Clavicle havoc...le...

[orlyysrly]

Hey there --

I'm a longtime occasional lurker...I always knew I'd eventually get desperate for advice on something or other and emerge from the shadows of the interwebbbzz, and, well, here I am.

I broke my clavicle in a crit over the weekend (long, bitter story withheld). Supposedly it doesn't need surgery, though I'm getting a second opinion next week. My melodramatic concern is that I may have a complete breakdown before then: I'm not sleeping much, since I can't lie down, and at the moment have to pick between holding down food and taking painkillers. Shower #1 yesterday was several times more traumatic than the ER. I know I'm being a baby, but the honest truth is I'm totally miserable and freaking out.

In short: I know this is a common injury among cyclists. I'm looking for any suggestions -- on pain management, drugs, recovery, life one-handed, anything -- for an apparently not-so-stoic first-time road-crash kid.

All thoughts appreciated. And here's my x-ray!

[ClockworkOrange]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck but always good to see lurkers de-lurk.

Hope you start to get some sleep, nothing worse than sleep deprivation.

I expect some of the more seasoned riders on here will be able to give you some advice.

Just one small question, are you sure you have been given the correct X-ray as that shows the date as 1987 Jan 20?

Take it easy.

Clock

[orlyysrly]

1/20/87 is my birthday. I *wish* that wasn't my x-ray!

Thanks for the good wishes.

[Irulan]

we just have gone through one almost like that - far end of the clavicle, with DH. Unfortunately for him the bone did not knit and he had to have it plated.
I know you don't want to hear that.

Just do what they say. Don't try and "man up" to stay off the pain killers. They give them to you for a reason. Let pain be your guide for activity, and FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS from your doc and your PT. Try using extra pillows at night, that seemed to help DH a lot. Stay on top of your meds: getting behind and trying to play catch up is a real drag.

Ask for help. Let the little things slide. If you have someone that will take care of you LET THEM DO IT.

Painkillers are notorious for digestive track stoppage. Stock up on stool softeners, senekot, whatever it takes to keep things moving. Esp. if they gave you morphine in the ER, you could really get sluggish in a hurry.

[OakLeaf]

Can you ask for a different painkiller? Even though most of the stronger ones are related and have the same general side effect spectrum (opioids), different people can have very different side effects from different drugs.


And you ARE NOT being a baby. You're listening to your body. (Even when what it has to say isn't very pleasant.) That's a good thing and what an athlete should do.

Welcome, sorry you're de-lurking under yucky circumstances.

[wackyjacky1]

Eeeewww, that looks hideous! Right now I have inflamation in the joint where my clavicle meets my sternum, and that's been pretty uncomfortable...I can't even imagine how painful your break is.

I hope you feel better soon.

eta: Don't take those pain meds on an empty stomach. When I've done that it's a sure thing I'll be nauseated.