broken clavicle...surgery or not?

[willy81]

Originally Posted by srth .

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!!!

Hi srth,
I think your girl friend must go ahead with the surgery if she has not done it already.
From the third x-ray you posted it is clear that her trunk is already asymmetrical due to the fractured collar bone, her spine is also affected, it is not straight.
All those will fix with the surgery when the collar bone gets its normal size/position again!

 

[bon_gabs]

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? [/quote] Absolutely,you'll be million % the same,power wise,after 6 mo. Of surgery we moved ,since my wife is working at night and sleep day,I basically the only one taking care of all moving boxes,I lifted more than 30 lbs. And felt the same power as before.I normally do all things like before with no difference..ill be back nxt year to have my plate remove..

 

[willy81]

Originally Posted by bon_gabs .


Absolutely,you'll be million % the same,power wise,after 6 mo. Of surgery we moved ,since my wife is working at night and sleep day,I basically the only one taking care of all moving boxes,I lifted more than 30 lbs. And felt the same power as before.I normally do all things like before with no difference..ill be back nxt year to have my plate remove../img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

aha,
How does it feel with the plate?. for me it is a little strange to touch my skin and feel that hard metal underneath.

interesting, will you have the plate removed after 1 year post-op.
My doctor said 7 months.

Ask your doctor if you have be careful and how long after the plate is removed. Basically there are six holes in your collar bone, the holes of the screws, which need to heal too.

Thanks

 

[srth]

Quote: Hi srth,
I think your girl friend must go ahead with the surgery if she has not done it already.
From the third x-ray you posted it is clear that her trunk is already asymmetrical due to the fractured collar bone, her spine is also affected, it is not straight.
All those will fix with the surgery when the collar bone gets its normal size/position again!


Willy81 - She got the surgery 4 days ago and is doing great!! We still won't know how the stitches and plate will look after the bandage comes off. However, in retrospect you are exactly right. We are very happy we decided on the surgery. Her muscles were already realigning and adjusting her shoulder blade and other bones in her upper body. It was a very necessary decision. I will post back in a few months to update her statues and healing times....

thanks!!

 

[bon_gabs]

*****,,doctor says after 6 mo, plate can be remove but its my personal option when,the removal process is around 30min. Then two weeks wound recovery,Im devating if I leave the plate for life or remove,,dont worry about that strange feeling its normal,my scar is not so obvious though doctor used a medical glue,I was surprised when they removed the bandage im expecting a staple or string my friends was amazed on the outcome as well,ill post the phito..

 

[willy81]

thanks guys for your answers,
Now I am quite worried not to hit it again somehow in my everyday activities.
I plan to stay away from any kind of sports for the next two months.

bon_gabs,
How did you feel after 6 weeks do you remember?
Today my doctor said that it is better to keep the plate for a year.
I don't care about the scar, a Plastic surgeon can make it disappear. Two years ago I hit my face and all stitches were done by a Plastic surgeon and all you can see is a very thin wrinkle but still you need to look at t very carefully.

So plastic surgery is the solution for srth's girlfriend.

I will upload my xrays too in the following days.

 

[bbninja]

I am no doctor, personally the doctor told me he does not want to remove my plate because i am so skinny he says. I dont really do anything that will break it again unless i do something stupid. If i did play sports i would have it removed, i have read that if you break it again with the plate in there it will just be more work for them to put back together than if plate was not there.

I mean football players break there collarbone all the time and 2 months later there catchin passes and getting hit again. I think you should get plate removed let heal 100 percent and forget about it. There is no way you can play sports and worry about your shoulder, you will get hurt playin like that as im sure you know. just my opinion

 

[willy81]

thanks for your input bbninja.
I agree with what you said!

If Football players get back in 2 months why an amateur like me/you can't do it also.
The question is when a fractured collar bone is totally healed.
How long does it actually take?

 

[alienator]

thanks for your input bbninja. I agree with what you said! If Football players get back in 2 months why an amateur like me/you can't do it also. The question is when a fractured collar bone is totally healed. How long does it actually take?

.....all **** which your doctor can answer and for which it is stupid to accept internet forum advice.

 

[willy81]

alienator,
please stop it, it is getting boring!

I repeat and please don't make me say it again, we are here to share our experiences, knowledge.

 

[bsbs1876]

I feel like alienator just posts the same message every time in here. We get it, you want us to talk to our doctor. In most cases the person is. They are just posting here to discuss and get other opinions in addition to their surgeon's. We realize these opinions may not be from medical professionals but this is an open discussion and an interesting topic for us who have suffered from this injury.

 

[alienator]

alienator, please stop it, it is getting boring! I repeat and please don't make me say it again, we are here to share our experiences, knowledge.

Nope, I'll keep repeating it because people will continue to make stupid decisions. I will, however, give your request all the thought it deserves.

 

[bbninja]

Look the way i look at it is this. I broke my collarbone and had surgery, if anyone knows what its like it would be me since i went threw it. A doctor is just telling you what the doctor books told him. He is not a god and does not know everything in the world. I never broke my arm nor would i comment on what to do with a broken arm, because i never lived threw it. My doctor never broke his collarbone either.

Like other people have said people are looking for more opinions from someone who ACTUALLY broke their collarbone/ Sure the doctors know best but you shouldnt just take the first thing a doctor says to you as actually fact, How many people have been diagnosed with cancer only to get a 2nd opinion and not have cancer. The more you know the better, nothing wrong with learning as much as you can about something before making a decision. If someone wants to read this forum and make a choice based on what they have read that is their choice. Telling them over and over again to ask there doctor is just pointless. People will do whatever they want regardless of what you say. Personally my doctor told me to get surgery but i did read these forums for more information.

 

[alienator]

Look the way i look at it is this. I broke my collarbone and had surgery, if anyone knows what its like it would be me since i went threw it. A doctor is just telling you what the doctor books told him. He is not a god and does not know everything in the world. I never broke my arm nor would i comment on what to do with a broken arm, because i never lived threw it. My doctor never broke his collarbone either. Like other people have said people are looking for more opinions from someone who ACTUALLY broke their collarbone/ Sure the doctors know best but you shouldnt just take the first thing a doctor says to you as actually fact, How many people have been diagnosed with cancer only to get a 2nd opinion and not have cancer. The more you know the better, nothing wrong with learning as much as you can about something before making a decision. If someone wants to read this forum and make a choice based on what they have read that is their choice. Telling them over and over again to ask there doctor is just pointless. People will do whatever they want regardless of what you say. Personally my doctor told me to get surgery but i did read these forums for more information.

A doctor is just telling you what his education in medicine and his experience in medicine has taught him. Some anonymous person online may be telling you their experience (based on their injury and their medical history) or may be completely lying. The idiot follows and values the advice of the latter and not the former. I'd take what a doctor says years before I'd take before I'd listen to someone I don't know about their alleged injury. Hey, the internet is a free world, so you're allowed to make all the stupid choices you want, including taking medical advice online and making the asinine assumption that what someone without a medical degree and without experience in treatment of orthopedic injuries says is, uhm, reliable. FYI, given your choices so far, you may also want to learn all about how the moon landings were faked and how the Masons rule the world. After all, those myths are just as reliable as taking medical advice from faceless "people" online. To highlight the stupidity, let's go back to a cherry of a question by willy81:

The question is when a fractured collar bone is totally healed. How long does it actually take?

Who's more likely to have the correct answer: non-doctors responding online or actual doctors, orthopods specifically? See, anyone with a functional brain will answer, "Doctors, of course" because doctors know that healing time is function of the actual injury and its complexity, the patient's current health, and any complicating factors such as the patient's medical history. These strangers that are being asked or asking such questions of other strangers? They have no clue how such things factor in. If people don't understand that, then the sooner they should exit the gene pool so as not to weaken the species further, the better.

 

[willy81]

I think the more we try to explain alienator how things work the more we stay away from our valuable conversation.


Well, today I am 8 days post-op and I feel much better.
My Shoulder/Scapula feel more robust, sometimes I forget about the operation and I try to use my arm more than I am supposed to.
I find it quite risky and probably this is the reason I started using the sling again, not because I need it but to restrict my arm from normal use.

I use a lot of ice to, it is very beneficial.

 

[alienator]

I think the more we try to explain alienator how things work the more we stay away from our valuable conversation.

Oh! Thank the gods! ***** knows how things work 'cuz he broke his collarbone! Hopefully someone will give you a plaque so that visitors will know *****-boy is qualified to dispense expert advice. Forget those doctors and their knowledge: *****-baby is the go-to guy.

 

[willy81]

OK, here are my "medals"




and

 

[willy81]

here are my xrays

 

[willy81]

I have a problem, I cannot upload photos with my xrays even though I can post text messages normally.
What might be the problem?
The photos are 4mbytes resolution, is it too much?

 

[alienator]

4 Mb is way too big. The biggest dimension should be on the order of 1000-1200 pixels, and the file should definitely be no more than about 1Mb. All large files do is type up the resources of someone's computer. Certainly nothing is gained from such a huge file.