be fine for sure..
My boyfriend just had surgery on his collar bone and i was wondering, the prescription pills he has, do i need to wake him up in the middle of the night to give them to him? It says take every 4-6 hours. So i gave them to him at 9 pm do i need to wake him ip at 1 and 5 am to take them?
The pain meds actually needed if pain persist or bothering him much,I stop taking it after 5 days of surgery,so it depeds on his pain tolerance and if he dont mind constepation,,5am sounds right for next pill,,
Raeliegh Wooden said:
I had my surgery 8 months after the break. I was in pain for most of that time, with limited use of my right arm. I was off work that time period, anyway, and did a bit of travel ling, but finally went in for a second opinion. I did get the surgery, and was free of pain almost immediately. I was back running, riding, etc. As it was a very distal fracture, with the healing bone so small, I never achieved total union, and 11 months later, the plate was coming off the bone. (two of the pin heads sheared) I had the plate removed, and the shoulder is the best it has been since the injury. (12 weeks later) I am still cautious lifting heavy objects, but have full range, great flexibility and no pain.
Good luck with your surgery./img/vbsmilies/smilies/drool.gif
Good luck with your surgery./img/vbsmilies/smilies/drool.gif
Hi everyone, my girlfriend, 25 years old, broke her collarbone and we are having the hardest time making a decision about surgery. This happened about 2 weeks ago and not much has changed as she just got another xray today...the bone was displaced 20mm, exactly the cutoff point for surgery...but keep in mind she is a little girl....
I know what the doctors think: Uh, either way it will probably be ok.
FYI, they did approve the surgery if she decides to go forward.
The main concerns here is the scar after surgery and the plate sticking up through the skin...
Any advice, instincts or common sense would be greatly appreciated. (nobody is responsible for anything said in this post
)
Thanks!!!
I know what the doctors think: Uh, either way it will probably be ok.
FYI, they did approve the surgery if she decides to go forward.
The main concerns here is the scar after surgery and the plate sticking up through the skin...
Any advice, instincts or common sense would be greatly appreciated. (nobody is responsible for anything said in this post
)Thanks!!!
Personally i had almost the exact same break except mine went up more and was pushing up my skin in my neck, anyways i had surgery the next day. I am a small dude, 5'6 maybe 110 pounds, ok so its been almost a year now since i broke it.
The scar is long goes all along the clavicle from top of shoulder to my neck. It just turns into scar tissue and now i basically just have a line there. The plate is still inside and you can feel it on top of the bone, you cannot actually see anything wierd about my bone except when you are looking at me straight on you can tell something is wierd about it but most wouldnt think nothing of it, its not sticking up in my skin it is very thin right attached to the bone.
I had surgery and never had no rehab and was back to work in 3 weeks. Full range of motion, besides the visual my arm moves and acts as if nothing ever happened. Your break seems like the ends are very far apart like mine was and if you try to wrap and wait you will never be the same, imo. I have zero regrets gettin surgey pain was not to bad either, only think that sucked was i sleep on that shoulder so couldnt do that for few weeks but i sleep on it just fine now.
Only 1 bad thing about the surgery so far, i still do not have alot of feeling where the cut is, it just feels wierd when someone is touching that part of the skin, not painful just wierd and sensitive,. I hear nerve ending will either repair themselves eventually or i might be like this the rest of my days, either way if i broke it again i would be opting for surgery no questions asked./ Hope that helps
The scar is long goes all along the clavicle from top of shoulder to my neck. It just turns into scar tissue and now i basically just have a line there. The plate is still inside and you can feel it on top of the bone, you cannot actually see anything wierd about my bone except when you are looking at me straight on you can tell something is wierd about it but most wouldnt think nothing of it, its not sticking up in my skin it is very thin right attached to the bone.
I had surgery and never had no rehab and was back to work in 3 weeks. Full range of motion, besides the visual my arm moves and acts as if nothing ever happened. Your break seems like the ends are very far apart like mine was and if you try to wrap and wait you will never be the same, imo. I have zero regrets gettin surgey pain was not to bad either, only think that sucked was i sleep on that shoulder so couldnt do that for few weeks but i sleep on it just fine now.
Only 1 bad thing about the surgery so far, i still do not have alot of feeling where the cut is, it just feels wierd when someone is touching that part of the skin, not painful just wierd and sensitive,. I hear nerve ending will either repair themselves eventually or i might be like this the rest of my days, either way if i broke it again i would be opting for surgery no questions asked./ Hope that helps
bbninja - Thanks a ton for your input. We have weighed all the doctors opinions as well as everybody else who I have spoken with who has endured this kind of surgery. Its kind of disturbing that the doctors who are responsible for the patient wont say a word about going one way or the other but the doctors who I talked to who are just friends said there is no doubt about doing surgery...
Anyway, I think that she will probably just go ahead and get surgery...the bone is just too far apart and one of her shoulders is a fair amount shorter than the other...
Thanks again and god bless!!!
Anyway, I think that she will probably just go ahead and get surgery...the bone is just too far apart and one of her shoulders is a fair amount shorter than the other...
Thanks again and god bless!!!
I broke my left clavicle after falling down a flight of stairs head first. I also had a serious skull fracture, brain trauma and facial palsy.
The result was that my clavicle was broken in four places. I asked my options and my PT and the orthopedic doctor told me I had no choice except the surgery. So I had to wait for the brain injury not to cause a stroke during surgery and that was five weeks. When they did the surgery they discovered the bone had begun to heal more than expected due to my age and gender. The surgery was more complicated due to the healing and the pain was intense. So my accident was April 5,2012 and the clavicle surgery was may1.
I was told by many people including my rolfer who said I should not have had the surgery. I am happy that I did as I have read your posts and waiting just prolongs the process. I wish I could have had mine done the same day i injured it. The bone is healing slowly but do your research lifting weights anywhere in the body helps to build bone throughout the body. Take plenty of Vitamin B to heal the nerves, Treat your incision with care but do massage vitamin E daily and try to press on the scar tissue as it will prevent the lumping effect, Also keep the incision protected from the sun as it will make the skin purple with sun exposure. Do your therapy. I already can lift my arm to 172 degrees and only 8 to go. Bicep curls, tricep kickbacks are very helpful if done properly. Find a good PT who realizes that with healing less is more in terms of therapy and as one post said damage was done by pushing yourself too hard during your rehab. Don't look back. If you have had the surgery don't second guess yourself what is done is done., If you elected not to do surgery it is not too late and if you are happy with the decision not to have a surgical procedure- again don't second guess yourself. We all have sought the best in medical care and in getting good information. At the end of the day it is your body, your decision and your life to continue living joyfully. I almost didn't have that chance. Good luck to all of you.
The result was that my clavicle was broken in four places. I asked my options and my PT and the orthopedic doctor told me I had no choice except the surgery. So I had to wait for the brain injury not to cause a stroke during surgery and that was five weeks. When they did the surgery they discovered the bone had begun to heal more than expected due to my age and gender. The surgery was more complicated due to the healing and the pain was intense. So my accident was April 5,2012 and the clavicle surgery was may1.
I was told by many people including my rolfer who said I should not have had the surgery. I am happy that I did as I have read your posts and waiting just prolongs the process. I wish I could have had mine done the same day i injured it. The bone is healing slowly but do your research lifting weights anywhere in the body helps to build bone throughout the body. Take plenty of Vitamin B to heal the nerves, Treat your incision with care but do massage vitamin E daily and try to press on the scar tissue as it will prevent the lumping effect, Also keep the incision protected from the sun as it will make the skin purple with sun exposure. Do your therapy. I already can lift my arm to 172 degrees and only 8 to go. Bicep curls, tricep kickbacks are very helpful if done properly. Find a good PT who realizes that with healing less is more in terms of therapy and as one post said damage was done by pushing yourself too hard during your rehab. Don't look back. If you have had the surgery don't second guess yourself what is done is done., If you elected not to do surgery it is not too late and if you are happy with the decision not to have a surgical procedure- again don't second guess yourself. We all have sought the best in medical care and in getting good information. At the end of the day it is your body, your decision and your life to continue living joyfully. I almost didn't have that chance. Good luck to all of you.
OK, here is my story.
I broke my left collar bone last Monday (July 2nd) the day after, in less than 24 hours, I had the surgery and now feel much better.
I had some little pain for two days post-op.
Before the operation it was fairly painful and I could not stay like this for long.
My Doctor explained that it will possibly heal even without the operation but the collar bone will shorten and eventually my trunk will be asymmetrical.
For all those reasons I opted for the surgery.
I will be back to the hospital in six weeks for the follow up, x-rays etc. My doctor said it will take me about two months to be able to do contact sports.
He also said that it is possible to remove the plate/screws in 7 months and then I must be careful for an other two months until the holes mend too.
I feel bad because of the accident but I have no pain and all those inactive weeks will make me feel miserable.
I am concerned though if it will be as strong as before the accident and this is what I would like to ask you.
If all things get well how is it going to be 1-2 years from now? Will it be the same?
How things usually develop? Are there any statistical data?
I broke my left collar bone last Monday (July 2nd) the day after, in less than 24 hours, I had the surgery and now feel much better.
I had some little pain for two days post-op.
Before the operation it was fairly painful and I could not stay like this for long.
My Doctor explained that it will possibly heal even without the operation but the collar bone will shorten and eventually my trunk will be asymmetrical.
For all those reasons I opted for the surgery.
I will be back to the hospital in six weeks for the follow up, x-rays etc. My doctor said it will take me about two months to be able to do contact sports.
He also said that it is possible to remove the plate/screws in 7 months and then I must be careful for an other two months until the holes mend too.
I feel bad because of the accident but I have no pain and all those inactive weeks will make me feel miserable.
I am concerned though if it will be as strong as before the accident and this is what I would like to ask you.
If all things get well how is it going to be 1-2 years from now? Will it be the same?
How things usually develop? Are there any statistical data?
Sorry for the misunderstanding but I am not asking people here to give me a prognosis for my injury.
What I have asked is rather general info about how things develop with those who have opted for the surgery.
I am asking people to share their story 1-2 years post-op.
Similar threads
